The paradoxical platypus

Sleep in the platypus.

We have conducted the first study of sleep in the platypus Ornithorhynchus anatinus. Periods of quiet sleep, characterized by raised arousal thresholds, elevated electroencephalogram amplitude and motor and autonomic quiescence, occupied 6-8 h/day. The platypus also had rapid eye movement sleep as defined by atonia with rapid eye movements, twitching and the electrocardiogram pattern of rapid e...

The Platypus Genome Unraveled

The genome of the platypus has been sequenced, assembled, and annotated by an international genomics team. Like the animal itself the platypus genome contains an amalgam of mammal, reptile, and bird-like features.

The platypus makes new sense

The platypus makes new sense M O RE THAN 50 years ago, the great Australian naturalist Harry Burrell speculated that the platypus had a sixth sense. He reasoned that plarypi could not find freely swimming prey in muddy streams by touch alone. And yet they only fed underwater, shutting their eyes, ears, and oses when doing so. It seemed another ense was necessary. A research group in Phys iology...

The oldest platypus and its bearing on divergence timing of the platypus and echidna clades.

Monotremes have left a poor fossil record, and paleontology has been virtually mute during two decades of discussion about molecular clock estimates of the timing of divergence between the platypus and echidna clades. We describe evidence from high-resolution x-ray computed tomography indicating that Teinolophos, an Early Cretaceous fossil from Australia's Flat Rocks locality (121-112.5 Ma), li...

THE VISUAL CELLS OF THE PLATYPUS (Ornithorhyncus).