0
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
Being a mammal, a platypus breathes using its lungs, nostrils and respiratory system. Unlike some marine mammals (dolphins, porpoises and whales) it does not have a blowhole on the top of its head.
The platypus is able to hold its breath for up to two minutes underwater when diving for food, and because of this, may make hundreds of dives in order to find enough food for a single feeding. Platypuses may also hold their breath underwater for 5-6 minutes if they are threatened.
Are platypuses protected by law?
Yes. All native Australian animals are protected by law.
Platypuses, like koalas, were extensively hunted for their fur until the early years of the 20th century and protective legislation was put into place in the mid-twentieth century. This legislation covered all native animals, and legislation continued to be refined through the 1970s-1990s and the early 21st century as well.
No. Platypuses do not have gills. They are mammals and, like all mammals, breathe using lungs. Even aquatic mammals such as whales and dolphins have lungs rather than gills. Only fish and juvenile amphibians have gills.
Yes. The platypus needs sharp claws to dig a burrow in a riverbank for its home. The claws have retractable membranes between them. These membranes extend when the platypus is swimming and retract when they are on land.
How much does a platypus weigh when it's born?
A baby platypus is not born, but hatched. When hatched, it weighs around half a gram.
Hedgehogs are found in: Europe, Asia, Africa, New Zealand,
There are also 14 species of hedgehogs in the world that have been discovered by people so far.
Do platypuses lay eggs in nests?
No. Platypuses lay their eggs in a chamber at the end of a burrow they dig in a riverbank.
They do not lay their eggs in the water itself, or in a nest. The burrows can be up to 30 metres long, and the entrance is positioned around 30 cm above the waterline. The chamber is lined with dry vegetation, and the females also builds several earthen plugs along the lens of the tunnel to deter predators..
What is a platypus gestation period?
Platypuses do not give birth to live young. They are one of only two types of mammals to lay eggs. Fertilised platypus eggs stay in the mother's body for around 28 days. When they are laid, they incubate for another ten days before hatching.
The platypus uses its tail in a variety of ways. 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.
Do platypus have bones on the outside of their body?
Yes, platypuses do have tails. These tails are an indication of how healthy a platypus is. The larger and fatter the tail, the healthier the animal is. A thin tail is a sign of malnutrition and/or lack of food.
Platypuses use their tail in a variety of ways. 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.
Platypuses are not ferocious. They are exceedingly shy, and tend to avoid contact with people and other species.
Male platypuses have a venomous spur through which they can inject a debilitating venom which incapacitates the recipient. Scientists are not certain whether the platypus actually uses this spur for defence, but it is believed that, if so, platypuses only use this when provoked into protceting themselves, or when defending their territory. So, no, platypuses are not ferocious.
How do platypus babies protect themselves?
Platypuses are one of two types of mammals which lay eggs. Unlike the echidna, the other egg-laying mammal (or monotreme), the platypus does not develop a temporary pouch to incubate the eggs.
The mother platypus prepares a chamber at the end of a burrow especially for the purpose of protecting the young. After she lays one to three eggs, which have already developed within her body for 28 days, she curls her body around the eggs to incubate them for another ten days.
After hatching, the mother platypus feeds her young on milk secreted from glands, rather than from teats. The young are blind, hairless and completely vulnerable. They are suckled by the mother for 3-4 months, during which time she only leaves them to forage for food. As she leaves the burrow, the mother platypus makes several thin plugs made of soil along the length of burrow; this helps to protect the young from predators which would enter the burrow during the mother's absence. When she returns, she pushes past these plugs, thereby forcing water from her fur and helping to keep the chamber dry.
The male platypus does not take any part in raising the young platypuses.
Platypuses will take care of their young until they are old enough to be left on their own.
Platypuses are protected native animals of Australia, and for that reason, they cannot be adopted in the sense of taking them home to care for them. Even registered wildlife carers cannot care for platypuses, because their environmental needs are too complex. The best you can do is sponsor a platypus, meaning that, for a sum of money, you receive certain gifts, and your funds then do towards helping platypuses in general.
A good example can be found at the "Zoos Victoria" related link below.
Another example can also be found at the related WWF link below.
Note: despite what the WWF website says, the plural of platypus is not 'platypi', and they are also not actually called the "duck billed platypus" at all. The correct name is simply "platypus".
How big is a platypus when it's born?
Platypuses a not born: they are hatched from eggs. Although mammals, they are egg-laying mammals, or monotremes. A newly hatched platypus is about the size and weight of a bean. It is blind, hairless and completely helpless.
The digestive system of a platypus removes nutrients from the food consumed and breaks it down. It also removes water from food eaten and distributes it as needed throughout the body. A platypus' digestive system also enables the body to remove waste.
What is the genus and species name of a platypus?
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Mammalia
Order:Monotremata
Family:Ornithorhynchidae
Genus:Ornithorhynchus
Blumenbach, 1800Species:O. anatinus
Are mammals the only animal that lays eggs?
Yes, there are two. One is the platypus, and the other is the echidna, sometimes called the spiny anteater, although it is not even remotely related to anteaters. Egg-laying mammals are known as monotremes.
Are there platypuses in Canada?
No, there are definitely no platypuses in Canada, either in the wild or in zoos.
Platypuses are only found in the eastern half of the Australian continent, including Tasmania.
Is perry the platypus a super hero?
According to the Movie Phineas and Fern Mission Marvel, Perry turns into a super Agent P to save the world and also go with the theme of the movie.
Where in the world is a platypus located?
Platypuses are native to Australia alone.
Platypuses live throughout eastern coastal Australia and its island state of Tasmania, particularly within heavily wooded and protected regions. They are found from the cooler sub-alpine areas in the south, such as Victoria and the Tasmanian highlands, north through New South Wales to tropical far north Queensland. Platypuses live in bushland as well as tropical, sub-tropical and temperate rainforests.
Platypuses are most commonly found around freshwater creeks and rivers in these bushland and rainforest areas of eastern Australia.
Do platypuses hatch out of eggs?
The platypus of Australia is hatched from eggs. As one of only three species of monotreme, or egg-laying mammal, it shares this unusual trait with the short-beaked echidna, also of Australia, and the long-beaked echidna of New Guinea.
How is a platypus different from a penguin?
Differences between the platypus and the beaver are:
- A beaver is a rodent which bears live young; a platypus is a monotreme (egg-laying mammal)
- A beaver has large front teeth; platypuses have a bill with no teeth, but grinding plates
- Platypuses live in Australia and beavers live in North America and Canada.
- A platypus digs a burrow in the side of a riverbank or creekbank, with an extra chamber at the end for incubating and raising its young; a beaver chews down trees to eat and makes a dam to raise its young.
- The platypus is the only venomous mammal - the male has a spur on its hind leg with which to inject poison that is extremely painful and has long-lasting effects
- The beaver's tail is broader and flatter than a platypus's, and covered with special scales. The platypus's tail is covered with dense fur.
- Their tails serve different purposes. The beaver's tail is used to help propel it along in the water. The platypus's tail is used as a rudder, for steering when it is swimming, but it also stores fat. A thicker tail is the sign of a healthier platypus.
Do platypuses leave their homes?
No.
Laziness is a human attribute, and one sometimes seen in domestic pets. It is not an attribute that can be ascribed to wild animals.
In addition, platypuses spend most of their waking hours diving and swimming, searching for food, as they must eat the equivalent of their own body weight daily.
