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PARIS (AFP) - Arguably the oddest beast in Nature's menagerie, the platypus looks as if were assembled from spare parts left over after the animal kingdom was otherwise complete.

Now scientists know why. According to a study released Wednesday, the egg-laying critter is a genetic potpourri -- part bird, part reptile and part lactating mammal.

The task of laying bare the platypus genome of 2.2 billion base pairs spread across 18,500 genes has taken several years, but will do far more than satisfy the curiosity of just biologists, say the researchers.

"The platypus genome is extremely important, because it is the missing link in our understanding of how we and other mammals first evolved," explained Oxford University's Chris Ponting, one of the study's architects.

"This is our ticket back in time to when all mammals laid eggs while suckling their young on milk."

Native to eastern Australia and Tasmania, the semi-aquatic platypus is thought to have split off from a common ancestor shared with humans approximately 170 million years ago.

The creature is so strange that when the first stuffed specimens arrived in Europe at the end of the 18th century, biologists believed they were looking at a taxidermist's hoax, a composite stitched together from the body of a beaver and the snout of a giant duck.

But the peculiar mix of body features are clearly reflected in the animal's DNA, the study found.

The platypus is classified as a mammal because it produces milk and is covered in coat of thick fur, once prized by hunters.

Lacking teats, the female nurses pups through the skin covering its abdomen.

But there are reptile-like attributes too: females lay eggs, and males can stab aggressors with a snake-like venom that flows from a spur tucked under its hind feet.

The bird-like qualities implied by its Latin name, Ornithorhynchus anatinus, include webbed feet, a flat bill similar to a duck's, and the gene sequences that determine sex. Whereas humans have two sex chromosomes, platypuses have 10, the study showed.

"It is much more of a melange than anyone expected," commented Ewan Birney, who led the genome analysis at the European Bioinformatics Institute in Cambridge.

The animal also possesses a feature unique to monotremes -- an order including a handful of egg-laying mammals -- called electroreception.

With their eyes, ears and nostrils closed, platypuses rely on sensitive electrosensory receptors tucked inside their bills to track prey underwater, detecting electrical fields generated by muscular contraction.

"By comparing the platypus genome to other mammalian genomes, we'll be able to study genes that have been conserved throughout evolution," said senior author Richard Wilson, a researcher at Washington University.

In captivity, platypuses have lived up to 17 years of age.

In the wild, they feed on worms, insect larvae, shrimps and crayfish, eating up to 20 percent of their body weight every day.

Males grow to a length of 50 centimetres (20 inches) and weigh about two kilos (4.5 pounds), with females about 20 percent shorter and lighter.

The genome sequenced for the study belongs to a female specimen from New South Wales nicknamed Glennie and can be accessed at www.ncbi.nih.gov/Genbank.

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God I love them! I saw some at our zoo and they look like beavers with duck bills!

Squeeeze the platypus! Must squeeze them!

Oh to lay an egg instead of go through pregnancy and labor. Something went wrong somewhere along the way and these things were smart enough to get off the evolutionary ride before it did.

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I love the duck billed platypus!!! Ever since I was young and saw an article on them, I have loved them. I think they're so cute..so much so, that I tried to find platypus stuffed animals, I have a few now.. :) ... so cute!!!

I love them, and the Capybaras..

tqcap.jpg

The Capybara, although it looks like a pig, is actually the world's largest rodent. Adults weigh over 130 pounds and are herbivores. It has been called a water pig because it looks like a pig and lives in the water, but it is totally unrelated. They often live in groups of up to forty animals. Capybaras are a favorite target for native hunters.

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I looked the other monotremes up.. 'cause I'm a board dork... and wanted to know...

o Platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus)

o Short-beaked Echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus)

o Western Long-beaked Echidna (Zaglossus bruijnii)

o Eastern Long-beaked Echidna (Zaglossus bartoni}

o Sir David's Long-beaked Echidna (Zaglossus attenboroughi)

Short list...I really expected a couple of more...

There were in fact more titles of known pre-historic monotremes than living...

Monotremes are Goth... so Goth that the computer box does not recognize the word...hehe

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Guest GodfallenPromos

I love the duck billed platypus!!! Ever since I was young and saw an article on them, I have loved them. I think they're so cute..so much so, that I tried to find platypus stuffed animals, I have a few now.. :) ... so cute!!!

I love them, and the Capybaras..

tqcap.jpg

The Capybara, although it looks like a pig, is actually the world's largest rodent. Adults weigh over 130 pounds and are herbivores. It has been called a water pig because it looks like a pig and lives in the water, but it is totally unrelated. They often live in groups of up to forty animals. Capybaras are a favorite target for native hunters.

YES..ANOTHER CAPYBARA LOVER!!!!!!

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Platypuses have snake-like venom?!?! Holy Cow! Learned something new!! Cute little bastards! lol

I wonder what we humans would look like if we were a hodge-podge of other gene species.

Being able to fly, swim like a shark, and walk upright all at the same time would be cool. :stuart:

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I looked the other monotremes up.. 'cause I'm a board dork... and wanted to know...

o Platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus)

o Short-beaked Echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus)

o Western Long-beaked Echidna (Zaglossus bruijnii)

o Eastern Long-beaked Echidna (Zaglossus bartoni}

o Sir David's Long-beaked Echidna (Zaglossus attenboroughi)

Short list...I really expected a couple of more...

There were in fact more titles of known pre-historic monotremes than living...

Monotremes are Goth... so Goth that the computer box does not recognize the word...hehe

No, I was also shocked to learn that there's only five left. I think I learned that not last semester but the one before that, so like Spring 2007, in my Bio 2 class.

Pretty neat. I remember the platypus Beanie Baby, that one was my favorite. Yes, I did the Beanie Baby shit for a minute, go on and laugh, but I was 12 at the time.

Playpus is in my top ten list of favorite animals alongside kittehs, possums (my fav), rats, and the most manly reptile EVER, the infamous and elusive Komodo Dragon.

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