Forget the Hollywood thriller Snakes on a Plane, an Australian man is in trouble for allegedly taking a platypus on a train.
Police launched an appeal after the 26 year old was spotted accompanied by a woman on a suburban train with a wild platypus wrapped in a towel.
The man is accused of removing the animal from a waterway in northern Queensland before taking it on a train trip to a shopping centre.
He is due to appear in court on Saturday over alleged animal protection offences.
"It will be further alleged the pair were observed showing the animal to members of the public at the shopping centre," Queensland police said.
Railway officers caught the man and have spoken to his female companion, police said.
But the fate of the platypus remains a mystery.
"Police were advised the animal was released into the Caboolture river and has not yet been located by authorities," police said.
"Its condition is unknown."
CCTV photos from Tuesday showed a man wearing flip-flops carrying the animal, about the size of kitten, under his arm as he walked along a train platform north of Brisbane.
Under Queensland's conservation laws, it is illegal to take a platypus from the wild, with a maximum fine of US $288,000.
"Taking a platypus from the wild is not only illegal, but it can be dangerous for both the displaced animal and the person involved if the platypus is male as they have venomous spurs," police said.
"If you are lucky enough to see a platypus in the wild, keep your distance."
British scientists in the late 18th century thought they were being hoaxed when they saw their first platypus ― the unusual animal has webbed feet, a stubby tail like a beaver's and the bill of a duck.
The animals are native to Australia's freshwater rivers and are part of a rare group of mammals — the monotremes — that lay eggs.
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Is it worth it? We put cheesecake frap to the test.
The verdict from the nutritionists is damning. But does a cheesecake frappuccino taste good enough to merit the indulgence?
My advice is to only go there if you have unusually sweet tooth. I like my puddings, but this was a bit much even for me. The first hit is a winner, but it's downhill, slowly, from there. Each sip is a little less satisfying than the last, and maybe it was just all that sugar, but it isn't long before the rush is replaced by a creeping remorse. And half of the thing is still left.
The caramel version is far superior to the blueberry, too. If someone put a full caramel cheesecake through a liquidiser and scooped out the contents, it would probably taste something like this. Blueberry, on the other hand, has more of an artificial taste. It's like someone has tried to invent this drink in a lab, and while early results were promising, they're still in the testing phase. It isn't terrible, but something isn't quite right either.
So if you want an experience, go for a small, and opt for the caramel. But if you want a cheesecake, it's probably more satisfying, and not quite as unhealthy, to just order the real thing.
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Founders: Ahmad AlZaini and Mosab AlOthmani
Based: Riyadh
Sector: Software
Employees: 150
Amount raised: $8m through seed and Series A - Series B raise ongoing
Funders: Raed Advanced Investment Co, Al-Riyadh Al Walid Investment Co, 500 Falcons, SWM Investment, AlShoaibah SPV, Faith Capital, Technology Investments Co, Savour Holding, Future Resources, Derayah Custody Co.
