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The venom-delivering spur is found only on the male's hind limbs. The platypus is one of the few living mammals to produce venom.The venom is made in venom glands that are connected to hollow spurs on their hind legs; it is primarily made during the mating season. [1]
The body and the broad, flat tail of the platypus are covered with dense, brown, biofluorescent fur that traps a layer of insulating air to keep the animal warm. [16] [21] [28] The fur is waterproof, and textured like that of a mole. [29] The platypus's tail stores fat reserves, an adaptation also found in the Tasmanian devil. [30]
Male platypuses have sharp spurs on their back legs shaped like a canine tooth. These hollow spurs measure 0.59 to 0.71 inches long and connect to crural glands in the animal’s upper thighs.
Both the platypus and echidna species have spurs on their hind limbs. The echidna spurs are vestigial and have no known function, while the platypus spurs contain venom. [ 42 ] Molecular data show that the main component of platypus venom emerged before the divergence of platypus and echidnas, suggesting that the most recent common ancestor of ...
Despite their awkward appearance, the platypus has a superpower-like sixth sense that it uses to hunt. With a beaver’s tail, webbed feet, and a duck’s bill, platypuses are one of the world’s ...
Male echidnas have non-venomous spurs on the hind feet, similar to the venomous male platypus. [ 15 ] Due to their low metabolism and accompanying stress resistance, echidnas are long-lived for their size; the longest recorded lifespan for a captive echidna is 50 years, with anecdotal accounts of wild individuals reaching 45 years.
A stinger (or sting) is a sharp organ found in various animals (typically insects and other arthropods) capable of injecting venom, usually by piercing the epidermis of another animal. An insect sting is complicated by its introduction of venom , although not all stings are venomous.
Platypus apicalis exhibits sexual dimorphism. The elytrae of males bear tooth like projections at their posterior end. The body of females is more pubescent than this of males, lack elytral teeth, and have a more rounded shape. [4] Adult males release a strong and distinguishable odor to attract a female upon digging a breeding gallery.