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Ornithorhynchidae
The Ornithorhynchidae are one of the two extant families in the order Monotremata, and contain the platypus and its extinct relatives. The other family is the Tachyglossidae, or echidnas. Within the Ornithorhynchidae are the main Cenozoic genera '' Ornithorhynchus'' and '' Obdurodon'', and several potential stem-genera dating back to the Late Cretaceous, of which the oldest is possibly '' Dharragarra''. Although fossil evidence suggests the presence of ornithorhynchids in the Cretaceous, phylogenetic evidence has largely found that they and the Tachyglossidae only diverged during the Cenozoic, although this varies based on the specific constraints used. Taxonomy The following species are known: *Family Ornithorhynchidae **Genus '' Ornithorhynchus'' (Pliocene to present) ***'' Ornithorhynchus anatinus'' (the modern platypus) **Genus †'' Obdurodon'' (Oligocene to Miocene) ***†'' Obdurodon dicksoni'' ***†'' Obdurodon insignis'' ***†'' Obdurodon tharalkooschild'' **Genu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ornithorhynchus
The platypus (''Ornithorhynchus anatinus''), sometimes referred to as the duck-billed platypus, is a semiaquatic, egg-laying mammal endemic to eastern Australia, including Tasmania. The platypus is the sole living representative or monotypic taxon of its family Ornithorhynchidae and genus ''Ornithorhynchus'', though a number of related species appear in the fossil record. Together with the four species of echidna, it is one of the five extant species of monotremes, mammals that lay eggs instead of giving birth to live young. Like other monotremes, the platypus has a sense of electrolocation, which it uses to detect prey in cloudy water. It is one of the few species of venomous mammals, as the male platypus has a spur on the hind foot that delivers an extremely painful venom. The unusual appearance of this egg-laying, duck-billed, beaver-tailed, otter-footed mammal at first baffled European naturalists. In 1799, the first scientists to examine a preserved platypus body jud ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ornithorhynchus Anatinus
The platypus (''Ornithorhynchus anatinus''), sometimes referred to as the duck-billed platypus, is a semiaquatic, egg-laying mammal endemic to Eastern states of Australia, eastern Australia, including Tasmania. The platypus is the sole living representative or monotypic taxon of its Family (biology), family Ornithorhynchidae and genus ''Ornithorhynchus'', though a number of Fossil Monotremes, related species appear in the fossil record. Together with the four species of echidna, it is one of the five wikt:extant, extant species of monotremes, mammals that lay Egg (biology), eggs instead of giving birth to live young. Like other monotremes, the platypus has a sense of electroreception, electrolocation, which it uses to detect prey in cloudy water. It is one of the few species of venomous mammals, as the male platypus has a spur (zoology), spur on the hind foot that delivers an extremely painful Platypus venom, venom. The unusual appearance of this egg-laying, duck-billed, be ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Platypus
The platypus (''Ornithorhynchus anatinus''), sometimes referred to as the duck-billed platypus, is a semiaquatic, egg-laying mammal endemic to eastern Australia, including Tasmania. The platypus is the sole living representative or monotypic taxon of its family Ornithorhynchidae and genus ''Ornithorhynchus'', though a number of related species appear in the fossil record. Together with the four species of echidna, it is one of the five extant species of monotremes, mammals that lay eggs instead of giving birth to live young. Like other monotremes, the platypus has a sense of electrolocation, which it uses to detect prey in cloudy water. It is one of the few species of venomous mammals, as the male platypus has a spur on the hind foot that delivers an extremely painful venom. The unusual appearance of this egg-laying, duck-billed, beaver-tailed, otter-footed mammal at first baffled European naturalists. In 1799, the first scientists to examine a preserved platypus bod ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Monotreme
Monotremes () are mammals of the order Monotremata. They are the only 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 types. Although they are different from other living mammals in that they lay eggs, female monotremes are like other mammals in that they nurse their young with milk. Monotremes have been considered by some authors to be members of Australosphenida, a clade that contains extinct mammals from the Jurassic and Cretaceous of Madagascar, South America, and Australia, but this categorization is disputed and their taxonomy is under debate. All extant species of monotremes are indigenous to Australia and New Guinea, although they were also present during the Late Cretaceous and Paleocene epochs in s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Obdurodon Tharalkooschild
''Obdurodon'' is a genus of extinct platypus-like Australian monotreme which lived from the Late Oligocene to the Late Miocene. Three species have been described in the genus, the type species ''Obdurodon insignis'', plus ''Obdurodon dicksoni'' and ''Obdurodon tharalkooschild''. The species appeared much like their modern day relative the platypus, except adults retained their molar teeth, and unlike the platypus, which forages on the lakebed, they may have foraged in the water column or surface. Taxonomy The ''Obdurodon insignis'' holotype specimen, SAM P18087, a tooth, was uncovered in 1971 from the Etadunna Formation in the Tirari Desert of South Australia. The second specimen discovered there, AMNH 97228, is an upper right molar. In total, 4 specimens are reported, dating from the Oligocene to the Pliocene. The holotype tooth was placed into the newly erected genus ''Obdurodon'' upon description in 1975 by American palaeontologists Michael O. Woodburne and Richard H. Ted ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Obdurodon
''Obdurodon'' is a genus of extinct platypus-like Australian monotreme which lived from the Late Oligocene to the Late Miocene. Three species have been described in the genus, the type species ''Obdurodon insignis'', plus ''Obdurodon dicksoni'' and ''Obdurodon tharalkooschild''. The species appeared much like their modern day relative the platypus, except adults retained their molar teeth, and unlike the platypus, which forages on the lakebed, they may have foraged in the water column or surface. Taxonomy The ''Obdurodon insignis'' holotype specimen, SAM P18087, a tooth, was uncovered in 1971 from the Etadunna Formation in the Tirari Desert of South Australia. The second specimen discovered there, AMNH 97228, is an upper right molar. In total, 4 specimens are reported, dating from the Oligocene to the Pliocene. The holotype tooth was placed into the newly erected genus ''Obdurodon'' upon description in 1975 by American palaeontologists Michael O. Woodburne and Richard ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Monotrematum
''Monotrematum sudamericanum'' is an extinct monotreme species from the Paleocene (Peligran) Salamanca Formation in Patagonia, Argentina. It is one of only two monotremes found outside Oceania. Taxonomy A species described in 1992 and assigned to a new genus ''Monotrematum'' as the type. It is currently the only known species of the genus. The authors compared their fossil material to the genus ''Obdurodon'', ornithorhynchid species first discovered at Australian fossil sites in 1975. It is considered to possibly be a Stem group, stem-ornithorhynchid, although this is uncertain given that several divergence estimates have found the family to be significantly younger. Description ''Monotrematum sudamericanum'' is known only from two lower and one upper platypus-like teeth. It is the only known non-Australasian ornithorhynchid. The main difference, apart from continent and age, is its size: the teeth of ''Monotrematum'' are around twice as large as those of other similar species in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Steropodon
''Steropodon'' is a genus of prehistoric platypus-like monotreme, or Oviparity, egg-laying mammal. It contains a single species, ''Steropodon galmani'', that lived about 100.2–96.6 million years ago during the Cretaceous period, from early to middle Cenomanian. It is one of the oldest monotremes discovered, and is one of the oldest Australian mammal discoveries. Several other monotremes are known from the Griman Creek Formation, including ''Dharragarra'', ''Kollikodon'', ''Opalios'', ''Parvopalus'', and ''Stirtodon''. Taxonomy The dentition of ''Steropodon'' is somewhat similar to that of therians—the Placentalia, placentals and the marsupials—specifically the presence of the tribosphenic molar tooth which was thought to be exclusive to therians since the Cretaceous. This, along with the tribosphenic molar discoveries of monotreme-relatives ''Ausktribosphenos'' and ''Ambondro mahabo'' of which the latter evolved in the Jurassic, led to the conclusion that the Molar (tooth), ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Monotrematum Sudamericanum
''Monotrematum sudamericanum'' is an extinct monotreme species from the Paleocene (Peligran) Salamanca Formation in Patagonia, Argentina. It is one of only two monotremes found outside Oceania. Taxonomy A species described in 1992 and assigned to a new genus ''Monotrematum'' as the type. It is currently the only known species of the genus. The authors compared their fossil material to the genus ''Obdurodon'', ornithorhynchid species first discovered at Australian fossil sites in 1975. It is considered to possibly be a stem-ornithorhynchid, although this is uncertain given that several divergence estimates have found the family to be significantly younger. Description ''Monotrematum sudamericanum'' is known only from two lower and one upper platypus-like teeth. It is the only known non-Australasian ornithorhynchid. The main difference, apart from continent and age, is its size: the teeth of ''Monotrematum'' are around twice as large as those of other similar species in the related ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
