The wise mother nature endowed some animals with significant physical strength and sharp teeth, which serve as a means of protection from enemies (or are used for food). Others use the strongest poisons as weapons when attacking prey or for protection. A striking example is the platypus that lives in East Australia and on the island of Tasmania. This animal is often called the only poisonous mammal in the world. Is it really? Find out!
The fact that the platypus is dangerous already seems incredible. After all, he looks surprisingly harmless. He has a soft beak, similar to a duck, and the tail resembles the tail of a beaver. The body is covered with thick fur. Interestingly, the platypus lays and hatches eggs, like a bird, but feeds the cubs with milk.
However, no matter how cute the platypus is, it is still worth fearing. It concerns mainly male platypuses. These creatures have special glands that secrete poison, and they are located near the hips. Through the tubes, the poison enters from the glands to a special process on the hind legs. During the mating season, the male platypus uses it in the fight against rivals. The platypus venom can kill a small animal.
Is the platypus the only poisonous mammal in the world? The answer is definitely negative! There are, of course, extremely few poisonous mammals, besides the platypus, on Earth, however they are. Among them are some types of shrews: a short-tailed shrew and a water (ordinary) cutter. The latter, by the way, lives on the shores of Russian reservoirs.
There is also another animal on Earth that emits poison and is periodically mistakenly called the only poisonous mammal in the world. The name of this creature is not familiar to many. This is the crab, the owner of toxic saliva, which, paradoxically, is capable of killing him. Such incidents occur, as a rule, during fights between relatives. Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to meet this animal, since the crab is leading in the list of endangered species.
As you can see, the platypus is not the only poisonous mammal in the world, although, undoubtedly, it is very interesting. By the way, about the interesting - get acquainted with these representatives of the terrestrial fauna, which are recognized as the most poisonous!
