Jan 08, 2021 10:00 AM EST The platypus is infamous, not just for being odd-looking, but for being one of the overall weirdest creatures in modern times. It has the torso and tail resembling those of a beaver, the beak and webbed feet of a duck, and it can produce venom! What type of animal is a platypus? (Photo : Photo by Meg Jerrard) Duck-billed Platypus Its ancestors gave the world "wild" a whole new meaning. Nature might have one heck of a time during its conception. The duck-billed platypus is genuinely one of the most bizarre creatures on Earth. Even on Australian wildlife standards.