by Jeremy Beacock
The duck-billed platypus is a creature that just doesn't fit in.
哺乳類?爬蟲類?傻傻分不清楚。
When 18th-century scientists first
came across Australia's duck-billed platypus, they thought it was a
trick.
It is not surprising that the platypus had people
confused. This funny-looking animal has feet and a
bill like a duck, but is
nonetheless a
furry, warm-blooded
mammal.
While other mammals usually keep their blood at around 37 degrees
Celsius, platypuses have a lower body temperature of 32 degrees.
Aside from its appearance, the platypus' bill is not really like a duck's bill at all. The platypus' mouth is actually under the bill, which is
rubbery, not
rigid. The bill
is equipped with electroreceptors. The platypus closes its eyes when swimming, and
instead of seeing its
prey, it uses these electroreceptors to
pick up tiny electrical
currents made by the creatures underwater.
Strangest of all, the platypus is a mammal that
lays eggs. There is only one other family of egg-laying mammals: the
echidna (針鼴蝟) of New Guinea and Australia. Both the platypus and the echidna lay
soft-shelled eggs, and both feed their young with milk that
leaks out through their skin. These animals also walk in a way that
is similar to crocodiles and other
reptiles, with legs on the sides of their bodies
rather than underneath. These
characteristics are linked with the fact that they are one of the oldest mammals and have kept some
reptilian traits.
Though cute, in a
weird way, the platypus is actually one of the few mammals that are poisonous. A male platypus has knife-like bones on its back legs which have enough poison to kill a dog. The platypus
has the honor of being one of the
oldest, and oddest, mammals in the world.
1. Which of the following is false?
(A) Platypuses have a body temperature of 32 degrees Celsius.
(B) Platypuses only open their eyes underwater.
(C) Male platypuses are poisonous.
(D) Platypuses find food by
sensing electricity.
2. Characteristics of the platypus
are compared with those of _____?
(A) 18th-century scientists
(B) dogs and echidnas
(C) the duck, the crocodile, and the echidna
(D) only the echidna
3. Which of the following cannot be said of both the echidna and the platypus?
(A) Their eggs are soft.
(B) They feed their young with milk.
(C) They walk differently from most mammals.
(D) They
are both
native to Australia and New Guinea.
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