|
The Strange Case of the Duck-Billed Platypus
The duck-billed platypus is a
creature that just doesn't fit in.
When 18th-century scientists first came
across Australia's duck-billed platypus, they
thought it was a trick.
It is not surprising that
the platypus had people confused.
This funny-looking animal has feet and a
bill like a duck, but is
nonetheless a furry,
warm-blooded mammal.
While other mammals usually keep their blood at
around 37 degrees Celsius, platypuses
have a lower body temperature of 32 degrees.
Aside from its appearance,
the platypus'' bill is not really like a duck's bill at
all. The platypus'' mouth is actually under the bill,
which is rubbery, not rigid.
The bill is equipped with
electroreceptors. The platypus closes
its eyes when swimming, and
instead of seeing its
prey, it
uses these electroreceptors to
pick up tiny electrical currents
made by the creatures underwater.
Strangest of all, the platypus is a mammal that
lays eggs. There is only
one other family of egg-laying mammals: the
echidna of New Guinea and Australia. Both
the platypus and the echidna lay
soft-shelled
eggs, and both feed their young with milk that
leaks out through their skin. These animals
also walk in a way that is similar
to crocodiles and other
reptiles, with legs on the sides of their
bodies rather than
underneath. These
characteristics
are linked with the fact
that they are one of the oldest mammals and have kept
some reptilian traits.
Though cute, in a
weird way, the
platypus is actually one of the few mammals that are
poisonous. A male platypus has knife-like bones on its
back legs which have enough poison to kill a dog. The
platypus has the honor of
being one of the oldest, and
oddest,
mammals in the world.
|
