Anthony Simpson, age 12, of Indianapolis, Indiana, for his question:

What is the echidna's family?

Rated among the world's most remarkable animals is the echidna alias the spiny anteater, alias the Australian porcupine. There are several species, most of them so much alike that it takes an expert to tell which is which. They belong to the family Tachyglossidae, a name coined from two older words meaning quick and tongue. No, the echidna is not a fast talker. Nature provided him with a long sticky tongue to whip up the scurrying termites on which he feeds.

The prickly echidnas of the Tachyglossidae family enjoy life in parts of Australia, Tasmania and New Guinea. Though they look somewhat like smallish porcupines, they are not related. The echidna is one of those rare, rare mammals that lay eggs. Usually the female produces only one offspring a year. She has a pouch on her tummy and there she incubates her rather soft round egg. Later the pouch shelters her helpless babe, and there he feeds on mother's milk.

For many years, naturalists considered the echidna a nighttime animal and also thought that ants are among his favorite foods. Recent observers question both these notions. They report that the prickly echidna is very busy during the daytime, especially on warm afternoons. He is busy foraging for termites, tearing down their earthy buildings and lapping up the scurrying victims with his long, fast, sticky tongue. It seems that he only eats ants more or less by accident, when they happen to be strolling among the panic stricken termites.

The average Australian echidna is 18 inches long and tips the scales at ten pounds. His head and back are covered with a forest of two inch prickles, either plain yellow or yellow tipped with black. Coarse dark hairs grow among his prickles and also cover his undersides. His funny little furry face has a long thin snout and a tiny round mouth. Though he has no teeth, there are prickly bumps on the roof of his mouth and under his tongue. These help him to chew his termite food The echidna is a born burrower. His extra long, strong claws tear down termite nests and also help him to dig down out of sight fast enough to fool his foes. He is also a fast runner, a clever tree climber and a good swimmer.

All the members of the Tachyglossidae Family are prickly echidnas. They are classified in two genera. The genus Tachyglossus includes two distinct species, one a native of Tasmania. The second species of this group is divided into four slightly different subspecies, at home in Australia and New Guinea.

The genus Zoglossus includes the larger echidnas of New Guinea. There are three species. All of them have extra long noses and one has a nose that tunas down at the tip. Some of the echidnas in this group are 39 inches long and weigh as much as 21 pounds.