A platypus is a small, furry Australian animal with a duck-like bill, webbed feet, and a beaver-like tail that lays eggs but is still a mammal.
From Greek 'platys' meaning 'flat, broad' and 'pous' meaning 'foot', literally 'flat-footed'. Early European scientists were so puzzled by the animal that some thought the first specimen was a fake.
The platypus breaks so many rules—egg-laying, milk-secreting, venomous spurs—that it forced scientists to rethink what a mammal can be. It’s like nature’s reminder that our neat categories are just guesses, not laws.
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