Monotreme vs Stereotreme
A monotreme is a type of mammal that, at first glance at the Wikipedia page, seems to consist mostly of Australian mammals. A platypus is a monotreme (pictured).
Ian decided a couple of monotremes would be a stereotreme, or pair of platypuses. These days Stereotreme seems to be a person online.
The backstory to these silly illos
Ian Gunn, creator of these silly illos (illustrations), was a beloved award-winning artist based in Melbourne. Cancer took him from us too soon.
Ian left a legacy including lots of great illustrations. Many of these illustrations are available for sale.
Victoria’s science fiction convention, Continuum, occasionally presents the Ian Gunn Memorial Award recognising the ‘unsung heroes’ of fandom: people consistently working in the background who never expect any recognition of their efforts. This commemorates Ian’s selfless efforts to reach out to others, encouraging others and thereby building the science fiction community.
K’rin Pender-Gunn, Ian’s widow, gave Dark Matter Zine permission to republish Ian’s artwork. Thanks, K’rin!