I wish Lyndon LaRouche would get to work and expose the British Monarchy for having pulled of this gigantic hoax. It puts the Piltown Man hoax to shame. Queen Elizabeth has gotten away with gluing duckbills on to her Corgis for far too long, and passing them off as a new rare species. Lyndon, do your duty. Expose her Royal Arse.

Article Duckbilled Platypus
Type: Real creature suspected of being fake.
Summary: When western naturalists first discovered the duckbilled platypus, they suspected it was a hoax.

In 1799 the naturalist George Shaw, Keeper of the Department of Natural History at the British Museum, received a truly bizarre animal specimen from Captain John Hunter in Australia. It appeared to be the bill of a duck attached to the skin of a mole. Shaw dutifully examined the specimen and wrote up a description of it in a scientific journal known as the Naturalist’s Miscellany, but he couldn’t help confessing that it was “impossible not to entertain some doubts as to the genuine nature of the animal, and to surmise that there might have been practiced some arts of deception in its structure.”

Despite Shaw’s doubts about the reality of the animal, he gave it a name: Platypus anatinus, or flatfoot duck. The scientific name was later changed to Ornithorhynchus anatinus, but it popularly remained known as the Duckbilled Platypus.

Other naturalists were equally suspicious that the creature was just a hoax. The surgeon Robert Knox later explained that because the specimens arrived in England via the Indian Ocean, naturalists suspected that Chinese sailors, who were well known for their skill at stitching together hybrid creatures, might have been playing some kind of joke upon them. (See the Feejee Mermaid hoax.) “Aware of the monstrous impostures which the artful Chinese had so frequently practiced on European adventurers,” Knox noted, “the scientific felt inclined to class this rare production of nature with eastern mermaids and other works of art.”

It was only when more platypus specimens arrived in England that naturalists finally, grudgingly, granted that the creature was real. This made the platypus one of the more famous instances of a hoax that proved not to be a hoax after all.
References

* Ann Moyal, Platypus: The Extraordinary Story of How a Curious Creature Baffled the World. Allen & Unwin. 2002.
* Ritvo, Harriet . The Platypus and the Mermaid: and Other Figments of the Classifying Imagination. Harvard University Press. 1997.

Platypus Genome Explains Animal's Peculiar Features; Holds Clues To Evolution Of Mammals
enlarge

The ancient, patchworked platypus is a relatively unchanged animal that may be a scientific boon for researchers, who are learning a lot from its recently decoded genome about mammalian gene regulation and immune systems, which could have huge implications for human disease susceptibility research. (Credit: Healesville Sanctuary, Victoria, Australia)

ScienceDaily (May 7, 2008) — The duck-billed platypus: part bird, part reptile, part mammal — and the genome to prove it.

An international consortium of scientists, led by Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has decoded the genome of the platypus, showing that the animal's peculiar mix of features is reflected in its DNA. An analysis of the genome, published today in the journal Nature, can help scientists piece together a more complete picture of the evolution of all mammals, including humans.

The platypus, classified as a mammal because it produces milk and is covered in a coat of fur, also possesses features of reptiles, birds and their common ancestors, along with some curious attributes of its own. One of only two mammals that lays eggs, the platypus also sports a duck-like bill that holds a sophisticated electrosensory system used to forage for food underwater. Males possess hind leg spurs that can deliver pain-inducing venom to its foes competing for a mate or territory during the breeding season.

"The fascinating mix of features in the platypus genome provides many clues to the function and evolution of all mammalian genomes," says Richard K. Wilson, Ph.D., director of the The Genome Center at Washington University and the paper's senior author. "By comparing the platypus genome to other mammalian genomes, we'll be able to study genes that have been conserved throughout evolution."

The platypus represents the earliest offshoot of the mammalian lineage some 166 million years ago from primitive ancestors that had features of both mammals and reptiles. "What is unique about the platypus is that it has retained a large overlap between two very different classifications, while later mammals lost the features of reptiles," says Wes Warren, Ph.D., an assistant professor of genetics, who led the project.

Comparison of the platypus genome with the DNA of humans and other mammals, which diverged later, and the genomes of birds, whose ancestors branched off an estimated 315 million years ago, can help scientists fill gaps in their understanding of mammalian evolution. The comparison also will allow scientists to date the emergence of genes and traits specific to mammals.

The Nature paper analyzes the genome sequence of a female platypus named Glennie from New South Wales, Australia. The project was largely funded by the National Human Genome Research Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, and includes scientists from the United States, Australia, England, Germany, Israel, Japan, New Zealand and Spain.

"At first glance, the platypus appears as if it was the result of an evolutionary accident," says Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D., director of NHGRI. "But as weird as this animal looks, its genome sequence is priceless for understanding how mammalian biological processes evolved."

"While we've always been able to compare and consider all of these creatures on the basis of their physical characteristics, internal anatomy and behavior, it's truly amazing to be able to compare their genetic blueprints and begin to get a close-up look at how evolution brings about change," Wilson says.

As part of their analysis, the researchers compared the platypus genome with genomes of the human, mouse, dog, opossum and chicken. They found that the platypus shares 82 percent of its genes with these animals. The chicken genome was chosen because it represents a group of egg-laying animals, including extinct reptiles, which passed on much of their DNA to the platypus and other mammals over the course of evolution.

The researchers also found genes that support egg laying - a feature of reptiles - as well as lactation - a characteristic of all mammals. Interestingly, the platypus lack nipples, so its young nurse through the abdominal skin.

The researchers also attempted to determine which characteristics of the platypus were linked to reptiles at the DNA level. When they analyzed the genetic sequences responsible for venom production in the male platypus, they found it arose from duplications in a group of genes that evolved from ancestral reptile genomes. Amazingly, duplications in the same genes appear to have evolved independently in venomous reptiles.

The platypus swims with its eyes, ears and nostrils closed, relying on electrosensory receptors in its bill to detect faint electric fields emitted by underwater prey. Surprisingly, the researchers found the genome contains an expansion of genes that code for a particular type of odor receptor. "We were expecting very few of these odor receptor genes because the animals spend the majority of their life in the water," Warren says.

Similar genes are found in animals that rely on a sense of smell, such as rodents and dogs, and the scientists suspect that their addition in the platypus allows the animals to detect odors while foraging underwater.

At roughly 2.2 billion base pairs, the platypus genome is about two-thirds the size of the human genome and contains about 18,500 genes, similar to other vertebrates. The animal has 52 chromosomes, including an unusual number of sex chromosomes: 10. The platypus X chromosome bears resemblance to the sex chromosome of a bird, known as Z.

Sequencing and assembling the platypus genome proved far more daunting than sequencing any other mammalian genome to date. About 50 percent of the genome is composed of repetitive elements of DNA, which makes it a challenge to assemble properly.

The platypus genome sequence, along with those for other organisms, such as the mouse, dog, cow, and many other animals can be accessed at GenBank (http://www.ncbi.nih.gov/Genbank) at NIH's National Center for Biotechnology Information.

Warren WC, Mardis ER, Wilson RK, et al. Genome analysis of the platypus reveals unique signatures of evolution. Nature. May 8, 2008.

The platypus genome project was largely funded by the National Human Genome Research Institute.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
The platypus is one of the two animals in the order Monotremata. It is the only member of the mammal family Ornithorhynchidae. Platypus is from the Greek platys meaning broad and pous meaning foot, referring to the animal's webbed foot.
The platypus has several reptilian characteristics which include using the same opening for reproduction and eliminating waste products, the ability to lay eggs, cervical ribs, and local ascorbic acid synthesis in the kidney. Even though the platypus has these reptile characteristics, it is overall much more mammalian than reptilian. This unique animal has a lifespan of 10 to 15 years.
The platypus is about the size of a household cat. The male platypus's body is about 50 - 60 centimeters long and the female is about 40 - 50 centimeters long. An adult male platypus weighs about 2 kilograms and a female platypus weighs about .9 kilograms.
The platypus has a thick covering of waterproof hair all over its body except for the feet and bill. The outer hair is a dark brown with yellowish hair on its underside. There are about 800 hairs per square millimeter. This is denser than the fur of the river otter or polar bear. The platypus has two layers of hair. The top or longer layer is a shiny guard fur with a woolly short fur undercoat. The thermal qualities of the fur allow the platypus to withstand cold temperatures.
The platypus's sensitive, pliable bill is a blue-gray, blackish color with the two nostril holes near the tip. The location of the nostrils allows the platypus to breath while the rest of the body remains under the water surface. The lower bill is smaller than the upper bill. The lower bill is held in place by two elongated dentary bones which is found in all mammals. The bill contains an electro-receptor system which has approximately 850,000 electrical and tactile receptors. When the platypus goes underwater or drives for food, it closes its ears, eyes, and nostrils. Its electro-receptor system detects the electric currents created by the muscle activity of small prey and may even help the platypus detect the electric field created when water flows over prey hidden under rocks, mud, and small debris. As the platypus gathers food in its mouth, it moves the food to its cheek pouches. When it returns to the surface, it pushes the food from its cheek pouches up to its mouth. It then grinds it with its grinding pads.
The ear openings or grooves are on either side of the platypus's head. The platypus does not have external ears. These openings are closed when diving or swimming under water. Out of the water these ear openings are very sensitive to sounds.
The small, beady eyes are very sensitive to movement. Cone cells have been found in the retina. This indicates the possibility of color vision for the platypus. Its eyes are well placed for scanning river banks.
The platypus has four legs which extend horizontally from its body. This arrangement makes it walk on land with a shuffle like a lizard. The front feet have large webs of skin which help to propel the platypus through the water. The platypus swims with alternate strokes of the front legs. On land the webs fold back revealing the sharp claws which are used for walking and digging burrows. The back partially webbed feet have a series of sharp, curved claws which help to steer and balance the platypus when it is swimming. The claws are also used to anchor the animal while digging and to clean its fur and to help keep its fur waterproof.
The paddle-like tail of the platypus is broad and flat. It is used as a rudder when swimming and to push the soil within the burrow when tunneling. Its main purpose is to store fat for when food supplies are low or when the platypus needs more energy to incubate eggs. A plump tail is a sign of good health.
The body temperature of most mammals is 37 to 38 degrees Celsius. The body temperature of a platypus is about 32 degrees Celsius. This reduces the rate at which the platypus loses body heat in the water.
The The platypus's red blood cells carry larger amounts of hemoglobin than any other mammal. This allows the platypus to go without air for longer periods. The heart rate of a platypus can drop from 140 - 230 beats a minute to almost 0 beats per minute.
Males and females reach sexual maturity at the age of two years. Only the left ovary of the female platypus functions. The other ovary is poorly developed and does not function. This characteristic also occurs in birds. After mating the female leaves the male and lays two to three eggs in a nesting burrow. The eggs of the platypus have large yolks and rubbery shells like reptile eggs. When the babies hatch they nurse from the female's milk glands. The babies do not leave the burrow until they are about 17 weeks old. Only young platypuses have rudimentary teeth which are replaced with bony plates.
The platypus is the world's only venomous furred animal. All platypuses are born with spurs on their hind feet. The spurs on the female fall off after the first year. The spurs on males become venomous during the breeding season.
Platypuses are capable of making sounds. These sounds have been compared to a puppy growling.