Any of several ant- and termite-eating mammals with extremely long, thin, retractable tongues. More fully spiny anteater. A spiny monotreme…

= sense 5a.

Any of various other animals with spines. Australian. The short-beaked echidna, Tachyglossus aculeatus. Cf. porcupine anteater n. at compounds 2.

A genus of Australian toothless burrowing monotremate mammals (family Echidnidæ), resembling hedgehogs in size and external appearance. In several…