Platypus Matters is about the evolution and ecology of many of Australia’s mammals. The first few chapters are about platypuses. Additional chapters cover echidnas, kangaroos, quolls, Tasmanian devils, wombats, pygmy possums, and more. What sets this book apart is that the author, Jack Ashby, not only discusses the biology and ecology of the organisms, he goes into the cultural significance, evolutionary relationships, and perceptions of marsupials. Ashby effectively argues that many of Australia’s marsupials are depicted as weird and primitive, when they actually have some unique and successful adaptations to their environments. An example of an interesting adaptation described in the book is that both echidnas and platypuses have electroreceptors. While platypuses use them to detect food in water, echidnas use them to detect food in moist soil. Platypus Matters contains several examples of convergent evolution. One example that stands out is that the protein that makes up platypus venom...
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August 2023
Book Review|
August 01 2023
Platypus Matters: The Extraordinary Story of Australian Mammals
Platypus Matters: The Extraordinary Story of Australian Mammals
. By Jack Ashby. 2022
. The University of Chicago Press
. (ISBN 0-226-78925-X). Hardcover. 369 pp. $29.00.
Kristin Hudlow
Centennial High School, Bakersfield, CA 93312
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The American Biology Teacher (2023) 85 (6): 357–358.
Citation
Kristin Hudlow; Platypus Matters: The Extraordinary Story of Australian Mammals. The American Biology Teacher 1 August 2023; 85 (6): 357–358. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/abt.2023.85.6.357a
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