does any one else think that the duck billed platypus does nt belong here on earth it's classified as a mammal lays eggs though olny "mammel" that does and squirts poison out of its feat it looks like its just a mix a parts from other animals but this animal is real it live in australia or africa (not sure wicth one i always get them confuse ) so if any one has any information or whatever that would be great

Its here in aus...what you want to know?

yes they taste like chicken... *cough*

well i just want to know if theres any info on it and if theres a conspiracy going on lol cuz it is definatly not a mammal if it lays eggs

It is a mammal....and it lays eggs. Its the exception to the rule....

ya the olny exception but mammals arnt supposed to lay eggs even the whale one of the olny mammals that live entirely in water (cept for breath) dont lay eggs they must be a goverment experiment or so ive been told...

"The platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) is considered to be one of the world's most unusual animals. It is often described as a living fossil - a furry, warm-blooded, egg-laying mammal which retains some features of reptiles."

ic so its like a mamile? interesting however i still believed it was graphted together as a wierd experiment perhaps a war weapon.. jking

"Based on a fragment of lower jaw found in opal deposits at Lightning Ridge in New South Wales, a type of ancestral platypus (Steropodon galmani) existed alongside the dinosaurs about 110 million years ago.

In 1991, a fossil tooth belonging to a different kind of ancient platypus (originally described as Monotrematum sudamericanum but now probably regarded as another Obdurodon species, see below) was discovered in the Patagonian desert of Argentina. The tooth was found in sediments deposited over 60 million years ago, at the time when Australia and South America were still joined as part of the southern supercontinent Gondwana.

Fossils belonging to three other extinct platypus species (Obdurodon insignis, Obdurodon dicksoni, and Obdurodon sp. A) have been found in Australian sediments deposited between 25 and 15 million years ago, while a leg bone from the first close relative of the modern platypus (Ornithorhynchus sp.) has been dated to about 4.5 million years ago.

The earliest known remains of the platypus in its current form (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) date back to around 100,000 years ago.

The platypus is sometimes described as a "living fossil" because of this ancient lineage and its combination of mammalian and reptilian features."


"In 1799, the platypus was first described by a British scientist, Dr George Shaw. His initial reaction to this original specimen was that it was an elaborate hoax. He even took a pair of scissors to the pelt, expecting to find stitches attaching the bill to the skin."

"Early British colonists in Australia called the platypus a "water mole". Prior to the arrival of European settlers, Aboriginal people had many different names for the animal, including "boondaburra", "mallingong" and "tambreet".

Dr Shaw, in his scientific description of 1799, gave the name Platypus anatinus, from Greek and Latin words meaning "flat-footed, duck-like". However, when it became known that Platypus had already been used to name a group of beetles, a new term had to be adopted. The official scientific name became and remains Ornithorhynchus anatinus, with the first word meaning "bird-like snout".

Although the name "duckbill" was widely used as a popular description for the animal, the abandoned scientific name "platypus" gradually became the accepted common name for the species.

The preferred plural of platypus is either "platypus" or "platypuses", depending on which dictionary you consult. (We use the former for the sake of simplicity.) The term "platypi" is no longer considered to be valid.

There is no accepted term - equivalent to pup or cub - to describe a baby platypus. One possible name recently suggested is a "platypup".

There is also no collective noun - equivalent to a pride of lions - for platypus. Platypus are solitary animals that do not form social groups or family units. "

From

Here

the playpus isn't the only mammal that can lay eggs. the echidna is also a mammal that lays eggs. so there is two animals that lay eggs.

That's not exactly true. It's known as a Monotreme, or an egg laying mammal. Another example of a monotreme is the Echidna. These are the only two mammals known to lay eggs. But to get to the point, the Platypus IS definitely a mammal.

well it certainly is an odd creature....

Apparently if you get stung by one of these things from the huge spikes on it's bottom legs, the poison will simply eat away at you non-stop.

VERY painful.

really? so thats what the poison does

I'm not exactly sure but i saw pictures.
It causes HUGE swelling in the infected area and the swelling gets so much that the skin rotts off.

Maybe the platypus is the start of a new evolution.Maybe everything is starting to form into one species.Like,when dinosaurs evolved into birds...

excellent theory canadian

Platypuses (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) are the only mammals that squirt venom. And they do this from a mobile calcaneus spur situated on the inside of each hind limb. The system is rather sophisticated.

The spur is itself attached at its base to a small bone which can articulate; when needed it moves at a right angle to the limb ready to fire. Strangely enough, it is only male platypuses that have spurs; female platypuses lose theirs during development. Platypus venom has been under close scrutiny since the late 1800s when two naturalists Charles J. Martin and Frank Tidswell made their first account in 1895.

We know today that platypus venom is a cocktail of various toxins, the major portion of which is made up of proteins which resemble no other to date. These have been named the defensin-like proteins, or DLPs, because their three dimensional structure resembles that of an antimicrobial peptide known as beta-defensin.

Thanks. I have found that lot's of people agree with the fact that there will be a new evolution.

X Men....

I'm serious.

lmao ya i believe a while ago i saw a picture in an article that said that there will be like cross mutations and evolutions then it showed a fake hamster with a lion head

however i cant find the picture

is this it?

That would be something to see...

It's not something that you just see,it's something that happens over a long period of time.Evolution has happened many times in the past,and scientists say that it is starting again.

Evolution never ends. It's so gradual you cannot see it.

It's like watching the hour hand on an analogue clock. You can't see it move, but it is moving. Stare at it for an hour and you'll see it's moved from 1 to 2.

I was gonna say that

Platypus aren't the only animals who don't give birth according to their class. Some sharks actually give birth the same way mammals do.

Yopu know what I mean...

Don't get pissed off about it dude.

the slight difference here being that sharks are fish, and the platypus is a mammel.... (and sharks dont produce milk)

pretty bl00dy cool creatures tho gotta love the strange animalia here in aust, especially the drop bears

It kinda looks like someone took parts of another stuffed animals and put them together to make another creature.

Jeremy wants one........................TALK IN THIRD PERSON!!! ITS THIRD PERSON DAY!!!(unnofficaly)

I think they meant that monotremes, otherwise known as the platypus and echidna, aren't the only animals overall that give birth to young in the same way as the rest of their kind.

Here's a small website about them. Here

lol i know that, i was pulling the p*ss is all... but making that comparison is chalk and cheese, their class is mammals, but the species is monotreme (meaning one whole or cloaca incidently)

great animals to take care of tho.. ive had an assortment of aussie bush bubs for one reason or another, mainly cos they get run over by cars... that or bush fires

Platypus may spit poison.. ?? dont know
IM AN OZZy
They dont even bite, nevermind eat you after they have poisoned you

"It causes HUGE swelling in the infected area and the swelling gets so much that the skin rotts off"

Really, now, BurnSide

It is odd, but its not evolution, they have been around a loong loooong time

or kinda like watching paint dry, you cant really tell its drying...but after a while you'll notice its dry

If a fluffy little mammal that has a ducks bill, an otters body, swans feet and a puppies tale. It also injects a very potent chemical from its front claws, that slowly eats away at the bodies red blood cells, breaking the veins down, causing the hand, arm or leg (whatever it scratched), to turn black, and simply eats away at it. Apart from that I think its nature’s way of saying, yes I have a sense of humor – but you just try and cuddle it.

To quote my favorite comedien, Robin Williams:

"Do you think God gets stoned? Take a look at the platypus...i think you think he might. *imitates someone smoking a joint* Hey Darwin! Yo. Here ya go! Hahaha, its a mammal, but it lays eggs! Hahaha! Hey, i'm God, what're ya gonna do, eh?"

i think the platypus is not a part of some conspiracy. its just one of those things, y'know?

I never knew they were poisonous....I like the idea of an evoloutianary joke

Why not a mammal that lays eggs? We have birds that don't fly, Fish that can not stop swimming, mammals that fly, Fish that can take a short journey across dry land, Fish that fly(ok they glide) Why not mammals that lay eggs?

Or you watch it for awhile, get bored, and stick your finger on it thinking it's dry, notice it's not, then get mad and yell at yourself! Lol! Ha...Ha....

Lol this is very diffrent since the eggs hatch in the mother sharks woum before being born

never heard that before.........

That's hilarious, I love platupuses because they're so wierd.

The Duck-Billed Platypus IS a mammal. It's the only mammal in the world that lays eggs.


The platypus can be found along the eastern coast of Australia, in its rivers, streams and lakes. They can be found as far north as the Annan river in northern Queensland, and as far south as Tasmania. The orange area in the diagram below shows the location of the platypus throughout Australia.




The platypus is much more common in the Southern parts of Australia than it is in the Northern parts. This could be due to two factors, these being the presence of crocodiles and a greater threat from flooding. Since the female platypus does not begin to breed until she is two years old and even then she may not breed on an annual basis could mean that the platypus has difficulty in maintaining a population in the presence of crocodile predation and flooding.

In the areas that the platypus has maintained a population, it is clear though that this is a population of individuals rather than of families. The platypus is predominantly a loner, who has its own specific home range, in which it lives and feeds. One platypus's home range may overlap with that of another (Serena, 1994). But it is unknown as to how territorial the platypus is and whether there are confrontations to see who controls a specific area. But when there is overcrowding area, it is usually the responsibility of the juvenile platypus to leave the area and find a home range of its own.

Within these home ranges there are several burrows located along the river bank that the platypus may use. There appear to be two types of burrow; dwelling burrows and nesting burrows. The more complex ones are used for rearing young, whereas the other, more simple, ones are used by both sexes on a day-to-day basis for resting, sleeping and eating. However, it has been suggested (Grant, 1989) that the more complex nesting burrows are a result of digging over a period of time, which have developed the simple tunnel of the dwelling burrows into a more complex 'warren-like' series of tunnels, rather than have been specifically dug for the purpose of nesting. It has often been thought that the entrance to both these types of burrows were predominantly above the water level. But research has shown that the entrances to the dwelling burrows are often underwater (Serena, 1994).

These burrows, as with many other types of tunnels, often have a problem with maintaining a flow of air through them. So if a platypus stays in a burrow, for a certain period of time, it will begin to use up the available oxygen. During the breeding season this lack of oxygen would appear to have greater significance for two reasons. The first is that, during breeding, the female will plug the burrow's entrances every time she leaves or returns to it, and the second is that the young platypus usually remain in the nesting burrow for about 3 months with a slowly diminishing amount of oxygen. It is possible that the platypus has adapted the chemistry of its blood so that it can make the best use of the limited oxygen supply, but further research is required. It has been suggested by Serena (1994) that the nesting burrows deliberately have their entrances above water in order to increase air flow, whereas it is not so important for the camping burrows. It may also be that the position of the nesting burrow entrance hole is to protect the young from the affects of flooding.

It was originally thought that the first platypus specimens that were sent to England, were nothing more than an elaborate hoax. This was a fairly logical reaction to an animal that would seem impossible because it had a muzzle like a duck's bill, a tail like a beaver and which laid eggs but suckled its young. All of these attributes seemed contradictory to the knowledge scientists had in those days. But since then a lot of investigation has been done in order to find out more about this 'hoax' of a creature.

The platypus is roughly half the size of a household cat. The adult male's average length is about 50cm and its weight is approximately 1.7kg. The female, however, is smaller and will reach an average length of 44cm and weigh about 0.9kg. This difference in size and weight between the males and the females is called sexual dimorphism. See the table below for more information about the size of platypuses.

The platypus has a thick covering of waterproof hair over all of its body, apart from on its feet and its bill. The outer hair is dark brown on its back and yellowish on its underside. Under this outer hair, which is long and coarse, there is a fine, dense under-fur which has a similar feel to wool and ranges in colour from grey to dark brown.

The tail of the platypus is mainly made up of a fatty tissue that is used to store energy supplies, which the animal can use when there is a shortage of food, such as in the winter months. The top is covered by coarse hairs, whereas underneath there is only a sparse growth of hair. The platypus's tail differs from that of a beaver's both in it's shape and the purpose it is used for. The beaver's tail is flatter, broader and covered in special scales, and it is used to help the animal propel itself through the water. The platypus, on the other hand, uses its tail only for steering while swimming.

The platypus's body is flat, streamlined, and has short legs. The front feet are webbed, which make the platypus ideally suited for swimming. This it does by alternatively kicking its front legs in order to propel it through the water, and the hind legs, which are only partially webbed, acting as steering rudders. These webbed feet could be the reason why the platypus is called a platypus. This is because the webbed feet may give the impression that the platypus is flat-footed, which is what platypus means.

When out of the water and moving around the webbing is folded under the animal's feet, in order to prevent damage occurring and to uncover broad nails, which are ideally suited for digging. On each of the hind legs of the male there is a 1.5cm long horny spur on the ankle. The spur is hollow and is linked to a poison gland in the thigh by a duct. Juvenile females also have a rudimentary version of this spur, which is lost within their first year.

The platypus has a flexible, duck-like bill, which is soft, flat and rubbery, and is very sensitive to touch. This is due to its large supply of nerves. The platypus uses its bill in order to search for food and to find its way around when it is submerged. The top of the bill is a blue-grey colour and slightly back its tip are two nostril holes. The positioning of these allow it to breathe while the rest of its body is submerged. The lower bill, which is a pale pink or mottled colour on its underside, is smaller than the upper bill. At the back of the bill is the frontal shield that stretches slightly up and over the forehead. It is unknown as to what its purpose its.

Since the platypus does not have any teeth it has to grind its food using grinding pads that can be found on the upper and lower surfaces inside its mouth. The lower bill is held in place by two elongated dentary bones. This structure can be found in all mammals, whereas other vertebrates, e.g. reptiles, have a lower jaw which is made up of several pairs of bones.

There are two grooves situated on either side of the platypus's head, just behind the bill. These contain the eyes and the ear openings. The platypus has no external ear lobes. When diving, the platypus closes both its ears and eyes. This means it has to rely on other organs for finding its way about underwater, hence the sensitivity of its bill. However, when on land it has the use of its eyes which are very acute over long distances. But because of their location it is unable to see what is literally 'under its nose'.

It has been reported that the platypus is capable of making noises. These include a growl that is similar to the one a puppy would make and a noise that is comparable with that of a brooding hen. They are believed to be used when the animal is in danger.


http://www.platypus.org.uk/details.html

not only is a duck-billed platypus a cryptid, its a chupa too. monotremes are all aliens planning to take over the world.