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Today on Animal Fact Files we’re talking about the platypus. A platypus is a special kind of mammal called a monotreme. There are few living monotremes today, and they’re strange when compared to other mammals. The most obvious difference between monotremes and other mammals is that monotremes lay eggs. They also have a cloaca. Actually, the name “monotreme” means “single hole” and is in reference to a monotreme’s cloaca as they’re some of the only mammals possessing one!

One would need to travel to Australia to find a wild platypus. These animals are found along the eastern side of the country as well as on the island of Tasmania. The platypus is considered an amphibious mammal and requires a permanent source of freshwater in its habitat. Generally speaking, the platypus is considered nocturnal, but it may also be seen at dusk, dawn, and occasionally during the day. A platypus’s front flippers are used for propulsion underwater while the back flippers are used as rudders along with the tail. While on land, a platypus’s front flippers fold to reveal its claws. These claws are used to dig out the burrows in which a platypus will rest.

When first discovered, the platypus was thought to be a hoax. Its chimeric appearance had earlier scientists thinking it was a mismatch of other animal parts sewn together. To be fair, a platypus does look like a combination of other animals. The platypus is also commonly called the duck-billed platypus because it seems to have a duck-bill attached to its face. The resemblance is only superficial, however, because a platypus’s bill is rubbery, covered in skin, and internally not structured the same way as a duck bill. Though, like a duck bill, a platypus’s bill is important for gathering food.

While underwater, the eyes, ears, and nose of a platypus all close, so it goes by feeling to navigate. Through its bill, a platypus is able to detect electrical pulses of animals and will seek them out by shaking its head back and forth while swimming. Once prey is located, a platypus can even overturn rocks with its bill in order to dig prey out! The platypus will collect insects, crustaceans, tadpoles, fish, worms, and more as well as stones in its cheek pouches. The stones help to grind up the food as an adult platypus doesn’t have teeth!

The platypus also looks like an otter with its slender body and waterproof fur and appears to have a beaver-like tail, but a platypus tail is less scaly and more fury than a beaver tail. A platypus also uses its tail to store fat! The boys are larger than the girls, but on average the platypus is one and a half feet (45.7 centimeters) long and 3 pounds (1.4 kilograms) in weight.

A platypus begins breeding by four years of age. The breeding season for these animals is from June to October. After mating, a female will dig a nest burrow lined with leaves and plugged up with soil. She’ll lay one to three eggs two weeks later and incubate them by holding them to her stomach with her tail. After another two weeks the babies will hatch and nurse for three to four months. Platypus milk is sucked directly from the skin or fur as these mammals don’t have nipples! It’s unknown how long the babies remain with their mother, but they’re most vulnerable to predators when they leave her.

Predators to the platypus include dingoes, foxes, eels, birds of prey, feral cats, and more. A platypus is a slippery meal, however, because it has loose skin making it difficult to grasp. The males may also use toxic spurs on their back legs to defend themselves. These spurs are present in each platypus until they reach about one year of age, at which point only the males retain them. The venom in a platypus’s spurs is known to kill animals up to the size of a dog and cause pain in humans. At one point, the platypus almost went extinct due to overhunting for its fur. Now it is still threatened, but it’s also protected! If a platypus can avoid predation, it may live to be more than ten years old!

For more facts on the platypus check out the links in the description. Thank you to Harry for today’s request! Give a thumbs up if you learned something new today, and thank you for watching Animal Fact Files.