The platypus has a rubbery bill which makes it possible to shovel up mollusks and other food from the water.
It has been discovered recently that the platypus’s bill has thousands of touch-sensitive and electro-sensitive pores.
The latter can detect weak electric currents from the muscle activity of prey and perhaps even electric fields from water flowing over stationary objects.
This is a good thing because, yet another funny thing about the platypus, it closes both its eyes and its ears when it hunts underwater.
The platypus is one of the very few mammals that lays eggs and is also one of the few venomous mammals that can cause severe pain.
The unique features of the Platypus make it important in the study of evolutionary biology and an iconic symbol of Australia, it is also featured on the back of the Australian 20 cent coin.
