Nature’s Frankenstein Creation
One day, a friend and I were having
a conversation about the topic of evolution versus creationism. They had told
me, that the duck-billed platypus is the perfect example of why evolution cannot
possibly be a theory, they stated “there simply is no other creature like it. If
everything is supposed to be related, how can this species fit anywhere in the
tree of life”?
The duck-billed platypus is a
creature that doesn’t seem to make any sense. It has the bill and webbed feet
of a duck, the tail of a beaver, and a body covered in brown fur; similar to
otters. Also, they have different behavioral characteristics that are commonly
found in birds and reptiles. They are one of the few living mammals that lay
eggs instead of giving birth. Also, the male platypus has a barb on its hind
foot, which is capable of transmitting poisons. You may find yourself thinking
that there is no way a creature like this actually exists in the real world.
However, this strange and fascinating creature has been around longer than our
own species. 
Photo from: http://www.genome.gov/dmd/img.cfm?node=Photos/Animals/Platypus_duck_billed_Getty&id=79095)
Now that you’ve
actually seen this creature for yourself, you may be wondering, where can it be
found? Where did this creature come from? What kind of creature is this? Can a
male platypus kill a human with their poison?
Platypuses are known to be nocturnal creatures. Males are territorial, and have control over their habitat pools. They are found in the lakes, ponds, rivers and streams of eastern Australia and on the Island of Tasmania. They can be found either swimming in the water, or found in nearby burrows. These creatures are classified as monotreme, which means they are mammals that lay eggs. Despite its appearance, the platypus is not a hybrid species. The United States Department of Health and Human Services has estimated that the ancestor of the monotremes separated from the mammalian lineage around 166 million years ago, and gave rise to the one other living relative of the platypus, the echidna. The echidna and the platypus are distant relatives that share similar characteristic, but have very different appearances. The reason we do not see other egg-laying, duck-billed, poisonous mammals, is because its other closer relatives have gone extinct. Regardless of its species relatives, there are plenty of individuals in the platypus species, and they are nowhere close to extinction.
The life of the platypus begins in the burrow. According to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), a baby platypus is born helpless or “arterial”. This simply means that they are not fully developed when they hatch to live independently from their mother. Platypuses do not have nipples, so they nurse young by having milk ooze out of the mammary gland. After a little more than six months, the baby platypus has developed enough to live independently, and they will leave the burrow.
Platypuses are solitary creatures, and hunt for food on their own. According to the nature documentary Platypus- The World’s Strangest Animal, the platypus closes its eyes and nostrils when it goes under the water. To find prey, platypuses use the receptors in their beaks to sense the vibrations given off by prey on the bottom of the floor. They will then use their beaks to move stones and debris from the bottom of the water. Their diet mainly consists of small invertebrates, but they can also eat insects and small fish.
The documentary also states, that the platypus has an elaborate mating ritual. When a male finds a female to court with, he will bite her tail until she agrees to do an underwater dance together. The male platypus still biting the females’ tail will swim around in a series of circles. Afterwards, the two will mate, and then the male will swim off, leaving the female responsible for raising the young.
As mentioned earlier, the platypus is one of the few poisonous mammals still living on the planet, and the male is the only members who contain it. Scientists have proven that the spur is used the most during the mating season, so it is believed to be used to fight off males who wish to take over their territory. When the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services sequenced the genomes for the poisons, they discovered that the poison is due to the duplication of a certain gene that has been passed down over time. This is similar to the ways that venom production is passed from generation to generation in reptiles. However, scientists believe that these genes developed analogously. People have not been killed by platypus stings, but have reported having “pain and swelling that lasted for weeks” (Platypus-The World’s Strangest Animal).
If you ever wander around eastern Australia, and find a strange looking creature with thick brown fur, a beak, and webbed feet, you are not going crazy. The platypus is a real creature. Whether you find it cute and adorable, or strange, the platypus will not kill you, but do not attempt to pick up or handle them, because their sting can cause severe pain. While yes, it is true that we can no longer see any living relatives that look similar to the platypus, it does not mean that a relative did not at one point exist, and have since gone extinct. Overall, the platypus, like all creatures, no matter how strange and different it may seem from all other creatures, still fits into the tree of life.
Platypuses are known to be nocturnal creatures. Males are territorial, and have control over their habitat pools. They are found in the lakes, ponds, rivers and streams of eastern Australia and on the Island of Tasmania. They can be found either swimming in the water, or found in nearby burrows. These creatures are classified as monotreme, which means they are mammals that lay eggs. Despite its appearance, the platypus is not a hybrid species. The United States Department of Health and Human Services has estimated that the ancestor of the monotremes separated from the mammalian lineage around 166 million years ago, and gave rise to the one other living relative of the platypus, the echidna. The echidna and the platypus are distant relatives that share similar characteristic, but have very different appearances. The reason we do not see other egg-laying, duck-billed, poisonous mammals, is because its other closer relatives have gone extinct. Regardless of its species relatives, there are plenty of individuals in the platypus species, and they are nowhere close to extinction.
The life of the platypus begins in the burrow. According to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), a baby platypus is born helpless or “arterial”. This simply means that they are not fully developed when they hatch to live independently from their mother. Platypuses do not have nipples, so they nurse young by having milk ooze out of the mammary gland. After a little more than six months, the baby platypus has developed enough to live independently, and they will leave the burrow.
Platypuses are solitary creatures, and hunt for food on their own. According to the nature documentary Platypus- The World’s Strangest Animal, the platypus closes its eyes and nostrils when it goes under the water. To find prey, platypuses use the receptors in their beaks to sense the vibrations given off by prey on the bottom of the floor. They will then use their beaks to move stones and debris from the bottom of the water. Their diet mainly consists of small invertebrates, but they can also eat insects and small fish.
The documentary also states, that the platypus has an elaborate mating ritual. When a male finds a female to court with, he will bite her tail until she agrees to do an underwater dance together. The male platypus still biting the females’ tail will swim around in a series of circles. Afterwards, the two will mate, and then the male will swim off, leaving the female responsible for raising the young.
As mentioned earlier, the platypus is one of the few poisonous mammals still living on the planet, and the male is the only members who contain it. Scientists have proven that the spur is used the most during the mating season, so it is believed to be used to fight off males who wish to take over their territory. When the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services sequenced the genomes for the poisons, they discovered that the poison is due to the duplication of a certain gene that has been passed down over time. This is similar to the ways that venom production is passed from generation to generation in reptiles. However, scientists believe that these genes developed analogously. People have not been killed by platypus stings, but have reported having “pain and swelling that lasted for weeks” (Platypus-The World’s Strangest Animal).
If you ever wander around eastern Australia, and find a strange looking creature with thick brown fur, a beak, and webbed feet, you are not going crazy. The platypus is a real creature. Whether you find it cute and adorable, or strange, the platypus will not kill you, but do not attempt to pick up or handle them, because their sting can cause severe pain. While yes, it is true that we can no longer see any living relatives that look similar to the platypus, it does not mean that a relative did not at one point exist, and have since gone extinct. Overall, the platypus, like all creatures, no matter how strange and different it may seem from all other creatures, still fits into the tree of life.
Further readings
For more on platypus venom
http://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/platypus-poison1.htm
For a list
of Monotremes both alive and extinct go to
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monotreme
Additional readings
http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/platypus/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monotreme
Additional readings
http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/platypus/
References
British Broadcasting Corporation. (2014). Platypus. http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/life/Platypus/
Parer, David and Parer-Cook , Elizabeth (Producer). N/A (director). (2003). Platypus: Worlds Strangest Animal [documentary]. Australia: Australia Broadcasting Corporation, Discovery Communications, and Telecast International GmbH.
Spencer, Geoffe. (May 7, 2008). Duck-Billed Platypus Genome Sequence Published Animal’s Reptilian-Mammalian Mix Reflected in Its DNA. http://www.nih.gov/news/health /may2008/nhgri-07.htm
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