[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/echidna.html)

[home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [dictionaries](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/) / [The school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/) / echidna

[← E](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/E/)

# echidna

«echidna» in Mova's school dictionary: **a small spiny animal from Australia and New Guinea that…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 2 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

noun (an echidna, echidnas)

### meaning for a pupil

1) An echidna is a small spiny animal from Australia and New Guinea that eats ants and termites with a long sticky tongue. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/echidna/#m1)

2) It is one of the only mammals that lay eggs, together with the platypus. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/echidna/#m2)

3) In Greek myths, Echidna was a monster, half woman and half serpent. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/echidna/#m3)

### sense in the lessons

In science lessons it is a famous example of a monotreme, an egg-laying mammal; in Australia and New Zealand children learn it is a native animal. It is also called a spiny anteater. Phrases: «a short-beaked echidna», «a baby echidna (a puggle)».

### examples

- An echidna is covered in sharp spines. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/echidna/#x1)
- The echidna curled up into a spiky ball. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/echidna/#x2)
- Echidnas lay eggs, but they are still mammals. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/echidna/#x3)
- It licks up ants with its long, sticky tongue. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/echidna/#x4)
- A baby echidna is called a puggle. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/echidna/#x5)
- We saw an echidna crossing the bush track. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/echidna/#x6)
- Echidnas live in Australia and New Guinea. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/echidna/#x7)
- [48] Echidna was a bloodthirsty monster, half maiden, half serpent. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/echidna/#x8)

### note

Pronounced «ih-KID-nuh». Countable: an echidna. Trap: it looks like a hedgehog or porcupine but is not related to them. Mammals that lay eggs are very rare: only echidnas and the platypus.

### In the corpora

- [An echidna has no teeth and catches ants and termites with a long sticky tongue after breaking into their nests with strong claws.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/43-platypus-and-echidna/13/)
- [The platypus and the echidnas are mammals that lay eggs.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/world/75-mammals-and-their-young/9/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «echidna» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/echidna/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.