[UA] Cultures in animals

James O'Rance jorance at hotmail.com
Tue Jun 12 04:58:20 PDT 2001


"Nick Wedig" <mrteapot at disinfo.net> said:

 >>>
 >Um, why are platypodes hermaphrodites?  The females lay eggs and...what?

They're a combination of two separate things, specifically a mammal and a 
bird.<<<

Well, not really. That's a very simplistic view of the platypus - their 
"birdlike" qualities (a bill and egg-laying reproduction) are more reptilian 
than anything else. Males have a poisonous talon on their hindclaws, which 
is certainly not birdlike. Otherwise I guess they'd be a lot like otters 
(never seen an otter, though).

For those who have never seen a platypus, they are surprisingly beautiful 
animals.

How would the other two species of monotremes (two types of echidna) 
associate with the Mystic Hermaphrodite? Echidnas are spiny little balls of 
ant-eating fun that also lay eggs. They're somewhat more comon than 
platypuses (had an echidna wander into my school when I was a kid) and 
unlike the poisonous-taloned platypus, pretty much harmless.


Cheers,

James O’Rance
“Divine being creates petting zoo. It gets out of hand.”
- The Bible (summarised by John W. Mangrum)

http://www.geocities.com/dragon-dreamer/





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