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The platypuses is specially adapted to find food in an underwater environment. As carnivores, they are predators; they eat small water animals such as aquatic insect larvae, fresh water shrimp, annelid worms, yabbies and crayfish which live on the bottom of freshwater creeks and rivers.
To catch their prey, platypuses make several hundred dives a day in order to catch enough food. They use the fine, sensitive electroreceptors on their bills, which detect the tiny electrical impulses made by underwater creatures. After locating their prey, they dig up the mud with their bill to grasp them, crushing the creatures between grinding plates in their bills.
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Does a platypus find food in both water and on land?
No. The platypus is adapted for finding food in the water, not on land. The sensitive electroreceptors in its bill work underwater, not in the air.
What does a platypus see?
Platypuses see soil, rocks, bushland, riverbanks, each other - whatever happens to be in their environment. However, they do not see anything underwater as they close their eyes when swimming, relying on their sense of electroreception to find food.
How do electroreceptors help the platypus?
The platypus uses the electroreceptors in its bill to find food. It closes its eyes when underwater, and uses its bill to detect movements. Equipped with electroreceptors, the sensitive bill can sense electrical impulses, even the tiniest of movements made by underwater crustaceans.
How does a platypus find food under water?
The platypus's unusual broad bill (snout) is specially equipped to enable it to find food underwater. A platypus may make hundreds of dives in a creek or river 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, or those swimming in the murky depths. A platypus closes its eyes underwater, as it does not need to see at all. Its bill tells it everything it need to know about where its prey is located. The platypus then uses its bill to shovel away the dirt, and find the food.
Which mammal has a duckbill?
No mammal has a duckbill. The platypus is sometimes mistakenly called the "duckbill platypus" but this is a complete misnomer. The platypus's bill is nothing like that of a duck, being flatter and broader. Also, it is equipped with electroreceptors which enable it to find food underwater. The duck's bill does not have this facility.
What adaptations do platypus have for eating?
The main adaptations the platypus has for eating are its method of catching food, using its unusual bill. The platypus's bill has a number of adaptations to help the platypus find its food. The platypus closes its eyes when underwater, and uses its bill to detect movements. Equipped with electroreceptors, the sensitive bill can sense electrical impulses, even the tiniest of movements made by underwater crustaceans.The bill is also used to shovel up the soil on the bottom of the river or creek in order to find the food. Once found, the platypus uses grinding plates in its bill, rather than teeth, to crush the food before eating it.
What does the platypus's bill do?
The platypus uses its bill to find food. It closes its eyes when underwater, and uses its bill to detect movements. Equipped with electroreceptors, the sensitive bill can sense electrical impulses, even the tiniest of movements made by underwater crustaceans. The bill is also used to shovel up the soil on the bottom of the river or creek in order to find the food. Once found, the platypus uses grinding plates in its bill, rather than teeth, to crush the food before eating it.
What does the platypus use its snout for?
The platypus uses its nose the same way all mammals do: to determine scents. If the question actually refers to the platypus's entire snout, or bill, the answer is different. The platypus uses its bill to find food. It closes its eyes when underwater, and uses its bill to detect movements. Equipped with electroreceptors, the sensitive bill can sense electrical impulses, even the tiniest of movements made by underwater crustaceans. The bill is also used to shovel up the soil on the bottom of the river or creek in order to find the food. Once found, the platypus uses grinding plates in its bill, rather than teeth, to crush the food before eating it.
What is the function of the bill in a Platypus?
The platypus uses its bill to find food. It closes its eyes when underwater, and uses its bill to detect movements. Equipped with electroreceptors, the sensitive bill can sense electrical impulses, even the tiniest of movements made by underwater crustaceans. The bill is also used to shovel up the soil on the bottom of the river or creek in order to find the food. Once found, the platypus uses grinding plates in its bill, rather than teeth, to crush the food before eating it.
What is unique about a platypus's bill?
The platypus uses its bill to find food. It closes its eyes when underwater, and uses its bill to detect movements. Equipped with electroreceptors, the sensitive bill can sense electrical impulses, even the tiniest of movements made by underwater crustaceans. The bill is also used to shovel up the soil on the bottom of the river or creek in order to find the food. Once found, the platypus uses grinding plates in its bill, rather than teeth, to crush the food before eating it.
What very unusual Australian mammal does two things other mammals do not?
The platypus lays eggs, and swims underwater, using its bill (equipped with electroreceptors) to find food.
How does a platypus eat with their eyes closed?
The platypus uses its bill to find food. It closes its eyes when underwater, and uses its bill to detect movements. Equipped with electroreceptors, the sensitive bill can sense electrical impulses, even the tiniest of movements made by underwater crustaceans. It does not need to see its prey. The bill is also used to shovel up the soil on the bottom of the river or creek in order to find the food. Once found, the platypus uses grinding plates in its bill, rather than teeth, to crush the food before eating it.
