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What makes a platypus a unique mammal?
Platypus reproduction is nearly unique. It is one of only two mammals (the echidna is the other) that lay eggs. Females seal themselves inside one of the burrow’s chambers to lay their eggs. With the tail of a beaver, and a bill like a duck’s, the platypus is a real ungainly creature.
Is a platypus a mammal or not?
The platypus is a remarkable mammal found only in Australia. The platypus is a duck-billed, beaver-tailed, otter-footed, egg-laying aquatic creature native to Australia. If its appearance alone somehow fails to impress, the male of the species is also one of the world’s few venomous mammals!
What makes the platypus unique and interesting mammal?
The platypus is a highly unusual animal for a number of reasons. It is one of only two mammals to lay eggs (the other being the echidna ), it is one of only two species of mammal capable of envenomating (the other being the shrew) and it has a beak. It is highly adapted in a number of other ways, too,…
Why do platypuses lay eggs if they are mammals?
A platypus lays eggs because they are monotremes. Mammals are defined as such if they produce milk, bit there are three types of mammals: placental mammals (e.g. humans), marsupials (e.g. kangaroos) and monotremes (e.g. platypus and echidna ‘s). Animals are categorised by diagnostic characters.
Is the platypus the only mammal that lays eggs?
Monotremes are the only mammals that lay eggs. There are only two egg-laying mammals on the planet: the duck-billed platypus and the spiny anteater (or echidna).
Do platypuses lay eggs?
Platypuses, however, lay eggs. They are a species of primitive mammals called monotremes . Echidnas , or spiny anteaters, are the only other mammals that lay eggs. When the female platypus is ready to have her young, she will burrow down inside the ground on the riverbank and seal herself into one of her tunnel rooms.