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Fasting
of the Spiny Anteater
By
Dr. `Abd Al-Hakam `Abd Al-Latif As-Sa`idi
Lecturer of Entomology – Faculty of Agriculture – Al-Azhar
University
The
echidna, or spiny anteater, is one of several nocturnal, burrowing,
egg-laying mammals. It lives in Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea.
It is toothless and covered with spines. It has a slender snout and
an extensible sticky tongue used for catching insects, such as ants
and termites.
The
spiny anteater prefers to live on mountains and high places over 200
meters above sea level. It likes to stay in uninhabited places and
shadowed forests. This is due to its feeding habits, for it feeds on
ants. When the spiny anteater extends its long sticky tongue inside
an ant tunnel, hundreds of ants cling to it, forming a delicious
meal for the anteater.
It
is an aspect of Allah’s Wisdom that is manifest in His creation
that the echidna has thick skin to protect it from the ants’
stings. Another interesting phenomenon is that the echidna mixes the
insects with dust, sand and dry herbs, which help to digest the
insects.
The
echidna can abstain from food for a period that may exceed a whole
month without it having the least effect on its vitality. Lack of
food does not weaken it. The secret behind this may be that the
echidna eats greedily, filling its body with extra fat that burdens
it. When food decreases due to an increase in their numbers or
during their migration, echidnas involuntarily fast. Hence they lose
extra weight and restore their activity. This is one of the
manifestations of Allah’s Power and Wisdom in His Creation.
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