Monotremata
/ˌmɒnə(ʊ)ˈtriːmətə/ /ˌmɒnə(ʊ)ˈtrɛmətə/Zoology
noun
Treated as plural. The single order of mammals included in the subclass Prototheria, comprising egg-laying mammals which which have a common opening for the urogenital and digestive systems; animals of this order (collectively or individually), monotremes.
- The only extant members of the order are the platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) and the two species of echidna. They are now restricted to Australia and New Guinea..
Origin
Mid 19th century; earliest use found in Richard Owen (1804–1892), comparative anatomist and palaeontologist. From scientific Latin Monotremata, order name from ancient Greek μονο- + τρηματ-, τρῆμα hole, orifice.