The platypus is even weirder than thought, scientists discover Estelle.Bronkhorst Thu, 03/19/2026 - 12:00 PARIS - They already have the bill of a duck, the tail of a beaver, lay eggs like reptiles and have venom like snakes. Yet the humble platypus, a small creature which quietly swims in the rivers of eastern Australia, has found yet another way to amaze scientists. It is the only mammal that has hollow structures of the pigment melanin, a trait normally found in birds, biologists said in a new study on Wednesday. When the first taxidermied specimen of a platypus was brought back from Australia in 1799, European naturalists began looking for the seams -- they assumed it was a hoax. The animal has been surprising scientists ever since. The platypus is one of only five mammal species that lay eggs, which are called monotremes. The other four are all types of echidna -- spiny creatures that waddle through the Australian bush. It is also one of the few poisonous mammals -- males have a spur on their hind legs that releases venom at their enemies. Now another oddity has been added to the unusual platypus characteristics, according to the study published in
