They look like a cross between a beaver and a duck, and they all live Down Under. The platypus may lay eggs, but is actually a distant mammalian cousin, one that we last saw, in an evolutionary sense, about 166 million years ago.

Genetic sequencing is being used to trace that history, while scientists intensify their investigation of the habits and habitats of these appealing Frankencreatures; beginning by taking a census to see just how many are out there, and if their survival is under threat.

Guests: 

Josh Griffiths – Senior Wildlife Ecologist at Cesaar Australia.

Jane Fenelon – Research fellow, University of Melbourne

Paula Anich – Professor of Natural Resources, Northland College

Wes Warren – Professor of Genomics, University of Missouri

Phoebe Meagher – Conservation Officer, Taronga Conservation Society, Australia

Originally aired August 2, 2021

Featuring music by Dewey Dellay and Jun Miyake

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