News Animals

A blue-green glow adds to platypuses’ long list of bizarre features

The fur of Australia’s iconic oddity fluoresces under ultraviolet light

platypus glowing under ultraviolet light

This platypus specimen glows blue-green under ultraviolet light. Biologists are still pondering what function, if any, this fluorescence has.

Jonathan Martin/Northland College

By Christie Wilcox

- More than 2 years ago

Between the electricity-sensing bill, venomous heel spurs and egg laying, the platypus was already one of the strangest mammals alive today (SN: 5/8/08).