When European settlers first arrived in Australia, reports of a strange animal with a duck’s beak were originally dismissed as a practical joke. Later they were cited as proof that God had a sense of humour. The strange creature was the duck-billed platypus. Now, a recent study has mapped the genetic code of the platypus, showing it to be a bizarre mixture of mammal, reptile and bird. The research has also revealed that the platypus has a very complex sexuality.
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Tags: genetic code, ornitorrinco, Platypus
