Platypus venom

High school (ages 12+)
Animals & Nature

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/platypus-venom

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the scientific name?Ornithorhynchus anatinus
2. What is the venom delivery mechanism?Hollow spurs on the hind limbs of adult males
3. What makes the platypus venomous?The platypus has special glands in its thighs that make venom, and adult male platypuses have sharp spurs on their hind legs that can inject it.
4. How does the platypus deliver its venom?The venom comes out of glands in the thigh and is pushed through the spurs on the hind legs when a male platypus bites or stabs another.

Monotremes: A group of mammals that lay eggs, including the platypus and echidnas.
Convergent Evolution: The process where unrelated organisms independently evolve similar traits.
Intraspecific Combat: Fighting or competition between individuals of the same species.