Close-up of a platypus swimming in the water A platypus wandering by a roadside in Australia stabbed a woman with its venomous spurs when she attempted to lift it from a gutter. Jenny Forward was ...

Tom has a Master's degree in Journalism. His editorial work covers anything from archaeology and the environment to technology and culture. Tom has a Master's degree in Journalism. His editorial work ...

To make things even stranger, grown males have a secret weapon on their back legs: a sharp spur that delivers venom powerful ...

Only male platypuses have venomous spurs. The amount of venom a male platypus produces also increases during breeding season, so scientists believe it is used as a weapon against rival males.

The platypus already looks like an animal assembled from spare parts, with a duck-like bill, webbed feet, and a beaver-style tail. On top of that, adult males carry a hidden weapon on each hind leg: a ...

Abandon any notion that the duck-billed platypus is a soft and cuddly creature -- maybe like Perry the Platypus in the Phineas and Ferb cartoon. This platypus, renowned as one of the few mammals that ...