Because being a duck-billed, egg-laying, venomous weirdo wasn't strange enough. Duck-billed, egg-laying platypuses just got a little weirder: It turns out their fur glows green and blue under ultraviolet (UV) light.
Scientists have observed biofluorescence in a species of Argentinean frog, and the Virginia Opossum from North America. Back home in Australia, mammals and marsupials like the platypus and wombat have also been found to glow under ultraviolet (UV) light.
The fur of the platypus glows under a blacklight—a finding that raises questions about its role in these strange mammals. Platypuses are biofluorescent, meaning their fur glows a bluish-green hue under ultraviolet (UV) light.
The science behind the glow
Platypuses glow because of something called biofluorescence. Biofluorescence is when a living organism absorbs short wavelengths of light — from the sun or another light source — and re-emits them as longer wavelengths of light. Biofluorescence is different from bioluminescence.
Koala – white fur patches glow; Wombat – nose glows blue; Masked owl – white feathers under eyes glow; Peregrine falcon – leg skin green.
Under the UV light, creatures including bilbies, bandicoots, wombats, flying foxes, microbats, Tasmanian devils and echidnas all took on a distinct disco-like glow. Kangaroos, though, were “rather disappointing”.
They're a familiar sight to most, but America's only marsupial has a secret: beneath their furry exterior, opossums glow hot pink under the right light -- not headlights, but ultraviolet light.
This platypus, renowned as one of the few mammals that lay eggs, also is one of only a few venomous mammals. The males can deliver a mega-sting that causes immediate, excruciating pain, like hundreds of hornet stings, leaving victims incapacitated for weeks.
Cat urine, in particular, glows very brightly under ultraviolet light. Urine glows under a black light primarily because it contains the element phosphorus.
Petroleum jelly, such as Vaseline, which glows bright blue under a black light. Ripe bananas glow fluorescent blue under a black or ultraviolet lamp.
Effect on humans and other animals
Although powerful enough to paralyse smaller animals, the venom is not lethal to humans. Yet, it produces excruciating pain that may be intense enough to incapacitate a victim. Swelling rapidly develops around the entry wound and gradually spreads outward.
It turns out real life platypuses are blue-green, too—at least when they're under an ultraviolet spotlight.
Thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, fluids and vitamins shine under black light. Urine, semen and blood contain fluorescent molecules, so they also show up under black light. Interestingly, some cleaners and laundry detergents, scorpions, tonic water and antifreeze and teeth whiteners all also glow under black light.
Frogs and salamanders have been keeping a secret from humans — they can actually glow in the dark. In fact, every single species of amphibian tested in a new study was able to glow under specific lighting, shocking the scientists who observed them.
You might not realize that all around you, an amazing show is going on. Many arthropods (insects, spiders, and relatives) have a secret: They glow under ultraviolet light. Lightning bugs and other bioluminescent animals produce their glow from a chemical reaction.
The humble jellyfish is perhaps the most bioluminescent animal on the planet. It's estimated that about half of the 2,000 or so known species exhibit some kind of glowing ability. The most common use of light in jellyfish is to escape from predators.
The same holds for many organic substances, and most bodily fluids—including sweat, saliva, and urine—will shine when you put them under an ultraviolet “black light.” Semen happens to glow the brightest, however, on account of the particular mix of chemicals it contains.
Blood: One of the most famous applications for black lights is detecting bloodstains. The hemoglobin in blood absorbs ultraviolet radiation and emits a distinctive black color. But when the blood is sprayed with luminol or fluorescence, it gives a blue glow.
A bloodstain exposed to UV light absorbs all light of that bandwidth and does not reflect back – that is to say, it does not fluoresce in any way. Thus the stain will appear black under UV.
Platypuses do not attack humans. They are shy animals and will avoid confrontation with humans if they can help it. They aren't equipped with teeth that can help them bite, and the only form of defense they have is the pointed spurs in their heels.
Adult males in particular are potentially dangerous animals to handle because of the venom delivered by their spurs. Sensibly, platypus cannot be legally kept as pets in Australia, nor are there currently any legal options for exporting them overseas.
During envenoming, the platypus wraps its hind legs around the target and drives its spurs into their flesh with substantial force. While platypus envenoming is capable of killing dogs, the venom does not appear to be lethal to other platypuses or to humans.
But virtually all living things emit some degree of light, albeit so weakly that it's very hard to detect. Our own biological glimmer is a thousand times less intense than the sensitivity of the human eye so our only hope of detecting it is with sophisticated instruments.
The Toledo Zoo has made a shocking discovery about Tasmanian devils — they can glow in the dark! The Ohio-based zoo announced its findings in a Facebook post on Dec. 5, marking the first documented case of biofluorescence in the marsupials.
The team found that many of the animals, including hedgehogs, dogs, cats, ferrets and okapis (relatives of giraffes that live in the central African rainforest), have lenses that allow some ultraviolet light through, suggesting these animals may see in the ultraviolet.