Short-beaked echidna

In news– Short-beaked echidnas of the semi-arid Dryandra Woodland in Western Australia face searing hot summers.

How does it beat the heat as compared to other animals?

They can’t pant like dogs to cool off since their long, thin, sticky tongues are useful only to feed. Neither do they sweat as we do.
Nor do they lick their arms like kangaroos whose evaporating saliva cools the underlying blood vessels.
Vultures squirt watery poop on their naked legs for the same reason.
They waddle about during the pleasanter times of day or night. Just as the thorns of cacti reduce heat loss, so do the two-inch-long spines of echidnas.
When the quills are slicked back, they trap warmth. When they are raised, heat escapes.
Another strategy of the domestic cat-sized animals is to lie flat, pressing their spineless stomachs to the cool soil with their legs and noses stretched out.
With about 100 mucous secreting glands, this Australian mammal blows snot bubbles to bring down its body temperature.

About Short-beaked echidnas-

The short-beaked echidna, also called the short-nosed echidna, is one of four living species of echidna and the only member of the genus Tachyglossus.
It is covered in fur and spines and has a distinctive snout and a specialized tongue, which it uses to catch its insect prey at a great speed.
It is the only species of echidna in Australia.
It lives in forests and woodlands, heath, grasslands and arid environments.
The Short-beaked Echidna is found throughout Australia, including Tasmania.
Using its pointed snout and sharp claws, the Short-beaked Echidna breaks into ant and termite nests and catches its prey by flicking its long sticky tongue in and out.
It also catches a lot of dirt in the process and this is expelled in the droppings.
The snout has mechanoreceptors and electroreceptors that help the echidna to detect its surroundings.
Like the Platypus, the Short-beaked Echidna is an egg-laying mammal or monotreme and lays one egg at a time.
The eggs hatch after about 10 days and the young, emerge blind and hairless.
Clinging to hairs inside the mother’s pouch, the young echidna suckles for two or three months.
Once it develops spines and becomes too prickly, the mother removes it from her pouch and builds a burrow for it. It continues to suckle for the next six months.
IUCN status: Least Concerned.