Koalas Have 2 Thumbs & Other Weird Australian Wildlife FactsĪny prey they catch is stored in their cheek pouches until they return to the surface.Platypus use this sensory information to locate their prey in the water. Those pores are special electroreceptors, which pick up minute electrical impulses given off by platypus prey, including macroinvertebrates and small crustaceans. If you look closely at a platypus’s bill, you’ll see hundreds of tiny pores all over the leathery surface. Photo © Klaus / FlickrĪt first glance, platypus hunting methods appear rather inglorious: they close their eyes, ears, and nostrils, dive down to the stream bottom, and wiggle their bill in the muck for a minute or two. They have no stomach & hunt by detecting electrical impluses A platypus in Tasmania. Speaking of ovaries… here’s one more weird fact for you: while the female platypus has two ovaries, like other mammals, only the left one is functional. They hope that the discovery could help pinpoint which cancer-caused DNA changes are most important in the development of the disease. Geneticists discovered that DNA on platypus sex chromosomes is similar to the DNA affected by ovarian cancer and other reproductive diseases, including male infertility. This suggests that XX or XY sex chromosomes exhibited by placental mammals evolved after the two evolutionary lineages split 165 million years ago.ĭespite these differences, platypus sex chromosomes are giving medical researchers insights into fighting human cancers. And though they are still X and Y chromosomes, the platypus versions are actually more similar to the W and Z chromosomes of birds than they are to the X and Y of marsupials and placental mammals, including humans. Males have five XY combos, while females have five XX combos. Platypuses have five pairs of sex chromosomes, or 10 in total. Once again, the platypus (and echidnas) are the odd mammals out. (In humans, cases of three or four sex chomosomes are possible, but rare.) Most mammal species have two sex chromosomes: either XX for females or XY for males. Egg-laying allowed them to adapt to a semi-aquatic lifestyle and occupy an evolutionary niche not accessible to most marsupials, whose pouch young would drown if submerged. New genetic research revealed that the platypus and echidnas share a common semi-aquatic ancestor, leading scientists to theorize that monotremes survived by taking to the water. Scientists studying mammalian evolution suspect that egg-laying might be the reason monotremes survived into the modern day.īetween 71 and 45 million years ago, marsupials took over Australia and became the dominant type of mammal on the continent. Monotremes split off from the mammalian evolutionary lineage before the evolution of placentas, so they retain this distinctly reptilian method of reproduction. When the young (called puggles) finally hatch, they’re only the size of a jellybean. (The four species of hedgehog-like echidna are the only other monotremes alive today, and they too live in Australia as well as New Guinea.) Female platypuses typically lay between 1 and 3 marble-sized eggs, which they incubate for about two weeks in an underground burrow. Platypuses are monotremes, a type of mammal that lays eggs instead of giving birth to live young. One of the (arguably) weirdest elements of platypus biology is their reproduction. Platypus GLP-1 is much longer lasting, and scientists think it could one day lead to new medications for diabetes. Humans produce GLP-1, too, and a modified version is already used in diabetes treatments. Called GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1), the hormone promotes insulin release, which in turn lowers blood glucose levels. (One Vietnam War veteran described the pain as worse than being hit by shrapnel.) Victims also experience nausea, gastric pain, cold sweats, lymph node swelling, and muscle wasting in the envenomated area.Īnd yet platypus venom could one day help treat illnesses: Australian scientists recently discovered that platypus venom contains a hormone that could aid in diabetes treatment. While the venom isn’t fatal to humans, anyone unlucky enough to be jabbed can expect days of “ immediate, sustained, and devastating ” pain that’s resistant to morphine and other painkillers.
Scientists think that males use these spurs to compete with rivals during breeding season. Each spur is connected to a crural gland - or modified sweat gland- which creates a powerful venom. Male platypus have half-inch spurs on each of their hind legs.
But did you know that their venom could also help treat diabetes? You might have heard that platypus are venomous. Their venom could help treat diabetes Male platypus have spurs on their hind legs, which can be used to estimate their age.
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