Mainly traditional hunting, as the species is a highly prized game species. Hunting of Long-beaked Echidna with specially trained dogs. Loss of forest habitat to logging, mining and farming. Protected in Papua New Guinea but not from traditional hunting. One of only three recognised species of monotreme.
Monotremes are the only mammals to lay eggs.
The eggs of the Long-beaked Echidna and other monotremes have rubbery shells. Flannery, T. 1990. Mammals of New Guinea . Australasian Marsupials and Monotremes, An Action Plan for their Conservation . Nowak, R.M. 1991.