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The platypus does not have a stinger, but the male has a poisonous spur on its ankle. Used as defence, the spur can deliver enough venom to kill a small dog, or cause extreme agony for a person.
Wiki User
∙ 13y ago
Wiki User
∙ 12y agoYes, but it is actually a venomous spur, as poison is something which is ingested rather than injected.
Male platypuses have a hollow spur behind their rear ankle through which they can deliver a venom powerful enough to kill a dog or cause agonising pain to humans.
People who have been "spurred" by a platypus report that the pain is strong enough to cause vomiting that may last for days, weeks or sometimes even months. The pain cannot be relieved by morphine and other standard pain-killing drugs. It seems the only way it can be relieved is through anaesthesia of the main nerve from the spur site.
Wiki User
∙ 12y agoPlatypuses do not "sting".Male platypuses have ankle spurs on their hind legs which are attached to venom glands in either thigh. Through these spurs they can dispense venom composed largely of defensin-like proteins (DLPs), unique to the Platypus. This venom is powerful enough to kill smaller animals, and to cause agonising pain to humans.
Wiki User
∙ 12y agoNo. Only the male platypus is venomous, delivering his potent venom through ankle spurs.
Female platypuses do not have venom, but they are born with spurs. These spurs fall off by the time the young female is about a year old.
Wiki User
∙ 10y agoThe platypus does not have a "stinger", but the male has a poisonous spur on its ankle. Used as defence, the spur can deliver enough venom to kill a small dog, or cause extreme agony for a person.
Wiki User
∙ 14y agoPlatypuses do not bite. They do not even have teeth. Male platypuses have a venomous spur on their hind ankle which can deliver sufficient poison to cause extreme, paralysing agony to a human, and kill a small to medium dog.
Wiki User
∙ 12y agoNo. Platypuses do not have flippers.
An adult male platypus has a venomous (not poisonous) spur on the back of each hind ankle.
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Do male platypuses have poisonous talons?
Not exactly. Male platypuses have a hollow spur behind their rear ankle which is attached to a venom gland in the platypus's thigh. This spur is not a talon or claw.
Is a platypus poisonous and does it eat its babies uncooked?
Platypuses are not poisonous, as for anything to be "poisonous" it must be ingested. Adult male platypuses have a venomous spur on their hind ankle through which they deliver a powerful, agonising venom. Platypuses never engage in cannibalistic behaviour. They feed on invertebrates on the floor of the creeks and rivers in which they hunt for food.
Is platypus danger to everyone?
Not at all. Platypuses are very shy creatures, and the male will only use his poisonous spur as a defence against interference by a predator.
Is the right foot of the platypus poison?
Platypuses do not have any "poisonous" parts, but adult males have venomous spurs on their ankles. These spurs are attached to a venom gland in either thigh of the platypus.
Why do Platypuses shoot venom?
Platypuses do not shoot venom. They inject venom via a venomous spur on their hind ankles.
Does a platypus have one spur or two spurs?
Male platypuses have on spur on each of their back legs. Females have no spurs.
Why do male platypuses have poisonous spurs on their hind legs?
Adult male platypuses have venomous (not poisonous) spurs on their ankles, and it is not the hollow spur itself that is venomous. The spur is attached to a venom gland in the platypus's thigh. It is not known why platypus spurs are venomous, but it is believed to be a defensive mechanism to deter predators. There has been limited research done on platypuses, so it is unknown whether the spur is used in territorial disputes between the males of the species, as only the males have spurs. Through these spurs, they can deliver a venom strong enough to kill a small dog, and to cause almost paralysing agony to an adult human. Platypus venom contains a protein which lowers blood pressure, also inducing shock.
Are platypuses' tails poisonous?
No part of a platypus is 'poisonous', but male platypuses have a venomous spur on each of their hind legs, through which they can deliver a poison strong enough to kill a small dog, and to cause almost paralysing agony to an adult human. Platypus venom contains a protein which lowers blood pressure, also inducing shock.Female platypuses do not have venom, but they are born with spurs. These spurs fall off by the time the young female is about a year old.
Why are Platypuses not poisonous?
There is a difference between being poisonous and being venomous. The difference is how the toxin is delivered.Animals which are venomous inject the venom into their victims by a spur or stinger of some sort, just as the male platypus injects venom via a hollow spur attached to a venom gland.Animals (or plants) which are poisonous do not deliver their toxins directly. The body of the animal (or plant) tends to contain the poisonous substance within it, and they only cause harm to other organisms when they are eaten or touched.Platypuses are not "poisonous", but adult males have venomous spurs on their ankles.
Which male mammal has a poisonous spike that sticks out of its hind leg?
There is no male mammal that has a poisonous spike that sticks out of its hind leg. However, adult males platypuses have a hollow spur on each of their hind legs, through which they can deliver a venom strong enough to kill a small dog, and to cause almost paralysing agony to an adult human. The spur is connected to a venom gland in the platypus's thigh.
What is poisonous about the platypus's beak?
Platypuses are not poisonous at all, as "poisonous" indicates that something is dangerous if you ingest (eat or drink) it.Adult male platypuses have venomous spurs on their ankles. There is nothing either venomous or poisonous about their bill. The bill is not called a beak.
Are male platypuses venomous?
Yes. Male platypuses have a hollow spur behind their rear ankle which is attached to a venom gland in the platypus's thigh. The female is not venomous.
