Could a platypus poison me?
Posted by staff / November 4, 2010
It’s common knowledge that the platypus is a definite oddball in the animal kingdom, but what characteristics really puzzle scientists? Because the platypus has fur and the female nurses its young, the animal is classified as a mammal. But that’s where the mammalian similarities stop.
The male platypus has a spur on either hind foot that excretes venom. Aside from two other mammals, harboring venom is a trait usually reserved for reptiles and amphibians.
Full article at HowStuffWorks.com.
Photo credit: Fotolia
Dangerous! The male platypus has a spur on either hind foot that excretes venom. Aside from two other mammals, harboring venom is a trait usually reserved for reptiles and amphibians