Australia is famous for its unique and endearing animal species, such as koalas, kangaroos, and that huge bird that looks like a dinosaur.
Of course, there’s also the platypus, that fluffy offspring of a duck and an otter.
Upon first seeing this “amazing” creature, British experts famously wondered if it was an elaborate deception made up of various animal parts.
But the strangeness of its appearance is only the beginning. The peculiar nature of the half-aquatic species is often overlooked.
This mammal, one of just two in the world, is unique in that it lays eggs instead of giving birth to live young and then sweats milk out of pores along its stomach to nourish its young.
That’s weird until this aquatic species hunts at night using electricity.
Your perception is accurate; your eyes did not trick you into thinking otherwise. The timid, nocturnal creatures can remain submerged for up to 10 hours at a stretch because their lungs contain an enhanced concentration of myoglobin, a protein that binds oxygen. These creatures close their eyes, hearing, and noses at night before diving beneath the water’s surface to hunt insects and freshwater crustaceans.
They can navigate by catching up on the feeble electric impulses given off by the nerves and hearts of their prey using electroreceptors embedded in their duck-like bills.
Additionally, platypuses do not have a stomach since their gullets are directly attached to their intestines. This allows them to digest their food without the need for a stomach.
Because of how their shoulders are constructed, they cannot swim like other mammals, which drive themselves forward with their front legs while navigating with their tails and leaving their rear legs hanging loose. There is evidence to imply that the platypus’s eyes are more closely related to those of the Pacific hagfish or Northern Hemisphere lamprey than any other mammal’s eyes.
That may seem strange enough for one tiny creature, but it’s not. The fact that they are poisonous isn’t even being mentioned.
Their bite isn’t poisonous because it would be too easy. However, in males, the spur is located on the back of the foot.
This material is horrible; it may kill small animals and make humans suffer. However, its true function during mating season is to display male superiority over other males, not to hurt prey.
Also, in 2016, scientists learned that a hormone found in platypus venom could be used to create novel diabetic treatments.
Recent research suggests that platypuses’ peculiar milk (yes, the one it sweats out through its skin) may be useful in the fight against drug-resistant superbugs.
Researchers demonstrated that a milk protein had potent antibacterial effects.
Given how unusual platypus are as a species, it stands to reason that their biochemistry is also out of the ordinary.
We analyzed their milk and identified a novel protein with powerful antimicrobial capabilities.
If that doesn’t sell you on this animal as your new favorite, perhaps this will.
In summary
The platypus is one of only two mammal species that can live in both land and water environments. It’s one of a kind because instead of giving birth to live young, it lays eggs and then sweats milk out of pores along its stomach to feed them. Their bills, which resemble ducks, include electroreceptors that let them locate prey by picking up on faint electric signals from their nerves and hearts. They can’t swim like most mammals, using their front legs to propel themselves forward and their tails for guiding because of how their shoulders are built. Males utilize their foot spurs to show off their dominance to other males, not to damage their prey.
