Godzilla Platypus – Giant Fossil Discovered in Australia

According to a study published in the Journal of Vertebrate Palaeontology, scientists from the University of New South Wales discovered the fossil of a giant Godzilla platypus, which roamed the rivers of northern Australia between 5 and 15 million years ago.

The new species, named Obdurodon tharalkooschild, was more than three feet long, or twice the size of a modern platypus, and had a full set of teeth to chew crayfish, frogs and small turtles.

“Monotremes (platypuses and echidnas) are the last remnant of an ancient radiation of mammals unique to the southern continents. A new platypus species, even one that is highly incomplete, is a very important aid in developing understanding about these fascinating mammals,” said PhD candidate Rebecca Pian, lead author of the study.

“lt pretty well blew our minds,” Professor Mike Archer, from the University of New South Wales, told ABC News.

“It looks like a modern platypus on steroids – we’ll have to call it platypus Godzilla. It definitely had good teeth and was a very robust animal with a big brutish-looking snout,”

Journal Reference:
Pian, R., M. Archer, and S.J. Hand. A new, giant platypus, Obdurodon tharalkooschild, sp. nov. (Monotremata, Ornithorhynchidae), from the Riversleigh World Heritage Area, Australia. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 2013; 33(6):1-5