![]() ![]() British scientists' initial hunch was that the attributes were a hoax. When the platypus was first encountered by Europeans in 1798, a pelt and sketch were sent back to Great Britain by Captain John Hunter, the second Governor of New South Wales. Although captive breeding programmes 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, it was hunted for its fur, but it is now protected throughout its range. It is one of the few venomous mammals, the male platypus having a spur on the hind foot that delivers a venom capable of causing severe pain to humans. The bizarre appearance of this egg-laying, venomous, duck-billed, beaver-tailed, otter-footed mammal baffled European naturalists when they first encountered it, with some considering it an elaborate fraud. It is the sole living representative of its family ( Ornithorhynchidae) and genus ( Ornithorhynchus), though a number of related species have been found in the fossil record. Together with the four species of echidna, it is one of the five extant species of monotremes, the only mammals that lay eggs instead of giving birth to live young. The platypus ( Ornithorhynchus anatinus) is a semi-aquatic mammal endemic to eastern Australia, including Tasmania. ![]()
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