Compare And Contrast Platypus And Echidna

“Monotremes are the most primitive type of living mammal. They lay eggs and have a single opening (cloaca) for reproduction and elimination of wastes. The female shave no teets but provide milk directly through the skin to their young.”(Dictionary.com) The platypus and the echidna are the only monotremes known in the world. While they are both monotremes, they are both different in many ways. The platypus and the echidna are different by their physical characteristics, their lifestyles, and by their habitats. A platypus and an echidna both have very different physical characteristics. While most people know what a platypus looks like, they are larger than the land mole, they have very small eyes, and their forelegs are shorter than the hind …show more content…
The platypus is an animal most people know about, yet there are some things some people aren’t aware of. For instance, the platypus lives on the coast of Australia in rivers and lakes, they live in burrows and people aren’t very knowledgeable about how they reproduce. They lay eggs and while most people know this, they have a unique way of incubating the eggs. The platypus has two burrows, one for the new baby and one for the male and female to live in. The platypus makes a nest in the burrow for the baby, which has multiple chambers, and incubates it while until it hatches. It is then kept there until it grows fur and can leave on its own (Garry Hamilton). This shows that the platypus has an interesting way of living. The echidna also has an interesting way of living. For example, they burrow into the forest floor to hide and like the platypus, have burrows to live in. Another example is that, while they also lay eggs, the males will trail the females until they mate. One difference between an echidna and a platypus is that the echidna has a pouch, which is used only for when the baby is born. The baby is then placed into a burrow, where the mother will return every five days to feed it, until one day, the mother will feed it one last time and never return (Peggy Rismiller). For these reasons, the echidna has a very unusual way of living. Thus, the platypus and the echidna have very different lifestyles. Of …show more content…
Echidnas are found in many places. To illustrate this Opiang states, “Echidnas occur throughout the Australian continent, on Tasmania and Kangaroo Island (Griffiths and Simpson 1966; Rismiller 1999), and in New Guinea” (Muse D. Opiang). Thus, the echidna can be found in a multitudinous amounts of areas. They are also extremely adaptable. As shown in The Enigma of the Echidna, “Echidnas can be found along coasts and in mountains above the snow line as well as from desert to rainforest” (Peggy Rismiller). This shows that the echidna can live in multiple places while platypuses do not. The platypus can only be found in certain places in Australia. For instance, “Platypuses-duckbills, watermoles, or duckmoles, as the European settlers of New South Wales called them-are found only in Australian freshwater lakes and streams” (Garry Hamilton). For this reason, platypuses are not very adaptable and are only found in certain places. As a result, echidnas and platypuses both have different