Duckbill platypus stinger11/9/2023 See also: Plural form of words ending in -us Frederick Nodder's illustration from the first scientific description in 1799 of " Platypus anatinus" The species is classified as a near-threatened species by the IUCN, but a November 2020 report has recommended that it is upgraded to threatened species under the federal EPBC Act, due to habitat destruction and declining numbers in all states. It is listed as an endangered species in South Australia and vulnerable in Victoria. The platypus has been a legally protected species in all states where it occurs since 1912. Although captive-breeding programs have had only limited success and the platypus is vulnerable to the effects of pollution, it is not under any immediate threat. Until the early 20th century, humans hunted the platypus for its fur, but it is now protected throughout its range. It has appeared as a mascot at national events and features on the reverse of the Australian twenty-cent coin, and the platypus is the animal emblem of the state of New South Wales. It is culturally significant to several Aboriginal peoples of Australia, who also used to hunt the animal for food. The unique features of the platypus make it an important subject in the study of evolutionary biology, and a recognisable and iconic symbol of Australia. In 1799, the first scientists to examine a preserved platypus body judged it a fake, made of several animals sewn together. The unusual appearance of this egg-laying, duck-billed, beaver-tailed, otter-footed mammal baffled European naturalists when they first encountered it. It is one of the few species of venomous mammals, as the male platypus has a spur on the hind foot that delivers a venom, capable of causing severe pain to humans. Like other monotremes, it senses prey through electrolocation. Together with the four species of echidna, it is one of the five extant species of monotremes, mammals that lay eggs instead of giving birth to live young. The platypus is the sole living representative or monotypic taxon of its family ( Ornithorhynchidae) and genus ( Ornithorhynchus), though a number of related species appear in the fossil record. The platypus's overlapping characteristics with other classes are likely evolutionary leftovers.The platypus ( Ornithorhynchus anatinus), sometimes referred to as the duck-billed platypus, is a semiaquatic, egg-laying mammal endemic to eastern Australia, including Tasmania. They split from the line leading to placental mammals - which incluides humans - around 166 million years ago. Monotremes are not direct relatives of birds and reptiles, but they are often considered the most basal of all mammals. Mammals split from birds and reptiles around 315 million years ago. The overlapping features has led some scientists to consider whether the platypus actually represents a missing link between reptiles and mammals.Īmniotes are the common ancestor of all mammals, birds and reptiles. Monotremes are, notably, egg-laying mammals that produce milk for their young. The platypus was ultimately placed into a new order called Monotremata, alongside the four living species of echidna. This meant that certain distinguishing features, such as mammary glands, were not obvious. The platypus was initially a challenge to classify due to the number of specimens available in Europe that were either incomplete or preserved. Birds are also warm-blooded but lay eggs, and reptiles are cold-blooded egg-layers that rely on the Sun or another heat source to warm them up. To simply separate the orders, mammals are warm-blooded, give birth to live young and feed them milk. When it was discovered, the platypus was difficult to classify, bearing characteristics of mammals, reptiles and birds. This hybrid name was accepted in accordance with the rules of priority when classifying animals with scientific names. The animal later became recognised as Ornithorhynchus anatinus, meaning bird-snouted flat-foot. So in 1803 Johann Friedrich Blumenbach published another description of the animal under the name Ornithorhynchus paradoxus - 'paradoxical bird-snout'. However, Platypus was already in use as the name of a genus of wood-boring ambrosia beetles. In 1799 he was the first to scientifically describe it, assigning it the species name Platypus anatinus, meaning flat-footed duck. George Shaw, keeper of the natural history collections at the British Museum (which were to later become the Natural History Museum), accepted the platypus as a real animal. But the platypus, as it was soon realised, was not among these. The nineteenth century saw a number of hoax animals on display, such as P T Barnum's Fiji (Feejee) Mermaid and Albert Koch's Missouri Leviathan.
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