Platypus

Platypus

Platypuses have thick brown fur, which traps an insulating layer of air next to their skin. Males grow to a length of about 60cm, females 50cm. Males have a venomous spur on the inside of their hind leg.

The soft bill of the Platypus resembles that of a duck, but is covered with soft, leathery skin containing sensitive nerves that can detect faint electrical fields generated by small aquatic animals that they prey on. This electroreception is unique among mammals.

Platypuses are most active early morning and late evening and spend most of the day in a burrow. The front paws are webbed and are used like paddles. When swimming, the eyes and ears are closed, and the sensitive bill sweeps from side to side searching for electrical impulses of their prey. Platypuses can stay underwater for several minutes and store food in their cheeks before coming to the surface to grind it up and swallow.

Did you Know?

  • The Platypus makes a soft growling sound when disturbed
  • Adult platypuses do not have teeth, having instead horny plates in their mouth to crush the food. Young platypuses have molar teeth, which they lose as they mature
  • The Platypus is widespread in eastern Australia and common in Tasmania

 

  • Platypuses don’t have teats, releasing milk through pores in the skin instead. They have grooves on their abdomens where the milk pools, allowing the young to lap it up 

  • Litter from humans, such as plastic bags or fishing lines, can trap and kill platypuses

Class
Mammalia
Order

Monotremata

Family

Ornithorhynchidae

Species Name

Ornithorhynchus anatinus