Platypuses Don’t Have Nipples—But They Still Nurse Their Babies!

Platypuses are full of surprises, and here’s another one—they don’t have nipples, but they still nurse their babies with milk! As monotremes, platypuses are egg-laying mammals, which already makes them pretty unusual. But unlike most mammals that have nipples for breastfeeding, platypuses have a completely different system. Their milk oozes out of mammary gland ducts in their skin, and the babies, called puggles, lap it up directly from their mom’s belly.

Here’s how it works: a female platypus has two milk patches on her abdomen where the mammary glands are. After her eggs hatch—usually one or two at a time—the tiny puggles snuggle up to these patches and suck the milk off her fur. The milk is super rich, packed with nutrients to help the babies grow fast, since they’re born tiny and underdeveloped. A puggle will nurse for about 3–4 months before it’s ready to start hunting on its own.

This nipple-free setup is a throwback to the platypus’s ancient ancestors, who split off from other mammals over 160 million years ago. It’s one reason why platypuses are so fascinating—they’re like a living link to the past! They also don’t have a pouch like other egg-laying mammals (echidnas have one); instead, the mom curls her tail around the eggs and babies to keep them safe in a burrow. So next time you think of a platypus, picture those little puggles slurping milk off their mom’s fur—it’s a quirky fact that makes them even more lovable. Share this with your friends and come back for more platypus trivia!