What is Monotrichous?
Monotrichous (Greek: monos, single; trichos, hair) refers to an animal or plant having only one type of hair or bristle. In biology, the term is used to describe organisms that have a single type of hair or bristle on their body, as opposed to those with multiple types of hairs or no hair at all.
For example, some mammals like the elephant and the manatee are monotrichous because they have only one type of hair on their bodies, which is usually long and coarse. Similarly, some plants like the cactus are monotrichous because they have only one type of spine or thorn.
In contrast, animals or plants with multiple types of hairs or bristles are called polytrophic (Greek: poly, many; trichos, hair). For example, humans have both thick and fine hair on their heads, and dogs have short and long hair on their bodies, making them polytrophic.