What on earth is a platypus? Even its name seems strange. When Europeans first heard the startling news of a newly discovered creature called the “platypus,” most of them thought it was just a joke.

Few mammals rival the eccentricity of these venomous, egg-laying oddballs. Noel Kirkpatrick is an editor and writer based in Tacoma, Washington. He covers many topics, including animals, science, and ...

Learn about the platypus, one of the world's weirdest mammals. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. Platypuses (which is the correct ...

The platypus is one of the most unique animals in the world. It’s a mammal, but it lays eggs. It has webbed feet, a beaver-like tail, and an otter-like snout and bill that helps it locate food ...

The duck-billed platypus: part bird, part reptile, part mammal -- and the genome to prove it. Scientists have decoded the genome of the platypus, showing that the animal's peculiar mix of features is ...

Fossils of a 70 million-year-old platypus relative called Patagorhynchus pascuali found in South America show that egg-laying mammals evolved on more than one continent. When you purchase through ...

Most humans probably think very little of the platypus — if at all. But this strange Australian mammal, with its webbed feet and beaver-like tail, is actually a treasure trove of genetic information.

QUESTION: How can platypuses be mammals when they lay eggs? ANSWER: Believe it or not, platypuses are not the only mammals that lay eggs. Mammals that lay eggs are called monotremes and include ...