"A platypus? Perry the Platypus!?
- Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz
Do you believe in God? Billions of people around the world believe in a creator that brought forth all life. Today I’m going to talk about God’s foray into the devil’s lettuce. I’m going to tell you about the platypus, nature’s weirdest and coolest animal. With a duck’s bill, the feet of an otter, the tail of a duck, venomous spurs, and electrolocation, this is truly one of nature’s most special animals. I’m going to talk about the platypus of today, the platypus of the past, and what we can do to help ensure the survival of the platypus of tomorrow.
Now, one of the things that make the platypus so strange is that even though it lays eggs, it is a mammal,similar to cats, or dogs, or goats, or humans. Now you may notice that none of the other mammals I just mentioned lay eggs (If you see any of the other mammals I just mentioned laying an egg, seek either a vet, a doctor, or a therapist), this is one of the things that make platypuses (as well as other monotremes) so strange. The only other extant (living) monotreme is an animal known as the echidna (There are actually four species of echidna). The higher classification of the platypus are the domain, Eukaryota (Eukaryotes are different from prokaryotes as they have a nucleus where they store all their genetic information, as opposed to prokaryotes who have their genetic information just out in the open (However, about 95% of their genetic information is in an area known as the nucleoid)), the kingdom (Animalia), the phylum (Chordata), and the class (Mammalia) The lower classifications are the class, Monotremata (There are three mammalian orders, marsupials, placentals, and monotremes. Marsupials include animals like possums and koalas. Their young comes out partially formed, and they spend the first few months ), the family, Ornithorhyncidae, the modern platypus is the only living species in the family Ornithorhynchidae.), the genus, Ornithorhyncus (The modern platypus is the only extant species in this genus), and finally the species, Ornithorhynchus Anatinus (Meaning Duck-Nose Bird-Snout in Greek. If you’re wondering why the first part is the same as the genus, this is known as binomial nomenclature (Literally meaning “Two name naming system”). Think of it like first and last names, but reversed.). Now there are many things that make the platypus so interesting. Platypuses live in burrows, usually just above the water level. As previously mentioned, they have a duck bill, but like all things, the real beauty is hidden on the inside. Platypuses have a sixth sense, electroreception, the ability to sense electrical stimuli. The platypus has weak electrolocation, which means that they have the ability to sense bioelectric fields (These electric fields are generated due to the activity of the nerves and muscles). This is in contrast to active electrolocation, where a creature generates an electric field (this is known as electrogenesis) and then detects the distortions in that electric field. The platypus uses electrolocation in order to see where its prey (generally small fish and insects) in the murky water in its habitats. If you thought that this lovable aussie couldn’t get any stranger, you would be wrong. If animals were cocktails, the platypus would be a Commonwealth (I looked that up. How can a drink have 71 ingredients? How can a drink be made of potatoes, and okra? If you don’t cook okra it just tastes like grass. Why do I know what grass tastes like? I don’t understand alcohol.), having a duck bill, otter feet, a beaver tail, electrolocation, and (checks notes) venom? That’s right,this drink just received another ingredient. Now, all platypuses have these spurs, but only the male spurs produce venom. It appears to be used to compete with other males for mates. While this venom isn’t fatal, it can cause “long lasting pain that is not relieved with the aid of conventional painkillers”. During late winter, the platypus’s testes swell, which increases its virility and leads to increased aggression and venom production. The platypus can sting someone with such aggression that it can need “manual disengagement” (AKA, pulling really hard). In 1991, a man known as Keith Payne (He was a pretty cool dude, he’s an Australian veteran who fought in the Korean War and was a Victoria Cross) tried to save a platypus, however he used improper technique (We’ll touch more on that later) and got stung. He described the pain as being “worse than shrapnel”. Some Australian scientists are attempting to examine the individual chemical components to platypus venom in order to create stronger painkillers. Additionally, there have been many reported instances of dogs passing away after being stung. Now we’ve talked about the everyday platypus, now let’s talk about how we got here.
Until 1971, we didn’t know about any other extinct ornithorhynchids. The oldest fossil we’ve found of the modern platypus (When we first found this fossil we thought that it was a different species named Ornithorhynchus agilis.) comes from the Pliocene (The Pliocene Epoch was a time of global cooling after the Miocene Epoch (The Miocene Epoch was a period that was from 23.3 Mya (Million Years Ago) to 5.33 Mya. During the Miocene Epoch temperatures were three degrees hotter on average than today (That doesn’t sound like a lot, but if our temperature increased by three degrees today, it would probably lead to sea levels rising by up to 60 cm and could cause the Amazon rainforest to dry out).) that lasted from 5.33 Mya to 2.58 Mya.), about 3.8 Mya. The first big breakthrough in the history of the platypus came from two fully formed teeth that were found in the Oligocene(The Oligocene came after the Eocene and before the Miocene and saw the replacement of warm lush forests with more modern life and grasslands. The Oligocene lasted from 33.9 Mya to 23.3 Mya.) clay deposits in central South Australia (I’m not going to question that.). These belonged to Obdurodon insignis (Obdurodon means lasting (obdurate) teeth in Greek). Obdurodon insignis was special in that it had teeth, unlike its modern descendants (“Back in my day, we had to chew our food!”). The reason for modern platypuses lacking teeth is believed to be their electrolocation. Obdurodon is believed to have hunted more in the open water as opposed to the murky bottom where the modern platypus hunts, as a result Obdurodon had less need for the robust electrolocation of the modern platypus, instead settling for subpar electrolocation. Because of the lack of electrosensing nerves, this left more room for teeth. For modern platypuses, they need better electrolocation, which leads to less room in the head for the roots of adult teeth. The other very interesting thing about platypuses is just how old they are. Sterepodon Galmani is the oldest monotreme fossil we’ve found so far, being 110 million years old. It’s important to note that Sterepodon Galmani is not in the same family as the platypus, instead being a basal monotreme (It’s basically like a pioneer.). Additionally, we’ve found a platypus in none other than Argentina. Basically 66 million years ago Africa, Australia, South America, Antarctica, Arabia, and the Indian subcontinent were all one giant supercontinent known as Gondwana (Gondwana also refers to a region in India, so the supercontinent is also sometimes called Gondwanaland). Other than its continent and age, the ancient platypus (Known as Monetrematum Sudamericanum) was estimated to be about double the size of the modern day platypus, as well as all the other platypus ancestors. Now we’ve talked about the platypus of the past, let’s talk about the platypus of the future.
Today, the fate of the platypus hangs in the balance. Its IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) rating is near threatened, and its population is declining. Its main threats today are land development and dams blocking the natural flow of water. Platypuses mostly settle on rivers lined with native Australian trees, such as eucalypts and wattles. However, 134 species of eucalypts have had their numbers drop by 30%. Additionally, large dams can restrict platypus mating, leading to inbreeding and lessening the exchange of genetics that’s crucial in order to sustain a healthy and diverse population. Furthermore (Thank god for thesaurus), platypuses can often get stuck in nets that fishermen lay out or get accidentally hooked by a fishing pole. Both of these things can be fatal for a platypus, as platypuses cannot breathe underwater, getting stuck in a net can potentially kill the platypus, and if a fishing hook gets stuck in the bill of a platypus, it can make it much harder for them to hunt.
So I hope that you’ve learned a lot about the greatest animal ever today. I’ll have a bunch of things in the further reading if you want to further the goals of our association. I’ve been Amitav Krishna, and platypus save the king.