It’s a semi-aquatic exotic with some remarkable traits! This week, we’re exploring the strange but true story of the platypus. * Platypuses use “electrolocation” while feeding, sending out impulses ...

What on earth is a platypus? Even its name seems strange. When Europeans first heard the startling news of a newly discovered creature called the “platypus,” most of them thought it was just a joke.

The platypus is found only in Australia, where it spends most of its life swimming in freshwater ponds and streams. Its incredibly sensitive bird-like bill contains thousands of electroreceptors.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - From high altitudes to tropical rainforests, platypuses are native to Eastern Australia. When it was first scientifically described in 1799, it was laughed at and checked for ...