Is a platypus an amphibian

Answer 1

No. The platypus is a mammal. It has fur, breathes through lungs throughout its life, and is warm-blooded.

An amphibian has moist skin, not fur. It is cold-blooded, and it only breathes through lungs as an adult; juveniles breathe through gills.

Answer 2

No. A platypus is an egg-laying mammal, and could not be classed as an amphibian, for several reasons:

• Like other mammals, platypuses have skin and fur; amphibians have moist skin.
• Like all mammals, platypuses are endothermic (warm-blooded); amphibians are ectothermic (cold-blooded).
• Both juvenile and adult platypuses breathe using lungs, as all mammals do; amphibians are unique in that juveniles breathe using gills and a spiracle, while the adults breathe using lungs.
• Platypuses have their young on dry land, in a nesting chamber; amphibian young generally require water.
• Above all, platypuses feed their young on mothers' milk, just like all mammals do; amphibians take no part in raising their young, which are left to fend for themselves.

Answer 3

No. Platypuses are mammals, not amphibians, despite the fact that both platypuses and amphibians lay eggs. Platypuses are mammals because they feed their young on mothers' milk, and this is the defining characteristic of a mammal.

The platypus also has fur, breathes through lungs throughout its life, and is warm-blooded.

An amphibian has moist skin, not fur. It is cold-blooded, and it only breathes through lungs as an adult; juveniles breathe through gills.

Answer 4

Yes. They are aquatic mammals that lay eggs. They have a ducklike bill and webbed feet.

Answer 5

A platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) is a semi-aquatic Australian mammal that lays eggs - it is not an amphibian.

Answer 6

No. They are Monotremes.