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The spiny anteater (echidna species) belongs to the order Monotremata. These are mammals that lay eggs. This group is sometimes thought of as a missing link between reptiles and mammals, suggesting that they are ‘primitive’, occupying an evolutionary backwater. But this is far from the truth.
Echidnas are highly specialised and well adapted to their lives, occupying a range of habitats. The short-beaked echidna is widespread in Australia, living in desert, forest, coastal, alpine and urban environments. It is elusive, but recent research suggests that it has much to tell us about the emergence of the mammals.
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