Characteristics Of The Platypus

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The platypus is among the nature´s most unlikely animals. Its scientific name is Ornithorhynchus anatinus, which in Greek means “duck-like”. The body and the tail of this mammal are covered with waterproof, thick, brown fur which works to trap air and keep itself warm. It has webbed feet and a snout, which are characteristics that can also be found in a duck, thus many people relate them. One of the rare characteristics that this animal has is that its webbing, found in the front feet more significantly than the back ones, folds back when walking on land. The snout of the platypus, unlike the peak of a bird, is a sensory organ that has the mouth and nostrils, leaving the eyes and ears are located just back from it.
The platypi, both male and female are born with a spur on their ankle, although only male produce venom which is mainly composed by DLP´s (defensing-like proteins). The DLP´s are produced only by this mammal. This venom is powerful enough to kill smaller animals like dogs, but it is not lethal to …show more content…

But now, directly comparing them to other mammals, the platypus is one of only two monotremes, which are mammals who lay eggs. The other one is the echidna. Unlike “normal” mammals like lions or pretty much anyone that can come up to your mind right now, these two (platypus and echidna) lay eggs. Another difference is that the adult platypi do not have teeth but they have heavily keratinized pads instead, while most mammals have teeth. In all mammals, the tiny bones that conduct sound in the ear are incorporated to the skull, rather than in the jaw as in the cynodonts. However, the external opening of the ear is still in the base of the jaw. The platypus has extra bones in the shoulder, one of them is called the interclavicle, which is a bone not found in any other mammal. Also, its legs are in the side of its body, like a reptile, and not underneath like other

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