Police Officer Preparation & Law Enforcement Resource - Archive

The REAL POLICE FORUM is a leading community of police officers and law enforcement professionals. The forum includes police chat and restricted areas for police officers only. The ask-a-cop area allows you to ask questions to real police officers and only verified police are allowed to respond. REALPOLICE.com also features law enforcement jobs, news, training materials and expert articles.




oscarmitre
10-26-04, 01:33 AM
Not that I've seen one in the wild (yet).

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200410/s1226827.htm



It's official - the platypus is weird
Scientists from the Australian National University have proved what many have thought for years - platypuses are really weird.

In the international Nature journal today they report a platypus has five chromosones determining sex, not one - like the rest of the species in the world.

Professor Jennifer Graves says platypus have five X and five Y chromosomes, and when sperm are made it gets even stranger.

"What we've discovered is that these five Xs and five Ys line up in a great big long chain, that go XY XY XY XY XY XY, and then all the X chromosomes move to one pole, and all the Y chromosomes move to the other," she said.

Professor Graves says there is another unexpected finding.

"One end of the chain looks like human sex chromosomes but the other end of the chain looks like bird sex chromosomes, so the chain is actually linking a very ancient system of sex determination in birds and probably reptiles too," she said.

The unique status of the Australian mammal is now unassailable.


Orleander
10-26-04, 06:27 AM
I wonder how old the platypus is. Are they as old as alligators? Horseshoe crab?

aussie1
10-26-04, 06:32 AM
Australia wins again!!! Not only do we dominate sports of all kind, but now weird animals too!!!


Oldbillplod
10-26-04, 06:47 AM
Australia wins again!!! Not only do we dominate sports of all kind, but now weird animals too!!!

That is of course apart from rugby :p

Orleander
10-26-04, 06:51 AM
Well, we have Bigfoot and I hear platypus is their favorite meal, so I think we win. lol

Strijder
10-26-04, 10:18 AM
Aliens brought 'em :D . Guess that explains a few things about the Australian political system too. :D

Mike Romeo
10-26-04, 10:38 AM
Bwah Ha Hah!!

fenderbender
10-26-04, 11:16 AM
I've always heard that the Platypus was proof that God has a sense of humor.

Come to think of it, that might have been said about Australians in general. ;)


That was great! LOL

massgrunt
10-26-04, 11:23 AM
Oz also has the world's weirdest fashion sense. reference the Uggs and tracksuit bottoms at all the society events!

oscarmitre
10-26-04, 07:53 PM
Don't they still decide elections by having all the candidates face off in a drinking contest? :D

Of course! Jeez, can't a bloke have a bit of fun in politics? You know how it works, whoever's left standing gets a seat, then there's a drink-off and whoever's left standing then gets a cabinet spot and there's yet another drink-off and the last one standing gets to be Prime Minister. However trends have caught up with us. Years ago it used to be beer now it's more likely to be shiraz or chardonnay.

However the Women's Temperance Union have complained that teetotallers don't get a guernsey in Parliament. But guess what - we don't care :D

oscarmitre
10-26-04, 07:54 PM
Oz also has the world's weirdest fashion sense. reference the Uggs and tracksuit bottoms at all the society events!

The Saturday evening drags are not a society event - if you see anyone wearing uggs and trackies at the Melbourne Cup let me know, it will be time to call in the exterminators :D

oscarmitre
10-26-04, 07:57 PM
We gave you the secret ballot - when it was introduced into the States it was called the "Australian Ballot". :D

CityOfChicago
10-26-04, 09:13 PM
And see...I always thought the strangest creatures in Oz were the flying monkeys in bellboy outfits. What was I thinking?