The platypus is one of the few living mammals to produce venom. The venom is made in venom glands that are connected to hollow spurs on their hind legs; it is primarily made during the mating season. [1] While the venom's effects are described as extremely painful, it …

Jun 22, 2015 · Platypus venom: painful, immediate, long-lasting, impervious to painkillers. A male platypus named Millsom is carried by his keeper at an animal sanctuary in Melbourne, Australia, in 2008....

The male platypus has a conspicuous spur located on each inner hind ankle. As shown below, adult male spurs (upper photo) are typically 15-18 millimetres long and similar in shape to a dog’s canine tooth.

These spurs are connected via a long duct to a venom-producing gland. Although the venom is not lethal to humans, the spike and subsequent contact of platypus venom has been described as excruciatingly painful to people, with localised swelling the main side effect.

Jan 15, 2025 · When a platypus feels threatened, it will stab its spurs into its attacker and inject this toxic venom. Fortunately for humans, platypus venom isn’t fatal, but it does cause extreme pain. In fact, it’s been described as “worse than childbirth” …

Oct 13, 2023 · Jenny Forward was driving home in Tasmania when she spotted what she thought was an injured platypus on the roadside. She attempted to intervene, but when she picked up the semi-aquatic...

Oct 2, 2008 · Platypus poison incapacitates competing male platypuses during mating season. Learn about platypus poison and other odd platypus features.

Jan 8, 2021 · Imagine a glowing creature with venomous spikes that stalks its prey in the night with eyes shut tight. It may sound like a thing of legends (or nightmares), but this creature is very much real. It is also surprisingly adorable, covered in dense fur and with a cartoonishly large beak and webbed feet.

Jan 13, 2010 · To unlock its secrets, the scientists collected samples of platypus venom and used high-tech analytical instruments to separate and characterize its components. They identified 11 new peptides, or protein subunits, in the venom.

Jan 1, 2014 · Since its discovery by Europeans in 1797, the venomous platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) has remained an enigma. At first, when a dried skin was sent back to England, it was thought to be the trick of a taxidermist (Grant 2007), and even once it was proven to be real, controversy raged over its mode of reproduction and its classification.