Monotreme (Noun)
Meaning
The most primitive mammals comprising the only extant members of the subclass Prototheria.
Classification
Nouns denoting animals.
Examples
- The platypus is a well-known example of a monotreme, a group of mammalian species native to Australia.
- Biologists consider the echidna to be a monotreme, a fascinating link between reptiles and true mammals.
- Monotremes are distinguished from therian mammals by laying eggs and producing milk for their young.
- Scientists have long been fascinated by the monotreme, an unusual group of mammals with traits of both reptiles and mammals.
- One of the defining characteristics of a monotreme is the presence of a cloaca, a shared opening for reproductive, urinary, and digestive systems.