Imagine a creature that looks like a mashup from a child’s wildest dreams: a furry animal with the bill of a duck, the tail of a beaver, and webbed feet, that also lays eggs and produces venom. This ...

The platypus has a range of features that make it quite unlike any other animal. With a large bill, a paddle-like tail, webbed feet and a furry body, this funny-looking animal produces venom that ...

We have chosen the most poisonous snake, the inland taipan, the most lethal spider, the funnel web, and the much under-recognised platypus, whose bashful personality hides a set of poisonous spurs ...

A venomous jellyfish or sea anemone probably came first, maybe 500 million years ago, and venom arose in snakes some 65 million years ago, followed by monotremes (such as the platypus) 46 million ...

So, while co-opting these genes seems to be a common strategy for evolving venoms, the details of the gene duplications reveal that platypus venom and snake venom are independently derived features.

Watch the Museum's venom evolution expert, Dr Ronald Jenner, explore the toxic tactics of the platypus. Despite its odd look, the platypus is perfectly adapted to its environment. It has a furry, ...