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Office, E.E. Platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus). Encyclopedia. Available online: https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/58457 (accessed on 11 November 2026).
Office EE. Platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus). Encyclopedia. Available at: https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/58457. Accessed November 11, 2026.
Office, Encyclopedia Editorial. "Platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus)" Encyclopedia, https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/58457 (accessed November 11, 2026).
Office, E.E. (2025, June 05). Platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus). In Encyclopedia. https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/58457
Office, Encyclopedia Editorial. "Platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus)." Encyclopedia. Web. 05 June, 2025.

Platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus)

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The platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) is a unique monotreme endemic to eastern Australia and Tasmania. As one of only five extant monotreme species, the platypus presents a rare blend of mammalian, reptilian, and avian features, including egg-laying, electroreception, venom production, and milk secretion without nipples. 

platypus Ornithorhynchus anatinus monotreme endemic Ornithorhynchidae

References

  1. Phillips, M. J., Bennett, T. H., & Lee, M. S. Y. (2009). Molecules, morphology, and ecology indicate a recent, amphibious ancestry for echidnas. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 106(40), 17089–17094. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0904649106
  2. Warren, W. C., Hillier, L. W., Marshall Graves, J. A., et al. (2008). Genome analysis of the platypus reveals unique signatures of evolution. Nature, 453(7192), 175–183. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature06936.
  3. Musser, A. M. (1998). Monotreme evolution. In M. Augee (Ed.), Monotremes and Marsupials: Evolution and Ecology (pp. 12–33). UNSW Press.
  4. Pettigrew, J. D., Manger, P. R., & Fine, M. L. (1998). The sensory world of the platypus. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 353(1372), 1199–1210. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.1998.0270
  5. Grant, T. R., & Temple-Smith, P. D. (2003). Conservation of the platypus, Ornithorhynchus anatinus: Threats and challenges. Aquatic Ecosystem Health & Management, 6(1), 5–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/14634980301470.
  6. Whittington, C. M., Papenfuss, A. T., Bansal, P., et al. (2010). Defensins and the convergent evolution of platypus and reptile venom genes. Genome Research, 20(8), 986–993. https://doi.org/10.1101/gr.101956.109
  7. Griffiths, M. (1978). The Biology of the Monotremes. Academic Press.
  8. Serena, M., & Williams, G. A. (2010). Movements and distribution of platypuses (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) in urban waterways. Wildlife Research, 37(7), 583–590. https://doi.org/10.1071/WR10041.
  9. Bethge, P., Munks, S. A., Otley, H. M., & Nicol, S. C. (2003). Diving behaviour, dive cycles and aerobic dive limit in the platypus, Ornithorhynchus anatinus. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part A: Molecular & Integrative Physiology, 136(4), 799–809. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1095-6433(03)00250-5.
  10. Bino, G., Grant, T. R., Kingsford, R. T. (2020). A review of the status of the platypus in Australia. Biological Conservation, 248, 108559. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2020.108559.
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Subjects: Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
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