A new, giant platypus,Obdurodon tharalkooschild, sp. nov. (Monotremata, Ornithorhynchidae), from the Riversleigh World Heritage Area, Australia

Paleontologists have identified the largest known platypus, Obdurodon tharalkooschild, from the Riversleigh World Heritage Area in Australia. This extinct species, the fourth of its kind and the second found at Riversleigh, challenges previous assumptions about the evolutionary lineage leading to modern platypuses by exhibiting unique molar morphology suggesting a diet focused on crushing hard prey rather than cutting. The discovery also implies that the Two Trees fossil deposit, containing several unique taxa, may be younger than previously thought—potentially late Miocene or Pliocene—filling a gap in the fossil record for ornithorhynchids. The study combines detailed morphological analysis to reveal insights into monotreme evolution and the temporal context of Riversleigh's fossil deposits.

Pian, R., Archer, M., & Hand, S. J. (2013). A new, giant platypus,Obdurodon tharalkooschild, sp. nov. (Monotremata, Ornithorhynchidae), from the Riversleigh World Heritage Area, Australia. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 33(6), 1255–1259. https://doi.org/10.1080/02724634.2013.782876