The platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) has a puzzling array of features. Not only does it have that iconic duck bill, it lays eggs like a bird or reptile but feeds milk to its young like a mammal.

And even though it’s rare for a platypus to spur a human, it’s not a good feeling for any victim. The sticky, clear venom doesn’t isn’t life-threatening, but it can cause painful swelling.

6. Male platypuses have venomous spurs. Platypuses are one of just a few venomous mammals, which is one of their more reptilian characteristics. But unlike snakes, a platypus’s venom isn’t in ...

The platypus has small, sharp spurs on its hind limbs that it uses to inject defensive poisons into predators, an unusual feature not found in other mammals. Where did these venoms come from?

Mr Walsh said platypus spurs and venom were some of his favourite “gadgets” as well as heat exchanging blood vessels that allow the monotreme to be in freezing waters all day. “I could last ...

When a platypus feels threatened, it will stab its spurs into its attacker and inject this toxic venom. Fortunately for humans, platypus venom isn’t fatal, but it does cause extreme pain.