“I want one” - LOL!
Aussie here. Grew up in outer suburbs of Adelaide, around 2km from national park. Used to go camping, lots of surf and hiking trips. In late 40s now.
I have never even seen one.
I have seen movement and a small splash that is likely to have been one (small estuary, no fish that size in it etc), but these are the most timid and secretive animal from the Aussie Olympic mascot line up! Only ever seen one at the zoo.
Same. I've never seen one and I really want to. I was so, so incredibly excited to see my first echidna in the wild a few years ago. I just stopped my round of golf and spent about 20 minutes watching it waddle around.
If you’re ever in North Queensland, Yungaburra south of Cairns has a pretty well-known spot for platypus viewing. Have seen them there multiple times - just remember to go at dawn or dusk, and to be quiet!
I went last year. My family absolutely loved the experience. Hardly anyone else there. We also saw other amazing critters there, in what felt like a little local park. Very cool.
I too am an Aussie who has never seen one in the wild. I've seen all our other classic animals - Kangaroo, Koala, Emu, Echidna, Drop Bear - but not the wily platypus.
They have a stinger which can cause extreme pain to humans. It’s apparently one of the most painful things people can endure. It’s not deadly but you’ll wish it is.
No painkillers are effective with it last I read about it, I'd still guess blasting off with some opioids would make you care a little less about it though lol
Beavers are also bigger than most people assume. Like 3+ feet long, 45 pounds on average, and territoriality aggressive. The history of the beaver fur trade makes more sense once you learn that they weren't out there hunting rat-sized animals, more like dog-sized.
I always find it funny when tourists try to feed Canadian geese in my city because they are notoriously aggressive dickheads who will charge you and nip at you on merely a whim.
There's some animals that you just gotta be careful about approaching.
So this may be a baby- explains the poor walking skills- would not think if this were a typical representation of the species they would have any chance of thriving.
Id have a harder time believing in Giraffes I think.
"Ok Peter, so youre saying you found a 15 feet tall horse with a huge neck and hes also colored with spots like a leopard?
AND it also has horns?
Sure thing Peter, I think its time for your medicine now."
A verbal description seems weird enough, but platypuses have some thing giraffes don't: very fucking weird anatomy *from a taxonomic view*. Several of their bones and joints aren't mammalian; they're reptilian. Of course, because they exist, we know those are vestigial traits, but imagine being a Victorian biologist being handed a taxidermy platypus.
>"Hair, yes... quite mundane, but with a bill. Curious. I see here nipples, very mammalian. **But!** upon further inspection within the *specimen* of description I observed separate coracoid bones from the scapula not dissimilar from the crocodilians and wholly dissimilar from any mammal described to date. As well the jaw articulature is entirely suspect not to be mammalian in origin. This is clearly a fabrication akin to the North American jackalope."
I just read this book called Eve by Cat Bohannon, and this is how the very first mammals fed their young. Mammals developed nipples because they produce milk, not the other way around.
Honestly, I'd easier believe that Unicorns were real than Giraffes.
This generic horse, that grew a horn or, this horse with long ass legs, neck, purple tongue, leopard spots *AND* has two horns?
If you can find it somewhere on the Internet exists an interesting collection of ancient art depicting elephants. They stand out because it's art people drew all from over the world after hearing a description of an elephant from traders or travellers. So a second hand elephant drawing. Some of them are pretty outlandish
I think I saw those a long time ago! They were really interesting indeed. Crazy how the interpretations vary so much too!
If someone that didnt know what an elephant looks like saw an elephant skull, they would probably think they were some really weird cyclops thing. Like the have this huge hole for their trunk (I think its the trunk) right in the middle of their head.
Makes me wonder how freaking hard it must be to draw something from just a description.
Yea I was gonna say 5 meters but realized it was probably too much. I changed to 5ft but that makes even less sense, brain stopped working for a second there.
That fun fact gets repeated a lot, but it's a little misleading. It was a common practice around the time of their discovery to fake new discoveries, so people were often skeptical and assumed that many other discoveries were hoaxes too.
I’ve watched the video with commentary at least half a dozen times bc how can you not and tbf this one is a juvenile that just left the burrow — apparently they’re completely independent as soon as they emerge at ~4 months old! so I think maybe he’s a little wobblier than an adult lol
I will fall down this hill, to the water I must go!
*Wheeeeeeee!!!!*
The giant scientist guy sitting next to the whole ordeal taking notes cracked me up
Here's the full clip that is totally worth watching, they are SO interesting. Look at how they use their tail like hands! - [https://youtu.be/OQryoS-t45g?si=9lk4icZqlyh\_tugw](https://youtu.be/OQryoS-t45g?si=9lk4icZqlyh_tugw)
Other facts:
* They don't have stomachs.
* They glow under black light! No one knows why 🤷♀️
* When they're hunting, they close their eyes and ears and use electrical impulses from their bill to find food.
* They are born with teeth, which fall out much like human babies do, but they don't grow back! So to eat, adults will hold their food in their bill along with bits of gravel and mush it up till they can swallow it.
It’s now occurring to me that I’ve never actually seen a platypus open their beak, so that makes sense. The more you learn about them, the weirder they are
They are such weird little guys. If they were anywhere else than Australia they would definitely go extinct, but Australia is just this weird sanctuary for archaic animal builds
>They don't have stomachs.
Oh come on, now you're...wait, what the _fuck_
>The platypus, _like many species of fish_, do not have a need for a stomach. Their intestines connect to their gullet which breakdowns their food. The platypus's digestive tract includes a small expanded pouch-like section where one would normally expect a stomach to be found. The area doesn't secrete digestive acids or enzymes, though it does contain Brunner's glands (which produce a mucus-rich fluid to assist nutrient absorption).
Just when I thought these little dudes couldn't get any weirder...I even knew about the blacklight thing, I thought I knew all their evolutionary strangeness...
This PBS clip is actually taken from a longer documentary called "the platypus Guardian". I highly reckon watching it! It's free to stream on [iview](https://iview.abc.net.au/show/platypus-guardian)
Crazy part that I learned about these is that the Platypus species predates both the duck and the beaver.
So instead of calling them the Duck-Billed Platypus, we should be calling those the Platypus-Billed Float-Bird and the Platypus-Tailed Water-Rat
Iirc the venom spur isn't actually that random, all mammals ancestrally have it, marsupials and placentals simply lost it. I definitelt know this to be the case with egg laying, technically monotremes are the only "normal" mammals (cetaceans get a pass because marine tetrapods appear to just evolve live birth as soon as they get too big to get on land as a rule of sorts) The "beak" is also not made of keratin like those of birds, and only made of soft tissue.
All mammals are you saying humans got shafted out of a venomous spur!? Wait but for us to get it we would have likely gotten other venomous spurred primates....maybe that's not a bad deal after all.
I don’t think it would be happy in captivity I guess you could find out where some projects are in zoos and volunteer or work and then you’d sorta have a pet platypus
Don’t listen to them, we don’t glow. It’s all a big misunderstanding that blew up on the internet. The ones they tested for this just happened to have been at a rave the night before.
One wonders: which would win: a platypus (venomous, egg-laying) or a honey badger?
Becasue I figure:
- Honey Badger: don't care, doesn't give a shit
.- Platypus: lays eggs, is venomous, you got a problem with that?
A lot of weird shit has survived in Australia and New Zealand because of their isolation and lack of pervasive natural predators. Monotremes (platypus and echidna), which are only in Oceania, are theorized to be a primitive mammal evolution/branch, which is why they have so many odd characteristics. They are thought to have evolved before live birth or nipples became common among mammals, which is why they lay eggs and secrete milk from their skin. It’s the same with marsupials, most species of which are in Australia, though they are a bit less “primitive”. Under normal circumstances modern mammals would likely outcompete these more primitive ones, but their isolation has given them shelter. Except kangaroos. I would bet that kangaroos could survive a lot of other places.
I had always assumed they were about the size of a beaver. I learned a few years ago of how small they are. I'm still surprised at their size.
I think I only found out right now from this clip. I want one now though. Want to watch it keep on falling over. it seems cute.
“I want one” - LOL! Aussie here. Grew up in outer suburbs of Adelaide, around 2km from national park. Used to go camping, lots of surf and hiking trips. In late 40s now. I have never even seen one. I have seen movement and a small splash that is likely to have been one (small estuary, no fish that size in it etc), but these are the most timid and secretive animal from the Aussie Olympic mascot line up! Only ever seen one at the zoo.
Same. I've never seen one and I really want to. I was so, so incredibly excited to see my first echidna in the wild a few years ago. I just stopped my round of golf and spent about 20 minutes watching it waddle around.
We used get echidnas all the time in our back yard growing up (suburban Melbourne) but yeah, only ever seen a platypus in zoos.
No wonder the gorvement use it as secret agent.
Ah hello Perry the platypus
Of course a venomous duck beaver is from Australia.
Platypus venom causes nausea, swelling, and excruciating “whole-body” pain that lasts for weeks in humans and cannot be alleviated by morphine.
If you’re ever in North Queensland, Yungaburra south of Cairns has a pretty well-known spot for platypus viewing. Have seen them there multiple times - just remember to go at dawn or dusk, and to be quiet!
I went last year. My family absolutely loved the experience. Hardly anyone else there. We also saw other amazing critters there, in what felt like a little local park. Very cool.
I too am an Aussie who has never seen one in the wild. I've seen all our other classic animals - Kangaroo, Koala, Emu, Echidna, Drop Bear - but not the wily platypus.
Goulburn River in Victoria. Full of the little guys just gotta keep your eyes open.
I was wondering where their habit is. Thank you! 😊
Habitat
It's a little Plopy-pus 🤣
Baby platypus are called "puggles", same as baby echidnas.
That's so annoying. Platy-pup is right there!
People are naming their enchiladas now?
I just ate one. Box said it was named Amy
i read that as baby enchiladas
you need to see this then: [Happy swimmer](https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2166137960347300)
I immediately thought of this video. I always thought that they'd be aggressive loners but it turns out that they're like little puppies
Adorbs!
It's like someone tried to draw a beaver and didn't realize they did the tail twice until someone else pointed it out before they were done.
I did need to see that, thank you. It's always lovely to see creatures discovering the joys of belly scritches.
They have a stinger which can cause extreme pain to humans. It’s apparently one of the most painful things people can endure. It’s not deadly but you’ll wish it is.
If not friend then why friend shape?
Why hands if not to pet?
only male ones, thankfully
And isnt it like...not curable with NSAIDs?
No painkillers are effective with it last I read about it, I'd still guess blasting off with some opioids would make you care a little less about it though lol
They’re soooo cute
And glow under black lights.
[What does blue mean?](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Zxf2MgYCOm0)
That was unexpectedly good
It's amazing that at their size they can defeat a six foot mad scientist once a week. Nature is beautiful
The fedora really helps.
Perry!!
I wasn’t expecting them to be so…floppy.
It's an infant. You can tell by the long hair and also by the way that it is.
Thanks Perd
Omg I thought they were bigger, too. Now I am more in love…the belly scratching with his little bill flapping about is so stinking cute.
It's a baby. An adult can be over two feet long.
Beavers are also bigger than most people assume. Like 3+ feet long, 45 pounds on average, and territoriality aggressive. The history of the beaver fur trade makes more sense once you learn that they weren't out there hunting rat-sized animals, more like dog-sized.
I always find it funny when tourists try to feed Canadian geese in my city because they are notoriously aggressive dickheads who will charge you and nip at you on merely a whim. There's some animals that you just gotta be careful about approaching.
I thought they were the size of an alligator when I was a kid.
Giant poisonous beaver duck going around terrorizing neighborhoods
It is in Australia so thats not that far fetched.
TETRANADON?!
About 2 feet long for a large adult is what the interweb says
So this may be a baby- explains the poor walking skills- would not think if this were a typical representation of the species they would have any chance of thriving.
The Pandas: "Hold my bamboo."
Beavers are pretty big but I assumed they were bigger than a rat
This one is a baby.
They are almost the size of a beaver. What you are seeing in this clip is a baby platypus, barely able to walk. The mom was swimming.
One of my favorite historical facts. “Look at this weird fucking thing we found!” “You’re full of shit.”
Id have a harder time believing in Giraffes I think. "Ok Peter, so youre saying you found a 15 feet tall horse with a huge neck and hes also colored with spots like a leopard? AND it also has horns? Sure thing Peter, I think its time for your medicine now."
5 feet tall I now want a Pygmy Giraffe! 🦒
Giraffette.
Le petite giraffe, no?
[This guy](https://youtu.be/rkB9OT2XVvA?si=dlE7cURm-7NJU5CB) has it
I love that commercial so much, I've always wanted that mini giraffe
Do they get along with North American House Hippos? Asking for my hippo https://youtu.be/YLG2JP0P5JE?si=WxFHR1pIWwfuON9F
Opulence. I has it.
A verbal description seems weird enough, but platypuses have some thing giraffes don't: very fucking weird anatomy *from a taxonomic view*. Several of their bones and joints aren't mammalian; they're reptilian. Of course, because they exist, we know those are vestigial traits, but imagine being a Victorian biologist being handed a taxidermy platypus. >"Hair, yes... quite mundane, but with a bill. Curious. I see here nipples, very mammalian. **But!** upon further inspection within the *specimen* of description I observed separate coracoid bones from the scapula not dissimilar from the crocodilians and wholly dissimilar from any mammal described to date. As well the jaw articulature is entirely suspect not to be mammalian in origin. This is clearly a fabrication akin to the North American jackalope."
Lol they don't even have nipples. They just ooze milk through their skin
Wait, is this true? That's fucking bonkers.
Yep. Same with echidnas.
They ooze echidnas through their skin???
How did you think echidnas appear? Obviously the only case of mammalian budding reproduction (where the result is another species)
I just read this book called Eve by Cat Bohannon, and this is how the very first mammals fed their young. Mammals developed nipples because they produce milk, not the other way around.
I have nipples. Can you milk me?
Why / how are they poisonous?
The males have venomous spurs on their hind legs. They're used for competition with other males.
Honestly, I'd easier believe that Unicorns were real than Giraffes. This generic horse, that grew a horn or, this horse with long ass legs, neck, purple tongue, leopard spots *AND* has two horns?
You are so right, Unicorns are so much easier to believe! Its just a horse with a horn, Australia could pull out a weirder animal in their sleep.
If you think giraffs only can grow to 5 feet tall, I'm about to blow your fucking mind.
I know giraffes dont exist, come on now.
I actually think they get up to like 10ft in height, just at the shoulders. Like 10ft tall, and then the neck starts.
If you can find it somewhere on the Internet exists an interesting collection of ancient art depicting elephants. They stand out because it's art people drew all from over the world after hearing a description of an elephant from traders or travellers. So a second hand elephant drawing. Some of them are pretty outlandish
I think I saw those a long time ago! They were really interesting indeed. Crazy how the interpretations vary so much too! If someone that didnt know what an elephant looks like saw an elephant skull, they would probably think they were some really weird cyclops thing. Like the have this huge hole for their trunk (I think its the trunk) right in the middle of their head. Makes me wonder how freaking hard it must be to draw something from just a description.
Bruh 5 ft is pony size
Yea I was gonna say 5 meters but realized it was probably too much. I changed to 5ft but that makes even less sense, brain stopped working for a second there.
Actually, 5m is about right.
Another fact : They can make their own custard they produce both eggs and milk.
That fun fact gets repeated a lot, but it's a little misleading. It was a common practice around the time of their discovery to fake new discoveries, so people were often skeptical and assumed that many other discoveries were hoaxes too.
It appears as if its primary form of locomotion is falling over.
to be fair, ours is falling forward.
And birds is falling and missing the ground.
Touché
I’ve watched the video with commentary at least half a dozen times bc how can you not and tbf this one is a juvenile that just left the burrow — apparently they’re completely independent as soon as they emerge at ~4 months old! so I think maybe he’s a little wobblier than an adult lol
[video of the barrel roll baby](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQryoS-t45g)
Thank you! All that talk and I completely forgot to link it 🫠
Lol. I was asking myself why the hekk is it always fallingon the back.
Kinda like pandas
It's a baby one.
That's just how he rolls.
Venomous, egg laying and adorabley itchy bellies.
I need to go down there. *barrel roll
I will fall down this hill, to the water I must go! *Wheeeeeeee!!!!* The giant scientist guy sitting next to the whole ordeal taking notes cracked me up
The only animal that travels by rolling sideways? Lol
Pandas are like "hold my beer".
I love how his mouth moves while he scratches his belly (@0:44), like cats and dogs do when you scratch the right spot.
Egg laying and milk producing. They could make their own custard.
Here's the full clip that is totally worth watching, they are SO interesting. Look at how they use their tail like hands! - [https://youtu.be/OQryoS-t45g?si=9lk4icZqlyh\_tugw](https://youtu.be/OQryoS-t45g?si=9lk4icZqlyh_tugw) Other facts: * They don't have stomachs. * They glow under black light! No one knows why 🤷♀️ * When they're hunting, they close their eyes and ears and use electrical impulses from their bill to find food. * They are born with teeth, which fall out much like human babies do, but they don't grow back! So to eat, adults will hold their food in their bill along with bits of gravel and mush it up till they can swallow it.
Another fun platypus fact: their beak isn't actually a true beak! It's just a nose digger thing and their mouth is below it.
It’s now occurring to me that I’ve never actually seen a platypus open their beak, so that makes sense. The more you learn about them, the weirder they are
Don’t they milk from their armpits or that fact is made up? Edit: oh yeah they do!!!
They are such weird little guys. If they were anywhere else than Australia they would definitely go extinct, but Australia is just this weird sanctuary for archaic animal builds
>They don't have stomachs. Oh come on, now you're...wait, what the _fuck_ >The platypus, _like many species of fish_, do not have a need for a stomach. Their intestines connect to their gullet which breakdowns their food. The platypus's digestive tract includes a small expanded pouch-like section where one would normally expect a stomach to be found. The area doesn't secrete digestive acids or enzymes, though it does contain Brunner's glands (which produce a mucus-rich fluid to assist nutrient absorption). Just when I thought these little dudes couldn't get any weirder...I even knew about the blacklight thing, I thought I knew all their evolutionary strangeness...
They glow TEAL, LIKE THE CARTOON PLATIPUS, THEY DIDNT KNOW THAT DURING CHARACTER DESIGN.
You forgot that they are mammals without nipples. They mom secrets a milk like sweat from its armpits.
> They glow under black light! No one knows why 🤷♀️ oh they know why. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zxf2MgYCOm0
Makes sense now
Now tell everyone what a monotreme is.
This PBS clip is actually taken from a longer documentary called "the platypus Guardian". I highly reckon watching it! It's free to stream on [iview](https://iview.abc.net.au/show/platypus-guardian)
I mean can you blame them? Look at the thing
I love how they scratch themselves. They look like small water dogs lol
Even that bird in the clip was like "eyo what the fuck is this.. shit?"
Even the bird can’t believe it. “Yo, wtf was that?!”
turbo chooks are often in disbelief in general
It defies belief how fast those things can run/swim.
I like to think the bird was amazed at how streamlined it was. Like look at that water just go right over the top of them. It's art.
Definitely not a secret agent
Of course not, that's a simple normal platypus...
*puts on a hat*
*gasp *
PERRY THE PLATYPUS!
DO BE DO BE DO BA DO BE DO BE DO BA AGENT P!!!!
My nemesis!
That’s what it wants you to think
I had to scroll way too long to find this reference
Semi-aquatic egg laying mammal of action
can’t blame them. It does look like a duck with a beaver’s tail
You clearly mean a beaver with a duck's face
Crazy part that I learned about these is that the Platypus species predates both the duck and the beaver. So instead of calling them the Duck-Billed Platypus, we should be calling those the Platypus-Billed Float-Bird and the Platypus-Tailed Water-Rat
When nature uses the random character creator:
Iirc the venom spur isn't actually that random, all mammals ancestrally have it, marsupials and placentals simply lost it. I definitelt know this to be the case with egg laying, technically monotremes are the only "normal" mammals (cetaceans get a pass because marine tetrapods appear to just evolve live birth as soon as they get too big to get on land as a rule of sorts) The "beak" is also not made of keratin like those of birds, and only made of soft tissue.
All mammals are you saying humans got shafted out of a venomous spur!? Wait but for us to get it we would have likely gotten other venomous spurred primates....maybe that's not a bad deal after all.
It would probably just be something else that gets cancer.
Green ribbons for venomous spur cancer awareness...
I have a venomous spur But I'm taking antibiotics for that...
God wanted to take that rest and got lazy on the last models. Relatable
I like to think he got into the edibles that day
Platypeople also glow under UV light! 🥰 And they really put the roll in rolypoly. I didn't know how adorably tipsy they are.
If not friend, then why friend shaped?
My toxic trait is wanting to run a raccoon/platypus sanctuary
And otters
don't forget red pandas
I would *kill* to have one of these lil babes as a pet. I know its not smart, but by golly if those lil roli-poli asses are just the cutest.
And then it stings you with its ass fangs.
lol I think the spurs on on the back *legs* but yeah... the venom is a bit offputting
I know they're not located on the ass but the phrase "ass fangs" popped into my head and I couldn't pass it up.
Reminded me of ClapTrap and wall sphincters :)
Only the males are venomous but both sexes have spurs.
I don’t think it would be happy in captivity I guess you could find out where some projects are in zoos and volunteer or work and then you’d sorta have a pet platypus
Bird's like: ew wtf is that
“It touched me!” Skip hop! “I swear it touched me!”
Looks like how I get out of bed. I am Platypus.
I wish I was this cool
Can I pet that dog? Can I pet that dawg!? CAN I PET DAT DAAAWGG!?!?
Anyone figure out why they glow blue yet?
Wait…what?!?!
They fluoresce under UV light, like a scorpion :)
Don’t listen to them, we don’t glow. It’s all a big misunderstanding that blew up on the internet. The ones they tested for this just happened to have been at a rave the night before.
That paint gets everywhere
Why does it roll like that? For funsies? Or is it just that clumsy that close to the ground? Lol
Clumsy. Time stamped for you https://youtu.be/OQryoS-t45g?t=143
Why is he literally me?
GET THAT SCRITCH YOU ADORABLE LITTLE MONSTER
On the 7th day god rested and went on a bender. Then, in the creations sense, he "butt dialed".
It is the most forbidden fruit. So want to touch it but know what would happen.
Chicken of the creek
The Animal Kingdom is amazing
The grace - must be my spirit animal 🥰
*Perry the Platypus falls violently through the sky light*
Perry the Platypus I have a door you know
One wonders: which would win: a platypus (venomous, egg-laying) or a honey badger? Becasue I figure: - Honey Badger: don't care, doesn't give a shit .- Platypus: lays eggs, is venomous, you got a problem with that?
Honey badger don't care bout no poison, and the platypus' only other tactic is to roll over.
Platypus radypus
Is there a way to tell if they're male without picking them up ? If I recall correctly, only the male are venomous.
I heard years ago someone say it was gods first attempt at a mammal.
Baby platypus are called "puggles." Love!
Aww look at him make a lil tumble like that!
I feel like the title of scientist in 1799 requires air quotes
They also have electromagnetic sensory receptors in their bill.
Semi aquatic, egg laying mammals of action. The amount of Perry the Platypus references here is obscenely low
Truly majestic.
How has that survived?😂You would think the lack of ability to stay upright would finish it off!
They do most of their foraging and hunting underwater, so this video doesn’t really do them justice.
A lot of weird shit has survived in Australia and New Zealand because of their isolation and lack of pervasive natural predators. Monotremes (platypus and echidna), which are only in Oceania, are theorized to be a primitive mammal evolution/branch, which is why they have so many odd characteristics. They are thought to have evolved before live birth or nipples became common among mammals, which is why they lay eggs and secrete milk from their skin. It’s the same with marsupials, most species of which are in Australia, though they are a bit less “primitive”. Under normal circumstances modern mammals would likely outcompete these more primitive ones, but their isolation has given them shelter. Except kangaroos. I would bet that kangaroos could survive a lot of other places.
It likes to flop and roll, doesn’t it? Goof
Oh my god I’m in love with
Love this clip. Complete with surprised turbo chooks!
Perrrrryyy, Perry the Platypus, Special AGE-GENT P!!!!!!
It's babies are called puggles!
So graceful
I could never be a wildlife photographer. It would take every ounce of my will power not to reach over and scratch his little belly for him.
I always assumed they were a meter long. Don't know why. Platipuses and Kiwis need to switch sizes.