Monotremes, like the duck-billed platypus, are egg-laying ma…
Monotremes, like the duck-billed platypus, are egg-laying mammals (oviparous), covered in hair, have mammary and skin glands, three ear ossicles, are diphyodont (their permanent teeth replace their “baby” teeth), and possess dentary-squamosal jaw articulation (the jaw bone hinges with the squamosal bone of the skull). Marsupials, such as kangaroos and koalas, are pouched mammals that have a vertical tympanic membrane in addition to being covered in hair, have mammary and skin glands, three ear ossicles, are diphyodont, and possess dentary-squamosal jaw articulation. Eutherians are the placental mammals that most people easily recognize as mammals. They are covered in hair, have mammary and skin glands, three ear ossicles, are diphyodont, possess dentary-squamosal jaw articulation, and have a vertical tympanic membrane. What traits are shared derived traits for monotremes, marsupials, and eutherians?
Read DetailsThe mass extinction at the end of the Cretaceous period abou…
The mass extinction at the end of the Cretaceous period about 65 mya is believed to have been caused by a massive comet or asteroid smashing into what is now known as the Yucatan peninsula in the Gulf of Mexico. The debris arising from this impact would have blocked the Sun’s rays from reaching the Earth. How would this cause a mass extinction?
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