Animals in the Wild 



The Platypus Scrambled Mammal: The strangest of these 

 strange creatures is perhaps the platypus, which has a bill like a 

 duck's and grows to a length of about eighteen inches. It is con- 

 sidered a mammal because it feeds its young on its own milk, 

 and because it has hair and is warm-blooded. But the platypus 

 lays eggs, and the temperature of its blood changes to some extent, 

 depending on the weather. Most curious of all, the nursing tech- 

 nique of the mother platypus is highly unorthodox: Milk oozes 

 from special pores in her skin and clings to her fur, from which 

 the babies lap it up. The platypus is considered one of the most 

 primitive of mammals in some ways it is very close to the reptiles. 



THE CURIOUS KANGAROO 



As a relic of prehistoric times, the kangaroo has traits that are off the beaten 

 track in our own prosaic era. Its offspring, only an inch long or less! at birth, 

 is not strong enough to suck milk. However, the milk is pumped automatically 

 to the Infant. The largest kangaroos are about five feet high. 



