The giant scaly echidna is the large, scaled, pangolin-like descendant of the short-beaked echidna that is about the size of the small car. Its back is covered by thick scales evolved from the echidna's spines and its head is almost reptile-like. It is an omnivorous species that feeds on termites and even eggs of birds, reptiles and other monotremes but also eats tree barks, berries, leaves and fruits. It can curl up into a ball like an armadillo and a pangolin, an examples of convergent evolution.