Zaglossus fossil map
Where fossils of Zaglossus have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 0 million years ago and on today’s map.
Dots are fossil collections recorded in the Paleobiology Database. The “then” view moves today’s fossil sites back to their positions 0 million years ago (the time slice nearest the median age of the fossils) using the Merdith et al. (2021) plate model; positions are approximate. Open on the timeline map →
| Group | Early mammals |
|---|---|
| Lived | 5.333–0.0117 million years ago (Zanclean to Late Pleistocene) |
| Periods | Neogene, Quaternary |
| Family | Tachyglossidae |
| Named by | Gill 1877 |
| Fossil records | 14 occurrences at 7 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Australia |
| Rock formations | txn:39742 |
About Zaglossus
Zaglossus, 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. What separates the 3 long-beaked echidna species is mainly location in New Guinea. Other signifying characteristics include skull morphology, color and density of fur and spines, body size, and number of toes and claws. They are a highly primitive species, with many characteristics derived from reptiles.
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.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Long-beaked echidna (revision 1378741380), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; introduction excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Ages, family, authority and fossil records: Paleobiology Database, accessed 23 October 2026. Ages are those of the rock layers the fossils were found in. Wikidata: Q784836.
