"Duckbilled Platypus" Sticker

The platypus, sometimes referred to as the duck-billed platypus, is a semiaquatic, egg-laying mammal endemic to eastern Australia, including Tasmania. The platypus is the sole living representative or monotypic taxon of its family and genus, though a number of related species appear in the fossil record. (Ornithorhynchus anatinu"s) After analyzing the genes of the platypus, professor Frank Grutzner, PhD and his colleagues discovered that the creature’s venom contained the metabolic hormone glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1). This is normally secreted in the guts of both animals and humans. It stimulates the pancreas to produce insulin and lower blood glucose levels. which could be used in type 2 diabetes treatment.