Naked Science Forum
Life Sciences => Plant Sciences, Zoology & Evolution => Topic started by: neilep on 18/07/2008 19:26:27
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Happy Freeday Everybody !
See Gerald Here ?
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He's a friendly looking chap isn't he ?
Careful though, I've heard he can be poisonous !
If Gerald really got peeved off with ewe where and how would he poison ewe ?
He is a mammal yes ?....if he really is poisonous......are there any other poisonous mammmals out there ?
Thanking Ewe
Neil
Platypus Poison Peruser
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Gerald is indeed poisonous. He has a claw on each rear leg that carries toxin. Only the males have them.
The duck-billed platypus is the only mammal to carry toxin.
Incidentally, Gerald is NOT a platypus. He is a duck-billed platypus. A platypus is a different type of beastie.
Here's 1...
(https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insectimages.org%2Fimages%2F384x256%2F5322040.jpg&hash=83c4a18cabd812390d6f9adc11d6af10)
Betcha dint know that!
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THANK EWE Herr Docteur ,
Gosh, so Gerald really is a poisonous beastie !....and only the blokeys are ?
Why's that then ?
I do in fact know that Geralds full species nomenclature is duck-billed platypus but I didn't know that a platypus is altogether another type of animal..Ewe def win that bet !!.....I've always thought that ' platypus ' was also the common term for Gerald !
However, according to wiki there is yet another biological entity called a platypus....."a synonym of the orchid genus Eulophia"
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I bet ewe didn't know that !!..did ya ...did ya !! ?
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Neil, you caught me out with that 1. I have to admit that I was totally unaware of the floral connection.
I'm now going to stand in the corner with a pointy hat on my head [:(]
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Please grace me with some patience as this corner is presently occupied by me pulling a plum out of a pie !
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*puts plum into mouth*
Beaver only know about Duck Billed Platipi because he thought they were just ducks and tried to bite their legs off!
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*puts plum into mouth*
Beaver only know about Duck Billed Platipi because he thought they were just ducks and tried to bite their legs off!
You do talk absolute twaddle at times. I thought you claimed to be quite intelligent for a human.
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If you think you are so bright, answer my fish problem.
PS. I have opened a very nice red wine so twadle is the order of the drunken day.
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If you think you are so bright, answer my fish problem.
I have so thrrrrp!
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With twadle.
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Merely speaking your language, dear lady.
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Thanks Shaz
*puts plum into mouth*
Beaver only know about Duck Billed Platipi because he thought they were just ducks and tried to bite their legs off!
Thank EWE for putting my plum in your mouth ! (https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fbestsmileys.com%2Fdrooling%2F3.gif&hash=df922f67cf6edd9d299f37cc182bd453)
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[:0]
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The moderators are going to flip!!!!
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(https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fbestsmileys.com%2Fthumbs%2F7.gif&hash=2abc85c2dea35d2f56283b5a399ac052)
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I think I'll just stand over here ! (https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fbestsmileys.com%2Feek%2F3.gif&hash=6cf2c0c4841f9b250aeec921cb3c3aa4)
Ok..the corner is free !!
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Hi there!
The males have that claws to fight with each other...the poison glands only produce the poison during the pairing seasion...they don´t use it to defent themselfes against predators, they really only use it against other males..
I read somewhere, that this is, why there are o much more females than males of this animals in closely populated areas (6 times more females). But on the other hand, some biologists assume, that the poison would not lead to death...lnoone knows... the effect of the poison on other duckbills isn´t invetigated yet... I just know, that it would hurt a human, but wouldn´t kill him/her.
cu aj
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Ok I'm in the corner and Beaver is still alive.....drat!
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Hi there!
The males have that claws to fight with each other...the poison glands only produce the poison during the pairing seasion...they don´t use it to defent themselfes against predators, they really only use it against other males..
I read somewhere, that this is, why there are o much more females than males of this animals in closely populated areas (6 times more females). But on the other hand, some biologists assume, that the poison would not lead to death...lnoone knows... the effect of the poison on other duckbills isn´t invetigated yet... I just know, that it would hurt a human, but wouldn´t kill him/her.
cu aj
THANK EWE atrox
Wow !!....six females to one male !....I like that ratio !
This is very interesting about the seasonality of the poison...and that it's only apparent during the pairing season !......and it's in their claws ?.....so it's transmitted via a ' punch up ' rather than a chomp !
Thank ewe very much !
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They also use the claws in defence. You have to be extremely careful when handling the males for that reason. The safest way is to grab them by the tail.
from http://www.kingsnake.com/toxinology/old/mammals/platypus.html (http://www.kingsnake.com/toxinology/old/mammals/platypus.html)
Fenner et al. (1992) provided the first clinical case report of platypus envenomation. They report that the affected patient, who received spur wounds to the hand, presented with oedema and lasting severe pain which did not respond effectively to morphine and was only alleviated following a wrist block. Laboratory blood tests revealed an increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), indicating possible coagualopathy. The pain in this case persisted for several months and substantially impaired use of the affected limb. Intense pain and oedema were similarly described in a more recent case reported by Tonkin and Negrine (1994), although the symptoms in this case subsided within several weeks.
From the anecdotal accounts and the clinical case studies, it is apparent that pain and oedema are the major symptoms associated with platypus envenomation. There does not appear to be any evidence of systemic neurotoxicity, myotoxicity (although it should be noted that Fenner et al. (1992) reported "significant" forearm muscle wasting in the affected patient two weeks after envenomation but it was not established whether this was due to disuse of the affected limb because of the severe pain or caused directly by the venom) or necrotic effects and there have been no reported human fatalities.
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ok...but I think, if it would be a defencive weapon mainly, than also the females would hav such a claw..
But it makes sence, that a male in need uses all it got to defend itself..
But poor human beeing...what bad luck, that the billduck just was able to use its poison ;-)
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That may well be true. But, as the males have it, they use it.