Tharalkoo Platypus

The common name "platypus" means 'flat-foot', deriving from the Greek word platúpous (πλατύπους), from platús (πλατύς 'broad, wide, flat') and poús (πούς 'foot'). Shaw initially assigned the species the Linnaean name Platypus anatinus when he described it, but the genus term was quickly discovered to already be in use as the name of a beetle genus Platypus.

Various dictionaries list "platypuses" or simply "platypus" as the plural. Alternatively, the term "platypi" is also used for the plural, although this is a form of pseudo-Latin; going by the word's Greek roots the plural would be "platypodes". Early European settlers called it by many names, such as "watermole", "duckbill", and "duckmole". Occasionally it is specifically called the "duck-billed platypus". There is no official term for platypus young, but the term "platypup" sees unofficial use, as does "puggle".

• Singular: Platypus

• Plural: Platypuses

The holotype tooth was placed into the newly erected genus Obdurodon upon description in 1975 by American palaeontologists Michael O. Woodburne and Richard H. Tedford. They named the genus from the Latin obduro "persist" and the Greek ὀδών (odṓn) "tooth", in reference to the permanency of the molars, a feature which is lost in the modern platypus. The specific name was chosen in honor of an indigenous Australian creation story for the platypus, where a female duck named Tharalkoo gives birth to a chimeric creature after being ravished by a male rakali named Bigoon.

According to the traditional folklore, Tharalkoo was a headstrong female duck who disobeyed her parents and swam too far downriver, where she was pursued and mated with by Bigoon, a rakali. When Tharalkoo later laid her eggs with the other ducks, her offspring hatched as a chimera—a mix of duck and rodent, making it the very first platypus.

Obdurodon tharalkooschild looked like an evolutionary steroid-injected modern platypus. Its broad, flat tail, waterproof fur, and characteristic webbed limbs were all present, but what really set it apart was its jaw. It had a very strong, bone-supported beak with large, multi-cusped, permanent adult molar teeth in place of the soft, rubbery bill of the modern platypus. These teeth's microscopic wear demonstrates that they were made especially for hard impact—that is, to pierce, crush, and pulverize thick armor.

The modern platypus was smaller than Obdurodon tharalkooschild. Their estimated body length was 60–80 cm (24–31 inches), and their estimated weight was 3–7 kg (6.6–15.4 lb), though this is still up for debate.

Obdurodon probably had sensitive touch receptors, waterproof insulating fur, electroreception through the bill, and was an exceptional swimmer. Obdurodon had strong digging claws, a crushing bite with molars, and the ability to dive underwater. Its teeth likely enabled it to consume larger and more difficult prey than contemporary platypuses.

Obdurodon most likely swam similarly to contemporary platypuses, using their front feet for propulsion, their hind feet for steering, their tail for stability, and their ability to stay underwater for one to three minutes. Obdurodon had exceptional agility when navigating through vegetation and submerged logs.

While male and female platypuses are born with ankle spurs, only the spurs on the male's back ankles deliver venom, composed largely of defensin-like proteins (DLPs), three of which are unique to the platypus. The DLPs are produced by the immune system of the platypus. The function of defensins is to cause lysis in pathogenic bacteria and viruses, but in platypuses they also are formed into venom for defence. Although powerful enough to kill smaller animals such as dogs, the venom is not lethal to humans, but the pain is so excruciating that the victim may be incapacitated.

The platypus is a bottom-feeder that uses its beaver-like tail to steer and its webbed feet to propel itself through the water while hunting for insects, shellfish, and worms. The watertight nostrils on its bill remain sealed so that the animal can stay submerged for up to two minutes as it forages for food. Snakes, water rats, eagles, owls, dingoes, quolls, and introduced species including foxes, weasels, and feral dogs are the platypus' primary predators.

The bill also comes equipped with specialized nerve endings, called electroreceptors, which detect tiny electrical currents generated by the muscular contractions of prey. It has no teeth, so the platypus stores its "catch" in its cheek pouches, returns to the surface, mashes up its meal with the help of gravel bits hoovered up enroute, then swallows it all down.

Reproduction

The female platypus lays her eggs in an underground burrow that she digs near the water’s edge. Baby platypuses hatch after 10 days and nurse for up to four months before they swim off and forage on their own. On land, platypuses move a bit more awkwardly. However, the webbing on their feet retracts to expose individual nails and allow the creatures to run. Platypuses use their nails and feet to construct dirt burrows at the water's edge.

Platypuses are one of few mammals (like echidnas) that lay eggs:

• Platypus female lays 1–3 eggs in a burrow

• Incubation: ~10 days

• Babies (called puggles) hatch very underdeveloped

• No nipples—milk is secreted through skin and lapped up by the young

Obdurodon tharalkooschild was likely to have a solitary lifestyle, be active at dawn, dusk, or night, have strong territorial instincts, be quiet and cautious, build burrows along riverbanks, and heavily rely on electroreception when hunting. It most likely avoided needless confrontation with other members of its species.

Obdurodon tharalkooschild would be extremely dangerous and insensitive to human affection. On their hind legs, modern male platypuses have a poisonous spur that causes excruciating pain. A prehistoric version that was one meter long would probably have jaws strong enough to shatter human finger bones in addition to an enormous venom delivery system. It would view people as possible prey or threats.

Likes

If alive today, it might enjoy:

• Clean rivers

• Quiet wetlands

• Forested streams

• Dense aquatic vegetation

• Crayfish

• Freshwater mussels

• Shrimp

• Cool, shaded riverbanks

• Fallen logs

• Calm water

Dislikes

If alive today, it might avoided:

• Polluted waterways

• Loud disturbances

• Habitat destruction

• Drought

• Strong river currents

• Open, exposed shorelines

• Large predators

• Excessive heat

• Frequent human activity

Australia's widespread aridification was its downfall. The massive Miocene rainforests crumbled as the continent moved north. The deep, permanent limestone pools in Riversleigh either dried up or became muddy, seasonal watering spots. In shrinking, drying water systems, a 1-meter-long mammalian carnivore that needed enormous quantities of fresh vertebrate meat could not survive. Only the smaller, more adaptive, insect-eating ancestors of the modern platypus survived after the specialized giant branch went extinct.

Scientists suspect a combination of:

• Climate change.

• Drying freshwater habitats.

• Competition with more modern platypus species.

• Ecosystem changes.

• Decline in suitable prey.

• No evidence suggests humans caused its extinction.

The holotype fossil left lower first molar, Obdurodon tharalkooschild, was discovered at the "Two Trees Site" on the Gag Plateau in northwest Queensland's Riversleigh World Heritage Area. Riversleigh was a lush, humid tropical rainforest in the Miocene. Lush, shaded streams, interconnected lakes, and vast networks of deep limestone pools dominated the landscape.

• Movement Pattern: Not a Migrant

• Individual Type: Solo

• Population Trend: Stable

• Population: 1,000

• Locomotion: Amphibious

• Habitat: Montane Grasslands and Shrublands; Temperate Coniferous Forests; Temperate Broadleaf and Mixed Forests; Temperate Deciduous Forests; Temperate Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands; Subtropical Coniferous Forests; Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests; Subtropical Dry Broadleaf Forests; Subtropical Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands; Salt Flats; Stone Forest; Tropical Coniferous Forests; Tropical Moist Broadleaf Forests; Tropical Dry Broadleaf Forests; Tropical Grasslands, Savannas and Shrublands; Mediterranean Forests, Woodlands, and Scrub; Flooded Grasslands and Savannas; Swamp; Bayous/Billabongs; Air-breathing Coral Reefs; Graveyard Vale;  Warm River; Cold River; Lukewarm River; Subterranean River; Warm Pond; Cold Pond; Aquifer; Warm Littoral; Cold Littoral; Warm Intertidal; Cold Intertidal; Warm Ghost Town; Cold Ghost Town; Ruined Skyscraper.

• Earth: 

  • Extinct: Australia

In Australia, platypus are prohibited by legislation and should not be kept as pets. For the following reasons: They need large, flowing freshwater systems; they have a specialized diet consisting of live aquatic insects, worms, and crustaceans; they are shy and easily stressed in captivity; males are venomous; and their wild character makes them unsocial and afraid of people.

TBA

Past and Present Incidents Individuals

• TBA

The Recollections of Queen Arianna Individuals

• TBA

• TBA

• Obdurodon tharalkooschild was probably the biggest platypus relative ever discovered.

• Is the largest known member of the Obdurodon genus.

• Obdurodon tharalkooschild retained permanent adult teeth unlike the living platypus.

• Known primarily from jaw fossils.

• Important for understanding the evolution of monotremes.

• Suggests that ancient platypuses occupied a wider range of ecological roles than today.

• Obdurodon tharalkooschild kept permanent molars throughout adulthood.

• Like all monotremes, it almost certainly laid eggs.

• It likely detected prey using electroreception.

• Obdurodon tharalkooschild lived in lush Miocene rainforests and freshwater habitats.

• It is known from fossils found at the famous Riversleigh World Heritage fossil deposits.

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obdurodon

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obdurodon#Obdurodon_tharalkooschild

• https://uchytel.com/Obdurodon

• https://www.azquotes.com/quote/1401910?ref=platypus

• https://www.deviantart.com/ognimdo2002/art/Obdurodons-877902489