The long-beaked echidna is larger-bodied than the short-beaked and has fewer, shorter spines scattered among its coarse hairs.

Since they reproduce by laying eggs which are incubated outside of the mother's body it is accompanied by the prototherian lactation process, which shows that they are basal mammals.

[8] The long-beaked echidna's limb posture is sprawled, similar to extant reptiles like lizards and crocodilians.

in captivity exhibited "handedness" when performing certain behaviors related to foraging, locomotion, and male-female interactions.

The population of echidnas in New Guinea is declining because of forest clearing and overhunting, and the animal is much in need of protection.

In November 2023, a Zaglossus attenboroughi was first recorded alive on video in Indonesia's Cyclops Mountains, the first confirmed sightings of an individual in 62 years.