A study published in Biology Letters has discovered that platypus fur contains melanosomes—structures that produce pigment—that are unlike those found in any other animal. The research adds another mysterious feature to the already extensive catalog of unusual platypus characteristics.
The platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) is already known for its bizarre combination of mammalian, reptilian, and bird-like features. Beyond its distinctive beaver-like body and duck-like bill, the species lays eggs, has venomous spurs, can sense electricity, glows under ultraviolet light, and possesses five times more sex chromosomes than many other animals.