ADW: Prototheria: INFORMATION

<!DOCTYPE html> <html xmlns:og="http://ogp.me/ns#" lang="en" xml:lang="en"> <head> <title>ADW: Prototheria: INFORMATION</title> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /> <link rel="canonical" href="https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Prototheria/" /> <script type="text/javascript" src="//code.jquery.com/jquery-3.6.0.min.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="//code.jquery.com/jquery-migrate-3.3.2.min.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="/static/js/compat.js"></script> <link rel="shortcut icon" href="https://animaldiversity.org/favicon.ico" /> <link href="//fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Gentium+Book+Basic:400,400italic,700,700italic" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" /> <link href="//fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=PT+Sans:400,700,400italic,700italic" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" /> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/static/bootstrap/css/bootstrap.css" /> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/static/css/pica.styles.css" /> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/static/css/pica.print.css" media="print" />  <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/static/colorbox/colorbox.css" /> <meta property="og:url" content="https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Prototheria/" /> <meta content="Prototheria (egg-laying mammals)" property="og:title" /> <meta content="website" property="og:type" /> <meta content="Animal Diversity Web" property="og:site_name" /> <meta content="https://animaldiversity.org/collections/contributors/ofstedal/couper/tachyglossus1/medium.jpg" property="og:image" /> <meta name="twitter:card" content="summary" /> <meta name="twitter:site" content="@AnimalDiversity" /> <meta name="twitter:title" content="Prototheria (egg-laying mammals)" /> <meta name="twitter:description" content="Read about Prototheria (egg-laying mammals) on the Animal Diversity Web." /> <meta name="twitter:image:src" content="https://animaldiversity.org/collections/contributors/ofstedal/couper/tachyglossus1/medium.jpg" /> <meta name="twitter:image:height" content="480" /> <meta name="twitter:image:width" content="621" /> <meta name="twitter:url" content="https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Prototheria/" /> <script type="text/javascript" src="/static/js/Hyphenator.js"></script> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/static/social-likes/social-likes_birman.css" /> <style> .social-likes { margin: 0; } .social-likes__widget { margin: 0; } </style>   </head> <body> <div id="outerwrap"> <div id="header" aria-role="header"> <h1> <a id="homelink" href="/">Animal Diversity Web</a> </h1> <div class="umlinks"> <div class="relative"> <a href="https://lsa.umich.edu/ummz/" id="ummzlink">University of Michigan Museum of Zoology</a> <a href="https://www.umich.edu/" id="umlink">University of Michigan</a> </div> </div> </div> <div id="wrap" class="gradient"> <div class="container-fluid"> <div class="row-fluid"> <div class="span2 sidebar left"> <ul class="nav nav-tabs nav-stacked" id="sitemap"> <li> <a href="/">Home</a> </li> <li> <a href="/about/">About Us</a> </li> <li> <a href="/animal_names/">About Animal Names</a> </li> <li> <a href="/teach/">Educational Resources</a> </li> <li> <a href="/collections/">Special Collections</a> </li> <li> <a href="/glossary/">Glossary</a> </li> <li> <a href="/accounts/Animalia/">Browse Animalia</a> </li> </ul> <h2 class="offscreen">More Information</h2> <div class="well"> <h3>Additional Information</h3> <ul class="unstyled"> <li> <a href="http://eol.org/search/?q=Prototheria&search=Go">Encyclopedia of Life</a> </li> </ul> </div> </div> <div class="span7_5 blahblahblah main" aria-role="main"> <h2 class="rank-subclass">Prototheria<span class="vernacular-name">egg-laying mammals</span></h2> <div class="social-likes" data-counters="no"> <div class="facebook" title="Share link on Facebook">Facebook</div> <div class="twitter" title="Share link on Twitter">Twitter</div> </div> <div class="snapshots" aria-hidden="true"> <ul> <li> <a href="/accounts/Prototheria/pictures/collections/contributors/ofstedal/couper/tachyglossus1/"> <img alt=" " src="/collections/contributors/ofstedal/couper/tachyglossus1/button.jpg" border="0" /> </a> </li> <li> <a href="/accounts/Prototheria/pictures/collections/contributors/Grzimek_mammals/Tachyglossidae/Zaglossus_sp/"> <img alt=" " src="/collections/contributors/Grzimek_mammals/Tachyglossidae/Zaglossus_sp/button.jpg" border="0" /> </a> </li> <li> <a href="/accounts/Prototheria/pictures/collections/contributors/Grzimek_mammals/Ornithorhynchidae/v12_id12_con_spur/"> <img alt=" " src="/collections/contributors/Grzimek_mammals/Ornithorhynchidae/v12_id12_con_spur/button.jpg" border="0" /> </a> </li> <li> <a href="/accounts/Prototheria/pictures/collections/contributors/ofstedal/couper/tachyglossus2/"> <img alt=" " src="/collections/contributors/ofstedal/couper/tachyglossus2/button.jpg" border="0" /> </a> </li> <li> <a href="/accounts/Prototheria/pictures/collections/contributors/Grzimek_mammals/Ornithorhynchidae/v12_id12_con_burrow/"> <img alt=" " src="/collections/contributors/Grzimek_mammals/Ornithorhynchidae/v12_id12_con_burrow/button.jpg" border="0" /> </a> </li> </ul> </div> <div class="byline">By Matthew Wund; Anna Bess Sorin; Phil Myers</div> <nav class="contents"> <ul> <li> <a href="#diversity">Diversity</a> </li> <li> <a href="#geographic_range">Geographic Range</a> </li> <li> <a href="#habitat">Habitat</a> </li> <li> <a href="#physical_description">Physical Description</a> </li> <li> <a href="#reproduction">Reproduction</a> </li> <li> <a href="#lifespan_longevity">Lifespan/Longevity</a> </li> </ul> <ul> <li> <a href="#behavior">Behavior</a> </li> <li> <a href="#communication">Communication and Perception</a> </li> <li> <a href="#food_habits">Food Habits</a> </li> <li> <a href="#predation">Predation</a> </li> <li> <a href="#ecosystem_roles">Ecosystem Roles</a> </li> <li> <a href="#economic_importance_positive">Economic Importance for Humans: Positive</a> </li> </ul> <ul> <li> <a href="#economic_importance_negative">Economic Importance for Humans: Negative</a> </li> <li> <a href="#conservation_status">Conservation Status</a> </li> <li> <a href="#contributors">Contributors</a> </li> <li> <a href="#references">References</a> </li> </ul> </nav> <div class="inner-wrap"> <section class="hyphenate"> <h3 id="diversity">Diversity</h3> <p audience="advanced intermediate">The subclass <span class="taxon-link rank-subclass">Prototheria</span> contains the egg-laying mammals, which are the most ancestral forms in the class <a class="taxon-link rank-class" href="/accounts/Mammalia/">Mammalia</a>. There are only three extant species grouped into two families and a single order, the <a class="taxon-link rank-order" href="/accounts/Monotremata/">Monotremata</a>. Despite bearing fewer species than most mammalian genera, the prototherians are so unique among mammals that there is little question that they represent a distinct and ancient branch of the mammmalian family tree. However, it is not clear how monotremes are related to the two other major lineages of mammals, marsupials (<a class="taxon-link rank-infraclass" href="/accounts/Metatheria/">Metatheria</a>) and placentals (<a class="taxon-link rank-infraclass" href="/accounts/Eutheria/">Eutheria</a>). Some evidence supports the hypothesis that prototherians form a clade with the marsupials, while other evidence suggests that prototherians are sister to a clade containing both marsupials and placentals. <span class="citations"> (<a href="#db5b27664856c9391fe0f9dd50d42fc8" class="citation">Heckner, 1990</a>; <a href="#78eb67d260da0c759959c1f31255cc35" class="citation">Janke, et al., 1996</a>; <a href="#ddd8fa27836ff080ee445631a81ddb39" class="citation">Janke, et al., 1997</a>; <a href="#bf7af2d884f1b7e1ce21e21b6a6e1852" class="citation">Killian, et al., 2001</a>; <a href="#9151506a0218fb11bc0bf85dd18e853e" class="citation">Nowak, 1991</a>; <a href="#ac213a717284115f84e2508cefbc9f4c" class="citation">Vaughan, et al., 2000</a>)</span></p> <p audience="advanced intermediate">Prototherians probably split from the lineage leading to other mammals sometime in the Mesozoic. They retain many characters of their therapsid ancestors (for example, a complex pectoral girdle, laying of eggs rather than bearing live young, limbs oriented with humerus and femur held lateral to body, and a cloaca). The skulls of monotremes are almost birdlike in appearance, with a long rostrum and smooth external appearance. Modern monotremes lack teeth as adults; sutures are hard to see; the rostrum is elongate, beak-like, and covered by a leathery sheath; and lacrimal bones are absent. Monotremes have several important mammalian characters, however, including <a class="rewrite" href="/topics/mammal_anatomy/hair.html">fur</a> (but they lack vibrissae), a four chambered heart, a single <a class="rewrite" href="/topics/mammal_anatomy/jaws_and_ears.html">dentary</a> bone, <a class="rewrite" href="/topics/mammal_anatomy/jaws_and_ears.html">three middle ear bones</a>, and the ability to <a class="rewrite" href="/topics/mammal_anatomy/mammary_glands.html">lactate</a>. <span class="citations"> (<a href="#db5b27664856c9391fe0f9dd50d42fc8" class="citation">Heckner, 1990</a>; <a href="#9151506a0218fb11bc0bf85dd18e853e" class="citation">Nowak, 1991</a>; <a href="#ac213a717284115f84e2508cefbc9f4c" class="citation">Vaughan, et al., 2000</a>)</span></p> </section> <section class="hyphenate"> <h3 id="geographic_range">Geographic Range</h3> <p audience="advanced intermediate">Monotremes are restricted to Australia and New Guinea. Their fossil record is very poor; the earliest fossil attributed to this group is from the early Cretaceous. A fossil from Argentina suggests that the monotremes were more widely distributed early in their history. <span class="citations"> (<a href="#db5b27664856c9391fe0f9dd50d42fc8" class="citation">Heckner, 1990</a>; <a href="#9151506a0218fb11bc0bf85dd18e853e" class="citation">Nowak, 1991</a>; <a href="#ac213a717284115f84e2508cefbc9f4c" class="citation">Vaughan, et al., 2000</a>)</span></p> <ul class="keywords donthyphenate last"> <li class="keywords-header">Biogeographic Regions</li> <li> <a class="gloss" href="#20020916135737">australian</a> <ul> <li> <a class="gloss" href="#20020904145365">native</a> </li> </ul> </li> </ul> </section> <section class="hyphenate"> <h3 id="habitat">Habitat</h3> <p audience="advanced intermediate">Prototherians are either terrestrial (<a class="taxon-link rank-family" href="/accounts/Tachyglossidae/">Tachyglossidae</a>) or primarily aquatic (<a class="taxon-link rank-family" href="/accounts/Ornithorhynchidae/">Ornithorhynchidae</a>). Their terrestrial habitats include deserts, sandy plains, rocky areas, and forests in both lowlands and mountains. Platypuses inhabit lakes, ponds and streams; they shelter in burrows along the banks and spend much of their time foraging in the water. <span class="citations"> (<a href="#db5b27664856c9391fe0f9dd50d42fc8" class="citation">Heckner, 1990</a>; <a href="#9151506a0218fb11bc0bf85dd18e853e" class="citation">Nowak, 1991</a>)</span></p> <ul class="keywords donthyphenate "> <li class="keywords-header">Habitat Regions</li> <li> <a class="gloss" href="#20020904145595">temperate</a> </li> <li> <a class="gloss" href="#20020904145598">tropical</a> </li> <li> <a class="gloss" href="#20020904145794">terrestrial</a> </li> <li> <a class="gloss" href="#20020904145747">freshwater</a> </li> </ul> <ul class="keywords donthyphenate "> <li class="keywords-header">Terrestrial Biomes</li> <li> <a class="gloss" href="#20020904145626">desert or dune</a> </li> <li> <a class="gloss" href="#20020904145599::20020904145583::20020904145682">savanna or grassland</a> </li> <li> <a class="gloss" href="#20020904145828">forest</a> </li> <li> <a class="gloss" href="#20020904145677">scrub forest</a> </li> <li> <a class="gloss" href="#20020904145818">mountains</a> </li> </ul> <ul class="keywords donthyphenate "> <li class="keywords-header">Aquatic Biomes</li> <li> <span>lakes and ponds</span> </li> <li> <span>rivers and streams</span> </li> </ul> <ul class="keywords donthyphenate last"> <li class="keywords-header">Other Habitat Features</li> <li> <a class="gloss" href="#20020904145842">riparian</a> </li> </ul> </section> <section class="hyphenate"> <h3 id="physical_description">Physical Description</h3> <p audience="advanced intermediate">Besides the absence of teeth, lacrimals, and obvious sutures, prototherians share a number of skeletal characteristics. On the skulls, the <a class="rewrite" href="/resources/anatomical_images/dog_skull/dog_lateral.jpg">jugals</a> are reduced or absent, the <a class="rewrite" href="/resources/anatomical_images/dog_skull/dog_outside_lwr.jpg">dentary</a> is a slender bone with only a vestige of a <a class="rewrite" href="/resources/anatomical_images/dog_skull/dog_outside_lwr.jpg">coronoid process</a>, the angle of the dentary is not inflected medially (unlike that of marsupials), <a class="rewrite" href="/resources/anatomical_images/dog_skull/dog_basicranium.jpg">auditory bullae</a> are missing (part of the middle ear is enclosed by tympanic rings), and much of the wall of the braincase is made up by the petrosal rather than the <a class="rewrite" href="/resources/anatomical_images/dog_skull/dog_orbit.jpg">alisphenoid</a> (unlike all other modern mammals). Postcranially, the skeleton of prototherians is also unique among mammals. It is a fascinating mosaic of primitive characteristics inherited from therapsids but found in no other living mammals, and modifications probably related to the burrowing habits of modern prototherians. Their <a class="rewrite" href="/resources/anatomical_images/tachyglossus_shoulder.jpg">shoulder girdles</a> are complex, including the standard components of modern mammals ( <a class="rewrite" href="/resources/anatomical_images/tachyglossus_shoulder.jpg">scapula</a> and <a class="rewrite" href="/resources/anatomical_images/tachyglossus_shoulder.jpg">clavicle</a>), but also additional elements including <a class="rewrite" href="/resources/anatomical_images/tachyglossus_shoulder.jpg">coracoid</a>, <a class="rewrite" href="/resources/anatomical_images/tachyglossus_shoulder.jpg">epicoracoid</a>, and <a class="rewrite" href="/resources/anatomical_images/tachyglossus_shoulder.jpg">interclavicle</a>. The scapula, however, is simplified, lacking a supraspinous fossa. The shoulder girdle is much more rigidly attached to the axillary skeleton than in other mammals. <a class="rewrite" href="/resources/anatomical_images/raccoon_skeleton.jpg">Femur</a> and <a class="rewrite" href="/resources/anatomical_images/raccoon_skeleton.jpg">humerus</a> are held roughly parallel to the ground when the animal walks, more in the fashion of therapsids and most modern reptiles than like modern mammals. <a class="rewrite" href="/resources/anatomical_images/raccoon_skeleton.jpg">Ribs</a> are found on the neck (cervical) <a class="rewrite" href="/resources/anatomical_images/raccoon_skeleton.jpg">vertebrae</a> as well as the chest (thoracic) vertebrae; in all other modern mammals, they are restricted to the thoracic region. <span class="citations"> (<a href="#db5b27664856c9391fe0f9dd50d42fc8" class="citation">Heckner, 1990</a>; <a href="#9151506a0218fb11bc0bf85dd18e853e" class="citation">Nowak, 1991</a>; <a href="#ac213a717284115f84e2508cefbc9f4c" class="citation">Vaughan, et al., 2000</a>)</span></p> <p audience="advanced intermediate">Another interesting skeletal characteristic of prototherians is the large epipubic bones in the pelvic region. Epipubic bones were originally thought to be related to having a pouch, but they are found in both males and females. They also occur in all species of marsupials, whether a pouch is present or not (not all marsupials have a pouch). It is now thought that epipubic bones are a vestige of the skeleton of therapsids, providing members of that group with extra attachments for abdominal muscles to support the weight of the hindquarters. <span class="citations"> (<a href="#db5b27664856c9391fe0f9dd50d42fc8" class="citation">Heckner, 1990</a>; <a href="#9151506a0218fb11bc0bf85dd18e853e" class="citation">Nowak, 1991</a>)</span></p> <p audience="advanced intermediate">Prototherians are endothermic, but they have unusually low metabolic rates and maintain a body temperature that is lower than that of most other mammals. <span class="citations"> (<a href="#db5b27664856c9391fe0f9dd50d42fc8" class="citation">Heckner, 1990</a>; <a href="#9151506a0218fb11bc0bf85dd18e853e" class="citation">Nowak, 1991</a>)</span></p> <p audience="advanced intermediate">All male prototherians have spurs on their ankles that are presumed to be used in fighting and in defense. In one family (<a class="taxon-link rank-family" href="/accounts/Ornithorhynchidae/">Ornithorhynchidae</a>), a groove along the spur carries poison secreted by adjacent glands. <span class="citations"> (<a href="#db5b27664856c9391fe0f9dd50d42fc8" class="citation">Heckner, 1990</a>; <a href="#9151506a0218fb11bc0bf85dd18e853e" class="citation">Nowak, 1991</a>)</span></p> <ul class="keywords donthyphenate last"> <li class="keywords-header">Other Physical Features</li> <li> <a class="gloss" href="#20020916130951">endothermic</a> </li> <li> <span>homoiothermic</span> </li> <li> <a class="gloss" href="#20020904145642">bilateral symmetry</a> </li> <li> <a class="gloss" href="#20020904145397">venomous</a> </li> </ul> </section> <section class="hyphenate"> <h3 id="reproduction">Reproduction</h3> <p audience="advanced intermediate">Little is known about the mating systems of <span class="taxon-link">prototherians</span>. They are solitary for most of the year, coming together only to mate. During the mating season, <a class="taxon-link" href="/accounts/Ornithorhynchus_anatinus/">duck-billed platypuses</a> are found in pairs, but despite these observations, platypuses are not likely to be monogamous because males do not associate with females post-copulation, nor do they provide any parental care. Female <a class="taxon-link" href="/accounts/Tachyglossus_aculeatus/">short-nosed spiny echidnas</a> have been observed with several males at a time, which may reflect a polygyny or polyandry. Even less can be inferred about the mating systems of <a class="taxon-link" href="/accounts/Zaglossus_bruijni/">long-nosed spiny echidnas</a> because so little is known about their basic behavior and biology. <span class="citations"> (<a href="#db5b27664856c9391fe0f9dd50d42fc8" class="citation">Heckner, 1990</a>; <a href="#9151506a0218fb11bc0bf85dd18e853e" class="citation">Nowak, 1991</a>)</span></p> <p audience="advanced intermediate"><span class="taxon-link">Prototherians</span> are seasonal breeders. Typically, the breeding season lasts 1 to 3 months between July and October. At least one species (<a class="taxon-link" href="/accounts/Ornithorhynchus_anatinus/">duck-billed platypuses</a>) perform somewhat elaborate courtship behaviors prior to copulation. <span class="citations"> (<a href="#db5b27664856c9391fe0f9dd50d42fc8" class="citation">Heckner, 1990</a>; <a href="#9151506a0218fb11bc0bf85dd18e853e" class="citation">Nowak, 1991</a>)</span></p> <p audience="advanced intermediate">The eggs layed by monotremes are small (13 to 15 mm diameter) and covered by a leathery shell. The number of eggs laid is small, usually 1 to 3, and they are placed in the mother's pouch. They contain a large yolk, which is concentrated at one end of the egg, very much like the yolk of a bird's egg. Only the left ovary is functional in the platypus, but both produce eggs in the echidna. Like the eggs of birds, monotreme eggs are incubated and hatched outside the body of the mother. Incubation lasts about 12 days. The young, which are tiny and at a very early stage of development when they hatch, break out of the eggs using a "milk tooth. They are protected in a temporary pouch in echidnas but not platypuses. They are fed milk produced by mammary glands; the milk is secreted onto the skin within the pouch and sucked or lapped up by the babies. Weaning takes place when the young are 16 to 20 weeks old. <span class="citations"> (<a href="#db5b27664856c9391fe0f9dd50d42fc8" class="citation">Heckner, 1990</a>; <a href="#9151506a0218fb11bc0bf85dd18e853e" class="citation">Nowak, 1991</a>; <a href="#ac213a717284115f84e2508cefbc9f4c" class="citation">Vaughan, et al., 2000</a>)</span></p> <ul class="keywords donthyphenate last"> <li class="keywords-header">Key Reproductive Features</li> <li> <a class="gloss" href="#20020904145554">iteroparous</a> </li> <li> <a class="gloss" href="#20020904145584">seasonal breeding</a> </li> <li> <span>gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate)</span> </li> <li> <a class="gloss" href="#20020904145786">sexual</a> </li> <li> <a class="gloss" href="#20020904145572">oviparous</a> </li> </ul> <p audience="advanced intermediate">The parental investment of male <span class="taxon-link">prototherians</span> appears to consist entirely of acquiring mates and fertilizing a female's eggs. All other investment and parental care is provided by females. Young are born in a highly altricial state and require considerable care and protection from their mothers. As mammals, females produce milk and nurse their young. <a class="taxon-link" href="/accounts/Tachyglossidae/">Echidnas</a> develop a brood pouch on their abdomen within which eggs and hatched young develop for nearly two months. Young are weaned by about three months of age. <a class="taxon-link" href="/accounts/Ornithorhynchus_anatinus/">Platypuses</a> do not have a brood pouch, and instead lay their eggs in deep, complex burrows on the banks of streams and ponds. Young develop within the burrow and are weaned after 3 months. <span class="citations"> (<a href="#db5b27664856c9391fe0f9dd50d42fc8" class="citation">Heckner, 1990</a>; <a href="#9151506a0218fb11bc0bf85dd18e853e" class="citation">Nowak, 1991</a>)</span></p> <ul class="keywords donthyphenate last"> <li class="keywords-header">Parental Investment</li> <li> <a class="gloss" href="#20020904145328">altricial</a> </li> <li> <span>pre-fertilization</span> <ul> <li> <span>provisioning</span> </li> <li> <span>protecting</span> <ul> <li> <span>female</span> </li> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li> <span>pre-hatching/birth</span> <ul> <li> <span>provisioning</span> <ul> <li> <span>female</span> </li> </ul> </li> <li> <span>protecting</span> <ul> <li> <span>female</span> </li> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li> <span>pre-weaning/fledging</span> <ul> <li> <span>provisioning</span> <ul> <li> <span>female</span> </li> </ul> </li> <li> <span>protecting</span> <ul> <li> <span>female</span> </li> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> </ul> </section> <section class="hyphenate"> <h3 id="lifespan_longevity">Lifespan/Longevity</h3> <p audience="advanced intermediate">Little is known regarding the natural lifespan of <span class="taxon-link">prototherians</span>; however, they can live several decades in captivity. In at least one case, a <a class="taxon-link" href="/accounts/Tachyglossus_aculeatus/">short-nosed echidna</a> lived 50 years. <span class="citations"> (<a href="#db5b27664856c9391fe0f9dd50d42fc8" class="citation">Heckner, 1990</a>; <a href="#9151506a0218fb11bc0bf85dd18e853e" class="citation">Nowak, 1991</a>)</span></p> </section> <section class="hyphenate"> <h3 id="behavior">Behavior</h3> <p audience="advanced intermediate"><span class="taxon-link">Prototherians</span> are primarily solitary animals and at least one species (<a class="taxon-link rank-species" href="/accounts/Tachyglossus_aculeatus/">Tachyglossus aculeatus</a>) is territorial. Activity patterns vary among species, and even among populations of <span rank="Species" class="taxon-name rank-species">T. aculeatus</span>; prototherians may be diurnal, crepuscular or nocturnal. <a class="taxon-link" href="/accounts/Tachyglossidae/">Echidnas</a> are fully terrestrial and eat mainly ants, termites, and worms whereas <a class="taxon-link" href="/accounts/Ornithorhynchidae/">platypuses</a> spend much of their time foraging in the water for a wider variety of invertebrates. All three species are exceptional diggers, using powerful limbs to dig shelters or to quickly escape from predators. In addition to digging their way out of trouble, echidnas can roll up and erect their spines as a defense mechanism. If insufficient food is available, prototherians may enter temporary torpor or more prolonged periods of hibernation when food is scarce in the winter. <span class="citations"> (<a href="#db5b27664856c9391fe0f9dd50d42fc8" class="citation">Heckner, 1990</a>; <a href="#9151506a0218fb11bc0bf85dd18e853e" class="citation">Nowak, 1991</a>; <a href="#ac213a717284115f84e2508cefbc9f4c" class="citation">Vaughan, et al., 2000</a>)</span></p> <ul class="keywords donthyphenate last"> <li class="keywords-header">Key Behaviors</li> <li> <span>terricolous</span> </li> <li> <a class="gloss" href="#20020904145661">fossorial</a> </li> <li> <a class="gloss" href="#20020914213156">natatorial</a> </li> <li> <a class="gloss" href="#20020904145414">diurnal</a> </li> <li> <a class="gloss" href="#20020904145503">nocturnal</a> </li> <li> <a class="gloss" href="#20020904145752">crepuscular</a> </li> <li> <a class="gloss" href="#20020904145472">motile</a> </li> <li> <a class="gloss" href="#20020904145403">hibernation</a> </li> <li> <a class="gloss" href="#20020904145381">solitary</a> </li> <li> <a class="gloss" href="#20020904145597">territorial</a> </li> </ul> </section> <section class="hyphenate"> <h3 id="communication">Communication and Perception</h3> <p audience="advanced intermediate">Hearing, olfaction, touch, and vision are all important to some degree in <span class="taxon-link">prototherians</span>. Hearing and sight are well developed in <a class="taxon-link" href="/accounts/Ornithorhynchidae/">platypuses</a> and moderately well-developed in <span class="taxon-name">echidnas</span>. The sense of touch is perhaps most important to a platypus that is searching at the bottom of a stream for food or an echida that is rooting through the earth for termites or worms. Platypus bills and echidna snouts are extremely sensitive organs that are essential to effective foraging. Platypuses may even use electrical stimuli to locate prey. Olfaction is well-developed in echidnas and may be used in individual recognition. Prototherians occasionally produce some simple vocalizations, but their function is unknown. <span class="citations"> (<a href="#db5b27664856c9391fe0f9dd50d42fc8" class="citation">Heckner, 1990</a>; <a href="#9151506a0218fb11bc0bf85dd18e853e" class="citation">Nowak, 1991</a>)</span></p> <ul class="keywords donthyphenate "> <li class="keywords-header">Communication Channels</li> <li> <a class="gloss" href="#20020904145694">visual</a> </li> <li> <a class="gloss" href="#20020904145500">tactile</a> </li> <li> <a class="gloss" href="#20020904145822">acoustic</a> </li> <li> <a class="gloss" href="#20020904145606">chemical</a> </li> </ul> <ul class="keywords donthyphenate last"> <li class="keywords-header">Perception Channels</li> <li> <a class="gloss" href="#20020904145694">visual</a> </li> <li> <a class="gloss" href="#20020904145500">tactile</a> </li> <li> <a class="gloss" href="#20020904145822">acoustic</a> </li> <li> <a class="gloss" href="#20020904145606">chemical</a> </li> </ul> </section> <section class="hyphenate"> <h3 id="food_habits">Food Habits</h3> <p audience="advanced intermediate">All <span class="taxon-link">prototherians</span> are carnivorous, with their diets consisting of various invertebrates. <a class="taxon-link" href="/accounts/Ornithorhynchidae/">Platypuses</a> forage in the benthos of lakes and streams, using their sensitive bills to find prey. They are generalist predators, whereas <a class="taxon-link" href="/accounts/Tachyglossidae/">echidnas</a> specialize on either ants and termites (<a class="taxon-link rank-genus" href="/accounts/Tachyglossus/">Tachyglossus</a>) or worms (<a class="taxon-link rank-genus" href="/accounts/Zaglossus/">Zaglossus</a>). Both species of echidna are powerful diggers and use their claws and snouts to root through the earth to find food. <span class="citations"> (<a href="#db5b27664856c9391fe0f9dd50d42fc8" class="citation">Heckner, 1990</a>; <a href="#9151506a0218fb11bc0bf85dd18e853e" class="citation">Nowak, 1991</a>)</span></p> <ul class="keywords donthyphenate last"> <li class="keywords-header">Primary Diet</li> <li> <a class="gloss" href="#20020904145419">carnivore</a> <ul> <li> <a class="gloss" href="#20020904145711">insectivore</a> </li> <li> <span>eats non-insect arthropods</span> </li> <li> <a class="gloss" href="#20020914202902">molluscivore</a> </li> </ul> </li> </ul> </section> <section class="hyphenate"> <h3 id="predation">Predation</h3> <p audience="advanced intermediate">Little is known about the predators of <span class="taxon-link">prototherians</span> or how predation impacts prototherian populations. With their robust spines, <a class="taxon-link" href="/accounts/Tachyglossidae/">echidnas</a> are certainly well-protected from threats. To deter potential predators, echidnas erect their spines, roll into protected balls, or rapidly dig a hole or enter a crevice, exposing only their spines. <span class="citations"> (<a href="#db5b27664856c9391fe0f9dd50d42fc8" class="citation">Heckner, 1990</a>; <a href="#9151506a0218fb11bc0bf85dd18e853e" class="citation">Nowak, 1991</a>)</span></p> </section> <section class="hyphenate"> <h3 id="ecosystem_roles">Ecosystem Roles</h3> <p audience="advanced intermediate"><span class="taxon-link">Prototherians</span> may significantly impact populations of their prey; this may be more true for <a class="taxon-link" href="/accounts/Tachyglossidae/">echidnas</a> because they specialize on only a few prey types rather than eating a little bit of many different species. Because they are adept diggers, prototherians create and modify habitat for other organisms. <a class="taxon-link" href="/accounts/Ornithorhynchidae/">Platypuses</a> in particular can exavate extensive burrows on the banks of freshwater lakes and streams. Prototherians are hosts of various parasites (e.g. <span class="taxon-name rank-species">trypanosomes</span> in platypuses and <span class="taxon-name">hepatozoans</span> in echidnas). <span class="citations"> (<a href="#788bd70f45b0f6d6af9d28511b9325fe" class="citation">Clark, et al., 2005</a>; <a href="#e123938f7b6ea9678912f1c4157f353a" class="citation">Noyes, et al., 1999</a>)</span></p> <ul class="keywords donthyphenate last"> <li class="keywords-header">Ecosystem Impact</li> <li> <span>creates habitat</span> </li> </ul> <div class="note"> <strong>Commensal/Parasitic Species</strong> <br /> <ul> <li> <span class="taxon-name">Haemogregarinidae</span> </li> <li> <span rank="Species" class="taxon-name rank-species">Trypanosoma binneyi</span> </li> </ul> </div> </section> <section class="hyphenate"> <h3 id="economic_importance_positive">Economic Importance for Humans: Positive</h3> <p audience="advanced intermediate">One of the three species within <span class="taxon-link rank-subclass">Prototheria</span> (<span rank="Species" class="taxon-name rank-species">Zaglossus bruinji</span>) is eaten by the indigenous people of New Guinea. Hunting pressure has been so great that this species is now threatened with extinction. <span class="citations"> (<a href="#9151506a0218fb11bc0bf85dd18e853e" class="citation">Nowak, 1991</a>)</span></p> <ul class="keywords donthyphenate last"> <li class="keywords-header">Positive Impacts</li> <li> <a class="gloss" href="#20020904145418">food</a> </li> </ul> </section> <section class="hyphenate"> <h3 id="economic_importance_negative">Economic Importance for Humans: Negative</h3> <p audience="advanced intermediate"><span class="taxon-link">Prototherians</span> have no known negative impact on people, except perhaps for the pain a <a class="taxon-link" href="/accounts/Ornithorhynchus_anatinus/">platypus</a> can cause if it delivers venom with its spur. If unmolested, platypuses will not attack humans. <span class="citations"> (<a href="#9151506a0218fb11bc0bf85dd18e853e" class="citation">Nowak, 1991</a>)</span></p> <ul class="keywords donthyphenate last"> <li class="keywords-header">Negative Impacts</li> <li> <span>injures humans</span> <ul> <li> <span>bites or stings</span> </li> </ul> </li> </ul> </section> <section class="hyphenate"> <h3 id="conservation_status">Conservation Status</h3> <p audience="advanced intermediate">At least two of the three species of <span class="taxon-link">prototherians</span> are threatened with extinction or were at some point in the recent past. <a class="taxon-link" href="/accounts/Zaglossus_bruijni/">Long-nosed echidnas</a> are currently listed as endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) redlist (www.redlist.org). Habitat destruction and heavy hunting pressure have severely limited populations of this species. In the past, <a class="taxon-link" href="/accounts/Ornithorhynchus_anatinus/">platypuses</a> were declining rapidly due to their overexploitation in the fur trade, but recent conservation efforts have helped populations rebound considerably. <span class="citations"> (<a href="#550004f88e9f983d56ff81a8a5c814b2" class="citation">Groombridge, 1994</a>; <a href="#9151506a0218fb11bc0bf85dd18e853e" class="citation">Nowak, 1991</a>)</span></p> <ul class="aside block-grid donthyphenate one-up"> <li> <dl> <dt>IUCN Red List <a href="http://www.iucnredlist.org/">[Link]</a></dt> <dd>Not Evaluated</dd> </dl> </li> </ul> </section> <section class="hyphenate"> <h3 id="contributors">Contributors</h3> <p>Tanya Dewey (editor), Animal Diversity Web. </p> <p>Matthew Wund (author), University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Anna Bess Sorin (author), Biology Dept., University of Memphis, Phil Myers (author), Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. </p> </section> <section class="offscreen"> <h3 id="glossary">Glossary</h3> <div id="20020916135737"> <dl> <dt>Australian</dt> <dd> <p>Living in Australia, New Zealand, Tasmania, New Guinea and associated islands.</p> <p align="center"> <img alt="World Map" src="/images/worldmap.2001.jpg" /> </p> </dd> </dl> </div> <div id="20020904145822"> <dl> <dt>acoustic</dt> <dd> <p>uses sound to communicate</p> </dd> </dl> </div> <div id="20020904145328"> <dl> <dt>altricial</dt> <dd> <p>young are born in a relatively underdeveloped state; they are unable to feed or care for themselves or locomote independently for a period of time after birth/hatching. In birds, naked and helpless after hatching.</p> </dd> </dl> </div> <div id="20020904145642"> <dl> <dt>bilateral symmetry</dt> <dd> <p>having body symmetry such that the animal can be divided in one plane into two mirror-image halves. Animals with bilateral symmetry have dorsal and ventral sides, as well as anterior and posterior ends. Synapomorphy of the Bilateria.</p> </dd> </dl> </div> <div id="20020904145419"> <dl> <dt>carnivore</dt> <dd> <p>an animal that mainly eats meat</p> </dd> </dl> </div> <div id="20020904145606"> <dl> <dt>chemical</dt> <dd> <p>uses smells or other chemicals to communicate</p> </dd> </dl> </div> <div id="20020904145752"> <dl> <dt>crepuscular</dt> <dd> <p>active at dawn and dusk</p> </dd> </dl> </div> <div id="20020904145626"> <dl> <dt>desert or dunes</dt> <dd> <p>in deserts low (less than 30 cm per year) and unpredictable rainfall results in landscapes dominated by plants and animals adapted to aridity. Vegetation is typically sparse, though spectacular blooms may occur following rain. Deserts can be cold or warm and daily temperates typically fluctuate. In dune areas vegetation is also sparse and conditions are dry. This is because sand does not hold water well so little is available to plants. In dunes near seas and oceans this is compounded by the influence of salt in the air and soil. Salt limits the ability of plants to take up water through their roots.</p> </dd> </dl> </div> <div id="20020904145414"> <dl> <dt>diurnal</dt> <dd> <ol class="arabic simple"> <li>active during the day, 2. lasting for one day.</li> </ol> </dd> </dl> </div> <div id="20020916130951"> <dl> <dt>endothermic</dt> <dd> <p>animals that use metabolically generated heat to regulate body temperature independently of ambient temperature. Endothermy is a synapomorphy of the Mammalia, although it may have arisen in a (now extinct) synapsid ancestor; the fossil record does not distinguish these possibilities. Convergent in birds.</p> </dd> </dl> </div> <div id="20020904145418"> <dl> <dt>food</dt> <dd> <p>A substance that provides both nutrients and energy to a living thing.</p> </dd> </dl> </div> <div id="20020904145828"> <dl> <dt>forest</dt> <dd> <p>forest biomes are dominated by trees, otherwise forest biomes can vary widely in amount of precipitation and seasonality.</p> </dd> </dl> </div> <div id="20020904145661"> <dl> <dt>fossorial</dt> <dd> <p>Referring to a burrowing life-style or behavior, specialized for digging or burrowing.</p> </dd> </dl> </div> <div id="20020904145747"> <dl> <dt>freshwater</dt> <dd> <p>mainly lives in water that is not salty.</p> </dd> </dl> </div> <div id="20020904145403"> <dl> <dt>hibernation</dt> <dd> <p>the state that some animals enter during winter in which normal physiological processes are significantly reduced, thus lowering the animal's energy requirements. The act or condition of passing winter in a torpid or resting state, typically involving the abandonment of homoiothermy in mammals.</p> </dd> </dl> </div> <div id="20020904145711"> <dl> <dt>insectivore</dt> <dd> <p>An animal that eats mainly insects or spiders.</p> </dd> </dl> </div> <div id="20020904145554"> <dl> <dt>iteroparous</dt> <dd> <p>offspring are produced in more than one group (litters, clutches, etc.) and across multiple seasons (or other periods hospitable to reproduction). Iteroparous animals must, by definition, survive over multiple seasons (or periodic condition changes).</p> </dd> </dl> </div> <div id="20020914202902"> <dl> <dt>molluscivore</dt> <dd> <p>eats mollusks, members of Phylum Mollusca</p> </dd> </dl> </div> <div id="20020904145472"> <dl> <dt>motile</dt> <dd> <p>having the capacity to move from one place to another.</p> </dd> </dl> </div> <div id="20020904145818"> <dl> <dt>mountains</dt> <dd> <p>This terrestrial biome includes summits of high mountains, either without vegetation or covered by low, tundra-like vegetation.</p> </dd> </dl> </div> <div id="20020914213156"> <dl> <dt>natatorial</dt> <dd> <p>specialized for swimming</p> </dd> </dl> </div> <div id="20020904145365"> <dl> <dt>native range</dt> <dd> <p>the area in which the animal is naturally found, the region in which it is endemic.</p> </dd> </dl> </div> <div id="20020904145503"> <dl> <dt>nocturnal</dt> <dd> <p>active during the night</p> </dd> </dl> </div> <div id="20020904145572"> <dl> <dt>oviparous</dt> <dd> <p>reproduction in which eggs are released by the female; development of offspring occurs outside the mother's body.</p> </dd> </dl> </div> <div id="20020904145842"> <dl> <dt>riparian</dt> <dd> <p>Referring to something living or located adjacent to a waterbody (usually, but not always, a river or stream).</p> </dd> </dl> </div> <div id="20020904145677"> <dl> <dt>scrub forest</dt> <dd> <p>scrub forests develop in areas that experience dry seasons.</p> </dd> </dl> </div> <div id="20020904145584"> <dl> <dt>seasonal breeding</dt> <dd> <p>breeding is confined to a particular season</p> </dd> </dl> </div> <div id="20020904145786"> <dl> <dt>sexual</dt> <dd> <p>reproduction that includes combining the genetic contribution of two individuals, a male and a female</p> </dd> </dl> </div> <div id="20020904145381"> <dl> <dt>solitary</dt> <dd> <p>lives alone</p> </dd> </dl> </div> <div id="20020904145500"> <dl> <dt>tactile</dt> <dd> <p>uses touch to communicate</p> </dd> </dl> </div> <div id="20020904145595"> <dl> <dt>temperate</dt> <dd> <p>that region of the Earth between 23.5 degrees North and 60 degrees North (between the Tropic of Cancer and the Arctic Circle) and between 23.5 degrees South and 60 degrees South (between the Tropic of Capricorn and the Antarctic Circle).</p> </dd> </dl> </div> <div id="20020904145794"> <dl> <dt>terrestrial</dt> <dd> <p>Living on the ground.</p> </dd> </dl> </div> <div id="20020904145597"> <dl> <dt>territorial</dt> <dd> <p>defends an area within the home range, occupied by a single animals or group of animals of the same species and held through overt defense, display, or advertisement</p> </dd> </dl> </div> <div id="20020904145598"> <dl> <dt>tropical</dt> <dd> <p>the region of the earth that surrounds the equator, from 23.5 degrees north to 23.5 degrees south.</p> </dd> </dl> </div> <div id="20020904145599::20020904145583::20020904145682"> <dl> <dt>tropical savanna and grassland</dt> <dd> <p>A terrestrial biome. Savannas are grasslands with scattered individual trees that do not form a closed canopy. Extensive savannas are found in parts of subtropical and tropical Africa and South America, and in Australia.</p> </dd> <dt>savanna</dt> <dd> <p>A grassland with scattered trees or scattered clumps of trees, a type of community intermediate between grassland and forest. See also Tropical savanna and grassland biome.</p> </dd> <dt>temperate grassland</dt> <dd> <p>A terrestrial biome found in temperate latitudes (>23.5掳 N or S latitude). Vegetation is made up mostly of grasses, the height and species diversity of which depend largely on the amount of moisture available. Fire and grazing are important in the long-term maintenance of grasslands.</p> </dd> </dl> </div> <div id="20020904145397"> <dl> <dt>venomous</dt> <dd> <p>an animal which has an organ capable of injecting a poisonous substance into a wound (for example, scorpions, jellyfish, and rattlesnakes).</p> </dd> </dl> </div> <div id="20020904145694"> <dl> <dt>visual</dt> <dd> <p>uses sight to communicate</p> </dd> </dl> </div> </section> <section class="hyphenate"> <h3 id="references">References</h3> <p id="788bd70f45b0f6d6af9d28511b9325fe">Clark, P., P. Holz, D. Spratt. 2005. Hepatozoon tachyglossi sp nov (Haemogregarinidae), a protozoan parasite from the blood of a short-beaked echidna, Tachyglossus aculeatus. <span style="font-style: italic">Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia</span>, 129: 49-52. </p> <p id="550004f88e9f983d56ff81a8a5c814b2">Groombridge, B. 1994. <span style="font-style: italic">1994 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals</span>. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN. Accessed September 02, 2005 at <tt><a href="www.redlist.org">www.redlist.org</a></tt>. </p> <p id="db5b27664856c9391fe0f9dd50d42fc8">Heckner, U. 1990. Egg-laying mammals (Monotremes). Pp. 192-207 in B Grzimek, ed. <span style="font-style: italic">Grzimek's Encyclopedia of Mammals</span>, Vol. 1, 1st Edition. New York: Mcgraw-Hill. </p> <p id="78eb67d260da0c759959c1f31255cc35">Janke, A., N. Gemmell, G. Feldmaier-Fuchs, A. von Haeseler, S. Paabo. 1996. The mitochondrial genome of a monotreme - The platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus). <span style="font-style: italic">Journal of Molecular Evolution</span>, 42: 153-159. </p> <p id="ddd8fa27836ff080ee445631a81ddb39">Janke, A., X. Xu, U. Arnason. 1997. The complete mitochondrial genome of the wallaroo (Macropus robustus) and the phylogenetic relationship among Monotremata, Marsupialia, and Eutheria. <span style="font-style: italic">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America</span>, 94: 1276-1281. </p> <p id="bf7af2d884f1b7e1ce21e21b6a6e1852">Killian, J., T. Buckley, N. Stewart, B. Munday, R. Jirtle. 2001. Marsupials and Eutherians reunited: genetic evidence for the Theria hypothesis of mammalian evolution. <span style="font-style: italic">Mammalian Genome</span>, 12: 513-517. </p> <p id="9151506a0218fb11bc0bf85dd18e853e">Nowak, R. 1991. Order Monotremata. Pp. 1-9 in <span style="font-style: italic">Walker's Mammals of the World</span>, Vol. 1, 5th Edition. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. </p> <p id="e123938f7b6ea9678912f1c4157f353a">Noyes, H., J. Stevens, M. Teixeira, J. Phelan, P. Holz. 1999. A nested PCR for the ssrRNA gene detects Trypanosoma binneyi in the platypus and Trypanosoma sp. in wombats and kangaroos in Australia. <span style="font-style: italic">International Journal for Parasitology</span>, 29: 331-339. </p> <p id="ac213a717284115f84e2508cefbc9f4c">Vaughan, T., J. Ryan, N. Czaplewski. 2000. <span style="font-style: italic">Mammalogy, 4th Edition</span>. Toronto: Brooks Cole. </p> </section> </div> </div> <div class="span2_5 right sidebar"> <div class="well" id="pocket-guide-link"> <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/adw-pocket-guide/id916179421?mt=8" target="_blank"><i class="icon-download icon-white" style="vertical-align: bottom"></i> ADW Pocket Guides on the iOS App Store! </a> <p>The Animal Diversity Web team is excited to announce ADW Pocket Guides!</p> <p> <a href="/news/5009059054038197651/">Read more...</a> </p> </div> <h2 class="offscreen">Search</h2> <div id="site-search"> <form action="/search" method="GET"> <label for="q" class="offscreen">Enter search text</label> <input value="" id="q" name="q" class="span12" size="15" type="text" placeholder="Search ADW" /> <button class="btn"> <i class="icon-zoom-in"></i> <span class="offscreen">Search</span> </button> <p style="max-height: 35px"> <label for="feature-list" class="offscreen">Search in feature</label> <select size="1" name="feature" class="feature-list input-medium" id="feature-list"> <option value="INFORMATION">Taxon Information</option> <option value="COLLECTIONS">Contributor Galleries</option> <option value="TOPICS">Topics</option> <option value="CLASSIFICATION">Classification</option> </select> </p> </form> <ul class="unstyled"> <li> <a href="https://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/quaardvark/">Explore Data @ Quaardvark</a> </li> <li> <a href="/search_guide/">Search Guide</a> </li> </ul> </div> <h2 class="offscreen">Navigation Links</h2> <dl class="tabbed features"> <dd class="feature-information active"> <a name="feature-information" href="/accounts/Prototheria/" class="active" id="feature-information"> Information </a> </dd> <dd class="feature-pictures"> <a name="feature-pictures" href="/accounts/Prototheria/pictures/" id="feature-pictures"> Pictures </a> </dd> <dd class="feature-specimens"> <a name="feature-specimens" href="/accounts/Prototheria/specimens/" id="feature-specimens"> Specimens </a> </dd> <dd class="feature-classification"> <a name="feature-classification" href="/accounts/Prototheria/classification/#Prototheria" id="feature-classification"> Classification </a> </dd> </dl> <div class="classification well"> <h3>Classification</h3> <ul class="unstyled"> <li> <span class="rank">Kingdom</span> <a href="/accounts/Animalia/" class="taxon-name rank-kingdom">Animalia</a> <span class="vernacular-name">animals</span> <div class="features"> <a href="/accounts/Animalia/" class="feature feature-information" rel="tooltip" data-original-title="Animalia: information (1)" data-delay="250" data-total="4749">Animalia: information (1)</a> <a href="/accounts/Animalia/pictures/" class="feature feature-pictures" rel="tooltip" data-original-title="Animalia: pictures (22861)" data-delay="250">Animalia: pictures (22861)</a> <a href="/accounts/Animalia/specimens/" class="feature feature-specimens" rel="tooltip" data-original-title="Animalia: specimens (7109)" data-delay="250">Animalia: specimens (7109)</a> <a href="/accounts/Animalia/sounds/" class="feature feature-sounds" rel="tooltip" data-original-title="Animalia: sounds (722)" data-delay="250">Animalia: sounds (722)</a> <a href="/accounts/Animalia/maps/" class="feature feature-maps" rel="tooltip" data-original-title="Animalia: maps (42)" data-delay="250">Animalia: maps (42)</a> </div> </li> <li> <span class="rank">Phylum</span> <a href="/accounts/Chordata/" class="taxon-name rank-phylum">Chordata</a> <span class="vernacular-name">chordates</span> <div class="features"> <a href="/accounts/Chordata/" class="feature feature-information" rel="tooltip" data-original-title="Chordata: information (1)" data-delay="250" data-total="3902">Chordata: information (1)</a> <a href="/accounts/Chordata/pictures/" class="feature feature-pictures" rel="tooltip" data-original-title="Chordata: pictures (15213)" data-delay="250">Chordata: pictures (15213)</a> <a href="/accounts/Chordata/specimens/" class="feature feature-specimens" rel="tooltip" data-original-title="Chordata: specimens (6829)" data-delay="250">Chordata: specimens (6829)</a> <a href="/accounts/Chordata/sounds/" class="feature feature-sounds" rel="tooltip" data-original-title="Chordata: sounds (709)" data-delay="250">Chordata: sounds (709)</a> <span class="feature-off feature-maps"></span> </div> </li> <li> <span class="rank">Subphylum</span> <a href="/accounts/Vertebrata/" class="taxon-name rank-subphylum">Vertebrata</a> <span class="vernacular-name">vertebrates</span> <div class="features"> <a href="/accounts/Vertebrata/" class="feature feature-information" rel="tooltip" data-original-title="Vertebrata: information (1)" data-delay="250" data-total="3899">Vertebrata: information (1)</a> <a href="/accounts/Vertebrata/pictures/" class="feature feature-pictures" rel="tooltip" data-original-title="Vertebrata: pictures (15168)" data-delay="250">Vertebrata: pictures (15168)</a> <a href="/accounts/Vertebrata/specimens/" class="feature feature-specimens" rel="tooltip" data-original-title="Vertebrata: specimens (6827)" data-delay="250">Vertebrata: specimens (6827)</a> <a href="/accounts/Vertebrata/sounds/" class="feature feature-sounds" rel="tooltip" data-original-title="Vertebrata: sounds (709)" data-delay="250">Vertebrata: sounds (709)</a> <span class="feature-off feature-maps"></span> </div> </li> <li> <span class="rank">Class</span> <a href="/accounts/Mammalia/" class="taxon-name rank-class">Mammalia</a> <span class="vernacular-name">mammals</span> <div class="features"> <a href="/accounts/Mammalia/" class="feature feature-information" rel="tooltip" data-original-title="Mammalia: information (1)" data-delay="250" data-total="2048">Mammalia: information (1)</a> <a href="/accounts/Mammalia/pictures/" class="feature feature-pictures" rel="tooltip" data-original-title="Mammalia: pictures (4389)" data-delay="250">Mammalia: pictures (4389)</a> <a href="/accounts/Mammalia/specimens/" class="feature feature-specimens" rel="tooltip" data-original-title="Mammalia: specimens (6622)" data-delay="250">Mammalia: specimens (6622)</a> <a href="/accounts/Mammalia/sounds/" class="feature feature-sounds" rel="tooltip" data-original-title="Mammalia: sounds (13)" data-delay="250">Mammalia: sounds (13)</a> <span class="feature-off feature-maps"></span> </div> </li> <li class="active"> <span class="rank">Subclass</span> <a href="/accounts/Prototheria/" class="taxon-name rank-subclass">Prototheria</a> <span class="vernacular-name">egg-laying mammals</span> <div class="features"> <a href="/accounts/Prototheria/" class="feature feature-information" rel="tooltip" data-original-title="Prototheria: information (1)" data-delay="250" data-total="9">Prototheria: information (1)</a> <a href="/accounts/Prototheria/pictures/" class="feature feature-pictures" rel="tooltip" data-original-title="Prototheria: pictures (8)" data-delay="250">Prototheria: pictures (8)</a> <a href="/accounts/Prototheria/specimens/" class="feature feature-specimens" rel="tooltip" data-original-title="Prototheria: specimens (13)" data-delay="250">Prototheria: specimens (13)</a> <span class="feature-off feature-sounds"></span> <span class="feature-off feature-maps"></span> </div> </li> </ul> </div> <div class="related navlist well"> <h3>Related Taxa</h3> <ul class="descendants classification unstyled"> <li> <span class="rank">Order</span> <a href="/accounts/Monotremata/" class="taxon-name rank-order">Monotremata</a> <span class="vernacular-name">monotremes</span> <div class="features"> <a href="/accounts/Monotremata/" class="feature feature-information" rel="tooltip" data-original-title="Monotremata: information (1)" data-delay="250" data-total="8">Monotremata: information (1)</a> <a href="/accounts/Monotremata/pictures/" class="feature feature-pictures" rel="tooltip" data-original-title="Monotremata: pictures (8)" data-delay="250">Monotremata: pictures (8)</a> <a href="/accounts/Monotremata/specimens/" class="feature feature-specimens" rel="tooltip" data-original-title="Monotremata: specimens (13)" data-delay="250">Monotremata: specimens (13)</a> <span class="feature-off feature-sounds"></span> <span class="feature-off feature-maps"></span> </div> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div id="footer" aria-role="contentinfo"> <div class="inner-footer"> <div class="page-citation"> <p class="content">To cite this page: Wund, M.; A. Sorin and P. Myers . "Prototheria" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed November 25, 2024 at https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Prototheria/</p> </div> <div class="disclaimer"> <p class="content"><strong>Disclaimer:</strong> The Animal Diversity Web is an educational resource <strong>written largely by and for college students</strong>. ADW doesn't cover all species in the world, nor does it include all the latest scientific information about organisms we describe. Though we edit our accounts for accuracy, we cannot guarantee all information in those accounts. While ADW staff and contributors provide references to books and websites that we believe are reputable, we cannot necessarily endorse the contents of references beyond our control. </p> </div> <div class="footer-links"> <ul class="unstyled"> <li><a href="https://www.umich.edu/">U-M Gateway</a> | <a href="https://lsa.umich.edu/ummz/">U-M Museum of Zoology</a></li> <li> <a href="https://lsa.umich.edu/eeb/">U-M Ecology and Evolutionary Biology</a> </li> <li> 漏 2020 Regents of the University of Michigan </li> <li><a href="/feedback/error_form/">Report Error</a> / <a href="/feedback/comment_form/">Comment</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="thanks-links"> <p>This material is based upon work supported by the <a href="https://nsf.gov">National Science Foundation</a> Grants DRL 0089283, DRL 0628151, DUE 0633095, DRL 0918590, and DUE 1122742. Additional support has come from the Marisla Foundation, UM College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, Museum of Zoology, and Information and Technology Services. </p> <p> The ADW Team gratefully acknowledges their support. </p> </div> </div> </div> <script></script> </div> <script src="/static/js/jquery.colorbox.js"></script> <script src="/static/js/pica.information.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript"> var gaJsHost = (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? 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ADW: Prototheria: INFORMATION