The platypus is arguably Australia's most iconic and strange animal.

It is classed as a monotreme, which is a group of mammals that includes just five surviving species.

It has fur yet lays eggs and produces milk but has no nipples, and it is one of the few mammals that is venomous.

During breeding season, male platypuses produce venom that can be injected into rival males, predators, or inquisitive humans using a spur on their hind legs.

Although not fatal to humans, the after effects of a platypus sting can be excruciatingly painful.

The platypus genome and diabetes

In 2008, researchers first sequenced the platypus genome. One of the researchers involved in that project — Prof. Frank Grutzner, from the University of Adelaide in Australia — is now looking at novel ways to use this knowledge to help treat diabetes.

People who have diabetes are sometimes prescribed a drug called exenatide. This compound is a modified version of the hormone glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), which is naturally secreted in the gut and stimulates the release of insulin. This has the effect of lowering the level of potentially damaging glucose in the blood.

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