The Platypus: Good For You

egglayingmammalophile writes "Cute, webfooted, duck beaked, cold blooded, egg laying, electrosensitive and venomous, it didn't seem possible that they could get any weirder. But now the platypus is also good for you."

Comments

3rd Grader's report

[ralphb]

For a little background, check out my daughter's 3rd grade science report on the Platypus:

Dick-Billed Platypus

Re:3rd Grader's report

[ralphb]

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary online lists both "platypusses" and "platypi" as a valid plurals of "platypus".

platypus

What the article is actually about...

[Kopretinka]

So, in short the article is about a finding that platypus venom, a non-leathal poison, may lead to better painkiller drugs.

I thought the summary in the /. posting might say at least a word about that. 8-)

Other Venomous Mammals

[foote]

The article states that the platypus is the only venom-producing mammal. There are actually a few others.

The European water shrew and the North American short-tailed shrew are venomous. They use their poisonous bite to kill frogs, mice, and whatever other little creatures they eat. The bite of the solenodon (Solenodon paradoxus) of Haiti is poisonous as well.

Not cold blooded

[0x0d0a]

The platypus is closer to having a cold-blooded metabolism than most mammals, but it's still warm-blooded, contrary to what the story submissions claims.

Not the only poisonous mammals

[automandc]

Interesting, but the Article is wrong in at least one respect: the Platypus is not the only mammal that produces venom.

According to this website, certain shrews produce venom. Also, the Cuban shrew-like animal Solenodons also produces venom in its mouth.

And, just to set the record straight, only male Platypii have venomous spurs. Lastly, Platypii are one of three still-living members of the mammalian subgroup known as "monotremes."

An excellent online resource for information about the animal kingdon is the University of Michgan's Animal Diversity Web.