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- Duck-Billed Platypus. With its distinct duck-like bill, this fascinating creature is found in Tasmania and Australia. The streamlined design of their bodies allows them to move gracefully in and under the water, where they live most of the time.
- Western Long-Beaked Echidna. The western long-beaked echidna (Zaglossus bruijinii) is an unusual animal found in New Guinea. They are the largest of the monotremes, weighing in at nearly 40 pounds.
- Eastern Long-Beaked Echidna. Like their western long-beaked relatives, these eastern echidnas are much larger than the other monotremes. They are brown or black and don't have a tail, and their extremely tiny mouth sits at the very tip of their snout.
- Short-Beaked Echidna. Sometimes called "spiny anteater," the furry brown coat of a short-beaked echidna is covered in dozens of spiny quills, giving it the appearance of a hedgehog.
They are the only known group of living mammals that lay eggs, rather than bearing live young. The extant monotreme species are the platypus and the four species of echidnas. Monotremes are typified by structural differences in their brains, jaws, digestive tract, reproductive tract, and other body parts, compared to the more common mammalian ...
1. Duck-billed Platypus. image: Alan Couch | Flickr | CC 2.0. Scientific name: Ornithorhynchus anatinus. Where they’re found: Australia. The platypus has a squat beaver-like body, with webbed feet. They have dense fur that traps a layer of air to provide insulation while in the water.
The four extant species of echidnas and the platypus are the only living mammals that lay eggs and the only surviving members of the order Monotremata. [3] . The diet of some species consists of ants and termites, but they are not closely related to the American true anteaters or to hedgehogs. Their young are called puggles .
May 14, 2024 · Monotreme, any member of the egg-laying mammalian order Monotremata, which includes the amphibious platypus and the terrestrial echidnas of continental Australia, the Australian island state of Tasmania, and the island of New Guinea. It is the most ancient living order of mammals.
Nov 10, 2023 · The reason it appears so unlike other mammals is because it is a member of the monotremes – an egg-laying group that separated from the rest of the mammal tree-of-life about 200 million years ago. Dr James Kempton, Department of Biology, University of Oxford. One of the world's most unusual mammals finally caught on film.
Dec 1, 2009 · Only two kinds of egg-laying mammals are left on the planet today—the duck-billed platypus and the echidna, or spiny anteater. These odd “monotremes” once dominated Australia, until their...
