@inventionontt: The platypus is one of the few mammals to produce venom. The male has a pair of spurs on the hind limbs through which it delivers a cocktail of poisons that, while excruciatingly painful, is not lethal to most animals. 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. 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. 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. The spur normally lies flat against the limb but is raised when required. Although powerful enough to kill smaller animals, the venom is not lethal to humans. However, it produces excruciating pain which may be intense enough to incapacitate the victim. Swelling rapidly develops around the entry wound and gradually spreads outwards. 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. A clinical report from 1992 showed that the severe pain was persistent and did not respond to morphine. There have been no reported human fatalities. (Video Credit: @Odd Animal Specimens) #History #Science #education #learn #invention #entertainment #news #interesting #Tech #facts #story #fyp #viral #explore