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.

University of Adelaide researchers discovered monotremes use a completely different sex determination system than other ...

The platypus was ultimately placed into a new order called Monotremata, alongside the four living species of echidna. Monotremes are, notably, egg-laying mammals that produce milk for their young. The ...

Platypuses only live naturally in eastern Australia and Tasmania, and there are an estimated 300,000 left in the world. In dammed rivers, they are divided into small, genetically distinct groups ...

Platypuses may have some duck-like characteristics, but they are a rare type of mammal called a monotreme. Monotremes differ from other mammals because they lay eggs instead of giving birth.

Outliers among mammals, monotremes lay eggs instead of giving birth to live young. Only two types of monotremes, the platypus and echidna, still exist, but more monotreme species were around about ...

Platypuses spend a good portion of their lives in the water. When that water dries up, not only do they need to find new ...

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.

For decades, scientists have known that platypuses and echidnas – Australia’s unique egg-laying mammals – have another developmental quirk: they don’t use the same genetic toolkit as other mammals 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.