Discover more about the egg-laying monotremes of Oceania and the ancient traits they still carry.

An artist’s impression depicts Kryoryctes at Dinosaur Cove in Australia. New research supports the hypothesis that Kryoryctes is a common ancestor of both the platypus and echidna. - Peter Schouten ...

If you’ve always thought echidnas and platypuses were distant cousins who went their separate ways on land and water, think again. A single fossilized arm bone, found in a remote corner of ...

The platypus and echidna, often regarded as some of the most peculiar animals on Earth, may be hiding a far more complex evolutionary story than scientists initially believed. Recent findings from a ...

The platypus is one of evolution's lovable, oddball animals. The creature seems to defy well-understood rules of biology by combining physical traits in a bizarre way. They're egg-laying mammals with ...

Linda Shearwin receives funding from the Australian Research Council. Frank Grützner does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit ...

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 ...

Preface: The loaded word -- Who you callin' an animal? -- Darwin, Darwin, Darwin...! -- The tree [strikethrough] river of life -- Part 1: Outside in -- Part 2: Song of myself -- Part 3: Hopeless ...

Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more. The story of two of ...

(CNN) — The story of two of the strangest animals on the planet just got a little stranger, thanks to clues revealed by a lone fossil specimen that scientists now say represents a long-extinct ...