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Platypuses are carnivores. They are predators; they eat small water animals such as aquatic insect larvae, fresh water shrimp, annelid worms, yabbies and crayfish.
Platypuses catch their food in the water. They may make hundreds of dives in a single day. The bill of a platypus has sensitive electroreceptors which pick up tiny nerve and electrical impulses generated by crustaceans and other animals that inhabit the bottom of the creek or river. The platypus then uses its bill to shovel away the dirt, and find the food.
Platypuses do not have teeth, but hard bony plates which they use to grind the food.
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Where do platypuses go to get food to feed their babies?
Platypuses find food on the bottom of freshwater riverbeds and creek beds.
How do baby platypuses find their food?
Baby platypuses initially feed exclusively on mothers' milk. As they get older, they are shown by the mother platypus how to find food in rivers and creeks.
How many times do platypuses dive a day?
It is usual for platypuses to make hundreds of dives every day in order to find sufficient food.
How do Platypuses eat their food?
Platypuses do not have teeth, but hard bony plates which they use to grind the food.
How do baby platypuses get their food when they are young?
Baby platypuses initially feed exclusively on mothers' milk. The mother platypus does not have teats for the baby platypuses to latch onto, but instead secretes milk through grooves on either side of her abdomen. The young platypuses suck up this milk. As they get older, they are shown by the mother platypus how to find food in rivers and creeks.
How do platypuses find plankton in water?
Platypuses do not eat plankton, so they do not need to find it.
What do a platypus and a seal have in common?
Platypuses and seals are both semi-aquatic mammals that find their food in water, but this is about where the similarities end. Platypuses lay eggs and seals give live birth; platypuses require fresh water and seals are marine mammals; platypuses use electroreceptors in their bills to find invertebrates on which they feed, while seals primarily eat fish.
Do platypuses live in streams?
Platypuses do not actually live in the water. Platypuses find all their food in freshwater creeks, rivers and ponds, and they burrow into riverbanks for shelter. Their burrows can be up to 30 metres (100 feet) in length, but they are dug above the waterline.
Do platypuses swallow their food whole?
No. Platypuses do not have teeth for chewing, but instead have grinding plates, with which they grind down their food before swallowing.
What land food do platypuses eat?
Platypuses do not eat land food. They feed entirely off crustaceans and small water creatures.
Do platypuses breed in water or land?
Platypuses breed on land. They only hunt for food in the water.
Do platypuses liver near the rivers?
Yes, platypuses do live near rivers, creeks and clean water sources. They can only find their food in freshwater, and they also dig their burrows in the banks of creeks and rivers.
