A Glowing Report on the Platypus

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Creationists are fond of the platypus, and some of think that it could possibly be one of our Creator's pranks on secularists. Not only does it have design characteristics of different critters, but is frustrating to Darwin's disciples. Then there's that new report.

The platypus has always been troubling to evolutionists. Things became much worse for them because it is biofluorescent, which raises more questions.
Modified from a public domain image

The platypus is billed (see what I did there?) as being able to glow in the dark. Probably not useful as a reading light, though. This was detected by shining ultraviolet light on museum specimens. Then things get truly bizarre.

Other living things are also biofluorescent, but they are disparate, such as fungi, a few mammals, fish, and others. (Expect the non-explanation of "convergent evolution" to be invoked.) Mammals that have this trait are active in twilight hours, including wombats and other natives of 'Straya. However, not all of these animals that are active in twilight are biofluorescent. The more we think about it, the less ducky it gets for evolutionists.

When ultraviolet (UV) light shines on the platypus pelt (which is brown in visible light) it absorbs UV wavelengths between 200 and 400 nanometers. It then gives off visible light between 500 and 600 nanometers (green or cyan to us); an optical process called fluorescence. . . . The researchers assumed that the fluorescence observed is not a property of museum specimens due to preservation techniques, a possibility that was not ruled out.

The proposed function of the trait was to help them see other platypuses in low-light environments. This is important because platypuses, and biofluorescent flying squirrels and opossums, are all active during the dim hours of dawn, dusk, and night. Furthermore, platypuses have UV-sensitive vision, so they can see and interact with each other at night. Conversely, they are less visible to animals that do not have UV vision, as is true of many of their predators. Thus, the researchers explain platypus biofluorescence as likely an evolutionary adaptation to low-light conditions where UV fluorescence may be particularly important to nocturnal mammals. If so, why haven’t most or all other mammals evolved this trait? Why is the platypus part of a very exclusive club: one of only three known biofluorescent mammals?

You can read the rest of this extremely interesting article at "Platypus Glows in the Dark". A much shorter article has an interesting photo, "Glow-in-the-Dark Platypuses Illuminate the Creator".