Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Platypus; A Hoax?!


When the platypus was first discovered, it was actually thought to be a made up creation done as either a prank  or just a hoax by Chinese taxidermists wanting credit for having discovered a potentially new species! The first documented platypus discovery occurred in 1797 and was sent to England to be reviewed and studied, where scientists at first believe it was a fake creature made up of the parts of various other existing animals (duck, beaver, otter, reptiles). Fossils were soon discovered, however, that proves the platypus to be its own “genuine creature,” that did not “evolve from a common predecessor.” (Source) The platypus, above all others, poses a unique difficulty for evolutionary scientists to solve and explain!

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