This venom is not lethal to platypuses or humans, but it causes swelling and excruciating pain, and it can disrupt wound healing and the function of cell membranes, she noted. The venom itself contains a cocktail of more than a dozen proteins that belong to three major classes of toxins, op den Brouw wrote. To inject its venom, a male wraps its legs around its victim and drives the spurs through the animal's flesh, according to op den Brouw. The venom glands of adult males fluctuate in size throughout the year, reaching their maximum size during breeding season, when males use their venom to compete for mates. Young females also have these spurs, but they lose them in the first year of life. Male platypuses carry venom glands, located near their pelvises, that connect to hollow spurs on their hind legs, according to a blog written by Bianca op den Brouw, a toxinologist at the University of Melbourne in Australia. The skin of the bill holds tens of thousands of sensory receptors that help the platypus navigate underwater and detect movement of potential food, such as shrimp, according to the Australian Platypus Conservatory. The bill of a platypus resembles that of a duck and has a smooth texture that feels like suede. The animals walk on their knuckles to protect the webbing, according to a 2001 report in the Journal of Experimental Biology. When platypuses are on land, their webbing retracts, making the claws more pronounced, according to National Geographic. Scientists are still investigating this question.Ī platypus's front feet have extra skin that acts like a paddle when the animal is swimming. It's possible that this biofluorescence helps reduce the animals' visibility to predators, but the eerie glow may serve little or no ecological function. Under ultraviolet light, however, platypuses' drab brown fur glows green and blue, Live Science previously reported. Most of the fur is dark brown, except for a patch of lighter fur near each eye and lighter-colored fur on the underside. In some cases, the nature of the item means that it is non-returnable, for example, due to hygiene/health and personal care/wellness/consumable nature of the product.Platypuses have dense, thick fur that helps them stay warm underwater. Office Products and Wireless Returns Policy New electronic items fulfilled by Amazon AU can be returned for change of mind, for a replacement or a full refund of the purchase cost of the item within 30 days of receipt of delivery.For information about returning faulty electronics please see Returning Faulty Items. Please see our Amazon Global Store Returns policy and Refunds policy for more information about returning Amazon Global Store items.Ĭamera, Electronics and PC Returns Policy Please see About Marketplace Returns & Refunds for details on Seller returns policies. To return faulty items see our Returning Faulty Items policy.įor items ordered on from a seller that fulfils and ships its own inventory (also called a third party seller), any returns will be in accordance with the returns policy set by that seller (not the Amazon AU returns policies). This change of mind return policy is in addition to, and does not affect your rights under the Australian Consumer Law including any rights you may have in respect of faulty items. Unless otherwise stated, original shipping fees for change of mind returns are not refunded. Please Contact Us and see About Items That Can’t Be Returned. In some circumstances, these items may be eligible for a refund or a replacement (for example, if you receive the wrong item due to an Amazon AU error or if the item is faulty). In some cases, the nature of the item means that it is non-returnable, for example, due to hygiene/health and personal care/wellness/consumable nature of the product. You can return most new, unopened items fulfilled by Amazon AU within 30 days of receipt of delivery for a replacement or full refund of the price you paid for the item if you change your mind - see About Replacements and About Refunds.
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