Most newborn mammals evoke parental feelings in humans. But there are a few species out there that sometimes go against that trend, like bears, marsupials, and monotremes. Monotremes? Those are the egg-laying mammals of our planet, represented by the platypus and the echidna.
Though the creature below may look like something you had your dermatologist scrape off with a scalpel, it is actually puggle, or a baby echidna. I'm sure that it wriggles and makes little whimpering noises and otherwise endears itself to its handler, but I'm having to work way too hard to keep my already primed paternal instinct engaged.
Most likely it's within the last couple of weeks of being in its mother's pouch, because soon it will sprout spines and mommy will boot it out, to live in a den. Mom will come back every five days to nurse it, until it's weaned at seven months. Then it will have to strike out on its own and find colonies of ants upon which to prey.
Oh, little lumpy puggle, you have such a spiny, ant-filled world to look forward to.
Sep 4, 2009
Representing the Monotremes
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4 comments:
I think you meant egg-laying mammals (not egg-laying animals).
They Might be Giants
Lyrics to "Mammal"
"Standing in between extinction in the cold
and explosive radiating growth
So the warm blood flows
Through the large four-chambered heart
Maintaining the very high metabolism rate they have
Mammal, mammal
Their names are called
They raise a paw
The bat, the cat
Dolphin and dog
Koala bear and hog
One of us might lose his hair
But you're reminded that it once was there
From the embryonic whale to the monkey with no tail
So the warm blood flows
with the red blood cells lacking nuclei
Through the large four-chambered heart
Maintaining the very high metabolism rate they have
Mammal, mammal
Their names are called
They raise a paw
The bat, the cat
Dolphin and dog
Koala bear and hog
Placental the sister of her brother Marsupial
Their cousin called Monotreme
Dead uncle Allotheria
Mammal, mammal
Their names are called
They raise a paw
The bat, the cat
Dolphin and dog
Koala bear and hog
The fox, the ox
Giraffe and shrew
Echidna, caribou"
Obviously, you have heard this "They Might be Giants" masterpiece.
I actually find it pretty adorable, but I've got odd standards.
Monotremes don't keep their young in pouches. They live in nests from the moment their eggs are laid.
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