What Do Short Nosed Echidnas Eat?

Short nosed echnidnas are woodland animals that lead solitary lives. They prefer to be alone rather than to live in groups and tend to be mostly nocturnal, snuffling through the leaf litter and undergrowth looking for food. The short nosed echidna eats ants and termites. It has a long and sticky tongue to catch them and lick them up, a bit like an anteater.

The echidna finds the ants and termites using its sense of smell. When it discovers an ant's nest or termite mound, it knocks into the carefully built structure using its creat clawed feet and then scoops up the insects as they try to run away from their ruined home. It swallows lots of nest material as well as the ants and termites and the wood, pebbles, soil and sand end up in its stomach where they help to grind down the tough hides of the insects.