> In 1799, British scientist George Shaw thought he was being tricked when he sawwhich animal for the first time?And the answer: the platypus. Photo credit: ISTOCK.With its duck bill, webbed feet, brown fur, and beaver-liketail, the platypus is a creature that has perplexed scientists for centuries. Infact, in the late 18th century, when a specimen was sent from Australia back toan English lab, the scientists there thought it was a hoax.For some 90 years after the discovery of this perplexing animal, scientistscontinued to express wariness for the platypus' classification. At the time ofits discovery, the Western world had started in on an exciting age of scientificgrowth and development. Biologists in Europe were close to developing aclassification system for animals, and theories were brewing on how thoseanimals came to be. The platypus, with its features that challenged everybiological category to which it bore some resemblance, came as a shock. Was it amammal, reptile, mammal-bird or "other?"In the late 1800s, Scottish zoologist William Hay Caldwell finally managed todissect fresh platypus eggs and confirmed once and for all that the animal didin fact lay them, and that it also nursed its young. The platypus was classifiedas a mammal—one of five that are known to lay eggs. Though these discoveriesreleased the scientific community from its heated debate, the platypus continuesto perplex animal-lovers and scientists alike. Did you know? Male platypuses are venomous! Their venomous spurs are just one of theirreptilian characteristics, but unlike snakes, a platypus’s venom isn’t in itsteeth. The spur on the creature's leg is always there, but the venom gland towhich it is connected is seasonally-activated and only produces venom duringmating season.