What did the platypus evolve from?

It is one of two species of monotreme that live in Australia, the other being the Short-beaked Echidna. The monotremes diverged from other mammals about 166 million years ago and today the platypus is one of the most evolutionarily distinct animals on Earth.

Is the platypus proof of evolution?

Did egg-laying mammals evolve more slowly than other mammals? New evidence from 100-million-year-old jawbones found in Australia suggests that egg-laying mammals such as the platypus may have evolved more slowly than other mammals, researchers say.

When did the platypus first evolve?

about 100,000 years ago
The oldest discovered fossil of the modern platypus dates back to about 100,000 years ago, during the Quaternary period. The extinct monotremes Teinolophos and Steropodon were once thought to be closely related to the modern platypus, but are now considered more basal taxa.

What are the two theories about the evolution of the platypus?

There are two theories of how the platypus came to be the animal that it is today. Theory A states that at some point between 135 and 65 million years ago, the monotremes and the marsupials split apart from the placentals, which made them evolve in a different way.

Why is platypus so strange?

Australia’s duck-billed platypus are the perfect example of weird – they lay eggs, nurse their young ones, are toothless with webbed feet, and most interestingly, have 10 sex chromosomes. Belonging to an ancient group of mammals called monotremes, platypus have always confused scientists.

Why is the platypus so weird?

Is the duck billed platypus evidence of evolution?

First believed to be a hoax…then touted as evidence of evolution, the story of the duck-billed platypus is full of twists and turns. It has happened! Evolutionary scientists rejoice!

When did the platypus diverge from other mammals?

The monotremes diverged from other mammals about 166 million years ago and today the platypus is one of the most evolutionarily distinct animals on Earth. It lives in freshwater systems along the east coast of Australia, but fossil evidence shows that platypuses used to have a wider distribution.

What did Aboriginal people know about the platypus?

Aboriginal people had also developed a deep biocultural or ecological knowledge of platypuses, which was largely overlooked by early naturalists.

Is the platypus in the middle of an evolutionary transition?

The platypus poses some interesting problems for evolutionary scientists. Here is a creature that appears to be right in the middle of a supposed evolutionary transition, yet fossils dated to millions of years ago look almost identical to the modern animal.