Whatever the reason may be, we have to stomach the fact that platypuses and echidnas can thrive without these acid-secreting digestive organs. Male platypuses have a hollow spur on each hind leg connected to a venom secreting gland, and while their venom is lethal, there are no recorded deaths from platypuses or from platypus stings. Male platypuses have a sharp spur on the ankles of their hind legs. It has several scars because when it was first examined, scientists thought it was a hoax by some pranksters who they believed to have connected parts of various animals together. This rendered the stomach acids useless, and they similarly did not need stomachs anymore. They might look cute and cuddly, but come across a male platypus in mating season and you’ll be in for a painful shock. The original platypus specimen is held at the London Museum of Natural History. Meanwhile, others contended that platypuses ate a lot of acid-neutralizing compounds such as the calcium carbonate in shellfish. Some experts suggest that these species had diets that simply did not need the help of enzymes to break them down. While most jawed vertebrates evolved with stomachs, platypuses, echidnas, and many species of fish lost their stomachs through their evolutionary history.Īt some point in time, platypuses and other stomach-less species moved past the need for stomachs, but the reason remains unclear. Think of a platypus: They lay eggs (that hatch into so-called platypups), produce milk without nipples and venom without fangs, and can detect electricity. Surprisingly, other monotremes such as the echidnas don’t have them either. Jack Ashby Scientifically informed and funny, a firsthand account of Australia’s wonderfully unique mammalsand how our perceptions impact their future. Similar spurs are found in many archaic mammal groups, indicating that this is an ancient characteristic for mammals as a whole, and not exclusive to the platypus or other monotremes.If you’re looking for bizarre platypus facts, here’s one for you: they don’t have stomachs. Since only males produce venom and production rises during the breeding season, it may be used as an offensive weapon to assert dominance during this period. The venom appears to have a different function from those produced by non-mammalian species its effects are not life-threatening to humans, but nevertheless powerful enough to seriously impair the victim. The female platypus, in common with echidnas, has rudimentary spur buds that do not develop (dropping off before the end of their first year) and lack functional crural glands. Venom is produced in the crural glands of the male, which are kidney-shaped alveolar glands connected by a thin-walled duct to a calcaneus spur on each hind limb. Oedema rapidly develops around the wound and gradually spreads throughout the affected limb. This educational platypus kids book presents facts along with full color photographs and carefully chosen words to teach children about the Platypus. Although powerful enough to kill smaller animals such as dogs, the venom is not lethal to humans, but the pain is so excruciating that the victim may be incapacitated. The function of defensins is to cause lysis in pathogenic bacteria and viruses, but in platypuses, they also are formed into venom for defense. The DLPs are produced by the immune system of the platypus. While both male and female platypuses are born with ankle spurs, only the spurs on the male's back ankles deliver venom, composed largely of defensin-like proteins (DLPs), three of which are unique to the platypus.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |