One of the 3 long-beaked echidnas on WAnimals
Mammals · Monotremata · Tachyglossidae
Eastern Long-beaked Echidna
Zaglossus bartoni
It faces a high risk of extinction in the wild over the medium term. See full glossary
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
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 & biology
- Skeleton type
- Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)
- Habitat & 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 mapBest 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.
Where to watch 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.
Western Long-beaked Echidna
Zaglossus bruijnii
Common Phalanger
Phalanger orientalis
Green Tree Python
Morelia viridis
White's Tree Frog
Litoria caerulea
Common Spotted Cuscus
Spilocuscus maculatus
Brown Tree Snake
Boiga irregularis
How to help
The eastern long-beaked echidna is classified as vulnerable. Organizations such as UICN, WWF y Wildlife Conservation Society work specifically on its conservation and that of its habitat; looking into their programs is a good starting point if you want to get involved.
It's documented in 1 real protected area — part of why protecting these places matters for its conservation.
Keep exploring
Based on what we already know about eastern long-beaked echidna.
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