When scientists first saw a platypus, they thought it was a fake animal made of different parts sewn together.

The first platypus specimen arrived at the British Museum in London in 1799, sent from New South Wales by Captain John Hunter. George Shaw, the Keeper of Natural History, published the first description in 'The Naturalist's Miscellany' but remained deeply skeptical. He famously attempted to find the seams where the bill might have been attached to the pelt, suspecting an elaborate taxidermy hoax from Chinese sailors.The platypus is one of only five surviving species of monotremes, which are mammals that lay eggs instead of giving birth to live young. Fossil evidence shows that ancestors of the platypus, such as Monotrematum leptodictyum, existed over 60 million years ago during the Paleocene epoch. This evolutionary lineage split from other mammals approximately 166 million years ago, explaining their primitive traits.Genomic studies published in the journal 'Nature' reveal that the platypus possesses a mix of genes associated with reptiles, birds, and mammals. For instance, they have the vitellogenin gene for egg yolk production, which is absent in most mammals. They also possess ten sex chromosomes, whereas humans have only two, a trait more commonly seen in birds like chickens.Beyond their appearance, platypuses are biologically remarkable for their use of electroreception to hunt prey underwater. They have thousands of receptors on their bills that detect the tiny electrical fields generated by the muscle contractions of shrimp and insects. This makes them one of the few mammals capable of sensing electricity, further proving why early naturalists found them so unbelievable.