Viral Picture Of 'Baby Platypus' Isn't Actually A Baby Platypus

Unless you happen to be big into your juvenile semi-aquatic egg-laying mammals, then the chances are you've probably never seen a baby platypus before.

It's this lack of baby platypus savviness that caused social media to become awash with both shock and delight over the past few days after a picture purportedly depicting a baby platypus went viral.

The reason it went viral is because it is damn cute, and people felt obliged to share the revelatory photo far and wide:

However, if you're one of the people who had your day made by the delightful little duck-faced platypus, then I'm afraid it's time for today to be ruined by the knowledge this is in fact nothing more than a picture of a lump of clay.

The 'baby platypus' is in fact the creation of artist Vladimir Matić-Kuriljov, who said he never intended for the sculpture to deceive people across the planet.

Speaking to IFLScience, he said: "I just wanted to further clarify that it's [a] sculpture made out of Super Sculpey, a polymer clay.

"The description of the piece on my ArtStation post clearly says so, it's just the title that turned out to be misleading - 'Stone Platypus Baby'. What I actually had in mind was an invented fantasy species of 'stone platypus', I never considered how it might be misinterpreted."

Sorry about that then chaps. The good news though is that actual baby platypuses turn out to be pretty cute too:

Hopefully this offers you some comfort as you come to terms with the fact you've been fawning over a lump of clay with a little bill on it.

Topics: Viral, Community, Animals

Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

@jakesmassey