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From: pmcnally@telesci.uucp (Patty A McNally)
Newsgroups: sci.bio
Subject: Re: What's a monotreme?
Keywords: monotremes
Message-ID: <1991Apr23.125326.18986@telesci.uucp>
Date: 23 Apr 91 12:53:26 GMT
References: <1991Apr22.111159.29888@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu> <4896@kitty.UUCP>
Followup-To: sci.bio
Organization: TeleSciences CO Systems, Inc.
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In article <4896@kitty.UUCP> larry@kitty.UUCP (Larry Lippman) writes:
>In article <1991Apr22.111159.29888@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu> mcginnis@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu writes:
>>What is a monotreme?  
>
>	The only definition I am aware of for "monotreme" is that of an
>egg-laying mammal, such as the duck-bill platypus and spiny anteater.
>The term "monotreme" arises from the order Monotremata, which encompasses
>such animals.

"Monotreme" comes from "mon-", meaning "one", and "trema", meaning "hole".
While most mammals have separate orifices for urine and feces,
the monotreme has only one.  Hence the name.

Stephen J. Gould's recent book "Bully for Brontosaurus", a collection
of his essays from the magazine Natural History, contains some
interesting information on both the platypus and echidna.

Also, the most recent issue of Natural History (May '91) contains
a fascinating article on the platypus - its bill is capable of
sensing weak electric fields.  Since it closes its eyes, ears,
and nostrils when it goes underwater looking for food, researchers
feel that the bill is capable of detecting prey by sensing the
electric field created by the movement of muscles in potential food.

Patty McNally