The Platypus is a seriously strange creature. No stomach or nipples and can poison you 80 different ways. Its as if the God of creation had leftovers from many creatures, but, being both a frugal and playful God, she mixed them together and set it out to see what it would create.

The Platypus is a duck billed, partly aquatic, egg laying mammal native to Australia. The males are venomous, delivered by a sharp barb in the foot. They have cheek pouches for food like a hamster, waterproof fur and a tail like a beaver, webbed feet like a frog, and venom like a reptile and snake. They have ten sex chromosomes which resemble those of birds, but use mammal and reptile genes to fertilize and lay eggs which come from only one of two ovaries- the left one. These unique, mash-up creatures live up to 20 years and are one of the first mammals- dating back 112 million years- meaning they were here long before the extinction of the dinosaurs.

So what can the platypus teach us about Steemit? More than you would have ever guessed!

Use What You Have

No nipples? No problem!

Although Mama platypus has mammary glands, she does not have nipples. She secretes milk through pores and her offspring lap at her skin.

When you come to Steemit, you are inspired by the Trending Page. You may not have cryptocurrency knowledge or a large bank account to fund travels for an around the world adventure blog.

But you do have something.

You are unique! Your combined mixture of experiences, readings, culture and imagination has given you a rare and singular knowledge; a unique perspective on things that nobody else has! You have something different and special that sets you apart and will provide nourishment for readers. Do not try to emulate the other Steemit mammals- use what you got!

Toss Your Stomach

The platypus lost it's stomach by evolutionary process. It takes a mouthful of the worms, larvae and shellfish of its diet along with gravel and mud, which is then ground down in the "hamster pouches" of it's cheeks.

The platypus did not need a stomach for the type of food it consumes, so nature did away the genes.

Get rid of anything you don't need. That includes excessive words in your posts. I can always go so far as to tell you so much more about the exciting subject at hand, or I can tell you about the subject. See what I did there? For fiction and poetry, yes more words are icing on the cake of the scene. But for most other writing you can remove unnecessary words. People nowadays want their information in small amounts. Practice shortening your posts while keeping it informative and compelling.

This also means to rid your Steemit world of anything unnecessary. Keep only what brings you passion, inspiration and joy.

With Great Poison Comes Great Responsibility

The males have a barb on their hind legs that can deliver enough poison to kill a small animal and leave a human in pain for months. The venom is home to more than 80 different toxins in 13 classes. Researchers are not sure what Mr. Platypus uses this power for, but they believe it's a BDSM sex thing.

Use your power wisely on Steemit! Yes, you may have a crushing knack for (subject) but if that's all you use your Steemit Powers for, you will be ostracizing yourself into a very small niche. Plus a little variety is nice. Or if you only spend your time curating, you're missing out on the growth publishing posts allows. You have great power- use it wisely.

Electoreceptors

Platypus must hunt for it's dinner, but it does so in a unique way. It turns off it's other senses such as sight and smell while it's searching for dinner in the dark muddy waters, relying on electroreceptos in its bill that sense tiny muscle movements in its prey's heart and muscles. Considering its prey are tiny worms and larvae, way to go platypus for developing this extraordinary sixth sense!

Read your fellow Steemians posts. A lot. You will get a feel for how to style, learn about new apps and tools to help you on your Steemit journey, and ideas on what to write next. Whenever I don't have any ideas for a post, reading yours always sparks my creativity!

One of the greatest things Platypus can teach us about Steemit is to not be afraid to be different! Embrace your uniqueness, that's what your readers are yearning for :)

Images via National Geographic and Smithsonian

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