May 08, 2008

Platypus




They mapped the genome found out it has 10 pairs of chromosomes to determine sex (peoples have two). Austrialia has quite a lot of oddness in its animals. Monotrema are mammals that lay eggs. I recall reading something way back in the 1960's saying that the platypus didnt 'really' lay eggs, wish I had total recall sometimes.

When I read the artical and found the word Monotreme the realitization that more then one mammal laid eggs, made me look up the others. Well, other, the echidna. And there are fossils as well of versions that probably do not exist anymore.

Still a duck\beaver, egg laying, pouch bearing, stinger wielding critter is worth noticing.

2 comments:

Tina said...

I didn't know they had a stinger...

Up here, the main University teams are the Ducks & the Beavers.

Those folks not wanting to get involved in the fray refer to themselves as a platypus.

I think they may be a little more formidible than they thought they were now.

ronnwaters said...

Proof of God's sense of humor.