In 1947, there were only two platypuses in America—Penelope and Cecil. They were brought to New York’s Bronx Zoo all the way from Australia where the mammals are endemic to. But here’s the thing—platypuses are not quite mammals. Although their blood is warm and they have mammal-like fur, they lay eggs like reptiles. The blind, hairless hatchlings then nurse by licking milk that the mother secrete out of pores in the skin. Only after about four months do the young emerge from the burrow.
A wild platypus in a creek in Tasmania, Australia. Photo credit: Klaus/Flickr
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Penelope The Platypus Who Faked a Pregnancy And Fooled The Zoo
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