How did platypuses evolve?
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If there was a poster animal for diversification, it would have to be the platypus. It looks like an otter that's gone trick-or-treating as a duck. It's a mashup that inspired Mark Anthony Libre to ask Weird Animal Question of the Week: "How did [the platypus] evolve in this unlikely fashion? read more
Together with echidnas, platypuses are the most divergent of living mammals; they split off from other mammals before the evolution of live birth. More relevant for paleontologists (because fossil mammals are often mostly known from teeth), they also seem to lack tribosphenic teeth, the characteristic shearing-crushing tooth pattern of more modern (marsupial and placental) mammals. read more
The platypus's milk seeps through pores in its abdomen, not through teats as in all other mammals. Another incredible adaptation is how they forage for food. Platypuses close their eyes, ears, and noses underwater and find prey by sensing electric currents with their ducklike bills. read more
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