If you want to say that the animal kingdom is a must, you have to mention the name of "platypus".
The platypus has a large beak and feet, and its body is like a small seal, which can both crawl and snorkel. They are called "platypus", but they can lay eggs and feed milk, and this set of operations has stunned many scientists.
The birth of the platypus is all about patchwork?
Platypus is arguably the "strongest assembly" in the history of animal evolution, with duck-like beaks and flippers, but in fact belongs to the ranks of mammals. The name has the word "beast" in it, but it lays eggs.
That's right, this dizzying species is really like the name "platypus".
Outwardly, the platypus has soft fur and looks like a seal with a large combed back. Despite the fact that the platypus has two large flippers and very short limbs, it is very agile on land and can crawl quickly on all fours.
At the same time, the superior fins and delicate size of the platypus make them like propellers, swimming freely underwater. They are said to be able to stay underwater for up to 15 minutes per dive. When you think of platypus, the word "weird" immediately comes to mind.
The platypus has a brown "duck beak", which is extremely wide and flat, and although it looks as hard as leather, it is actually quite soft. Don't underestimate the strange "duckbill" of the platypus, its role is not small. The platypus's mouth is full of sensitive nerves, and like a radio station, it can pick up the radio waves emitted by other animals, like a walking detector.
In addition to duck beak and duck feet, the black agate-like eyes and raccoon tail of the platypus are also very distinctive. The raccoon tail, especially the raccoon tail, occupies about a quarter of its body length and acts as a rudder when diving. Coupled with the small front and large spindle body shape, they are covered in gray-brown dense hair, which makes them look particularly cute. As a child, the platypus had teeth, but when it grew up, it was replaced by grinding pads.
Although platypus is a crawler and a good swimmer, it also has a strong ability to adapt. However, they live mainly in caves, preferring dim light and secluded burrowing. To facilitate their swimming, platypuses tend to build their dens close to water sources.
In the eyes of many people, platypuses are weird and cute, but in fact they are not vegetarians, and platypus also has a "big stomach" appetite. The weight of food consumed in a day is about equal to one's own body weight. They usually dive into the water to feed on food such as worms and freshwater shrimp, and sometimes look for earthworms on the shore after rain.
At feeding moments, the platypus again displays its strange nature. With no teeth to assist them in chewing, when they find food in the water, they will hide it in their thick cheeks like hamsters, and when it is safe to return to the surface, the platypus will use its hard jaws to crush the food and swallow it in its stomach.
The "rebels" on the road to evolution
It's not for nothing that the platypus has been nicknamed the "rebel on the evolutionary path". As mentioned earlier, their equipment is almost entirely "patchwork", and they are looking in the direction of ducks. But there are two systems in the genes that confuse human vision, one is to have the body of a mammal, and the other is to do the things of oviparous animals.
It is said that in order to classify platypus, many of the great masters of the biological world have been arguing for nearly half a century. Platypus appeared in South America about 61 million years ago, and due to the evolution of the earth, they were preserved in the earth's crust in the form of fossils. Today's platypus is only found in Australia, where they live on the same land as koalas and kangaroos.
The discovery of the platypus, a species that is not like the "four dislikes", corroborates the fact that mammals were able to lay eggs in ancient history. For a variety of reasons, the platypus continues this tradition. At the same time, the platypus, which can swim and crawl, seems to prove that some animals can evolve from reptiles to mammals.
Although there is a lack of scientific evidence, the existence of platypus provides a relatively reliable direction for these conjectures.
It is understood that fossil evidence related to platypus has also been found on the mainland. In February 2019, two marine reptile fossils were discovered in the Hubei region of China. They are from the Early Triassic era of Carlo Dong's fanpaddle dragon, which traveled 248 million years of time and space, and seem to prove that they have some connection to the platypus. And the reason why the researchers are so guessing is that the head of Carlo Dong's fanpaddle dragon is highly similar to that of a platypus.
A mascot that uses poison
The platypus is currently endemic to Australia, a part of Australian culture, and a mascot in the hearts of Australians. But don't underestimate the "assault" platypus on the evolutionary road, they are not as cute and honest as they seem.
Scientists say that platypuses are very protective creatures, and they are one of the few mammals that carry their own venom. Male platypus contains stingers on the back of their knees, which play a role in self-protection and fighting for the right to mate. When we see a swaying platypus in the wild, don't marvel at our luck, and don't get excited to pet someone.
The venom of a platypus can cause severe pain and burning, and an Australian woman once had to turn to a doctor because she kindly helped an injured platypus to be pricked.
The arrogance of the platypus: neither extinct nor evolved
Seeing this, the word "weird" is no longer enough to describe the platypus, it can only be described as "wonderful". Because their small and comical bodies seem to be fighting against nature's evolutionary forces, they are arrogantly saying: I will neither extinct nor evolve.
Despite tens of millions of years of earth's vicissitudes, the platypus clan is still alive. You must know that the dinosaurs, known as the overlords of a generation, have long disappeared into the dust of history, and the little platypus, with its stubborn mouth, continues tenaciously to this day, and makes a lot of humans crazy.
Although science has unveiled the mystery of the "four dissimilarities" of the platypus, in the face of the eternal genome, our understanding of the platypus is still separated by a long galaxy. Perhaps it's the beauty of distance, even though platypuses only live in isolated Australia, there are still many people who look forward to seeing them.
The platypus, who becomes a demon if he doesn't go crazy, is simply "crazy" in order to stick to his own self. Not only has it survived tenaciously, but it has also become a representative of the "weird species" in the eyes of humans, thank you for reading.