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Platypuses
One of Australia's most unique and unusual native animals, the platypus is an egg-laying mammal which lives on land and hunts for food in the freshwater creeks and rivers of eastern Australia. Once incorrectly thought to be the most primitive mammal, it is now regarded as a superb example of adaptation. Questions and answers about platypuses can be found here.
996 Questions
How does a platypus benefit from the tides?
A platypus does not benefit from the tides because it is a freshwater-dwelling animals. It lives only in freshwater creeks, rivers and ponds.
Is a platypus a part of incomplete metamorphosis?
No. The platypus does not undergo any form of metamorphosis; no mammal does. The platypus is a unique species, with distinct features, but none of these are examples of incomplete metamorphosis.
How long does a platypus stay pregnant?
Although platypuses are mammals, they do not actually have a "pregnancy", as they are egg-laying mammals.
Limited rematch has been able to be done on the platypus, but fertilised eggs are believed to stay in the mother's body for around 28 days before being laid. The eggs are incubated by the mother in the nesting chamber for another 10 days. During this time, she does not eat or drink.
How many entrances does a platypus's burrow have?
A platypus's burrow generally has either one or two entrances.
Monotremes and marsupials are limited to the Australian region because of?
Continental drift is a significant factor in why monotremes and most (not all) marsupials are found in Australia. This has resulted in isolation.
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.
The tail of a platypus helps the animal to swim and acts as a rudder when it dives.
A platypus also stores most of its body fat in its tail to help it survive when food is limited, and to prepare for when the female must incubate her eggs and care for the young when they hatch.
During the breeding season, the female digs herself a chamber within her deep burrow, and this chamber is lined with leaves and other nesting material. The female with carry this nesting material rolled underneath her tail as she climbs up and down steep riverbanks.
Yes. The fur of a platypus is dense and waterproof. At one stage, platypuses were hunted to near-extinction for their fur.
What do purple platypuses eat?
As there is no such thing as a purple platypus, this question is impossible to answer.
Platypuses eat crustaceans and larvae that live on the bottom of creek and river beds.
What is the possessive form of platypus?
Like so: "The platypus's natural environment is a pleasant one".
No.
First off, they wouldn't really meet, as their natural habitats are very far from each other.
Next, a grown Komodo dragon is a lot bigger than a grown platypus, and platypus venom is not strong enough to affect an adult Komodo dragon.
Which of these is poisonous the echidna or the platypus?
Neither one is "poisonous", but an adult male platypus has a venomous spur through which it can deliver a powerful and agonising venom.
What is the platypus's extra sense?
Platyouses have an extra sense - that of electroreception.
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 in which they feed.
How many enemies does the platypus have?
Platypuses have around a dozen natural and introduced enemies. They are not easily preyed upon in the wild, because they mainly hunt underwater and live in hidden shelters.
Natural predators of the platypus include snakes, water rats, goannas, spotted quolls, eels, hawks, owls and eagles. In the north of its range, dingoes are another predator. Lower platypus numbers in far northern Australia are possibly due to predation by crocodiles.
The introduction of red foxes as a predator for rabbits may have had some impact on platypus numbers on the mainland. Feral cats are another platypus predator, but the platypus's principal enemies are humans. Humans used to hunt them for their fur, but they are now protected. The danger is now not from hunting, but from destruction of their environment. Also, the use of fishing nets in freshwater creeks and rivers resulted in large numbers being drowned, but this practice has been banned. So, technically, man is not the platypus's predator because he does not eat it, but he is a threat to the platypus. The platypuses were and are affected by man but not eaten by him.
How many young do platypuses have at a time?
Platypuses lay between one and three eggs at a time, once a year.
Their reproductive years extend from around age two to at least the age of nine, but because the platypus is such a shy and reclusive creature, little research has been done into the extent of their reproductive years.
Is the platypus an animal whose habitat is a river?
Yes, but the platypus does not actually live IN the river.
Platypuses live in burrows that they dig on the banks of freshwater creeks, rivers and lakes. They do not live in the water, but they need the water in which to hunt for their food, which consists of tiny crustaceans and other invertebrates that live on the river bed or lake bed.
How many people were killed by platypus?
Platypuses do not kill people. Their venom can cause agonising, almost paralysing pain, but it cannot kill a healthy human being.
How can platypuses breathe fire?
Platypuses do not breathe fire. They are normal, air-breathing mammals.
Can you see a picture of a platypus?
There is very little available out there that speaks to the anatomy of a platypus. The related link below will show a general picture of the brain, as well as written material about the rest of the internal anatomy.
