It's official - the platypus is weird

[bloodyjack]

It's official - the platypus is weird

Scientists from the Australian National University have proved what many have thought for years - platypuses are really weird.

In the international Nature journal today they report a platypus has five chromosones determining sex, not one - like the rest of the species in the world.

Professor Jennifer Graves says platypus have five X and five Y chromosomes, and when sperm are made it gets even stranger.

"What we've discovered is that these five Xs and five Ys line up in a great big long chain, that go XY XY XY XY XY XY, and then all the X chromosomes move to one pole, and all the Y chromosomes move to the other," she said.

Professor Graves says there is another unexpected finding.

"One end of the chain looks like human sex chromosomes but the other end of the chain looks like bird sex chromosomes, so the chain is actually linking a very ancient system of sex determination in birds and probably reptiles too," she said.

The unique status of the Australian mammal is now unassailable.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200410/s1226827.htm

[matcom]

1. PROOF that Gawd Smoked Pot

[ScreamingMeemie]

2. ...and they have duckbills!

:7

[Bunny]

3. The only animal that was designed by a committee.

As the saying goes.

[yellowcanine]

4. Does that mean they are really sexy? I guess you would have to ask a

platypus. When it comes to animals the whole continent of Australia is weird, imo.