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
March Mammal Madness March Mammal Madness March Mammal Madness is an alternate March Madness tournament focusing on simulated combat between non-human mammals, instead of college basketball. The bracket is run by a team of evolutionary biologists, using science and probability to determine the outcomes of the fights. The goal of Mammal March Madness is to provide a fun and exciting way to spread scientific knowledge about the competing animals, as well as awareness for animal conservation. March Mammal Madness dates back to 2013, when founder Katie Hinde discovered a Buzzfeed Animal Madness bracket online. She was disappointed to find it only contained 16