Flannery\u00a0et al. (2022<\/a>, fig. 2B IV) in buccal view, although the orientation is somewhat rotated towards the posterior compared to (b)\u00a0and (e),\u00a0and (h) apical view. Scale bar, 5\u00a0mm.
Credit: Australian Zoologist<\/p>\nBuilt To Swim: Anatomy Close To Modern Platypuses<\/p>\n
Beyond its teeth, the fossilized scapulocoracoid provides crucial evidence about how Obdurodon insignis moved and lived. This bone, which supports the forelimbs, closely resembles that of modern platypuses, suggesting similar swimming capabilities.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe other rare find was the discovery of a partial scapulocoracoid, or bone that supports the arm or front limb. This reveals a very similar forelimb structure to the modern platypus, indicating it could swim just as well as its modern descendant,\u201d added Worthy.<\/p>\n
This anatomical continuity highlights that while feeding adaptations evolved significantly, locomotion remained remarkably consistent over millions of years.<\/p>\n
The combination of strong limbs and powerful jaws suggests a highly capable aquatic hunter, equally adept at navigating waterways and exploiting available food sources. It also reinforces the idea that modern platypuses are not primitive, but rather highly specialized survivors of a once more diverse lineage.<\/p>\n
![\"Image\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-4.png\")
Lateral views of monotreme scapulae as photographs above and interpretative drawings below, comparing the partial right scapulocoracoid of\u00a0Obdurodon insignis\u00a0SAMA P58379 to\u00a0Ornithorhynchus anatinus, SAMA M14097, and\u00a0Tachyglossus aculeatus, FUR 087, by G. Conway. Scale bar, 20\u00a0mm.
Credit: Australian Zoologist<\/p>\n
A Lost Tropical World Beneath The Desert<\/p>\n
The fossils also tell a broader environmental story. Around 25 million years ago, the now-arid regions of South Australia were lush landscapes filled with rivers, lakes, and dense vegetation. These ecosystems supported a wide array of life, including lungfish, flamingos, freshwater dolphins, and early monotremes.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese fossils show that 25 million years ago Obdurodon insignis was very similar to the modern platypus. It differs mainly by being slightly larger and having teeth.\u201d<\/p>\n
The environment it inhabited was far removed from today\u2019s arid outback, offering a rich habitat where such species could thrive.<\/p>\n
\u201cAn ancient, toothed platypus lived in these lakes and rivers as shown by the bones of one that settled to the floor of the lake 25 million years ago,\u201d said Worthy. \u201cI have studied this lost ecosystem for many years now, and it is for exquisite fossils like these that I return again and again to the desert. One never knows what erosion or one\u2019s efforts will reveal next.\u201d<\/p>\n
These discoveries not only deepen our understanding of platypus evolution but also highlight the dynamic environmental changes that have shaped Australia\u2019s unique biodiversity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A groundbreaking fossil discovery in South Australia is reshaping the story of one of Earth\u2019s strangest mammals, revealing…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":421347,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[85,46,141,386],"class_list":["post-421346","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wildlife","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-science","tag-wildlife"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/421346","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=421346"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/421346\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/421347"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=421346"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=421346"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=421346"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"M](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/m-az26011-f2.gif\")
Lower first molars of\u00a0Obdurodon\u00a0species. (a) Occlusal view of\u00a0Obdurodon insignis, image of cast of holotype SAMA P18087, mirrored for ease of comparison (imperfections in cast occur in the transverse valley and between the hypoconulids) and\u00a0(b) Occlusal view of\u00a0Obdurodon dicksoni\u00a0from\u00a0Archer\u00a0et al. (1993, fig. 7.1). Other images are of SAMA P55061:\u00a0(c) in occlusal; (d) buccal; and (e) lingual views. The interpretative drawings on the right of\u00a0c\u2013e\u00a0are by G. Conway. NC1 is the anterolingual cusp of the talonid. Scale bar, 5\u00a0mm.![\"M](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/m-az26011-f4.gif\")
Photographs of the upper right second premolar SAMA P55167 of\u00a0Obdurodon insignis\u00a0in (a) lingual,\u00a0(b) buccal,\u00a0and (c) apical views. (d\u2013f) Interpretative drawings of (a\u2013c) by G. Conway. (g) The upper right second premolar of\u00a0O. dicksoni\u00a0QM F57736 from\u00a0