Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Monotreme Sensory Systems

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Animal Cognition and Behavior

  • 117 Accesses

Synonyms

Echidna; Electroreception; Olfaction; Platypus; Prototheria

Introduction

Monotremes are a unique group of mammals confined to Australia and New Guinea. The lineage leading to modern monotremes probably diverged from that leading to therians (modern placental and marsupial mammals) as much as 220 million years ago (Yu et al. 2012), so there has been abundant time for independent evolution of sensory systems and the brain. Modern monotremes cannot be considered primitive or relict, and they are certainly not models for the ancestors of placental mammals. Monotremes have undergone just as long a period of evolution as have therians. Furthermore, although they do exhibit some primitive characteristics, living monotremes are also highly specialized animals with some remarkably advanced neural adaptations (e.g., electroreception and isocortical expansion). Like all mammals (including humans), they are therefore the result of mosaic evolution, where primitive and derived...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Aitkin, L. M., & Johnstone, B. M. (1972). Middle ear function in a monotreme: The echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus). Journal of Experimental Zoology, 180, 245–250.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Andres, K. H., & von Düring, M. (1988). Comparative anatomy of vertebrate electroreceptors. Progress in Brain Research, 74, 113–131.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Andres, K. H., von Düring, M., Iggo, A., & Proske, U. (1991). The anatomy and fine–structure of the echidna Tachyglossus aculeatus snout with respect to its different trigeminal sensory receptors including the electroreceptors. Anatomy and Embryology, 184, 371–393.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ashwell, K. W. S. (2006). Chemoarchitecture of the monotreme olfactory bulb. Brain, Behavior and Evolution, 67, 69–84.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ashwell, K. W. S., & Phillips, J. M. (2006). The anterior olfactory nucleus and piriform cortex of the echidna and platypus. Brain, Behavior and Evolution, 67, 203–227.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Butler, A. B., & Hodos, W. (2005). Comparative vertebrate neuroanatomy. Evolution and adaptation (2nd ed.). Hoboken: Wiley.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Campbell, C. B. G., & Hayhow, W. R. (1971). Primary optic pathways in echidna, Tachyglossus aculeatus – Experimental degeneration study. Journal of Comparative Neurology, 143, 119–136.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Campbell, C. B. G., & Hayhow, W. R. (1972). Primary optic pathways in the duckbill platypus, Ornithorhynchus anatinus: An experimental degeneration study. Journal of Comparative Neurology, 145, 195–208.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Divac, I., Holst, M.–. C., Nelson, J., & McKenzie, J. S. (1987). Afferents of the frontal cortex in the echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus). Indication of an outstandingly large prefrontal cortex. Brain, Behavior and Evolution, 30, 303–320.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fox, R. C., & Meng, J. (1997). An x-radiographic and SEM study of the osseous inner ear of multituberculates and monotremes (Mammalia): Implications for mammalian phylogeny and evolution of hearing. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 121, 249–291.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gates, G. R. (1978). Vision in the monotreme echidna. In M. L. Augee (Ed.), Monotreme biology: The Australian Zoologist special symposium. Published in Australian Zoologist, 20, 147–169.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gray, A. A. (1908). An investigation on the anatomical structure and relationships of the labyrinth in the reptile, the bird and the mammal. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, Series B: Biological Sciences, 80, 507–528.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gregory, J. E., Iggo, A., McIntyre, A. K., & Proske, U. (1989). Responses of electroreceptors in the platypus bill to steady and alternating potentials. Journal of Physiology (London), 408, 391–404.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Griffiths, M. (1978). The biology of the Monotremes. New York: Academic.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grus, W. E., Shi, P., & Zhang, J. (2007). Largest vertebrate vomeronasal type 1 receptor gene repertoire in the semiaquatic platypus. Molecular Biology and Evolution, 24, 2153–2157.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hunt, D. M., Carvalho, L. S., Cowing, J. A., Parry, J. W., Wilkie, S. E., Davies, W. L., & Bowmaker, J. K. (2007). Spectral tuning of shortwave-sensitive visual pigments in vertebrates. Photochemistry and Photobiology, 83, 303–310.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Iggo, A., Proske, U., McIntyre, A. K., & Gregory, J. E. (1988). Cutaneous electroreceptors in the platypus: A new mammalian receptor. Progress in Brain Research, 74, 133–138.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Krubitzer, L. (1998). What can monotremes tell us about brain evolution? Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society. Series B, Biological Sciences, 353, 1127–1146.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Krubitzer, L., Manger, P., Pettigrew, J., & Calford, M. (1995). Organization of somatosensory cortex in monotremes. In search of the prototypical plan. Journal of Comparative Neurology, 351, 261–306.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ladhams, A., & Pickles, J. O. (1996). Morphology of the monotreme organ of Corti and macula lagena. Journal of Comparative Neurology, 366, 335–347.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Manger, P. R., & Hughes, R. L. (1992). Ultrastructure and distribution of epidermal sensory receptors in the beak of the echidna, Tachyglossus aculeatus. Brain, Behavior and Evolution, 40, 287–296.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Manger, P. R., & Pettigrew, J. D. (1995). Electroreception and the feeding behaviour of platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus, Monotremata, Mammalia). Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, Series B: Biological Sciences, 347, 359–381.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Manger, P. R., & Pettigrew, J. D. (1996). Ultrastructure, number, distribution and innervation of electroreceptors and mechanoreceptors in the bill skin of the platypus, Ornithorhynchus anatinus. Brain, Behavior and Evolution, 48, 27–54.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Manger, P. R., Collins, R., & Pettigrew, J. D. (1997). Histological observations on presumed electroreceptors and mechanoreceptors in the beak skin of the long–beaked echidna. Zaglossus bruijnii. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, Series B: Biological Sciences, 264, 165–172.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nicol, S. C., Morrow, G. E., & Anderson, N. A. (2008). Hibernation in monotremes: a review. In B. G. Lovegrove & A. E. McKechnie (Eds.), Hypometabolism in animals: hibernation, torpor and cryobiology (pp. 251–262). Pietermaritzburg: University of KwaZulu-Natal.

    Google Scholar 

  • Niimura, Y., & Nei, M. (2007). Extensive gains and losses of olfactory receptor genes in mammalian evolution. PLoS One, 2, e708.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pettigrew, J. D., Manger, P. R., & Fine, S. L. B. (1998). The sensory world of the platypus. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society. Series B, Biological Sciences, 353, 1199–1210.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Proske, U., Gregory, J. E., & Iggo, A. (1998). Sensory receptors in monotremes. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society. Series B, Biological Sciences, 353, 1187–1198.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wakefield, M. J., Anderson, M., Chang, E., Wei, K. J., Kaul, R., Graves, J. A. M., Grützner, F., & Deeb, S. S. (2008). Cone visual pigments of monotremes: Filling the phylogenetic gap. Visual Neuroscience, 25, 257–264.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yu, W., Xu, J., Wu, Y., & Yang, G. (2012). A comparative study of mammalian diversification pattern. International Journal of Biological Sciences, 8, 486–497.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zeiss, C. J., Schwab, I. R., Murphy, C. J., & Dubietzig, R. W. (2011). Comparative retinal morphology of the platypus. Journal of Morphology, 272, 949–957.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anatomy, School of Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia

    Ken W. S. Ashwell

Authors
  1. Ken W. S. Ashwell
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ken W. S. Ashwell .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Oakland University , Rochester, MI, USA

    Jennifer Vonk

  2. Department of Psychology, Oakland University Department of Psychology, Rochester, MI, USA

    Todd Shackelford

Section Editor information

  1. Oakland University, Rochester, MI, USA

    Jennifer Vonk

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

Ashwell, K.W.S. (2019). Monotreme Sensory Systems. In: Vonk, J., Shackelford, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Animal Cognition and Behavior. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47829-6_2066-1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47829-6_2066-1

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-47829-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-47829-6

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation