10 Ways The Platypus Is A Freak Of Nature

Scientists agree: the platypus is bonkers.
10 Ways The Platypus Is A Freak Of Nature

The more early scientists learned about the platypus, the more confused they were. The platypus is a mammal that perplexingly shares many features with reptiles and birds, which led many early scientists to believe that the animal was a hoax. We here at Cracked are not scientists, but we ARE a perpetually baffled bunch of nerds who love discussing weirdo things about animals. Like, seriously: we have distinct memories of sitting in kindergarten and learning about the taxonomy of the animal kingdom and then hearing “but here's this one little adorable guy who breaks absolutely all those rules. The world doesn't make sense, and the platypus is proof of that. Have a normal day, five-year-old!” We were confused. We were baffled. And we held onto those confused and baffled feelings long enough to grow up into a world where the internet existed and we got to 1) learn that scientists are as confused as we are and 2) make a bunch of memes about it. 

Learn some fun facts about this remarkable animal below.

SCIENTISTS AGREE THAT THE PLATYPUS IS WEIRD AS HELL. ly Tiove Qaadhiapedlees 3 Although the platypus was well-known to Aboriginal Australians, it took
PLATYPUS NURSE THEIR YOUNG WITH MILK BUT DON'T HAVE NIPPLES. The babies lick special patches of their mother's skin. CRACKED COM
ONLY THE LEFT OVARY WORKS IN THE FEMALE PLATYPUS. Maybe you already knew the platypus is a mammal that lays eggs, but I bet you didn't know this fun f
PLATYPUS MILK COULD LEAD TO A NEW TYPE OF ANTIBIOTIC. Because they don't have nips for direct milk delivery, platypus milk contains powerful antibacte
MALES HAVE VENOMOUS ANKLE SPURS. Like some kind of cowboy supervillian, the venom could severely hurt humans and kill smaller animals, like dogs. (But
THE PLATYPUS HAS TEN SEX CHROMOSOMES. Instead of XX or XY, platypus can have XXXXXXXXXX or XXXXXYYYYY. Platypus' ancestors used to have two chromosome
PLATYPUS USE ELECTRORECEPTION. 2 1 0.5 0-3 mV cm-I The platypus is nocturnal and spends most of its night hunting for food in water. Its other sense a
THE PLATYPUS DOESN'T HAVE A STOMACH. Forget farm to table, the platypus' food goes gullet to intestine. CRACKED COM
THE PLATYPUS DOESN'T HAVE TEETH. Well, the young platypus has three teeth that it loses before it reaches maturity. Adults have keratinised pads inste
THERE IS NO AGREED UPON PLURAL FOR PLATYPUS. Let's reject both platypi and platypuses for sounding gross. May I suggest platypu? CRACKED COM
Scroll down for the next article
Forgot Password?