The platypus, a beloved emblem of Australia and a symbol of the strangeness of evolution, is at risk of extinction.

That’s according to a new study published in the February issue of Biological Conservation, which suggests the humble beaked mammal is at greater risk of becoming extinct than previously thought. As the tragic bushfires in Australia blanketed the island continent, the platypuses were “invisible victims,” as Atlas Obscura wrote.

via Why the platypus is at risk of extinction | Salon.com