New monotreme research will help conserve iconic and unique Australian mammals. Image: Gary Ramage.
The genomes of egg-laying monotreme mammals, platypus and echidna, have been published in the prestigious journal Nature, providing a valuable public resource for research in mammalian biology and evolution, with applications for their conservation and health.
Monotremes display a unique mix of mammalian and reptilian features and form the most distantly related, and least understood, group of living mammals. Their genetic blueprint provides fundamental insights into their unique biology and into the evolution of all mammals.
“The platypus and echidna are the only egg-laying mammals, and so provide the key to understanding the change in reproductive strategy from egg-laying to the production of live young in all other mammals,” Professor Marilyn Renfree from the University of Melbourne’s School of BioSciences said.