The platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) has a puzzling array of features. Not only does it have that iconic duck bill, it lays eggs like a bird or reptile but feeds milk to its young like a mammal.
They are the largest animal that has ever existed, including the dinosaurs. The platypus is a mammal that lives in Australia on land and in rivers. Platypuses are one of the few mammals that lay eggs.
The sequencing of the platypus genome has received a high amount of misleading press attention. What does this information really tell us about this strangely unique animal and its genetic past?
They are such an unusual mammal that the first scientists to study them believed they were the brunt of a hoax. Despite their awkward appearance, the platypus has a superpower-like sixth sense ...