This is to keep them warm. These echidnas hibernate in the winter whereas the ones found in hot, dry areas have short hair in amongst the spines and sleep during the hot days to shelter from extreme temperatures. The life span of the echidna is normally three times longer than a cat or a dog. They do not have litters of babies and only produce one young per year by laying a single egg. The mating season is approximately June to September and this the only time they are together.
Echidnas usually live alone.
They do not have teats for the young to suck on but produce milk through their pores. The echidna is like a marsupial and has a pouch although it only there during breeding. The mother ejects the baby once she begins to feel the spines of her young. The pouch then disappears until the next time she breeds. Echidnas are not an endangered species but like all animals in the wild, they can become prey to other animals, such as dingoes, feral cats and goannas.