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https://theconversation.com/a-platypus-can-glow-green-and-hunt-prey-with-electricity-but-it-cant-climb-dams-to-find-a-mate-193707>
"The platypus is one of Earth’s most unique creatures. It sports a duck-like
bill and flippers. It locates prey in murky water by emitting an electric
charge. Males have venomous spurs on their legs, and the females lay eggs. And
a platypus’ fur glows blue-green under UV light!
Sadly, however, this fascinating and irreplaceable animal is at risk of
extinction. Among the human-caused threats are habitat loss, climate change,
pollution and becoming prey for invasive species such as foxes and dogs. To
that list, we can now add another threat: dams.
New research by myself and colleagues, published today, found large river dams
restrict platypus movements and separate communities.
This increases the risk of inbreeding and restricts the exchange of genes
essential to maintaining healthy platypus populations."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
