7/13/2023 0 Comments Are platypus poisonousThe emergence and retention of venom in mammals have a variety of hypotheses which are discussed and debated below. Instead, it is far more likely that venom evolved multiple times, with each order having its own specific reason. Given the distant relationships in species between the orders, and the variety of environments each lives in, it is highly unlikely venom evolved only once. In Chiroptera, venom is restricted to the vampire bats for use in feeding, and in primates only certain lorises are venomous. Some Eulipotyphlans possess grooved teeth for venom delivery, which helps venom evolution be traced across their phylogeny. The other three orders have venoms carried in salivary or other oral secretions and deliver them by biting or licking. Of the monotremes, only the male platypus is venomous, and unlike the other three orders, it envenomates through a hindlimb spur. They are also being studied as treatment for high blood pressure.Mammals are not typically thought of as being venomous, yet venom is present in four orders: Monotremata (platypuses and echidnas), Eulipotyphla (shrews and solenodons), Chiroptera (bats), and Primates. Usesīecause of the possible direct effect on pain receptors and its observed resistance to morphine the components of platypus venom are being investigated as a potential source for pain killers for conditions with chronic pain. There have been no reported human fatalities. A clinical report from 1992 showed that the severe pain was persistent and did not respond to morphine. Information obtained from case studies shows that the pain develops into a long-lasting hyperalgesia that can persist for months but usually lasts from a few days to a few weeks. Swelling rapidly develops around the entry wound and gradually spreads outwards. However, it produces excruciating pain which may be intense enough to incapacitate the victim. Effect on humansĪlthough powerful enough to kill smaller animals, the venom is not lethal to humans. Since production rises during the breeding season it is theorized that it is used as an offensive weapon to assert dominance and control territory during this period. It is not used as a method of disabling or killing prey, and although it acts a defensive mechanism, only males produce venom. It is unknown whether the pain caused is a result of the associated oedema around the wound or whether the venom has a component which acts directly on the pain receptors.Īlthough the makeup of platypus venom has a broadly similar range of effects to that of snake venom, it appears to have a different function from those poisons produced by non-mammalian species: its effects are non-life threatening but nevertheless powerful enough to seriously impair the victim. Unlike snake venom, there appears to be no necrotic component in the Platypus' venom - although some muscle wastage has been observed in cases of envenomation in humans, it is likely that this is due to the inability to use the limb while the effects of the venom persist. Coagulating effects have been seen during experiments on laboratory animals, but this has not been observed consistently. The different chemicals in the poison have a range of effects from lowering blood pressure to causing pain and increasing blood flow around the wound. Of the four, three are defensin-like proteins (DLPs) unique to the Platypus. The crural gland produces a cocktail of venom, composed of over 250 different chemicals but with four major toxins. The spur normally lies flat against the limb but is raised when required. The spur is attached to a small bone which allows articulation the spur can move at a right angle to the limb allowing a greater range of attack than a fixed spur would allow. Female platypuses, in common with echidnas, have rudimentary spur buds which do not develop (dropping off before the end of their first year) and lack functional crural glands. Venom is produced in the crural glands of the male, which are kidney-shaped alveolar glands located in the upper thigh connected by a thin-walled duct to a calcaneus spur on each hind limb.
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