Fauna of Australia species are nocturnal and many arboreal. Two of the five living species of monotreme occur in Australia: the platypus and the short-beaked echidna. The monotremes differ from other mammals in their methods of reproduction; in particular, they lay eggs instead of giving birth to live young. The platypus—a venomous, egg-laying, duck-billed amphibious mammal—is considered to be one of the strangest creatures in the animal kingdom. When it was first presented by Joseph Banks to English naturalists it was thought to be so strange that it was a cleverly created hoax. The short-beaked echidna is similarly strange, covered in hairy spikes
California species of special concern requires approval of the Director. The HCPB staff is available to assist with questions, provide expertise and/or names of species experts, coordinate funding requests, and answer policy questions related to SSCs. California species of special concern "Species of special concern" is a protective legal designation assigned by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) to wildlife species that are at risk. It is often abbreviated as SSC or CSC. A Species of Special Concern is a species, subspecies, or distinct population of an animal native to California that currently satisfies one or more of the following (not necessarily mutually