/i kid"neuh/ , n.
Also called spiny anteater . any of several insectivorous monotremes of the genera Tachyglossus, of Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea, and Zaglossus, of New Guinea, that have claws and a slender snout and are covered with coarse hair and long spines.
[ Echidna a mythical creature which gave birth to the Hydra and other monsters échidna, akin to échis viper ]