Yes. The platypus is one of them. In spring, the female lays two or three eggs. The young are born in 14 days and lick the milk that oozes from the rudimentary mammary glands, since the animal does not have nipples. To complete the bizarreness, the female has two uteruses, one associated with each ovary. At the time of reproduction, only one of them produces eggs, while the other remains stunted.
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“This mammal, like all those that lay eggs, belongs to the order Monotremata. All living species are found in Australia, New Zealand and Tasmania”, says veterinarian Luciano Freitas Felício, from the University of São Paulo.
It is believed that this order originated from a line of reptiles different from those that gave rise to other mammals. It is divided into two families: Ornithorhynchidae It is Tachyglossidae. The latter is the family of echidnas, like Barton’s echidna. With about 10 kilograms and 100 centimeters in length, they are spiny animals that usually feed on ants.
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Unlike the platypus, the echidna only lays one egg at a time. When cracking the shell, the chick is still immature. It remains for another two months inside the mother’s abdominal pouch until the spines develop.