Platypus spend most of their life in the water. They use their bill to detect prey and to help them navigate in murky water. Platypus mainly feed on bottom-dwelling invertebrates, but also take the occasional frog, fish, or insect at the water's surface. They inhabit east Australia and have been introduced to Kangaroo Island. They have a broad and flat tail, which as well as aiding swimming acts as a fat storage area. The venom is strong enough to cause intense pain in humans. Males have a horny spur connected to a venom duct on their hind limbs, which they use in self-defence, or when fighting rival males for a mate. Their limbs are short, with large webs on the front feet and partially webbed hind feet. ![]() They have a flexible bill, which is covered in sensory receptors that respond to electrical and tactile stimuli. Platypuses have short, dense dark brown fur on their back with a silver to light brown underside and a light patch of fur below the eye and ear groove. There is a large degree of size variation according to area and season. Head/body length: males: 45-60cm, females: 39-55cm. Platus is Greek for flat or broad, and pous means foot. Even when it was accepted to be real, people thought it was a bird or a reptile due its to egg-laying abilities.Īnas is Latin for duck, and -inus means 'like'. When the first platypus was shipped to Britain from Australia, people thought it was a joke, due to the animal's bizarre appearance - they thought someone had sewn a duck's bill to a mammal's body. Temporal range: 9–0 Ma (Miocene to Recent)
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