Mammals of Australia introductions of placental mammals into Australian fauna were about (rats), several thousand years ago (dingo), and 200 years ago (many species); the last two were made by humans. Some claims were made about placental mammal fossils from the Eocene of Australia, called "Tingamarra". These claims are based on only one found tooth having some characteristic features of condylarth, and were discussed widely. But both the age and placental nature of these fossils were challenged by other researchers. Monotremes are mammals with a unique method of reproduction: they lay eggs instead of giving birth to live young. Two of the five
Mammal young, except the five species of monotremes, which are egg-laying mammals. The most species-rich group of mammals, the cohort called placentals, have a placenta, which enables the feeding of the fetus during gestation. Most mammals are intelligent, with some possessing large brains, self-awareness, and tool use. Mammals can communicate and vocalize in several different ways, including the production of ultrasound, scent-marking, alarm signals, singing, and echolocation. Mammals can organize themselves into fission-fusion societies, harems, and hierarchies, but can also be solitary and territorial. Most mammals are polygynous, but some can be monogamous or polyandrous. In human culture, domesticated mammals played