Hedgehog
The coolest and cutest spiny animal in
the world. There are 17 species of hedgehog, but we can say
with absolute certainty we love them all.
Porcupine
Porcupines are the third largest
rodents in the world, after capybaras and beavers. There are 29
different species of porcupines, but of course all have a coat of sharp spines,
which puts them on this very distinguished list of cool spiny animals.
Echidna
The Echidnas, also known as spiny anteaters are egg-laying mammals, and as you
might have already guessed – they are covered with spines. The echidnas are also
equipped with long snots (beaks) that function as both mouth and
nose. There are only 4 existing species: Short-beaked, Western
long-beaked, Eastern long-beaked and Sir David’s long-beaked. Their
diet consists of ants and termites and they are named after the Echidna the
“Mother of monsters” in Greek mythology.
Thorny
dragon (Moloch horridus)
The Thorny Dragon is an Australian lizard that grows
up to 20 cm (8.0 in) in length, and can live up to 20 years. They are
covered entirely with conical spines and also have a spiny fake head
on the back of its neck. We think that in addition of being one of the coolest
spiny animals, the Thorny Dragon is also one of the coolest lizards.
Sea
Urchins
Seas Urchins are also known
as sea hedgehogs and for a good
reason the Sea urchins are are small, spiny and
rounded animals. There are about 950 species of Sea urchins,
with different sizes and colors, which live in different areas of the world and
live in different depths of the oceans. Sometimes humans accidentally
step on sea urchins in shallow water, which, if you wonder,
is a very unpleasant experience.
Porcupine
fish
Also known as blowfish or balloon
fish, the porcupine fish can inflate its body and become a rounded ball. This
increased size can scare away potential predators. The porcupine fish also has
sharp spines which are pointed outwards as the fish inflates.
Spiny Oak worm Moth (Anisota stigma)
This moth is found from Massachusetts and south Ontario to Florida, west
to Minnesota, Kansas and Texas. It mainly feeds on Oak, hence its name.
Crown
of thorns starfish
There are about 1,500 species of
starfish (or sea stars) in the world and many of them have spines. The
crown-of-thorns starfish is perhaps the most impressive spiny starfish of all the species, and it is also one
of the largest starfish species in the world. The name originates from the venomous spines that cover its
body and somewhat resemble a crown of thorns. The size of the
crown-of-thorns is typically 25 – 35 cm (9.8 – 13.8 in).
Armadillo
spiny tailed lizard
The armadillo spiny tailed
lizard or simply armadillo lizard lives in the deserts
of southern Africa. These lizards are known to have such a strong bite force, that they can actually break their
own jaws! Another cool fact is that when it feels threatened, it can put its
spiny tail in its mouth and become a protected spiny ball a behavior that
resembles a true armadillo!.
Spiny
Orb-weaver (Gasteracantha)
Also known as Spiny-backed orb-weavers, the orb-weaver is a genus of
around 70 species of spiders known for their visible spines.
These spiders can reach
sizes of up to 30mm in diameter. They are found all around the world and are
completely harmless to humans despite their frightening appearance. This is the
Spiny Orb weaver’s second appearance on our blog, after it made its premiere in
the world’s coolest spiders list.
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