Only male platypuses have venomous spurs. The amount of venom a male platypus produces also increases during breeding season, so scientists believe it is used as a weapon against rival males.

"We've discovered conflicting functions of GLP-1 in the platypus: in the gut as a regulator of blood glucose, and in venom to fend off other platypus males during breeding season. This tug of war ...

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - From high altitudes to tropical rainforests, platypuses are native to Eastern Australia. When it was first scientifically described in 1799, it was laughed at and checked for ...

Hidden in Australian rivers lives a creature that shouldn’t exist. The platypus lays eggs like a reptile, feeds its young like a mammal, and carries venom strong enough to cause intense pain. It hunts ...

Male platypuses have sharp spurs on their back legs shaped like a canine tooth. These hollow spurs measure 0.59 to 0.71 inches long and connect to crural glands in the animal’s upper thighs. These ...