They use this to hunt prey hiding in the mud of stream floors. They are one of the very few mammals that use electroreception, aka the ability to sense the electricity created by the movement of muscles. Males have an ankle spur that delivers venom strong enough to kill dogs and cause excruciating pain in humans.
While it might look like their tails are for swimming, they are in fact used primarily for storing fat, like a camel’s hump. Their large beaver-like tail is used for fat storage.
They are well-adapted for this, with webbed feet for swimming and fur that is waterproof to keep them warm. This means that they live both in water and on land. Both lay eggs, which later hatch live young. There are only two kinds of egg-laying mammal left on the planet today.Īlmost every mammal gives birth to live young, except for the platypus and echidna. This group contains only 5 species still alive today: platypuses and 4 species of echidna. This is one of the three main groups of living mammals. They are part of a group called “monotremes”. The appearance of platypuses is so odd that the first European naturalists who studied a preserved one thought they were fake and made of other animals stuck together.Ģ. People didn’t believe the platypus was real. They are classified as near-threatened by the IUCN, which has recommended that it is upgraded to a threatened species, due to habitat destruction and declining numbers in all states. However, they are now a legally protected species in Australia. Platypus are rare, elusive and were historically extensively hunted for its fur. Life span is around 17 years in captivity, but it’s thought to be less in the wild. They are nocturnal, meaning they are active mainly at night, and also crepuscular meaning they are also active during twilight (sunset and sunrise). Their predators include birds (hawks, owls, and eagles), snakes, water rats, goannas (a large lizard), and crocodiles! They hunt using their bills which sense both movement and electric signals produced by moving animals. They hunt fresh-water crustaceans, such as shrimp and crayfish.
They spend most of their time in the water, but also have burrows in the side of riverbanks where they rest. They inhabit small streams and the surrounding areas. They are native to Eastern Australia, ranging from the colder highlands to tropical rainforests. Hawks, owls, eagles, snakes, water rats, goanna and crocodiles They are so odd, that the first scientists to encounter them thought they were fake.ĥ0cm (20in) in length, Females: 43cm (17in)Ĭrustaceans (freshwater shrimp and crayfish), insect larvae It’s famous for its odd appearance, with a duck-shaped bill, a beaver-like tail, and the feet of an otter. Females nurse their young for three to four months until the babies can swim on their own.The platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) is a semi-aquatic, egg-laying mammal that is native to Australia, and often referred to as the ‘duck-billed platypus’. The eggs hatch in about ten days, but platypus infants are the size of lima beans and totally helpless. A mother typically produces one or two eggs and keeps them warm by holding them between her body and her tail. It is one of only two mammals (the echidna is the other) that lay eggs.įemales seal themselves inside one of the burrow's chambers to lay their eggs. Platypuses use their nails and feet to construct dirt burrows at the water's edge. However, the webbing on their feet retracts to expose individual nails and allow the creatures to run. On land, platypuses move a bit more awkwardly. Platypuses do not have teeth, so the bits of gravel help them to “chew” their meal. All this material is stored in cheek pouches and, at the surface, mashed for consumption. They scoop up insects and larvae, shellfish, and worms in their bill along with bits of gravel and mud from the bottom. These Australian mammals are bottom feeders. In this posture, a platypus can remain submerged for a minute or two and employ its sensitive bill to find food.
#Duckbill platypus stinger skin#
Folds of skin cover their eyes and ears to prevent water from entering, and the nostrils close with a watertight seal. Platypuses hunt underwater, where they swim gracefully by paddling with their front webbed feet and steering with their hind feet and beaverlike tail. They have sharp stingers on the heels of their rear feet and can use them to deliver a strong toxic blow to any foe. The animal is best described as a hodgepodge of more familiar species: the duck (bill and webbed feet), beaver (tail), and otter (body and fur). In fact, the first scientists to examine a specimen believed they were the victims of a hoax. The platypus is among nature's most unlikely animals.
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