Nature’s wacky experiment, the platypus, is a semi-aquatic mammal native to eastern Australia including Tazmania.  A member of the order monotremes, this is one of the only mammals that lays eggs instead of giving birth to live young.  In a class all by itself it is the only living representative of its family(Ornithorhynchidae) and genus (Ornithorhynchus).  Don’t worry if you’re having trouble pronouncing these terms, I too have a great deal of difficulty in sounding them out.

The platypus is the only animal to include traits from mammals, birds, and reptiles.  The platypus is so bizarre that when it was first discovered by Europeans in the late 1700’s, British scientists thought that the sketches brought back had to be a hoax.  Some even thought that it was produced by some Asian taxidermist, who had taken the body of a beaver-like animal and sewn a duck’s head onto its body.

At first glance the hodge podge makes no sense, but this oddity is an all-terrain creature.  It’s about the size of a beaver, but the comparisons end there.  The platypus has features that appear close to those of a duck, than to those of any mammals.  Its got a broad rubber snout and webbed feet.  The webbing on its front feet serve the greater purpose and fold back when walking on land.  Despite its clumsy appearance, the platypus could give any reptile a run for its money in the 50 yard dash.  The snout of the platypus is one great big sensory organ, that assists it in locating food underwater, since it keeps its eyes closed while submerged.  It does this by means of electrolocation, which is a series of muscular contractions that generate an electric field to detect its surroundings.  Unlike a bird’s beak (in which the upper and lower parts separate to reveal the mouth) the platypus’ mouth is located on the underside of its snout.  Its body and wide, flat, beaver-like tail are covered with a dense brown fur that keeps it nice and toasty in cold weather or waters.

Located behind the platypus’ hind legs are sharp ankle spurs, which produce quite a mix of venom.  That’s right, the docile and humble creature you see before you can turn into a deadly killer in a heart beat.  The venom from the spurs causes only excruciating pain in humans, but would leave a cat or a dog resting in peace.  The ankle spurs are only common in males since its primary use is for mano-a-mano combat during mating season.

The platypus is truly a transforming phenomenon, going from bird while incubating the eggs it lays to going about its business as a die-hard mammal.  From a powerful speed boat to lightning quick earth mover when digging its burrow that houses its nest, and back again.