Where does this come from, and can I check it?

The poison causes intense pain in people but is mostly used between rivals. The figure is taken from Australian Museum, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.

Is this really a animals fact?

Yes. It sits on the Animals shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.

What else can I read about it?

The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.

Mondo Knows Facts

Male platypuses carry venom in a hind spur

The poison causes intense pain in people but is mostly used between rivals Production rises in the breeding season, when males compete for territory. The venom is a mixture of different proteins and its job appears to be to disable rather than kill. Females lose the spurs when young. It sits in Mondo's animals collection, one of 200 facts that each trace back to the reference below.

Where this comes from

Australian Museum

Facts that can change over time are reviewed and updated. If something here looks wrong, Mondo would rather know than be confidently incorrect.

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Nature & Animals trivia

More facts like this

A platypus uses electricity to hunt under waterThe platypus senses electrical signals generated by prey using its bill.The first Eurovision Song Contest had seven countriesIt was held in Lugano, Switzerland, in 1956 Box jellyfish venom attacks the heart and nervous systemTheir tentacles carry thousands of stinging cells that fire on contact The Gila monster is a venomous lizardVenom flows along grooved teeth rather than through a fang Some shrews hunt with venomous salivaA bite paralyses insects and small prey for later consumption A blue ringed octopus flashes a warning before it bitesThe rings brighten when the animal is disturbed

Tags: platypus, venom, competition

Male platypuses carry venom in a hind spur: the short answers

Where does this come from, and can I check it?: The poison causes intense pain in people but is mostly used between rivals. The figure is taken from Australian Museum, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
Is this really a animals fact?: Yes. It sits on the Animals shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
What else can I read about it?: The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.