The evolution of the platypus

The Platypus is a type of egg-laying mammal called a monotreme. It is one of two species of monotreme that live in Australia, the other being the Short-beaked Echidna. The monotremes diverged from other mammals about 166 million years ago and today the platypus is one of the most evolutionarily distinct animals on Earth. It lives in freshwater systems along the east coast of Australia, but fossil evidence shows that platypuses used to have a wider distribution.

The platypus family tree has been difficult to piece together because fossils are very rare. This downloadable activity sheet summarises the information we know about platypus fossils, including the location of the fossil site and the age of the fossils. Students can use this sheet as a secondary source of information to learn about the macroevolution of platypuses.