When the first specimen of a platypus arrived in England in 1799 it was greeted with astonishment and disbelief. This volume tells the story of a biological riddle that confounded scientists and challenged theories of creationism and evolution.

When the first dried specimen of a platypus arrived in England in 1799 it was greeted with astonishment and disbelief. Nineteenth-century naturalists struggled to classify the platypus and the little animal excited curiosity and sparked fierce debate in international scientific circles. This volume presents the enigmatic story of a biological riddle that confounded scientists for many years, challenging theories of creationism, evolution and the classification of species along the way.

AcknowledgementsIntroduction1. 'This Highly Interesting Novelty'2. The Frenchmen's Gaze3. Marshalling the Animals4. The Wrangling Scientists5. The Land of Contrarieties6. The First Hard Look7. The Paper War8. Darwin's Platypus9. To the Antipodes10. The Clash of Titans11. Solving the Mystery12. The New Men13. 'The Platypus Man'14. The Platypus Goes to War15. 'The Animal of All time'GlossaryA Word on SourcesIllustrationsIndex