[i-kid-nuh] 
| Also called spiny anteater. any of several insectivorous monotremes of the genera Tachyglossus, of Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea, and Zaglossus, of New Guinea, that have claws and a slender snout and are covered with coarse hair and long spines. |
| e·chid·na (ĭ-kĭd'nə) n. Either of two nocturnal, burrowing, egg-laying mammals of the genera Tachyglossus and Zaglossus of Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea, having a spiny coat, slender snout, and an extensible sticky tongue used for catching insects. Also called spiny anteater. [Latin, adder, viper, from Greek ekhidna, from ekhis.] |
| spiny anteater n. See echidna. |