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There is no particular name for the ankle spur which dispenses venom in a male platypus. It is simply referred to as a 'spur'.
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Which part of a male platypus is venomous?
The male platypus has a hollow spur on each of its hind ankles, which is attached to a venom gland within its thigh. The platypus delivers the venom through the ankle spur.
What is a spur on a platypus?
A spur is a hollow spike on the male platypus' hind ankle which is attached to a venom gland within the animal's thigh. The venom can cause agonising and paralysing pain.
Does an echidna have a hind leg spur?
The echidna has a spur on its hind legs but, unlike the platypus, the spur is not attached to a functional venom gland. The spur is also blunt.
What is the similarities between a platypus's and an echidna's hind spur?
There are no similarities, apart from the fact that the spur is located on each animal's hind legs. The platypus's spur is sharp and attached to a venom gland in the platypus's thigh.The echidna's spur is blunt, and is not attached to a functional venom gland.
What is the difference between a platypus's and an echidna's hind spur?
The platypus's spur is sharp and attached to a venom gland in the platypus's thigh. The echidna's spur is blunt, and is not attached to a functional venom gland.
Does a female platypus have a spur on its hind legs?
No, only male platypuses have spurs on their hind legs. Young females do have them, but lose the spur by about the age of ten months.
Does a platypus have venom in his claws?
Yes. Male platypuses have a venomous 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. Also, platypus venom contains a protein which lowers blood pressure, also inducing shock.
How do you know if it is a female platypus or male platypus?
The male platypus has a venomous spur on his hind leg. He is also considerably larger than the female.
How do you know a platypus's age?
It is almost impossible to work out the age of a wild platypus. The inner hind ankle yields some information about the juvenile younger platypuses. Female platypuses have an ankle spur which falls off between ten and twelve months. In the case of young males, a chalky, white layer covers the spur when they are young. This chalky layer gradually erodes away, slowly revealing the main spur after about twelve months of age.
What do platypus spurs look like?
The photograph at the related link below shows a male platypus's spur on its hind foot.
What does a male platypus have behind its leg?
The male platypus has a hollow spur on its hind ankle through which it releases venom which is strong enough to kill a small dog, or cause agony for a human. A young female platypus has a non-venomous spur up until it is about 12 months old. The female's spurs then fall off.
How do people get poisoned by the platypus's venom?
The only way to be injected with platypus venom is to aggravate a male platypus sufficiently so that it lashes out with its ankle spur.
