Waddling, twisting, rambling, digging, laying eggs. There is no lack of verbs when describing monotremes: the taxonomic order consisting of only two animals, the platypus and the equidna. Breaking the many strangers features of these creatures is too inside information coverage —and it’s almost impossible to avoid, as they are mammals that lay eggs and sweat milk, among other things. strange features.
But perhaps the easiest way to outline the impressive evolutionary success of monotremes is to go straight into their DNA.. A team of 40 researchers from Australia, China, Japan, Denmark and the United States did just that in a recent genome review of monotremes. Their findings are published in the journal Nature.
The first draft and analysis of the platypus genome sequence arrived in 2008. The recent paper includes aquality update of this sequence and of the first genome of the echidna (for some reason, the equidna is always second violin to the platypus). Interestingly, monotremes are halfway between oviparous and viviparous, referring to where embryos develop, eggs, or the parent body. This not-here-nor-the-absence is reflected in the protein dependencies of the animals.
“During their short egg incubation period, they have retained one of the three main egg proteins used to make yolk in chickens,” said Marilyn Renfree, a University of Melbourne zoologist and co-author of the study. press release, “but after hatching both platypus and echidna have a complex milk like other mammals to maintain their young during long lactation.”
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Monotremes are a peculiar branch of the tree of life, as they help fill gaps in our understanding of when animals with certain traits separate from each other.
“In fact, tthe platypus belongs to the class Mammalia. But, genetically, it is a mixture of mammals, birds and reptiles, “Guojie Zhang, a biologist at the University of Copenhagen and co-author of the recent study, said in a press release.” It has retained many of the original characteristics of its ancestors. which probably contribute to their success in adapting to the environment in which they live. “
And animals need that extra boost. Australian brush fires occurred last year efforts to track the platypus more difficult as well as more imperative. (A population was rescued and sent back to nature this summer.) Having the echidna genome sequenced will allow the genetic management of a similarly endangered species. After all, we cannot have our illustrious and strange creatures that go the way of the thylacine and the dodo.