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The platypus is truly one of nature's quirkiest creatures. Imagine a mammal that lays eggs, has no nipples, no teeth, and hunt for food using electric fields. They even glow blue under ultraviolet light! But the most astonishing fact? Platypuses don’t have stomachs!

So, how do they eat? These fascinating animals feast on bottom-dwelling invertebrates like worms, insect larvae, and shrimp. Instead of using a stomach to digest their food, food is munched in a mouth pouch and then goes straight from their gullets to their intestines. They don't need stomach acids or enzymes for digestion.

Scientists believe that ancient platypus ancestors did have stomachs, but over time, modern platypuses lost not just the stomach itself, but also the genes needed to produce stomachs and stomach acid. Remarkably, platypus fossils date back around 4 million years.

The stomach first appeared about 450 million years ago in early vertebrates as a place to store, break down, and process food. However, some evolutionary lines, like those of platypuses and certain fish, later lost this organ. Nature's full of surprises, and the platypus is one of its best!

**** ARTICLES for MORE INFORMATION****

The Platypus Doesn’t Have A Stomach, And Probably Never Will
Author HOLLY LARGE
PUBLISHED May 10, 2024
https://www.iflscience.com/the-plat.....ver-will-74164

https://platypusspot.org/
Online citizen scientist website to record platypus sitings

Why the Platypus Will Never Have a Stomach
By Charles Q. Choi
published December 3, 2013
https://www.livescience.com/41661-w.....n-stomach.html

Platypus
Ornithorhynchus anatinus
https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/platypus

The Platypus is Missing This Major Organ
Bizarre Beasts
Jun 2, 2023
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5Rzx7yeh7c

9 Quirky Facts About the Platypus
Few mammals rival the eccentricity of these venomous, egg-laying oddballs.
By Noel Kirkpatrick
Updated November 9, 2022
https://www.treehugger.com/quirky-f.....atypus-4864070

How does the platypus digest food without a stomach?
https://poe.com/p/How-does-the-plat.....hout-a-stomach

Do Platypus Have Stomachs? Exploring Monotreme Digestion
Ocean Action Hub
https://www.oceanactionhub.org/do-p.....have-stomachs/

Platypus
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platypus

The platypus: a unique and vulnerable Australian
https://museumsvictoria.com.au/arti.....le-australian/

Platypus
Ornithorhynchus anatinus
https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/platypus