The strangest animal in the world is the platypus. Don't believe me? Then get your fingers crossed: this mammal has a duck-like beak, a beaver-like tail, webbed feet, poisonous hind limbs, and the ability to capture electrical charges from worms and snails. They were discovered in the 18th century off the coast of Eastern Australia, and for a long time people could not believe that such unusual creatures could exist on Earth. The body length of these animals is about 40 centimeters, and they weigh about 2 kilograms. They live in burrows with land and underwater entrances, and are predominantly nocturnal. But all this is not as interesting as the fact that platypuses do not have a stomach. How do they manage to live without this important organ?
Platypuses are the strangest animals in the world, and now you will see this. Photo source: feverup.com
Contents
- 1 Features of platypuses
- 1.1 Platypuses lay eggs
- 1.2 Why platypuses are so strange
- 1.3 How dangerous is platypus venom
- 1.4 Why do platypuses sweat milk
- 2 How platypuses live without a stomach
Features of platypuses
First, it's worth telling a few more amazing facts about platypuses – you may not even realize how different they are from all other animals on Earth. These mammals look like a failed experiment in crossing a duck, a beaver, an otter and a poisonous snake.
Platypuses lay eggs
Platypuses have mammary glands, so scientists classify them as mammals. But despite this, platypuses lay eggs. The cubs of these creatures are born naked and completely blind, and their body length reaches only 2.5 centimeters. Platypuses develop very slowly, so the young become adults only two years after birth.
Female platypus with eggs. Photo source: greenbelarus.info
Why are platypuses so strange
Platypuses look like someone crossed a duck and a beaver. Scientists believe that nature decreed this because these creatures live in very difficult conditions and they need to adapt to them. For example, platypuses need a duck's beak to catch fish in the water. With the help of their beaks, platypuses detect the electrical fields of their victims and quickly catch them even in the most turbid water. The dense fur of platypuses has water-repellent properties and helps them stay dry after swimming.
How dangerous is platypus venom
Platypuses are not only amazing mammals with their ability to lay eggs. They also have the unique ability to produce poison. It is produced during the mating season in the hind limbs. If a poisonous substance touches a person's skin, he will feel severe pain, but the platypus' venom is not fatal. It is believed that platypuses need poisonous spines on their legs for self-defense. Platypuses are not capable of killing a person with their poison, but a small animal the size of a dog is quite capable.
Poisonous spines of the platypus. Photo source: izmmu.ru
It is noteworthy that only male platypuses are poisonous. In females, the glands that produce poison fall off in the first year of life, without ever beginning to perform their functions.
Why do platypuses sweat milk
Male platypuses are poisonous, but females have another interesting feature. A little higher we found out that they are mammals, that is, their young drink milk. But females do not have nipples, so milk seeps out through their skin. It flows down into special folds, from which newborn platypuses drink nutritious liquid.
Read also:The most invisible animals in the world – try to find them in photographs
How platypuses live without a stomach
Another amazing feature of platypuses is the absence of a stomach. In most living organisms, this digestive organ is vital for grinding food and decomposition under the action of gastric juice. It is believed that the stomach appeared in living organisms approximately 450 million years ago.
Pytypus food goes from the esophagus directly into the intestines. Photo source: travelask.ru
In platypuses, eaten food immediately passes from the esophagus into the intestines. They grind food with their jaws, and the presence of large amounts of acid-neutralizing calcium carbonate in their food eliminates the need for gastric juice. In 2008, scientists found that stomach-related genes in platypuses had either completely disappeared or simply become inactive. Scientists don’t know exactly why this happened. But there is speculation that the platypuses lost their stomach due to changes in diet or other external factors.
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In addition to platypuses, echidnas have some of the features listed above. Our website already has an article on this topic, so if you want to broaden your horizons, read the material “What do the strangest animals in the world look like and why did they become like that?”