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From: rh@smds.UUCP (Richard Harter)
Newsgroups: sci.bio
Subject: Re: What's a monotreme?
Keywords: monotremes
Message-ID: <411@smds.UUCP>
Date: 23 Apr 91 20:43:34 GMT
References: <1991Apr22.111159.29888@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu> <4896@kitty.UUCP>
Organization: SMDS Inc., Concord, MA
Lines: 18

In article <1991Apr22.111159.29888@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu> mcginnis@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu writes:
>What is a monotreme?  An article on the echidna in the Feb., 1991
>Scientific American says that the echidna has "a cavity uncommon in
>mammals, into which all the internal organs empty...".  Now, this
>is obviously wrong (because the heart doesn't empty into this
>cavity, nor do the lungs, etc.) so I presume that this single
>cavity gets the urine and sperm and feces.  Is this correct?

Essentially, yes.  Monotreme means one-holer.  Reptiles and birds have
a cloaca.  The monotremata have a cloaca.  All other mammals have are
two holers.


-- 
Richard Harter, Software Maintenance and Development Systems, Inc.
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