What Is Platypus Unique

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If there is one word to describe the platypus, it would be unique. They differ dramatically from the rest of the mammals. Many people say the platypus aren't mammals and rather marsupials for obvious reasons; however, they are wrong. Platypuses are one of the most interesting of animals and mammals. Platypuses live in one minuscule general area of the world. They live in the freshwater rivers of Tasmania and the coasts of eastern and southeastern Australia (Bradford). Their size ranges from twelve to twenty-four inches, approximately the size of a domesticated house cat. They are painted in an umber colored over the majority of their body (Smith).Platypuses are Platypuses are the most unique mammals to live on Earth.

Researchers and scientists say that the platypus veered away from the shared kindred of birds and reptiles about 280 million years ago. Afterwards, the platypus separated from the mammalian heritage. It is thought that the platypus split from the mammalian lineage before the placenta was evolved. When the platypus split, it supposedly split in between the lineage of lizards and a human-based placental mammal, keeping the traits. Now scientists don't know why it stop evolving and kept its mammal-like features. However, that information is false (Norris). The platypus "stopped evolving" because it …show more content…

The typical mating season occurs during June going on to October. When they do mate, the female platypus sprouts an average of two to three eggs, unlike the preponderance of mammals, they generate eggs (Smith ). Only four other kinds of mammals lay eggs, and most of the species are echidnas. This is incredibly spectacular and eminently rare. The duck-billed platypus takes up one fifth of all of the monotremes, the other four species are types of echidnas. This makes the platypus even more unique because it is the only one of its kind (Monotremes Egg-Laying

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