<center>http://i.imgur.com/xZXXnts.jpg</center>
The first found Platypus in the late 1700's was [originally thought be be a hoax,](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2015/04/01/the-platypus-is-so-weird-that-scientists-thought-the-first-specimen-was-a-hoax/) being a stitching together of many different animals (kind of like the [Jackalope,)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackalope) later found to be in fact it's own real species. 
<center>http://i.imgur.com/CbMJ294.jpg</center>
As if not already strange enough it's also only one of five egg laying mammalian species known to exist. Now top this all off with knowing that the males have a spur on the back of their hind legs that is venomous.

<center>http://i.imgur.com/ob91Ilk.jpg</center>
Since the Platypus doesn't have many predators to fend off as well as not needing the venom to hunt, it didn't make a lot of sense as to why they would even need this poisonous spur. This venom doesn't even really [kill or paralyze victims,](https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg15721150.900-platypus-sting-spurs-on-painkiller-hunt/) but rather excites the pain receptors making it in extremely non-fatal experience. Researchers have found that these males typically produce the venom in the Spring time coinciding with their mating season, leading them to believe that the poisonous spurs are used for competition with other males of their own species.

A final interesting piece of this story is that our [common pain killers (even morphine)](http://www.slate.com/blogs/wild_things/2015/06/22/platypus_venom_painful_immediate_long_lasting_impervious_to_painkillers.html) don't seem to help the pain of those that were poisoned by the male platypus. This has been leading to [many scientists looking into this type of venom](https://source.wustl.edu/2010/06/platypus-hunter-studies-the-bizarre-mammal-venom/) with hopes of developing other types of pain killers in the future.


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Image Sources:
[Platypus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platypus)
[Jackalope](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackalope)
[Platypus Spur](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platypus)