When the first monotreme, a platypus, was sent back to England scientists did not believe it was real, they thought it was an elaborate hoax. After all how could a mammal have a duck's bill, webbed feet, spurs on its hind legs and lay eggs?

These mammals retain many reptilian characteristics in that they lay eggs, have a single genital opening, the cloaca. Even their limbs are attached to their body more like those of a reptile than a mammal. Also the male platypus is the only known venomous mammal, another reptilian trait.

Of the extant species, two species, the platypus and echidna, occur in Australia while another echidna occurs in New Guinea. The reason these species have survived is that when they were isolated on the Australian continent with the marsupials they adapted to very specific habitats allowing them to compete successfully with the marsupials. This specific adaptation has made them vulnerable to any change in their habitat and for this reason special attention needs to be given to preserving their habitats to prevent extinction.

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