One of the most unusual animals in the world where scientists who first examined one thought that someone had sewn different animals together and that they were the victims of a hoax.
The Platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) truly deserves to be featured in this series so let’s explore this bizarre animal!
With a flat bill and webbed feet resembling a duck, a tail similar to that of a beaver and the body and fur of the otter it’s hard to believe that this creature is a mammal yet
what is more strange is that the males are also venomous. The males of this placid looking creature carries sharp stinging spurs on the heels of their back feet that are connected to a venom-secreting gland that is used for both competing for females and also to defend themselves, luckily for us the toxin is not life-threatening, but you will have severe swelling and it also causes excruciating pain – with my low pain threshold I think I will stay away!
Size and Appearance
From the head to the tail, this creature is around 20 inches in length and weighs up to 1.4kg, they have thick dense fur to give them added insulation when underwater. For swimming, they have extra skin on their front feet that act as a paddle yet when on land they can retract that webbing, that will then pronounce the claws out more for traction, this means they are required to walk on their knuckles so they do not damage the webbing. The incredible bill of the platypus has a suede like texture that is incredibly flexible, it has thousands of receptors that help navigate them through the water as well as enabling them to detect the smallest of movements from shrimp..jpg)
Is it a Bird?
It is indeed one of the strangest animals you will ever see and hear about. They are monotremes which means “single opening" in Greek that refers to the Cloaca that they use to go to the toilet and to reproduce. Unlike other mammals they are not live bearers, but instead lay eggs and are able to produce milk without nipples, instead the milk oozes out of their mammary gland ducts onto specialised patches of their skin on their abdomen, the young then suckle from their fur. So, it lays eggs, produces milk and has a cloaca (commonly seen in Reptiles and Birds) and is classified as a mammal… Bizarre to say the least.
Location and Habitat
Found throughout the island of Tasmania and also along the Eastern and South-eastern coast of Australia. They favour freshwater areas that flow throughout the island. They have extensive burrows that they dig out with their sharp claws into the banks of the river that consist of many tunnels and chambers, as well as various entrances to confuse predators. Although they only exist on one side of the world they experience an array of different weather and climate extremes and are highly adaptable, scientists have found them in lowlands, tropical rainforests, plateaus and also along the cold mountains of Tasmania and the Australian Alps. Luckily for them, their thick waterproof coat keeps them warm in the cold temperatures and they have fat stored in their tail which is used for extra energy during these harsher times.
Hunting and Diet
Platypuses are a carnivorous species hunting for Insects, Shellfish, Larvae and Worms where they will spend up to 10-12 hours per day searching for food. As a nocturnal species, this behaviour is performed from dusk and throughout the dark of night, they then sleep through the daylight hours. They search for their food on the riverbeds with their highly sensitive bills that can detect the faintest of movement, they will scoop their prey as well as gravel and dirt from the riverbed into their bill, and store it within the cheek pouches until they surface. With no teeth, they have a grinding plate that they use the dirt and gravel scooped with food to help to break the food in to small pieces.
A Mammal that hatches out of an egg
Along with Echidnas, as mentioned they lay eggs, when the female is ready to lay her eggs, she will seal herself into an area in her burrow and lay one to two eggs. Like Birds, they are required to keep the egg warm and regularly turn it as the young develop, she does this between her body and tail. In 10 days’ time, a puggle hatches at the size of a lima bean that she will then nurse for up to four months where once weaned they can swim and live independently.
More Amazing or Weird Facts
- Their skeleton resembles that of a reptile, not a mammal as they have both pectoral girdles and splayed legs that are not typical features of a mammal.
- They do not have a stomach! What?! They have a gullet that connects directly to their intestines that processes acids to break down their food. It is suggested through evolution they lost the gene required to produce a stomach which means it is unlikely that they will ever have one again
- Similar to that of most modern animals their ancestors were huge monstrous sized versions of what we see today. In 2013, discovering a single tooth the researchers discovered that they used to be over 3 feet long, that is the double their current size.
- The beaver uses their tail to slap the water as a warning and also to propel them through the water, The Platypus has a very similar tail but does not use it for the same reason. The primary function of their tail is to store as much body fat as possible (up to half in fact) in case they go for a long period without food. The bristle-like fur that is on the upper side of the tail is used to push away dirt when they dig a burrow and a female will use her tail to hold her eggs that she incubates against her body.
Final comments
I personally have never seen such an animal because here in the UK they are not kept in captivity and are incredibly difficult to breed.
The only place to see a Platypus is to book a flight over to Australia and visit one of the larger zoos that have had minimal success in their breeding and housing. We do not currently know their exact wild population numbers as very little research has been conducted, so currently they are classified as Least concern. Usually this is a good thing however, with the unknown numbers this could potentially be devastating, or could in the future be too late to save them, just like the Northern White Rhino. I find it very strange to write about a mammal that has so many features of both birds and reptiles, that the young hatch out of an egg I can see why scientists thought they were a prank when they first set their eyes upon one to study.
If you enjoyed this edition of Amazing Animals you may be interested in some of my previous posts:
- Amazing Animals The Wandering Albatross
- Amazing Animals The Lobster
- Amazing Animals The Polar Bear
- Amazing Animals The Blue Whale
- Amazing Animals The Pangolin
- Amazing Animals The Emperor Penguin
- Amazing Animals The Giraffe
Content Sources
National Geographic, Live Science, 3, 4.
