Photo: E.Lonnon / CC BY-SA 3.0 The venom of the platypus can kill your dogĮnvenomation of humans are not unheard of. The male platypus has a spur attached to the hind legs which it uses to fight other male platypuses during the breeding season. The males will wrestle and jab each other with these spurs repeatedly until one emerges the victor.įemales are also born with a spur, but it falls off before they reach adulthood. Spurred on by the competition for mates, the male platypus utilises a small spur attached to its hind limbs, connected to a gland which holds the potent venom. This has led to the belief that their venom is primarily for reproductive functions – where most venom is to facilitate catching prey or defending against predators. While most venomous animals have venom as a permanent fixture in their repertoire, the male platypus only produces his toxic cocktail during the breeding season (June to October). In 1799, he was sent the specimen and actually tried to find the ‘stitches’, he was convinced held this amalgamation together.īesides its peculiar appearance, the platypus is also a venomous mammal, but – curiously enough – only seasonally so. They look so peculiar that the first scientist to examine the bill and pelt of a platypus, George Shaw, thought it was a hoax. While most Australian creatures are weird and wonderful, these water dwellers really are something special. It contains physical traits from various other creatures: the bill of a duck, the body of an otter, and the tail of a beaver. Moreau) obsession with patching pieces of separate species together.

To look upon the platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) is to understand Dr.

The platypus is only venomous in the breeding season In this article, we will walk you through the fascinating science of the platypus, the slow loris and the vampire bats, who all are venomous mammals. Venom has found its way into the arsenal of several different animal groups, including mammals. However, the vast spectrum of venomous creatures does not stop at the scaly and scary. If someone says ‘venom’ it usually conjures images of snakes, scorpions, and spiders.

Platypus venom crossword