1. A monotreme is a animal that lays eggs and suckles its young.

2. I would dream to do this in a monotreme, to find out if we could have a narcoleptic platypus.

3. The genetic sequence of this Aussie monotreme (a type of mammal) is detailed in the May 8 issue of the journal Nature.

4. A previous study of early monotreme fossils had suggested the platypus and the echidna diverged more than 110 million years ago, far longer than the genetic analysis indicates.

5. The Australian short-beaked echidna, a monotreme, is one of the oldest living mammals on earth.