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Platypus Webbed Feet

This platypus, named Annie, is adorable.
This platypus, named Annie, is adorable. Photo: Photo by Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images (Getty Images)

Of course we couldn’t just include one platypus mention—there are simply too many weird bits to this egg-laying mammal. Perhaps not as flashy as the animal’s poisonous spurs or milk sweat (yes, you read that correctly), the animal’s feet are webbed. The webbing helps the platypus propel itself through water with precision and speed. When fanned out, platypus feet almost resemble mottled-black gingko leaves, with rice-grain like claws withdrawn from the fleshier, finlike tips of the feet. Though the platypus doesn’t live in the water, it spends enough time there to have such full-time adaptations, literally at its fingertips.