Ornithorhynchus Anatinus
| Appearance and Size | |||||||||
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platypus is smaller than most people think. Males are about 50 cm long
and weigh about 1.5 kg. Females are smaller, usually about 40 cm long
and weighing about 1.0 kg. The first thing people notice about the platypus is its bill. The bill is very sensitive and the platypus uses it to find food. When a platypus is in the water it blocks off its eyes and ears to keep the water out. So it uses the bill to dig up food such as crayfish and insect larvae. The bill is like soft wet rubber. Their bodies are covered in thick, dark, brown fur and is streamlined so it can move fast in the water. It has a broad flat tail with short stout legs, and webbed front feet, well suited to its life in the water. The tail acts as a stabilizer, stores fat, and is used for burrowing. If the water is cold, the platypus can increase their body heat to keep their body temperature at 32 degrees. |
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| Special features | |||||||||
| Platypus can consume their own body weight in food in a 24
hour period. The male platypus has venom strong enough to kill a small dog or cause excruciating pain among humans. Their spurs are connected to a venom gland in each thigh. Since only the male platypus has this venomous spur, which peaks during mating season, many people suggest it is usually used in aggressive encounters between other male platypus. The platypus is one of the monotremes. The two other monotremes are Monotremes are different because they have no teats and lay eggs like birds even though they raise their young like mammals. |
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| Habitat | |||||
| Platypus live on the east coast of Australia from far north Queensland to the freezing snows of Tasmania. They make their home in and near fresh water creeks, slow moving rivers, lakes joined by rivers and dams. They build a simple burrow in a river bank, just above water level and among a tangle of tree roots. They can share their habitat with several other platypus. During cold southern winters the platypus can hibernate in its burrow. |
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| Diet | |||
| The
platypus is a carnivore, surviving on worms, insect larvae, flies and
small shrimps like yabbies, and other small animals that live in the
water. Once caught, the prey is stored in cheek pouches and taken to the surface where it is ground between their toothless jaws. It spends around 12 hours a day looking for food and needs to eat at least one quarter of its body weight each day! |
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| You can even watch a movie about the platypus if you click here. This project is by Annie Serisier Clarence Valley Anglican School Grafton, NSW, Australia Year 3 |
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