Tag Archives: platypus

The fur of the platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus), one of only five extant species of monotremes (egg-laying mammals), absorbs ultraviolet light at wavelengths of 200-400 nm and re-emits visible light, making it fluoresce, according to new research from Northland College and the Warner College of Natural Resources at Colorado State University. …

The same hormone produced in the gut of the duck-billed platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) to regulate blood glucose is also produced in the animal’s venom, a team of scientists led by University of Adelaide researchers has found — and that hormone could be used in new treatments for type 2 diabetes. …