The narration in this clip is more than a little melodramatic. But the part about platypuses being considered a hoax when they were discovered. English naturalist George Shaw took some convincing.
The platypus is a throwback among mammals, and not just because they lay eggs. Arising during the time of the dinosaurs, they formed before the most common forms of mammal life were established. That's why they still have bird and reptile/amphibian traits. That and the fact that they can survive with such.
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I knew some of those things about platypuses but not all that was shown in that excellent video (voice over excepted). It was pretty remarkable to see them going about their business from such a close perspective. They obviously don't simply survive but thrive in their habitats.
One thing I learned about them from Patrick O'Brian was just how deadly is the venom the males carry in their spurs. In one of the later books in his maritime series about the Napoeonic Wars he has Maturin, who is a naturalist as well as a physician, catch hold of one he finds swimming in a small pool. The platypus sinks a spur into the doctor and nearly kills him. That was such a surprise event I had to look them up.
Sir Joseph Banks was a member of The Royal Society and later became its chief - he was a naturalist and botanist (like Maturin but better off) who sailed with James Cook on an expedition to identify plants and animals. Why do I always conclude life was better then (except for lack of antibiotics and a few other modern miracles)?
Platypuses have survived and, as you say, thrived for an incredibly long time now. Quite amazing when you consider how much Australia has changed since the old days when it was part of Gondwana. They really must be canny little guys in their way.
The Aubrey-Maturin books are set during the Napoleonic Era, so that's about right. English settlement of Australia didn't start in earnest until after the colonies that made up the early United States had broken away. So when Napoleon was marching across Europe, the English still knew very little about Australia and the creatures that lived there. Obviously Maturin must have recovered if that wasn't the final book, but it would be a very hairy thing given their lack of knowledge.
I just browsed some of the prints that Joseph Banks made. He was a gifted draftsman as well. Seems to have been something of a renaissance man. Whether or not life was better back then may be a matter of debate, but there's some basis for it. It's good to learn about the past in order to have an idea of what's worth holding onto.
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