Platypus

A team led by researchers from the University of New South Wales in Australia has established a new platypus colony in the Royal National Park on the banks of the Hacking River outside of Sydney for the first time in more than half a century.

​Although the platypus may seem like a real oddball of an animal, it turns out that a prehistoric reptile had some of the same key features. Like the platypus (which is a mammal, albeit one that lays eggs), Eretmorhipis carrolldongi had small eyes, four flippers, and a flexible duck-like bill.

​The platypus has long fascinated scientists, with its weird assortment of features making it one of the most unusual animals on the planet. Now a team of researchers found that platypus milk contains novel antimicrobial properties that could help scientists battle the global superbug threat.