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Both platypuses and echidnas are monotremes. The name monotreme is derived from two Greek words meaning "one-holed", because they have just one external opening, the cloaca, for both waste elimination and for reproduction. The cloaca leads to the urinary, faecal and reproductive tracks, all of which join internally, and it is the orifice by which the female monotreme lays her eggs.
Platypuses are not marsupials: they are monotremes, or egg-laying mammals. Like other mammals, they nurture their young on mothers' milk, but there are some fundamental differences between monotremes and marsupials.
Marsupials are mammals which, for the most part, have pouches in which they rear their young. Marsupial young are characterised by being extremely small and undeveloped at birth. At birth, they take a long, arduous journey from the birth canal, driven purely by instinct, grabbing hold of the mother marsupial's fur which she has cleaned and made easier to traverse with saliva, to reach the pouch. Upon reaching the pouch, they latch onto a teat which swells in their mouth to prevent them from being accidentally dislodged during the mother's movements. There they stay for months, to complete their development.
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What is the difference between a platypus and a monotreme?
A platypus is a monotreme.
Is a platypus a monotreme marsupial or placental mammal?
The platypus is a monotreme mammal.
Is the bandicoot a monotreme?
No, they are a marsupial and not a monotreme. There are only 2 members in the monotreme category which are the echidna and the platypus.
Is there any other Monotreme aside from a Platypus?
Yes, there is. The echidna is also a monotreme.
What vertebrate group does platypus belong to?
The platypus is a mammal, specifically a monotreme.
What type of mammal is a platypus?
A platypus is a monotreme, which is an egg-laying mammal.
What is the platypus in Australia?
The platypus is a protected Australian native monotreme, or egg-laying mammal.
Is a platypus an Australian marsupial?
No. The platypus is an Australian monotreme. The platypus is found nowhere else in the world apart from Australia. However, it is not a marsupial, as marsupials give both to live young. The platypus is classified as a monotreme because it is a mammal that lays eggs.
How do you use monotreme in a sentence?
A Duck-billed Platypus is an Australian example of a monotreme, a mammal that lays eggs.
Is a platypus a rodent?
No. A platypus is not a placental mammal of any type, but a monotreme, which is an egg-laying mammal.
What class of mammals is a platypus in?
The scientific class of the platypus is Mammalia.Its order is Monotremata , making it a monotreme.
Does a platypus lay eggs or live young?
A platypus reproduces by laying eggs. Like the echidna, it is a monotreme.
