The platypus is a semi-aquatic mammal native to eastern Australia, including Tasmania. Along with four species of echidnas, it is one of the five extant monotreme species, the only mammals that lay eggs instead of giving birth to live young.
This animal seems almost mythical, and its biological characteristics appear to contradict established scientific knowledge. Its scientific name is Ornithorhynchus anatinus, featuring a composite shape of various animals: a bill like a duck, a tail similar to that of a beaver, egg-laying and movement akin to reptiles, yet it nurses its young like mammals.
Scientists still know little about the peculiar origins of this strange creature. However, various fossils suggest that its ancestors resembled modern platypuses quite closely; it seems that in prehistoric times, they attempted to leave aquatic life but could not adapt to the challenges of land, prompting them to return to the water to forage.
Platypus can make sounds.
The tail of the platypus is short, serving as a fat reserve for winter, though they do not hibernate; they also use their tails for steering while swimming. Their legs are short but strong, equipped with webbed feet suitable for diving; when on land, the webbing folds back to allow the claws to dig. Their soft snouts are highly sensitive, containing numerous nerve cells. Platypuses are also known to vocalize. Their body length is about 61 cm for males and about 46 cm for females. They have elongated, flattened bodies covered with short, smooth brown fur. Their fur is waterproof, allowing them to adapt to living underwater for 12 hours daily in temperatures close to 0 degrees Celsius.
Platypuses can dive underwater for about one minute. While submerged, they close their eyes, and their nostrils and ears are sealed, leaving no openings for water to enter. In this state of sensory deprivation, platypuses can still forage and swim effectively. When searching for food, they employ two types of sensory receptors in their snouts: one relies on touch, while the other detects electrical stimuli. They can sense the weak electrical currents generated by the movements of small prey, and they can also detect weak electrical fields from stationary objects in the water.
On land, platypuses rely on their keen eyesight, which allows them to see far distances. However, they have a blind spot directly below their snouts.
They are primarily nocturnal, and are most often seen at dawn and dusk. They hunt small aquatic animals found in the muddy bottoms of rivers and lakes, consuming a varied diet that includes invertebrates, small fish, fish eggs, frogs, and tadpoles. In one day, they can eat an amount of food equal to half their body weight.
Platypuses do not have teeth; instead, they grind their food with hardened plates in their bills, using sand and gravel for additional grinding. When they catch prey, they store it in cheek pouches located under their snouts. Upon surfacing, they bring the food to their mouths, where it is crushed by the “grinding plates” in their bills.
This strange animal prefers to live near water, often digging burrows by riverbanks or lakeshores.
Male platypuses have venomous spurs on their hind feet, which they use to defend themselves against predators and to compete with other male platypuses. The spur, measuring about 1.5 cm long, is located on the ankle and is connected to a venom gland situated in the thigh. The venom is not lethal but can cause extreme pain and is strong enough to kill a dog. Platypuses are typically shy, but during mating season, males become aggressive and often use their sharp, venomous spurs. Young platypuses also have “milk spurs,” but these fall off within the first year.
This strange animal prefers to live near water, often digging burrows by riverbanks or lakeshores. They create two types of burrows: one for shelter and another for laying eggs and rearing young. Each burrow has an exit above ground and one below water. However, their burrows face oxygen supply issues, as they can remain underground for extended periods, depleting the oxygen levels. During the breeding season, females tend to block the entrances when they leave or return to the burrow. The young stay in the burrow for about three months, consuming a large amount of oxygen. The platypus must adjust its body chemistry to make effective use of the limited oxygen available.
The reproductive rate of platypuses is relatively low in the animal kingdom. For every two females, only one will lay eggs. During the breeding season, females stay alone in underground burrows to lay their eggs.
Females lay 2-3 eggs between mid-August and October. The eggs are laid inside a burrow that can be up to 20 meters deep. The female incubates the eggs for 12-14 days using her belly and tail on a nest lined with grass and leaves. After two weeks, the eggs hatch, and the hatchlings are only about 1.25 cm long. The mother platypus will nurse her young for the first 3 to 4 months of their lives until they learn to swim.
The mother platypus does not have nipples; the milk is secreted from large glands under the skin. The milk flows from two areas that resemble nipples. The young press against these areas to receive the milk, which flows down onto the mother’s abdomen for them to lick and suck. This milk is rich in iron, containing 60 times the iron content found in cow’s milk.
The young drink their mother’s milk for 4-5 months while remaining in the burrow; they begin to leave the nest and swim when they reach about 17 weeks of age.
The lifespan of the platypus is between 10-17 years.
In the frigid winter, platypuses still swim to search for food. They must adapt to the cold while foraging in the water. As the external temperature drops, they must generate heat to maintain their body temperature. To achieve this, they need to eat more, but the challenge is that food becomes scarce in such cold weather. Typically, they spend half their day foraging. In summer, they eat more to build up fat reserves.
In the wild, foxes, birds of prey, and crocodiles often prey on platypuses, especially the young. Historically, they were hunted for their pelts, but they are now protected by law in many countries due to their declining numbers.
Platypuses have a relatively long lifespan. In captivity, they can live up to 20 years, while in the wild, their lifespan is shorter—maximum 12 years. They typically inhabit freshwater lakes, distributed across eastern Australia. The platypus is regarded as one of Australia’s natural treasures.
Venomous ankle spurs: Male platypuses have a spur—similar to a large claw—on the inner side of each ankle. They can use this spur like a snake uses fangs. The venom from the spur can kill small animals and cause extreme pain in humans if it punctures the skin. On a positive note, scientists believe that this venom may one day lead to a treatment for diabetes.
The platypus has a throat pouch, connecting directly to the intestine.
No stomach: Almost all animals have a stomach to digest food. However, like echidnas, the platypus has a throat pouch—the path that usually leads food from the mouth to the stomach—that connects directly to the intestine. It does not require a stomach to digest its food.
An extremely unique tail: The platypus and otters might seem like two twin siblings with tails. However, the platypus does not use its tail for swimming as many might think. Instead, it uses its tail as a fat storage area in case of food shortages. Additionally, female platypuses also use their tails to hold their eggs. These are indeed surprising functions.
Glowing in the dark: Recently, scientists discovered that platypuses glow in the dark. When you see a platypus under normal lighting conditions, its fur appears brown. There is nothing particularly remarkable compared to other mammals. However, when scientists observed the platypus under ultraviolet light, they were astonished to find that its fur emitted green and blue light. The flickering light from the platypus is a bioluminescent phenomenon, extremely rare among mammals, especially egg-laying ones.
Super Sensitive Bill: When the platypus dives underwater to forage, its senses such as vision, smell, and hearing are essentially… turned off. Even the tiny ears are tucked away in a groove along with their eyes. So, how does the platypus perceive its surroundings? No worries, because its bill is so sensitive that it can locate food by detecting sound waves, movements, and the electric fields they generate.
