Echidnas primarily eat ants and termites, which they catch using their long, sticky tongues. They also sometimes eat other invertebrates like earthworms, beetles, moth larvae, grubs, and insect larvae. Their tongue is coated with sticky saliva to trap prey, and they grind the food between their tongue and the roof of their mouth since they have no teeth. When foraging, echidnas often ingest a lot of soil and nest material along with their prey. Termites, especially queens and nymphs, are preferred as they live in larger colonies and have softer bodies compared to ants. Echidnas have specialized limbs and claws to dig into termite mounds and ant nests to access their food.