Hunting All Cryptids
Consider the platypus. Had a live specimen of this semiaquatic mammal not been captured, studied and documented by scientists, could you imagine such a creature exists? Featuring a strange hodgepodge of duck, beaver, otter and baby seal, the platypus is one of only two extant species of monotremes – egg-laying mammals. Their duckbills are equipped with electrosensors that allow them to pinpoint underwater prey, and males of the species have venomous spikes in their hind feet.
So strange is the platypus that the first scientist to describe it thought his specimen was a hoax, sewn together from different animals. Their description alone renders implausible the fact that platypuses swim the rivers of Australia even as humans walk this world.
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March 1, 2019
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