The platypus continues to lay eggs by virtue of this one remaining gene. The study demonstrates that platypuses still carry one of these three vitellogenin genes, despite having lost the other two roughly 130 million years ago. Chickens on the other hand, continue to have all three. One of the platypus' most unusual characteristics is that, while it lays eggs, it also has mammary glands used to feed its babies, not through nipples, but by milk-which is sweat from its body.ĭuring our own evolution, we humans lost all three so-called vitellogenin genes, each of which is important for the production of egg yolks. It has preserved many of its ancestors' original features-which probably contribute to its success in adapting to the environment they live in,' says Professor Zhang. But genetically, it is a mixture of mammals, birds and reptiles. 'Indeed, the platypus belongs to the Mammalia class. The platypus belongs to an ancient group of mammals-monotremes-which existed millions of years prior to the emergence of any modern-day mammal.

It holds the key as to why we and other eutheria mammals evolved to become animals that give birth to live young instead of egg-laying animals,' explains Professor Guojie Zhang of the Department of Biology. At the same time, decoding the genome for platypus is important for improving our understanding of how other mammals evolved-including us humans. 'The complete genome has provided us with the answers to how a few of the platypus' bizarre features emerged. The study is published in the scientific journal, Nature. For the first time, an international team of researchers, led by University of Copenhagen biologists, has mapped a complete platypus genome. Their understandings have now advanced, to a great degree. Modern day researchers are still trying to understand how the platypus-often considered to be the world's oddest mammal-got to be so unique. Ever since Europeans discovered the platypus in Australia during the late 1700's, the quirky, duck-billed, semi-aquatic creature has baffled scientific researchers. The Commonwealth of Australia reveres this remarkable mammal so much that it honors the platypus with a place on its 20-cent coin.It lays eggs, but nurses, it is toothless, has a venomous spur, has webbed feet, fur that glows and has 10 sex chromosomes. Baby platypuses hatch after 10 days and nurse for up to four months before they swim off and forage on their own. The female platypus lays her eggs in an underground burrow that she digs near the water’s edge. It has no teeth, so the platypus stores its 'catch' in its cheek pouches, returns to the surface, mashes up its meal with the help of gravel bits hoovered up enroute, then swallows it all down. The bill also comes equipped with specialized nerve endings, called electroreceptors, which detect tiny electrical currents generated by the muscular contractions of prey. The watertight nostrils on its bill remain sealed so that the animal can stay submerged for up to two minutes as it forages for food. The platypus is a bottom-feeder that uses its beaver-like tail to steer and its webbed feet to propel itself through the water while hunting for insects, shellfish, and worms. While the platypus generally inhabits freshwater rivers, wetlands, and billabongs Down Under, it is also known to venture into brackish estuaries (the combined fresh-and saltwater areas where rivers meet the sea). If its appearance alone somehow fails to impress, the male of the species is also one of the world’s few venomous mammals! Equipped with sharp stingers on the heels of its hind feet, the male platypus can deliver a strong toxic blow to any approaching foe. The platypus is a duck-billed, beaver-tailed, otter-footed, egg-laying aquatic creature native to Australia.

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