12/9/2023 0 Comments Platypus baby drinking milk![]() By taking a closer look at their milk, we've characterised a new protein that has unique antibacterial properties with the potential to save lives."Īs platypus don't have teats, they express milk onto their belly for the young to suckle, exposing the mother's highly nutritious milk to the environment, leaving babies susceptible to the perils of bacteria. "The platypus belongs to the monotreme family, a small group of mammals that lay eggs and produce milk to feed their young. ![]() the baby platypuses will drink their mother's milk for three to four months. and are able to make milk to feed the babies. "Platypus are such weird animals that it would make sense for them to have weird biochemistry," CSIRO scientist and lead author on the research published in Structural Biology Communications, Dr Janet Newman said. The platypus is an incredibly unique animal found in Australia. The discovery was made by replicating a special protein contained in platypus milk in a laboratory setting. Now a team of researchers at Australia's national research agency, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Oganisation (CSIRO), and Deakin University have solved a puzzle that helps explain why platypus milk is so potent - bringing it one step closer to being used to save lives. In 2010 scientists discovered that platypus milk contained unique antibacterial properties that could be used to fight superbugs. While the fur on its back is dense, bristly, and reddish or blackish brown, the fur on its underbelly is soft and gray. It also has short, powerful legs and webbed feet. ![]() Physically, it looks like a mole or otter, with a beaver ’ s flattened tail and a duck ’ s bill. The platypus usually catches its food underwater, sifting through the gravel and mud of the. The platypus is an egg laying mammal that is well adapted to the water. Normally, a platypus stays underwater for between one and 2 minutes, but if disturbed it can stay underwater for up to 10 minutes. In fact, it can spend up to 10 hours in the water at any one time. Due to its unique features - duck-billed, egg-laying, beaver-tailed and venomous- the platypus has long exerted a powerful appeal to scientists, making it an important subject in the study of evolutionary biology. It spends about half its time in the water feeding.
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