The platypus appearance would lead you to believe he was made from spare parts. He has a duck bill, a beaver tail and the otter’s webbed feet. The webbing is turned back when he is on land in order to use his claws for walking. The list goes on as he is semi aquatic and is a monotremes, an egg laying mammal and also venomous. A spur on the hind feet of the male platypus, when delivered, causes severe pain to the recipient and is strong enough to kill smaller animals. However, he uses it mainly during mating season to ward off any other male competition.
Very popular in Australia, his native land, where his likeness is depicted on the twenty cent piece and he stands in as mascot for many events. He was chosen, Syd the platypus, as one of the three mascots for the Sydney, Australia 2000 Olympics.
Captive platypus have lived up to seventeen years. Weighing only 2 to 5 pounds (half the size of a house cat), their natural enemies are snakes, water rats, hawks, owls, eagles and mostly crocodiles which may explain their lower numbers along with water pollution. He is considered to be a nocturnal animal, but can also be active during daytime hours. They build their burrowed homes in tunnel fashion that can be 50 feet long on the riverbank sides, usually sharing with just one other platypus during mating season.
Gestation for a platypus is approximately 28 days, laying one to three eggs. The female keeps the eggs safe and warm between her abdomen and tale in a burrow.
One of the very few animals on earth that locate their prey through electrolocation, the ability to sense through electric fields made by muscular contractions. The skin of the bill of the platypus contain the electroreceptors. The mammal’s side to side motion while hunting is an explanation of his receptors working as he tries to locate the direction of the electric source. He keeps his eyes, nostrils, and ears closed while swimming, using his weaker back legs for steering and his tail as a rudder. His low body temperature of 90 degrees and has a thick water resistant fur, both keep him comfortable in the water.
He also has mechanoreceptors in his bill that detect by touch. The platypus feeds along the bottom of streams, digging with his bill. His dives last 30 to 40 minutes. As he bothers his prey they move about. He then uses both his electroreceptors and mechanoreceptors together to detect the live food from inanimate objects.
A carnivore (meat eater), the platypus feeds on insect larva, annelid worms, freshwater shrimp, water snails, small crustaceans and yabbies which are like a crawfish. He stuffs his prey in his cheek pouches and returns to the surface or ground before eating. The platypus does not have teeth, but he has rough pads and a serrated lower jaw he uses to grind his food, while expelling shells, pebbles and sand. Extra fat is store in his beaver-like tail for use during winter and mating season. He spends approximately 12 hours a day hunting and feeding as he must consume 20% to 25% of his body weight. The digestive system of a platypus is quite short and his stomach small, which seems to work well with his finely ground food.
