Echidnas, Platypuses and those Egg-laying mammals

Platypuses, (not platypi) are part of a small family of mammals that includes only the platypuses and echidnas. First off: a physical description of a platypus: a platypus is an aquatic mammal; it has a duck-like bill that is completely covered in a thin layer of electro-sensitive, nerve rich skin. It has a small rodent-like body, with four webbed feet (again, more like a duck’s feet) and a flat beaver-like tail. I thought that platypuses were fairly large, but in actuality they are quite small: a little under two feet in length. They are covered in a rich brown fur that insulates and traps air much like a dry-suit or a penguin’s feathers.

Did you know (I didn’t) that the platypus hunts with its eyes closed? It gently sweeps its bill back and forth searching for an electrical signal from its prey. Once it catches its prey it then resurfaces and grinds it with its bill (as it doesn’t have any teeth).

Male platypuses have a poisonous spur growing out of the back of their hind legs. They use this when asserting dominance during the mating period and also for self defense. After the egg (yes they are mammals, and yes they lay eggs) hatches, the baby platypus/es is/are reared by its mother in a den, the mother secretes milk through pores in its belly to allow the young to lap it up. Platypuses do not have teats (these things are so weird).

Echidnas are similar to platypuses in only the fact that they lay eggs and have electro-sensors surrounding its mouth, and the fact that they don’t have teats. They have squat hedgehog-like bodies but are significantly larger, depending on the species anywhere from a foot to a few feet in length, and growing up to about 40 pounds. They live on various types of insects (depending on the species) and have long snouts designed for that specific purpose.

      There you have it, the two most intriguing, strange, odd, wonderful and absolutely incredible creatures our God has designed.


Pics from Wikipedia.