'It looks like a chimera' — 168 million years ago, a strange platypus-like mammal relative lived in China alongside dinosaurs

Written and edited by the WorldPing NewsdeskPublished Updated Original reporting: Live Science
'It looks like a chimera' — 168 million years ago, a strange platypus-like mammal relative lived in China alongside dinosaursWorldPing
Image via Live Science.

What happened

A predatory mammal-like animal from the Jurassic seems to have characteristics of both a platypus and an otter.

Key facts

  • Reported by Live Science and published Wed, 07 Oct 2026 17:16:58 UTC.

Why it matters

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What to watch next

  • Peer review status and replication of the findings
  • Mission milestones and next scheduled attempt
  • Funding or policy decisions that follow

Coverage timeline

When each newsroom published on this story, oldest first — all times UTC.

  1. Soil evidence suggests early farming in Maya region 6,000 years ago

  2. NASA’s Curiosity Looks Back After Reaching Elevation Milestone

  3. 'It looks like a chimera' — 168 million years ago, a strange platypus-like mammal relative lived in China alongside dinosaurs

Sources

The original report was published by Live Science. WorldPing does not claim that reporting — this page summarises and contextualises it.

Read the full report at Live Science

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