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    Ornithorhynchus Anatinus

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    darren lee
    Ornithorhynchus anatinus, commonly known as the platypus, is a semi-aquatic egg-laying mammal found primarily in eastern Australia. It has puzzled biologists due to its unique traits of having mammary glands yet laying eggs. The platypus lives in freshwater habitats and relies on complex burrow systems for nesting and rearing its young. As a top predator that feeds mainly on macroinvertebrates, the platypus plays an important ecological role in Australian freshwater ecosystems.

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    Ornithorhynchus Anatinus

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    darren lee
    35 views5 pages
    Ornithorhynchus anatinus, commonly known as the platypus, is a semi-aquatic egg-laying mammal found primarily in eastern Australia. It has puzzled biologists due to its unique traits of having mammary glands yet laying eggs. The platypus lives in freshwater habitats and relies on complex burrow systems for nesting and rearing its young. As a top predator that feeds mainly on macroinvertebrates, the platypus plays an important ecological role in Australian freshwater ecosystems.

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    Ornithorhynchus anatinus

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    Ornithorhynchus anatinus, commonly known as the platypus, is a semi-aquatic egg-laying mammal found primarily in eastern Australia. It has puzzled biologists due to its unique traits of having mammary glands yet laying eggs. The platypus lives in freshwater habitats and relies on complex burrow systems for nesting and rearing its young. As a top predator that feeds mainly on macroinvertebrates, the platypus plays an important ecological role in Australian freshwater ecosystems.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    35 views5 pages

    Ornithorhynchus Anatinus

    Uploaded by

    darren lee
    Ornithorhynchus anatinus, commonly known as the platypus, is a semi-aquatic egg-laying mammal found primarily in eastern Australia. It has puzzled biologists due to its unique traits of having mammary glands yet laying eggs. The platypus lives in freshwater habitats and relies on complex burrow systems for nesting and rearing its young. As a top predator that feeds mainly on macroinvertebrates, the platypus plays an important ecological role in Australian freshwater ecosystems.

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    SB025 Biology Semester 2

    Kolej Matrikulasi Sarawak

    ASSIGNMENT 1: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

    Title: Biodiversity and Ecology of Ornithorhynchus anatinus

    Student’s Name: DARREN LEE HUA EE

    Matric Number: MS2225208152

    IC Number: 040907130011

    Tutorial: K2T4A

    Lecturer’s Name: MR AWANG NAJIB BIN AWANG MOHAMAD

    Semester 2

    Session 2022/2023

    1
    Introduction background were amused by this unique

    creature. Presence of mammary gland and

    egg-laying behavior has totally attracted the

    global attention and conduct research on it.

    Distribution of platypus in Australia (Bino et al,


    2019)

    Ornithorhynchus anatinus,
    Ornithorhynchus anatinus (Bino et al, 2019)
    commonly known as the platypus, is a semi-
    Is platypus a mammal?
    aquatic mammal that mainly distributed
    Ornithorhynchus anatinus has
    eastern mainland Australia, Tasmania and
    puzzled the biologists for a very long time.
    adjacent King Island. (Bino et al, 2019).
    Before this, people, even the biologists,
    Ornithorhynchus anatinus is under the
    believed that the living things that have
    domain of Eukaryota, kingdom of Animalia,
    mammary gland can be identified as mammal.
    phylum of Chordata, class of Mammalia,
    However, Ornithorhynchus anatinus is an
    order of Monotremata, family of
    animal that has mammary gland and carry out
    Ornithorhynchidae, genus of
    egg-laying behavior. To be detailed,
    Ornithorhynchus and species as
    mammary gland is an exclusive structure for
    Ornithorhynchus anatinus. (Hall, 1999) Most
    mammal to carry out the process of lactation.
    of the people regardless of their scientific
    2
    And egg-laying behavior is the methodology The egg laying behavior of

    of reproduction for bird, fish and reptile. Ornithorhynchus anatinus is an even more

    Undoubtedly, it has greatly altered the way complicated discussion. In the uterus, the egg

    for biologists to think and analyse strange undergoes conjugation of nuclei and cleavage.

    species. Eventually, biologists categorize (Grützner et al, 2008) The process is

    Ornithorhynchus anatinus as egg-laying incomplete and different compared to higher

    mammal, scientifically known as monotreme. mammals. Like the other mammals,

    Ornithorhynchus anatinus also develops


    Ecology of platypus
    placenta. However, the placenta is simpler
    Initially, the presence of mammary
    than the other mammals and is closer to the
    gland or lactating gland in Ornithorhynchus
    marsupials’ (pouched mammals) placenta.
    anatinus was controversial. Undeniably, the
    Then, the eggs are laid after the corpus
    presence of mammary gland is very
    luteum is formed. Even so, it does not have
    important for biologist to study the behavior
    pouch like marsupials and Tachyglossus.
    of a species in terms of its physiology and

    ecological niche. The unclear answer

    whether mammary gland is present in

    platypus has affected the research progress.

    Finally, a biologist, Johann Meckel, has

    successfully proved that platypus has

    mammary gland. The confusion is due to the A nest removed from the nesting chamber
    size of the mammary gland. (Griffiths et al, (Thomas et al, 2017)
    1973) The size of the mammary gland is
    As aforementioned, Ornithorhynchus
    bigger than the other mammals.
    anatinus does not have pouch like marsupials

    3
    and Tachyglossus, hence they cannot carry Ecological importance of platypus

    the dependent young around with them. Ornithorhynchus anatinus is a semi-

    However, Ornithorhynchus anatinus has aquatic mammal that lives in freshwater

    nesting behavior and the nest is known as habitats. For the first few years, its ecological

    burrow. (Thomas et al, 2017) The species role has been overlooked. The ignorance of

    fully depends on the nest to lay eggs and rear Australian biologists causes it to be largely

    the young. The burrows can be divided into unexplored and misunderstood. Recently,

    nesting burrow and resting burrow. The some of the biologists started the research

    resting burrow is used by the adult platypus and fill it into the niche of otters. However,

    and simple in structure. Compared to resting some other studies claim that the statement is

    burrow, nesting burrow is much more lack of knowledge and totally disagree with

    complicated. Nesting burrow has specialized it. (McLachlan-Troup, 2007) The reason is

    features and is for the use of offspring and because the dietary habits of the two species

    female. The burrow consists of a lot of are totally different. The source of nutrition

    tunnels connecting the chambers. They will of platypus is a strong and sound evidence in

    eventually be linking back to the main proving that platypus and otter do not have

    chamber. Interestingly, female will block up the same niche in the ecosystem. Still, most

    the tunnels with soils to fool the intruders that of the biologists agree that its huge

    the end has been reached thus protecting the consumption of macroinvertebrates makes it

    young in the burrow. It also can maintain the to be suitable in the study of predation at

    temperature of the nest. freshwater habitat in Australia ecosystem.

    This statement can be proved by the fact that

    the species is widely distributed over the

    4
    Australia and becomes an unignorable biotic mammary glands and on the fatty acids of the

    component in the ecosystem. triglycerides in platypus and echidna milk

    fats. Journal of Zoology, 169(2), 255-279.


    Conclusion

    Ornithorhynchus anatinus is a unique Grützner, F., Nixon, B., & Jones, R. C.

    mammal that lives in freshwater habitats. Its (2008). Reproductive biology in egg-laying

    physical appearance allows it to carry out mammals. Sexual Development, 2(3), 115-

    predation underwater. Hence, its presence in 127.

    the habitat is very important for the studies of


    Hall, B. K. (1999). The paradoxical
    predation. Overall, Ornithorhynchus
    platypus. BioScience, 49(3), 211-218.
    anatinus is a mammal which lays egg and
    McLachlan-Troup, T. A. (2007). Ecology
    mainly lives in Australia.
    and functional importance of the platypus
    (743 Words)
    (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) in Australian

    References freshwater habitats (Doctoral dissertation).

    Bino, G., Kingsford, R. T., Archer, M.,


    Thomas, J., Handasyde, K., Parrott, M. L., &
    Connolly, J. H., Day, J., Dias, K., ... &
    Temple-Smith, P. (2018). The platypus nest:
    Whittington, C. (2019). The platypus:
    burrow structure and nesting behaviour in
    evolutionary history, biology, and an
    captivity. Australian Journal of
    uncertain future. Journal of
    Zoology, 65(6), 347-356.
    mammalogy, 100(2), 308-327.

    Griffiths, M., Elliott, M. A., Leckie, R. M. C.,

    & Schoefl, G. I. (1973). Observations of the

    comparative anatomy and ultrastructure of

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