<P> The platypus ( Ornithorhynchus anatinus ) , sometimes referred to as the duck - billed platypus , is a semiaquatic egg - laying mammal endemic to eastern Australia , including Tasmania . Together with the four species of echidna , it is one of the five extant species of monotremes , the only mammals that lay eggs instead of giving birth to live young . The animal is the sole living representative of its family ( Ornithorhynchidae ) and genus ( Ornithorhynchus ) , though a number of related species appear in the fossil record . The first scientists to examine a preserved platypus body ( in 1799 ) judged it a fake , made of several animals sewn together . </P>
<P> The platypus ( Ornithorhynchus anatinus ) , sometimes referred to as the duck - billed platypus , is a semiaquatic egg - laying mammal endemic to eastern Australia , including Tasmania . Together with the four species of echidna , it is one of the five extant species of monotremes , the only mammals that lay eggs instead of giving birth to live young . The animal is the sole living representative of its family ( Ornithorhynchidae ) and genus ( Ornithorhynchus ) , though a number of related species appear in the fossil record . The first scientists to examine a preserved platypus body ( in 1799 ) judged it a fake , made of several animals sewn together . </P>
where can you find a duck billed platypus
where can you find a duck billed platypus
eastern Australia
eastern Australia