Content
- What is the platypus?
- are poisonous
- Electrolocation
- lay eggs
- They suckle their offspring
- Locomotion
- Genetics
O platypus is a very curious animal. Since its discovery it has been very difficult to classify it as it has very different animal characteristics. It has fur, a duck's beak, it lays eggs and in addition it feeds its young.
It is an endemic species to eastern Australia and the island of Tasmania. Its name derives from the Greek ornithorhynkhos, which means "duck-like’.
In this article by PeritoAnimal we talk about this strange animal. You will discover how it hunts, how it breeds and why it has such different characteristics. Keep reading and find out trivia about the platypus.
What is the platypus?
The platypus is a monotreme mammal. Monotremes are an order of mammals with reptilian characteristics, such as laying eggs or possessing cloaca. The cloaca is an orifice in the back of the body where the urinary, digestive and reproductive systems converge.
There are currently 5 living species of monotremes. O Platypus and the monotremates. Monotremates are similar to common hedgehogs but share the curious characteristics of monotremes. All are solitary and elusive animals, which only relate to each other during mating seasons.
are poisonous
The platypus is one of the few mammals in the world that have poison. males have a spike in its hind legs that releases the poison. It is secreted by the crural glands. Females are also born with them but do not develop after birth and disappear before adulthood.
It is a poison with numerous toxins produced by the animal's immune system. It is lethal to small animals and very painful for humans. Situations of handlers who suffered intense pain for several days are described.
There is no antidote for this poison, the patient is only administered palliatives to combat the pain of the sting.
Electrolocation
The platypus uses a electrolocation system to hunt their prey. They can detect the electrical fields generated by their prey as they contract their muscles. They can do this thanks to the electrosensory cells they have on their muzzle skin. They also have mechanoreceptor cells, specialized cells for touch, distributed around the snout.
These cells work in concert to send the brain the information it needs to orient itself without the need to use smell or sight. The system is very useful since the platypus closes its eyes and only listens under water. It dives in shallow water and digs the bottom with the help of its muzzle.
The prey moving between the earth generate small electric fields that are detected by the platypus. It is able to distinguish living beings from the inert matter around it, which is another of the most outstanding curiosities about the platypus.
It is a carnivorous animal, feeds mainly on worms and insects, small crustaceans, larvae and other annelids.
lay eggs
As we said earlier, platypus are monotremes. They are mammals that lay eggs. Females reach sexual maturity from the first year of life and lay one egg each year. After copulation, the female takes refuge in burrows deep holes built with different levels to maintain temperature and humidity. This system also protects them from rising water levels and predators.
They make a bed with sheets and deposit between 1 to 3 eggs 10-11 millimeters in diameter. they are small eggs that are more rounded than those of birds. They develop inside the mother's uterus for 28 days and after 10-15 days of external incubation the offspring are born.
When small platypus are born they are very vulnerable. They are hairless and blind. They are born with teeth, which they will lose in a short time, leaving only horny plaques.
They suckle their offspring
The fact of suckling their young is something common in mammals. However, platypus lack nipples. So how do you breastfeed?
Another interesting thing about the platypus is that females have mammary glands that are located in the abdomen. Because they don't have nipples, secrete the milk through the pores of the skin. In this region of the abdomen there are grooves where this milk is stored as it is expelled, so that the youngsters lick the milk from their skin. The suckling period of the offspring is 3 months.
Locomotion
like animal semi-aquatic it is a excellent swimmer. Although it has its 4 legs splayed, it only uses its forelegs to swim. The hind legs attach them to the tail and use it as a rudder in the water, just like a fish.
On land they walk similarly to a reptile. Thus, and as a curiosity about the platypus, we see that they have the legs located on the sides and not on the bottom as with other mammals. The skeleton of the platypus is quite primitive, with short extremities, similar to those of an otter.
Genetics
By studying the genetic map of platypus, scientists found that the mix of traits present in the platypus is also reflected in its genes.
They have features only seen in amphibians, birds and fish. But the most curious thing about platypuses is their sex chromosome system. Mammals like us have 2 sex chromosomes. However, the platypus have 10 sex chromosomes.
Their sex chromosomes are more similar to birds than to mammals. In fact, they lack the SRY region, which determines the male sex. So far it has not been discovered exactly how sex is determined in this species.
