Comments

  1. John Horstman says

    D’aww, cute baby platypodes!

    Also, some random footage of echidnae at 3:15…

  2. methuseus says

    The sheer amount of growth in four months is astounding to me. I know plenty of other animals grow quite a lot in short spans, but that seems so much greater. I guess that’s partially because the platypus is little more than a well-developed embryo when hatched? Thinking about it that way and then thinkinga bout how other mammals grow in the womb makes more sense to me.

  3. Colin J says

    I saw one in the wild once, which I gather is a pretty rare thing. They are very shy, they tend to be active at dawn & dusk and they favour murky waters.

    At easter last year I saw one in a pool at Jenolan Caves. Middle of the day, crystal clear water and the banks lined with tourists. The platypus kept swimming to the bottom then coming to the surface over and over again like it was deliberately showing off. It was awesome, and a totally amazing creature.

  4. throwaway, butcher of tongues, mauler of metaphor says

    I’ll never eat the white ones again, primarily because some of them surprise me with a mint flavor. Whoever thought mint went with licorice needs to be prosecuted along with Dick Cheney for crimes against humanity.

  5. slithey tove (twas brillig (stevem)) says

    Has anyone ever told Ham about the platypus as the sterling example of an “intermediate form”?
    I’m sure many have, many times, and Ham is stuck with his fingers in his ears and eyes closed, humming, “I can’t hear you”, “I don’t see nuthin”.
    When forced to look and respond, I’m sure he’ll just say, “It’s not intermediate, it’s a totals unique species, to teach us a lesson. The lesson is right there, in that Bible you refuse to read, to arrogantly derive everything yourself.” &bafflegab, bafflegab, etc.
    sorry to get so Hammy.
    Platypi, errr Platypodes, errr platypuses are my favorite form of mammalian creature. I love how its discovery threw everyone into a tizzy…