I just saw the craziest thing! It had like this beak and like, web feet! And that tail!
If the description was changed to tall and hairy we’d all be thinking bigfoot. But, that was probably close to what a person said about this creature around the 1700s. The platypus was once a cryptid itself, witnesses described this creature but no one had a body until 1799 when English zoologist George Shaw was delivered one. His first thought was it must be a hoax, and was quoted with “It naturally excites the idea of some deceptive preparation by artificial means,”
Reading what he wrote more than 200 years ago, it’s easy to see why Shaw was initially skeptical about the creature he’d examined: “ Of all the Mammalia yet known it seems the most extraordinary in its conformation; exhibiting the perfect resemblance of the beak of a Duck engrafted on the head of a quadruped.”
Sounds similar, sounds like one of us describing the Jersey Devil. The head of this, body of that. The platypus has been around for millions of years in one form or size or another, yet only two centuries have passed since we examined the first body. I thought since so much is being written about current cryptids I thought I’d focus on some former cryptids. The weird creatures described by settlers and later of our now known animals.
The platypus, whose home is in Australia, must have been a sight to see. They have a beak like a duck, feet like an otter and a tail like a beaver. That species was really adapting well with what it may need to survive out there. They also have a few odd surprises up their sleeve. The platypus is the only mammal that lays eggs, it has no stomach so their food go directly from esophagus to colons. But the biggest surprises are that it’s venomous! A male has venom in his back claw also if you catch it swimming under uv lights you’ll see it glows in the dark and finally its beak have special sensors on it to detect its meal going by and doesn’t need to see or hear under the water. They can hold their breath for approximately 30 seconds under water.
They are still just the oddest looking animals and they really do look seen all together from different species but, I suppose he was in a way, god decided to give him a little bit of everything and sent them on their way…
Have a great Saturday everyone…
Sasysquatchgirl 