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  3. Eastern Long-beaked Echidna

One of the 3 long-beaked echidnas on WAnimals

Mammals · Monotremata · Tachyglossidae

Eastern Long-beaked Echidna

Zaglossus bartoni

Vulnerable

At high risk of extinction in the wild over the medium term.

Spotted something wrong?

The eastern long-beaked echidna is the largest living monotreme, with documented individuals of more than 16 kilos. It inhabits the central ranges of Papua New Guinea and neighbouring parts of Indonesia. It feeds on earthworms and grubs that it locates thanks to the electroreceptors at the tip of its snout, an ability very rare among mammals. It is nocturnal, solitary and extremely slow to reproduce, which makes it very vulnerable to hunting with dogs, its main threat.

Weight

5 kg – 16.5 kg

Size

60 cm – 1 m

Diet

Carnivore

Feeds mainly on other animals.

Activity

Nocturnal

Active mainly at night.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Moderate

RainforestMountain
2countries3parks2same family

Fun facts

  • It is the largest egg-laying mammal in the world: it lays eggs and can weigh more than 16 kilos.
  • It detects prey with electroreceptors at the tip of its snout, a sense that among mammals is shared only by the echidnas and the platypus.

Life cycle and biology

Skeleton type
Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)
Habitat and environment
Montane rainforest and alpine grassland of New Guinea, up to more than 4,000 m
Size at birth
Hatches from a tiny egg and completes its development in the mother's pouch
Litter / clutch size
1

Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zaglossus_bartoni

Where to find it

See its range on the interactive map→

Best time: All year in the mountains of central and eastern New Guinea, at night; it is so scarce that almost all records come from camera traps.

Loading map…

The pins mark the parks where its presence is documented.

Where to see it

Parks and dive sites where this species has been documented.

Related species

Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Eastern Long-beaked Echidna — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.

Same taxonomic family
Shares a park
Shares a park
Shares a park
Shares a park
Shares a park

How to help

The eastern long-beaked echidna is classified as vulnerable. Organisations such as the IUCN, WWF and the Wildlife Conservation Society work specifically on its conservation and that of its habitat; looking into their programmes is a good starting point if you want to get involved.

It's documented in 1 protected area — one reason why protecting these places matters for its conservation.

Keep exploring

Based on what we already know about eastern long-beaked echidna.

Comments

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See full glossary
This page in other languages: Español · Deutsch · Français · Português · Italiano
LorentzIndonesia
Kokoda TrackPapua New Guinea
VarirataPapua New Guinea
Critically Endangered

Western Long-beaked Echidna

Zaglossus bruijnii

Least Concern

Common Phalanger

Phalanger orientalis

Least Concern

Green Tree Python

Morelia viridis

Least Concern

White's Tree Frog

Litoria caerulea

Least Concern

Common Spotted Cuscus

Spilocuscus maculatus

Least Concern

Brown Tree Snake

Boiga irregularis

CountriesPapua New Guinea
ParksLorentzIndonesia
TagsCarnivore
Carnivore
Nocturnal
Solitary
Vulnerable
Rainforest
Mountain
Mammal
Papua New Guinea
Indonesia