What is the closest relative to a platypus?

the echidna
The platypus and its closest relative, the echidna, belong to an order of mammals called the monotremes (Monotremata). They are the only representatives of this group left, surviving among the marsupials of Australia, Tasmania and New Guinea.

What animal has no stomach?

the platypus
There’s no sac in the middle that secrete powerful acids and digestive enzymes. In other words, the platypus has no stomach. The stomach, defined as an acid-producing part of the gut, first evolved around 450 million years ago, and it’s unique to back-boned animals (vertebrates).

Are platypus and ducks related?

The duck-billed mammal is related to reptiles and birds, a study finds. The genome of the platypus—our most distant mammal relative—has been decoded and analyzed, researchers reported today. The duck-billed mammal has a genetic affinity with both reptiles and birds, according to a new study.

What animals are in the same family as a platypus?

Echidna and platypus They may look quite different, but these two creatures are members of a family called monotremes. Both the platypus and echidna are mammals that lay eggs.

Are otters related to platypus?

The platypus is among nature’s most unlikely animals. The animal is best described as a hodgepodge of more familiar species: the duck (bill and webbed feet), beaver (tail), and otter (body and fur). Males are also venomous.

Are platypus and elephants related?

The classification of the platypus as a mammal—the same group of animals that includes dolphins, elephants, and humans—has not always been self-evident. Monotremes are a group of five extant mammals that lay eggs and have highly specialized mouth parts.

Why platypus is also called duckbill?

platypus, (Ornithorhynchus anatinus), also called duckbill, a small amphibious Australian mammal noted for its odd combination of primitive features and special adaptations, especially the flat, almost comical bill that early observers thought was that of a duck sewn onto the body of a mammal.

What three animals is a platypus a combination of?

Together with the four species of echidna, it is one of the five extant species of monotremes, the only mammals that lay eggs instead of giving birth to live young.

What three animals make a platypus?

The platypus is among nature’s most unlikely animals. In fact, the first scientists to examine a specimen believed they were the victims of a hoax. The animal is best described as a hodgepodge of more familiar species: the duck (bill and webbed feet), beaver (tail), and otter (body and fur).

What is a duck-billed platypus?

The Duck-billed Platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) is a semi-aquatic mammal endemic to eastern Australia, including Tasmania.

Is a platypus a mammal?

The platypus is a remarkable mammal found only in Australia. The platypus is a duck-billed, beaver-tailed, otter-footed, egg-laying aquatic creature native to Australia. 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…

Why is a platypus called a duck mole?

One nickname for the platypus is the duck mole because it resembles both of these species. [5] To date, the oldest platypus fossil found is over 100,000 years old. [5] The platypus differs from all other mammals in another way: it can send out electrical impulses to locate prey in deep waters.

Do platypus lay eggs or give birth?

Together with the four species of echidna, the Duck-billed Platypus is one of the five extant species of monotremes, the only mammals that lay eggs instead of giving birth to live young. After an egg hatches, the tiny baby (called a puggle) drinks its mothers milk, which comes from tiny openings in the mothers belly.