Latest news with #SuzanneHand
South China Morning Post
2 days ago
- General
- South China Morning Post
Ancient aquatic origins of echidnas revealed by Australian scientists
A team of Australian and international scientists believe many of the echidna's unusual traits were developed millions of years ago when its ancestors lived in the water. This is based on the results of a study announced in April. Echidnas and the semi-aquatic platypus are believed to have evolved from a common ancestor called Kryoryctes cadburyi that lived in Australia more than 100 million years ago. Echidnas and platypuses are monotremes, a rare group of mammals that lay eggs instead of live young. Palaeontologist Suzanne Hand said that echidnas had fragile bone walls that made it easier to walk on land. Hand is a palaeontologist at the University of New South Wales. This shows that echidnas came from an ancestor living in water but evolved to live on land. It was far more common for prehistoric mammals to go from land to water, Hand said, pointing towards seals, whales, dolphins and dugongs. Echidnas have hind feet that point backwards. That helped them move lots of soil when burrowing. Hand said that the echidna's ancestor might have first used these feet like rudders to move through fast water. Echidnas also have a 'diving reflex' when they go underwater. This tells their body to conserve oxygen to help them hold their breath for longer. Agence France-Presse
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Scientists Reveal a Surprising New Theory on Where Echidnas Came From
New analysis of a 100-million-year-old fossil embedded in a rocky cove in Australia suggests echidnas may have evolved from swimming ancestors. That's basically unheard of: While there are many examples of land-dwelling mammals evolving into a more aquatic lifestyle, it seems that at some point, echidnas went in the opposite direction. Since its discovery in the early '90s, paleontologists have been debating what kind of animal left behind the fossilized arm bone. They know it was a member of the monotreme order, mammals that lay eggs instead of giving birth to live young. Based on the bone's outward appearance, some think it belonged to a land-bound ancestor of modern echidnas. Others say it might have been a swimming monotreme that pre-dates both of its living kin, echidnas and platypus. New analysis on the tiny humerus bone, which belonged to the prehistoric species Kryoryctes cadburyi, supports an aquatic origin story. "While the external structure of a bone allows you to directly compare it with similar animals to help work out the animal's relationships, the internal structure tends to reveal clues about its lifestyle and ecology," says paleontologist Suzanne Hand from the University of New South Wales, who led the study. "The internal structure doesn't necessarily give you information about what that animal actually is, but it can tell you about its environment and how it lived." Peeking inside the fossil with microCT scans, Hand and her team discovered the bone has a thick, heavy wall and a tiny medullary cavity (the hollow space inside bones where red and white blood cells are formed). Bones like this are seen in semi or fully aquatic mammals, like sea otters, dugongs, and platypus. Like the weight belt scuba divers use to stay underwater, these traits reduce the animal's buoyancy so it can remain underwater with little effort. "The microstructure of the fossil Kryoryctes humerus is more like the internal bone structure seen in platypuses, in which their heavy bones act like ballast allowing them to easily dive to forage for food," says Hand. On land, such dense and heavy bones are a disadvantage, not only because it takes more effort to lug them around, but also because they are more prone to fractures. This is why such traits are not seen in echidnas, which have very thin bone walls. The team also conducted phylogenetic analysis, piecing together where K. cadburyi sits in the mammalian and monotreme family trees. This revealed the species is indeed a stem monotreme, sharing a common ancestor with platypus and echidnas. It's very strange news in terms of echidna evolution. It suggests their ancestor was a swimming, burrowing monotreme that eventually hung up the towel for a very different life on land. There are a few other clues that this might be the case. "The bill of the platypus is well known to have lots of highly sensitive receptors that detect tiny electrical currents generated by prey," Hand points out. "And while the beak of the echidnas has fewer receptors, people have suggested that these receptors are a leftover of their platypus heritage, as are remnants of the platypus bill that can be found in the beak of echidna embryos." Echidnas also have hind feet turned backwards, which helps them with digging, in the same way platypus use their backwards feet like rudders to propel them through water. Perhaps this is why echidnas have been known to island hop. This foot orientation isn't seen in any other mammals. Perhaps echidnas weren't left on shore by the intrepid, water-faring platypus. Maybe echidnas were the ones that decided to venture out into the unknown. "We're talking about a semiaquatic mammal that gave up the water for a terrestrial existence, and while that would be an extremely rare event, we think that's what happened with echidnas," says Hand. This research was published in PNAS. This Adorable Sea Lion Can Keep a Beat Better Than Some Humans Mysterious Critters Set to Return After 17 Years Underground Plants Really Do 'Scream'. We Just Never Heard Them Until Now.
Observer
30-04-2025
- Science
- Observer
Study sheds light on origin of Australia's odd echidna
Australia's burrowing echidna evolved from a water-dwelling ancestor in an "extremely rare" biological event, scientists said Tuesday in a new study of the peculiar egg-laying mammals. With powerful digging claws, protective spikes and highly sensitive beaks, echidnas are well suited to a life shuffling through the forest undergrowth. But a team of Australian and international scientists believe many of the echidna's unusual traits were first developed millions of years ago when its ancestors splashed through the water. "We're talking about a semiaquatic mammal that gave up the water for a terrestrial existence," said paleontologist Suzanne Hand, from the University of New South Wales. "While that would be an extremely rare event, we think that's what happened with echidnas." Echidnas and another Australian oddity, the semi-aquatic platypus, are believed to have evolved from a common ancestor called Kryoryctes cadburyi that lived in Australia more than 100 million years ago. Researchers studied the single known bone fragment left by this ancestor, which was discovered among a trove of fossils at Dinosaur Cove in southern Australia some 30 years ago. Platypus bones were similar to this ancient ancestor, Hand said, with a thick and heavy structure that provided ballast for diving. Echidnas, in comparison, had very thin bone walls that made it easier to walk on land, Hand said. This indicated echidnas were descended from a water-dwelling ancestor but had evolved to live on land, the research found. It was far more common for prehistoric mammals to go from land to water, Hand said, pointing towards seals, whales, dolphins and dugongs. The researchers said these findings appeared to be supported by other echidna traits. Echidnas have backward-facing hind feet that help them shift mounds of soil when burrowing. These feet may have first developed as rudders helping the echidna's ancestor navigate fast-moving waterways, Hand said. Echidnas also have a "diving reflex" when submerged in water, which tells their body to conserve oxygen helping them hold their breath for longer. Echidnas and platypus are monotremes, a rare group of mammals that lay eggs instead of live young. "We're hoping we'll discover other ancestral monotremes that will help unravel the early history of this most fascinating group of mammals," said study co-author Michael Archer. The research was published in peer-reviewed journal PNAS. —AFP
Perth Now
30-04-2025
- Science
- Perth Now
Echidnas' extremely rare reverse path through evolution
The echidna is among the first modern mammals to take the "extremely rare" path out of water for life on the land, surprising Australian researchers. The discovery came during analysis of a fossilised bone of an ancient echidna found 30 years ago in Victoria. When studying the 108-million-year-old upper arm bone, Professor Suzanne Hand noticed it had attributes similar to a semiaquatic mammal. More than 30 modern mammal species have transitioned from land to water, such as whales, otters and dolphins. But the professor said it is "extremely rare" to see the opposite occur. "We've had mammals going from water to land and land to water," Prof Hand told AAP on Wednesday. "But in terms of modern mammals (those living after the dinosaur age), we've mostly seen mammals go from land to water." The modern-day prickly creature also has muscles that help it conserve oxygen when burrowing, similar to the tissues platypuses use to dive. Scientists found similar muscles in the fossil, helping them conclude that echidnas evolved from a water species. Echidnas and platypuses, both belonging to the family of egg-laying mammals, are considered distant relatives as they have backwards feet and similar beak receptors to detect prey. "The microstructure of the fossil's humerus (arm bone) is more like the internal bone structure seen in platypuses," Prof Hand said. "The (muscles) are high in the platypus, but are higher than expected in echidnas, even as burrowers." But a burning question arises: when did the echidna move to land? Scientists predict it happened between 23 million and 66 million years ago. They hope to find fossil proof in northwest NSW that can confirm their suspicions. "We're increasing our efforts to help investigate the opalised fossils of Lightning Ridge which are about the same age as the Victorian fossil deposits," Prof Archer said. "We're hoping we'll discover other ancestral monotremes (egg-laying mammals) that will help unravel the early history of this most fascinating group of mammals." Researchers will also examine the Kryoryctes cadburyi fossilised bone through imaging and scans to understand it better.
Asharq Al-Awsat
29-04-2025
- Science
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Study Sheds Light on Origin of Australia's Odd Echidna
Australia's burrowing echidna evolved from a water-dwelling ancestor in an "extremely rare" biological event, scientists said Tuesday in a new study of the peculiar egg-laying mammals. With powerful digging claws, protective spikes and highly sensitive beaks, echidnas are well suited to a life shuffling through the forest undergrowth, AFP said. But a team of Australian and international scientists believe many of the echidna's unusual traits were first developed millions of years ago when its ancestors splashed through the water. "We're talking about a semiaquatic mammal that gave up the water for a terrestrial existence," said paleontologist Suzanne Hand, from the University of New South Wales. "While that would be an extremely rare event, we think that's what happened with echidnas." Echidnas and another Australian oddity, the semi-aquatic platypus, are believed to have evolved from a common ancestor called Kryoryctes cadburyi that lived in Australia more than 100 million years ago. Researchers studied the single known bone fragment left by this ancestor, which was discovered among a trove of fossils at Dinosaur Cove in southern Australia some 30 years ago. Platypus bones were similar to this ancient ancestor, Hand said, with a thick and heavy structure that provided ballast for diving. Echidnas, in comparison, had very thin bone walls that made it easier to walk on land, Hand said. This indicated echidnas were descended from a water-dwelling ancestor but had evolved to live on land, the research found. It was far more common for prehistoric mammals to go from land to water, Hand said, pointing towards seals, whales, dolphins and dugongs. The researchers said these findings appeared to be supported by other echidna traits. Echidnas have backward-facing hind feet that help them shift mounds of soil when burrowing. These feet may have first developed as rudders helping the echidna's ancestor navigate fast-moving waterways, Hand said. Echidnas also have a "diving reflex" when submerged in water, which tells their body to conserve oxygen helping them hold their breath for longer. Echidnas and platypus are monotremes, a rare group of mammals that lay eggs instead of live young. "We're hoping we'll discover other ancestral monotremes that will help unravel the early history of this most fascinating group of mammals," said study co-author Michael Archer. The research was published in peer-reviewed journal PNAS.
