Re: OT Platypus

"On Wed, 5 Dec 2007 22:04:23 +1000, in article
<1i8o529.153otiu14eo2e0N%j.wilkins1@xxxxxxxxx>, John Wilkins stated..."

chris thompson <chris.linthompson@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

On Dec 4, 11:45 pm, j.wilki...@xxxxxxxxx (John Wilkins) wrote:
chris thompson <chris.linthomp...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
On Dec 4, 12:21 am, j.wilki...@xxxxxxxxx (John Wilkins) wrote:
Rupert Morrish <rup...@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
John Wilkins wrote:
Terry <kilow...@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

I was helping my nephew with a homework assignment. This seems
pretty unbelievable to me.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platypus

..........Weight varies considerably from 700 g (1.54 lb) to
2.4 kg (5.3 lb) with males being larger than females: males
average 50 cm (20 in) total length while females average 43 cm
(17 in).[7] There is substantial variation in average size from
one region to another, and this pattern does not seem to follow
any particular climatic rule and may be due to other
environmental factors such as predation and human
encroachment.[11]

My sister has a toy Pomeranian that weighs less than 5 pounds.

That would make the platypus a very small animal.

I can personally attest that the platypus is a small critter.
You can hold one in one hand (males by the tail - they have
spurs that hold poison, and you should try not to get stuck by
one.

Is there an animal class that Australia does not have a poisonous
one of?

Umm sure, ahhh.. let me think.... cephalopods, no, insects, no,
arachnids, no, snakes, hell no, birds, no, mammals, see platypus...
let me get back to you on that.

Just to make things perfectly clear, our North American mammals are a
lot more venomous than the platypus. Our amphibians are pretty nasty
too (see Notopthalamus viridescens). And cane toads don't count!

Chris

North American parochialism! We have the most poisonous of everything.

[Incidentally, since the platypus is the only venom bearing mammal, if
you include monotremes as mammals, what would the American version be?]

The Short-tailed Shrew, Blarina brevicauda. It's saliva contains a
toxin that allows it to eat small snakes (umm, Pearson, O.P. 1950. J.
Mammalogy describes that, but he didn't know about the venom) I read
it was once considered for use as a blood pressure medication (forgot
that reference) since it had such significant cardiac effects.
Interestingly, it becomes more potent in the breeding season- draw
your own conclusions. There's some indication that the Wandering
Shrew, Sorex vagrans, is also venomous but it wasn't confirmed when my
shrew-watching days ended.

But not only do we have venomous mammals, ours echolocate! See James
Gould's article on echolocation in shrews (Animal Behavior, maybe?)

"Only venom-bearing mammal" indeed. Faugh!

Interesting. Years of primary school turns out to be wrong. I'm shocked.
Shocked, I say.

Also:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venomous_mammals

That article says that there are no venomous birds.

Which answers the original question, about a class of animals in
Australia which has no venomous members.


--
---Tom S.
"As scarce as truth is, the supply has always been in excess of the demand."
attributed to Josh Billings

.

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