Tachyglossus aculeatus (echnidna) venom gland transcriptome. Tachyglossus aculeatus

One of the most unique characteristics of monotremes are the crural glands of the male, which produce venom during the breeding season. While male platypuses deliver venom via spurs to aid in competition against other males, echidnas are not able to erect their spurs. In order to gain insight to the molecular composition and function of echidna venom, the transcriptome of an in-season echidna crural gland was deeply sequenced.