What is an echidna?
An echidna is a small, spiky animal that loves to eat bugs. People sometimes call it a spiny anteater.
How its nose helps find bugs
- Long nose: The echidna has a long, soft nose. That nose can sniff smells like a big sniffing stick.
- Smells and feels: The nose can smell bugs and feel tiny wiggles when bugs move. It’s like the nose has tiny fingers that can feel things.
- Finds moving bugs best: If a bug is walking or wiggling, the echidna can tell and knows where to dig or poke.
- Sticky tongue: When the echidna finds bugs, it sticks out a long sticky tongue and gobbles them up.
One small thing to remember
The echidna is very good at finding small, moving bugs like ants and termites, but it doesn’t find every single bug in the whole world. It’s just super-good at finding the ones it likes to eat.
Isn’t that a clever nose?