That's it, although I just counted all
echidnas as one.
Echidnas, sometimes also referred to as "spiny anteaters", are the only surviving monotremes apart from the
Platypus . The four surviving species, native to New Guinea and Australia, all belong to the Tachyglossidae family. The echidna is named after a monster in ancient Greek mythology.
Echidnas are classified into two genera. The Zaglossus genus includes three extant species and two extinct species known only from fossils, while only one species from the genus Tachyglossus is known.
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The
Platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) is a 30–60 cm long, semi-aquatic mammal endemic to eastern Australia and Tasmania, and
one of the five extant species of monotremes, the only mammals that lay eggs instead of giving birth to live young (the other four are echidnas). It is the sole extant representative of its family (Ornithorhynchidae) and genus (Ornithorhynchus), though a number of fossilised relatives have been found, some of them also in the Ornithorhynchus genus.
This egg-laying, duck-billed mammal whose males have a venomous spur on the hind foot, baffled naturalists when it was first discovered. The uniqueness of the platypus makes it a recognizable symbol of Australia (along with the kangaroo and koala); it is featured on the reverse of the Australian 20-cent coin.
