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Things you can't believe exist...

Chevywolf30

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Okay but jokes aside there are a ton of animals that are just like wow this really exists are you sure
Like giraffes and hippos man
Whose idea was this
The epitome of which are these little creatures:

platypus-diving_square.jpg

Proof that God has a sense of humor.
 

TheGreatCthulhu

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The epitome of which are these little creatures:

platypus-diving_square.jpg

Proof that God has a sense of humor.

Fun fact, out of all the animals that have existed in the entire 4.5 billion years of Earth's existence, 98% of which are extinct.

But regarding platypuses, they can easily be explained. They're monotremes, which are mammals that lay eggs.

The criteria to be a mammal is that you must secrete milk from a mammary gland. That's it. Platypuses secrete milk from a mammary gland, making them mammals by definition. Animals don't have to give live birth to be classified as a mammal, just like the feather isn't the only diagnostic trait of birds.

Now mammals are separated into three main categories:

  • Placentalia: These are mammals that give birth to live young, and the baby develops inside of a placenta. Thus, only placental mammals really have navels, because of the umbilical cord.
  • Marsupialia: These are mammals that give birth to live young. However, the embryo climbs from the mother's womb and moves into her pouch, where the fetus latches onto a nipple and develops from there.
  • Monotremes: These are mammals that lay eggs.
Platypuses are monotremes, which explains them laying eggs.

Their bill is more like a giant nose, btw.
 
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ExLight

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Giraffe necks, as per the criteria to be a mammal, only have 7 vertebra.
We know they're mammals. I think the point here is that the evolutions that happened to a few creatures ended up resulting in them becoming pretty bizarre.
Even though it's still a mammal, their uniqueness in some aspects make them extremely weird. Giraffes have the long neck, and the previously mentioned Platypus has a plethora of weird ass stuff that you don't usually see in other mammal.

Yeah and giraffes have long necks to eat leaves easier, doesn't make any more sense xD
I think there are a few reasons for it but why wouldnt that make sense umu

Some species of trees growing extra tall to be less predated by some creatures, and the giraffes co-evolving to still be able to reach these now less competed for leaves

and like if the short necked ones died because there was too much competition for lower leaves it does make sense for the long neck genes to be passed on right

And if I recall correctly I think neckfighting between males
male giraffes with the thickest and longest necks can kill another weaker male giraffe when fighting for a female and since they're the ones that get to pass their genes ahead that's what evolution did
which is probably one of the weirdest **** I've heard but hey we're monkeys with high tech lmfao

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TheGreatCthulhu

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well that certainly explains why they're poisonous beaver-ducks that use their electroreception to hunt and one of the two modern mammals that lay eggs and squirt milk through the skin!

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If you want, I can point to several fossil specimens of early mammals that are more alike to the platypus.

The point of my original post is that people look at the platypus and think it's a chimera, a created thing taking aspects from different animals, rather than what it actually is, a mammal with a clear, definitive ancestry.

If giraffes evolved long necks for it why didn't all herbivores do so

Different selective pressures.

As with the platypus, I can show you early fossils of the ancestors of giraffes.
 

Hylian Viking

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The epitome of which are these little creatures:

platypus-diving_square.jpg

Proof that God has a sense of humor.
I have always loved Platypuses (I am still surprised it is not Platypi), seriously I find them to be surprisingly cute. What is even more adorable is that young Platypuses are called "Puggles" I kid you not. Seriously look that up on Google, you will be surprised.
 

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