![]() In all other mammals, casein genes have replaced vitellogenin genes. The platypus isn’t as dependent on creating yolk proteins as birds and reptiles, since it produces milk for its young. The new study, published in Nature, demonstrates that platypuses still carry one of these three vitellogenin genes, despite having lost the other two roughly 130 million years ago, which allows it to continue to lay eggs. Chickens on the other hand, continue to have all three. One of the platypus’ most unusual characteristics is that, while it lays eggs, it also has mammary glands used to feed its babies, not through nipples, but from milk that it sweats from its body.ĭuring our own evolution, humans lost all three so-called vitellogenin genes, each of which is important for the production of egg yolks. It has preserved many of its ancestors’ original features-which probably contribute to its success in adapting to the environment they live in,” Zhang says. But genetically, it is a mixture of mammals, birds, and reptiles. “Indeed, the platypus belongs to the Mammalia class. The platypus belongs to an ancient group of mammals-monotremes-which existed millions of years prior to the emergence of any modern-day mammal. “It holds the key as to why we and other Eutheria mammals evolved to become animals that give birth to live young instead of egg-laying animals.” The platypus lays eggs and nurses its babies At the same time, decoding the genome for platypus is important for improving our understanding of how other mammals evolved-including us humans,” says Guojie Zhang, professor in the biology department at the University of Copenhagen. “The complete genome has provided us with the answers to how a few of the platypus’ bizarre features emerged. It has baffled scientists ever since Europeans first came upon it in the 1700s. Mapping the complete genome of the quirky duck-billed platypus reveals how it became what many consider the world’s oddest mammal.Īustralia’s beaver-like platypus exhibits an array of bizarre characteristics: it lays eggs instead of giving birth to live babies it sweats milk has venomous spurs and is the only animal to have 10 sex chromosomes.
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