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.

Studying the tiny animal, a 23-year-old found in a creek in Australia, offered hope for the threatened species and clues for how to help them survive. By John Yoon The platypus, a unique egg-laying ...

It’s a semi-aquatic exotic with some remarkable traits! This week, we’re exploring the strange but true story of the platypus. * Platypuses use “electrolocation” while feeding, sending out impulses ...

The platypus is found only in Australia, where it spends most of its life swimming in freshwater ponds and streams. Its incredibly sensitive bird-like bill contains thousands of electroreceptors.

With a beaver’s tail, webbed feet, and a duck’s bill, platypuses are one of the world’s strangest-looking creatures. They are such an unusual mammal that the first scientists to study them believed ...