Whilst the several ancestor species of the platypus possessed teeth, the single living species has evolved without teeth. Rather than teeth, they have plates to grind food. The babies then suck the milk from the mother’s belly fur.ĥ. Instead, their mammary glands, located under the skin on their belly, secrete milk through the skin and into the fur on their underside. Unlike most mammals, female platypuses do not possess nipples or teats for milk production. Females don’t have nipples, but glands which secrete milk onto the fur. The venom is made up of 19 different compounds, and is thought to be entirely different in make-up from snakes’ venom.Ĥ. Their venom is strong enough to kill a dog (their main predators), and while it isn’t fatal to humans, it causes excruciating pain that lasts several weeks and is not effectively relieved by analgesics such as morphine. This spur produces a clear, sticky venom used for protection when attacked by predators and to compete with other males for mates. Males are equipped with a keratin spur about 12-18 millimetres long, tucked away on their inner hind ankle. Males have a venomous spur on their inner-hind ankle. As electricity moves through water rapidly, the electroreceptors will often detect prey before the push rods.ģ. The skin on the bill has ‘push rods’ which detect touch and water movement from 15-20 centimetres away, and is also dotted with electroreceptors which detect the small amounts of electricity produced by muscle movements of prey. When diving, they close their eyes and block their ears and nose, using only the bill to locate prey underwater. The platypus’ bill is similar to that of a duck in appearance, but for the platypus, it is used as a sensory organ. Their bill is used as a sensory organ to find prey underwater. Monotremes are also characterised by a primitive skeleton, very similar to that of long-extinct mammals, which suggests that monotremes are actually very ancient creatures.Ģ. There are only five species of monotreme in the world – all found only in Australia and New Guinea – including the platypus, and four species of Echidna. The name given to egg-laying mammals is a ‘monotreme’. They are one of the only mammals that lay eggs. This egg-laying, duck-billed, beaver-tailed, otter-footed mammal baffled European naturalists when they first encountered it, with some considering it an elaborate hoax.ġ. They hunt via electrosensory reception through their beak and scoop up gravel along with their food to grind up their prey, as they lack teeth.The platypus is arguably one of the most remarkable species on earth. Platypuses are carnivores that feed on worms, crustaceans, and insect larvae.
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