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The oldest discovered fossil of the modern platypus dates back to about 100,000 years ago during the Quaternary period, though a limb bone of Ornithorhynchus is known from Pliocene-aged strata. [97] The extinct monotremes Teinolophos and Steropodon from the Cretaceous were once thought to be closely related to the modern platypus, [ 94 ] but ...
David Howells Fleay AM MBE (/ ˈ f l aɪ /; 6 January 1907 – 7 August 1993) was an Australian scientist and biologist who pioneered the captive breeding of endangered species, and was the first person to breed the platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) in captivity.
The platypus has an average body temperature of about 31 °C (88 °F) rather than the averages of 35 °C (95 °F) for marsupials and 37 °C (99 °F) for placentals. [ 30 ] [ 31 ] Research suggests this has been a gradual adaptation to the harsh, marginal environmental niches in which the few extant monotreme species have managed to survive ...
The platypus uses its super-sensitive bill to find its dinner. A platypus bill may look like a duck’s bill, but it has a secret ability. The bill contains receptor cells that detect the electric ...
Steropodon is a genus of prehistoric platypus-like monotreme, or egg-laying mammal. It contains a single species, Steropodon galmani, that lived about 100.2–96.6 million years ago during the Cretaceous period, from early to middle Cenomanian. [1] It is one of the oldest monotremes discovered, and is one of the oldest Australian mammal
Platypus venom is entirely different from other venomous creatures. While more research is needed, scientists believe it contains specific proteins that target the nervous system. Heptapeptide 1 ...
In other cases, certain animals were initially considered hoaxes – similar to the initial reception of mounted specimens of the duck-billed platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) [1] in late 18th-century Europe. In zoology, megafauna (from Greek μέγας megas "large" and Neo-Latin fauna "animal life") are large animals.
We also spot an elusive platypus in a mountain lake, plus several wombats in this dramatic mountain wilderness. The latter resemble small and docile bumbling bears and seem utterly nonplussed by ...