Is the platypus rare

Answer 1

The platypus is not rare, but it is elusive and very hard to glimpse in its natural state. It is not even endangered.

It is unknown how many platypuses are in the wild, because it is so difficult to do research on such an elusive animal, but sighting figures do indicate that the platypus has enjoyed a resurgence in numbers since becoming protected in the mid 1900s. Numbers are believed to be comparable to what they were when European settlement began.

Answer 2

A platypus is unusual for several reasons.

• Platypuses are egg-laying mammals, or monotremes, one of only three species of mammal that lays eggs.
• Platypuses feed their young on mothers' milk, but secrete the millk through pores rather than teats.
• They have a bill which loosely resembles a duck's bill in shape, yet which is equipped with sensitive electro-receptors to help them find food.
• Platypuses do not have teeth, but use grinding plates in their bill to crush the food they find.
• Platypuses close their eyes tightly when underwater, effectively hunting "blind".
• They are semi-aquatic, hunting for food in water and living in a burrow in the riverbank.
• They are one of very few venomous mammals (the male only).
• Platypuses' feet have sharp claws for digging burrows, yet they also have retractable membranes (webbing) to help with swimming when they are in the water.
• When the first platypus specimen was sent back to Britain, it was thought to be a fraud, and biologists checked through the (dead) body looking for evidence it had been stitched together.

Answer 3

The platypus is not "plentiful", but neither is it endangered.

The platypus is not endangered in Australia, and the IUCN, or International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, lists the Platypus on its Red List as Least Concern. It is unknown what the actual population of platypuses is. The closest estimate is that platypus numbers are in the low thousands.

Not many surveys of platypus populations have been done, and even those have only been carried out in selected rivers on Australia's eastern coast. Recent research suggests that the average platypus population density along some of the better quality streams in part of the Great Dividing Range in Victoria is only around one to two animals per kilometre of channel. Besides this, the only information available is that, apart from in South Australia where platypuses can no longer be found in the wild, the platypus population is believed to be the same as it was at the beginning of European settlement in Australia.

Answer 4

The platypus would not be considered to be "common", but it is an elusive creature, difficult to track, and therefore it is unknown what the actual population of platypuses is. The closest estimate is that platypus numbers are in the low thousands.

The platypus is not endangered in Australia, and the IUCN, or International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, lists the Platypus on its Red List as Least Concern.

Not many surveys of platypus populations have been done, and even those have only been carried out in selected rivers on the eastern coast. The only information we have is that, apart from in South Australia where platypuses can no longer be found in the wild, the platypus population is believed to be the same as it was at the beginning of European settlement in Australia.

Answer 5

Platypuses are not rare, and they are not even endangered. However, they are elusive creatures, shy and inclined to hide, so they are not often seen, even in their native Australia.