http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7385949.stmsnip
The platypus is so strange that it was considered a hoax when sent from Australia to European researchers in the 19th Century.
"It has a very weird appearance because it's a mishmash of the bill of a duck, the eyes of a mole, the eggs of a lizard and the tail of a beaver," Dr Ponting told BBC News.
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"One big surprise was the patchwork nature of the genome with avian, reptilian and mammalian features," he added.
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They have acute sight, but only open their eyes above water.
Underwater, they rely on touch and a special sense called electro-reception that allows them to detect tiny changes in the electrical field generated by their prey.
