Imagine stumbling upon a creature that looks like a mash-up of a duck, a beaver, and an otter—with a dash of poison thrown in for good measure. The platypus is so bizarre, even the world’s top ...

The recent publication of a draft of the platypus genome (Warren et al., 2008) has garnered a great deal of newspaper coverage, much of which has been misleading.Over and over again, the article ...

A new study suggests the platypus and echidna — the only egg-laying mammals — had a water-dwelling ancestor. The finding could upend what’s known of their evolution.

Stopping up rivers where platypuses reside is restricting the odd animals’ migration patterns and causing inbreeding, scientists say. By Nicholas Bakalar The duck-billed platypus faces many ...

The platypus, a native of eastern Australia, is a puzzling creature with features from birds, mammals, and reptiles. Male ...

A new study suggests the platypus and echidna — the only egg-laying mammals — had a water-dwelling ancestor. The finding could upend what’s known of their evolution.

However, the specialized cells on the platypus’s bill allow it to pick up electric pulses. This sixth sense in the platypus is called electrolocation and it’s a highly effective method of hunting.

The platypus may have some characteristics of birds and reptiles, but its evolution follows the path that branched off to become mammals, so the platypus is in the mammal family.

When it was discovered, the platypus was difficult to classify, bearing characteristics of mammals, reptiles and birds. The platypus type specimen is held in the Natural History Museum's collection To ...

A new study suggests the platypus and echidna — the only egg-laying mammals — had a water-dwelling ancestor. The finding could upend what’s known of their evolution.