Platypuses

The platypus is uniquely adapted to live in a semi-aquatic ecosystem. It is found in freshwater creeks and rivers, within bushland, alpine or sub-tropical areas.

The ecosystem helps the platypus survive because it provides the food this animal needs. The platypus dives into creeks and rivers for its food. Its bill 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. It does not have teeth, but hard bony plates which it uses to grind the food.

The platypus has webbed feet which help it to swim, and which have a retracting webbed membrane which can expose the claws, enabling the platypus to effectively dig burrows in riverbanks for shelter, and the webbing membrane retracts for that purpose, but spreads between its toes when it needs to swim - which it needs to do to get its food.

During mating season, the female platypus digs a separate chamber at the end of her burrow. The eggs are laid here, and once hatched, the mother "closes off" the chamber with a wall of leaves when she leaves, to protect the young. The wall of leaves is also designed in such a way that it helps remove excess water from the platypus when she returns, thus keeping the chamber as dry as possible.

There is no need for anything in particular to be done to help the platypus's population. While there was a time when it was under threat, being particularly prized for its fur years ago, its numbers have returned to essentially the same levels they were prior to European settlement. The Australian Government lists the platypus as "common but vulnerable". The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists the platypus as "least concern".

The platypus now has protection by law in the National Parks and Wildlife Act of 1974 (from hunters and fishermen), and the population has grown back to a healthy size. Another issue was that platypuses were drowning after being caught in fishing nets. it is no longer legal to use fishing nets in freshwater rivers and creeks.

There are concerns regarding the destruction of their habitat and awareness of this problem is increasing. Being officially protected means the platypus may not be hunted, or specimens taken as pets, and there are strict laws even governing the keeping of platypuses by wildlife sanctuaries or zoos. Currently, in 2013, no zoos outside of Australia have platypuses.

Tasmanian platypuses are subject to a disease caused by the fungus Mucor amphibiorum, which has fortunately not migrated to the mainland. Affected animals often develop skin lesions or ulcers, and the biggest threat to their survival arises from secondary infection. This can affect the platypus's ability to maintain body temperature and to hunt properly for food on the bottom of rivers and creeks. Naturally, funds are being directed into finding causes and cures for the problem.

Pythons and goannas eat platypus eggs. The female platypus will actually place earthen plugs along the length of her burrow before the chamber which holds the eggs, in order to deter such predators.

Both. Platypuses live throughout eastern coastal Australia and its island state of Tasmania, particularly within heavily wooded and protected regions, from the cooler sub-alpine areas in the south and the Tasmanian highlands to tropical far north Queensland.

If you mean the "platypus," no, it is not a bird. It is a mammal.

There is no such species as a platypus fish. There is just the platypus, an egg-laying mammal endemic to the eastern states of Australia.

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Platypuses do not live in water at all. They hunt for their food in water, but they do not live in the water. They dig burrows above the waterline in the banks of freshwater creeks and rivers, which remain dry (unless the river floods).

The platypus was first thought to be a hoax, comprised of a duck's beak sewn into the body of a beaver.

The platypus is the emblem of New South Wales (NSW) due to its unique characteristics and significance to Australian wildlife. As a monotreme, the platypus is one of the few egg-laying mammals, showcasing the country's distinct biodiversity. Additionally, it symbolizes the natural heritage of NSW, reflecting the importance of conservation and the region's ecological identity. Its quirky appearance and fascinating behavior have made it an iconic representation of Australia.

Birds are not mammals. They are in their own category, which is "Birds".

The only two egg-laying mammals are the platypus and the echidna, which are classified as monotremes.

They don't.

Platypuses are found only in eastern Australia.

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Yes, they are an egg-laying mammal.

A platypus is indeed an example of a monotreme. Though it is a mammal it lays eggs rather than giving birth.

Yes. The platypus is the only mammal with a bill of any sort.

A male platypus can grow to 50-60 cm in length, whilst the female is smaller, averaging 40-50 cm in length. They are very lightly built creatures, with females weighing as little as 900 grams, and males 1700 grams to 2kg.

Adult platypuses do not stay with their young after they are born. Female platypuses care for their eggs by incubating them in a burrow and nursing the hatchlings for a short period. Once the young are weaned, they become independent and leave the burrow to fend for themselves. Male platypuses do not participate in parenting duties at all.

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Certainly! Up until our recent modern times, this was a common practice. As along as the mother giving the baby breast milk is healthy, one mother giving her milk to another child, presents no problem. While of course the best nutritional value comes from the baby's mother as her milk will naturally change as the baby's needs change, any breast milk is better than formula.

The cloaca is the external opening from the platypus's body, for both waste elimination and for reproduction. The cloaca leads to the urinary, faecal and reproductive tracks, all of which join internally, and it is the orifice by which the female montreme lays her eggs.

Platypuses neither hibernate nor migrate. They are active throughout the year, and they tend to stay by their home pond, creek or river as long as there is sufficient food and water.

No Australian native animals migrate (though some are nomadic), and only the mountain pygmy possums of Australia's alpine regions hibernate.