What animal is Knuckles the Echidna?

Knuckles the Echidna is an echidna. More specifically, he is an anthropomorphic red short-beaked echidna in Sega’s Sonic the Hedgehog series, not a kangaroo, fox, or hedgehog.

Knuckles debuted in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 in 1994. He was introduced as a rival who had been tricked by Dr. Eggman into opposing Sonic and Tails. After discovering Eggman’s deception, Knuckles formed an uneasy alliance with them and gradually became one of Sonic’s major allies.

His defining role is guardian of the Master Emerald on Angel Island, a floating island central to the series’ mythology. Knuckles is also portrayed as the last living member of the Knuckles Clan, an echidna tribe connected to the emerald’s history.

A common mix-up comes from the real animal’s unusual appearance. Echidnas are spiny Australian and New Guinean mammals that lay eggs, but Knuckles is a fictional, humanoid version with powerful fists, wall-climbing ability, and a distinctive ability to glide. His name refers to his knuckle spikes, not to a different animal species.