They’re most active at night when they hunt frogs, fish and insects in the water. Males have venomous spurs on the inner side of each ankle, and females sweat milk from pores on their stomachs. When Europeans first laid eyes on preserved platypus skins, they suspected that they were the Frankenstein-style result of a taxidermy trick, Mindy Weisberger writes for Live Science.īut they’re no hoax-platypuses have bills like ducks, webbed feet like otters, and tails like beavers, making them perfect for swimming along the bottoms of rivers, lakes and streams. ![]() Platypuses are semi-aquatic, egg-laying mammals that live in eastern Australia. "But we were also interested in seeing how deep in the mammalian tree the trait of biofluorescent fur went.” "It was a mix of serendipity and curiosity that led us to shine a UV light on the platypuses at the Field Museum," said lead author Professor Paula Spaeth Anich, associate professor of biology and natural resources at Northland College in a statement. The authors of the study specifically looked at two platypus specimens kept at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago and one specimen kept at the University of Nebraska State Museum. Now platypuses have joined the exclusive club. Emitting light of one color after absorbing light of a different color is called fluorescence, and scientists only recognize a couple of known fluorescent mammals. Research published in the journal Mammalialast month shows that if scientists shine light with wavelengths between 200 and 400 nanometers-that’s ultraviolet, just a little too short for humans to see-on a platypus, then the animal’s brown body reflected back bright blue-green light with a wavelength between 500 and 600 nanometers, George Dvorsky reports for Gizmodo. ![]() It turns out real life platypuses are blue-green, too-at least when they’re under an ultraviolet spotlight. Don’t cut corners, and keep searching, because your customer is out there, but maybe not right in front of you… believe in what you do, or do something else.Disney Channel may not have been far off with when they colored Perry the Platypus bright teal. I refuse to put another generic factory blank with 1 color print into the universe… always do it better, and stay true. Some of our kitschier, crazier designs are the best sellers. I would say, first of all, stay true to your style and don’t sell out just because something is trending… and always take it too far. What inspiring advice would you give to other creatives be they established or just starting out? Boredom is the enemy, and creativity seems to be the cure for that. I constantly have situations (not just design, but also in production), where I have to really think about the best way to complete a task or which color is best (I know what I love but it needs to sell too!) I love changing up the designs and silhouettes frequently, because I get bored. I love waking up not knowing what will come at me. Is creativity a luxury or a necessity for you?ĭefinitely a necessity! I love that every day is different. We wanted something unusual, so we thought of the platypus, since it’s a wonder of evolution- a mammal that lays eggs, has fur, a poisonous spike on its back leg (males only), and the bill of a duck… what could be more magnificent or mysterious? And we picked the color blue because it’s soothing, flattering to all skin tones, and it’s the color that costume designers put on characters they want us to trust. Is there an interesting story behind the name of your business? How did the name come about? Is a major customer, and our creations are also in many stores throughout the US like:Īnd in boutiques around the country and a few internationals too! You can find our things at which is our retail site. We pick the fabrics and have them custom-sewn, dyed and printed with our awesome dye colors and artwork created by me. We make women’s tees, tanks, dresses out of fabrics knit in USA. We still produce everything in Los Angeles and have it shipped to us for QC and shipping out to our stores and websites. We lived there for almost 15 years, started a family and then moved back to Michigan where all my people still live. ![]() ![]() I grew up in Michigan, went to the University of Michigan (I was pre-Med in another life) and then had a quarter-life crisis and decided to go to fashion school in Los Angeles. I am Heidi Gates, owner & designer for Blue Platypus Clothing, which I consider my other child since it occupies so much of my time and requires a lot of energy. And I love her practical advice to creatives to believe in what you do! Meet Heidi and enjoy her creations! I love the patterns, and the colors and the thought that goes into the prints and clothing. I kinda, maybe fell in love with Blue Platypus Clothing and am so happy to feature Heidi today.
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