Long-beaked echidna

Zaglossus, from Ancient Greek ζα (za), from διά (diá), meaning "across", and γλῶσσα (glôssa), meaning "tongue", known as the long-beaked echidnas make up one of the two extant genera of echidnas: there are three extant species, all living in New Guinea. They are medium-sized, solitary mammals covered with coarse hair and spines made of keratin. They have short, strong limbs with large claws, and are powerful diggers. They forage in leaf litter on the forest floor, eating earthworms and insects.

The extant species are:

• Western long-beaked echidna (Z. bruijni), of the highland forests;
• Attenborough's long-beaked echidna (Z. attenboroughi), discovered by Western science in 1961 (described in 1998) and preferring a still higher habitat;
• Eastern long-beaked echidna (Z. bartoni), of which four distinct subspecies have been identified.

The Eastern species is listed as vulnerable, while the Attenborough's and western long-beaked echidna species are listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN.

A number of extinct species were known in the genus, but they are currently treated as members of their own genera, such as Murrayglossus and Megalibgwilia.