MONOTREMES 2 --The Platypus

Monotremes are egg-laying mammals. The only two species are the Echidna and the Duck-billed Platypus. The Platypus only lives in Australia.
This mammal has webbed feet like a frog, a bill like a duck, water-proof fur like a seal, a flat tail like a beaver, and venom like a snake. (The male has a poisonous spur on his hind legs).
The female lays eggs like a bird, and suckles her young via sweat glands that secrete milk. The platypus lays a clutch of leathery eggs in a tunnel burrowed in the mud of a creek bank. She incubates the eggs between her abdomen and tail and they hatch after two weeks. The tiny young are naked, blind, and have undeveloped back limbs. They use their forelimbs to drag themselves to their mother’s belly where they suckle on a patch where milk oozes onto her skin (enlarged pores on her belly rather than teats)
She looks like she’s made of left-over parts. I think God enjoyed creating the Platypus.
By the way, if you enjoy AU birds, animals, and culture, why not take a family trip to “KY Down Under”? The park closes for winter the end of Oct, so make plans soon. Kentucky Down Under is located near Mammoth Cave (Horse Cave exit # 58) off I-65 halfway between Nashville, TN and Louisville, KY --- about an 8 or 9 hour drive from Anderson.