“Australian mammal, semi-aquatic agent, as an agent is better, it’s not a duck or a beaver, it’s Perry the platypus!”. If you have children, if you’re still old enough to watch cartoons, or if you just like to watch these shows, then you know we’re talking about the character of Phineas and Pherb, this cute but strange animal who is also a secret agent. The platypus is one of the rarest and most extraordinary animals on the face of the earth. This mammal that lays eggs draws attention for its life habits, but especially for its curious physical appearance. Among the curious animals, it is undoubtedly one of our favorites. Join us in Supercurioso to meet him.
How is the platypus?
When we talk about the platypus, it is impossible to describe it in a few words. This egg-laying mammal creates a lot of confusion. Some people define it as a beaver with a beak and duck legs. Others like a mixture of mammal, bird and reptile.
In relation to its history, it is known that it was first seen in the year 1798, in European territory. Months after its first discovery, the skin of a specimen was sent to England to be studied by scientists.
When I arrive, English naturalists thought it was just a jokebecause they had never seen a similar animal.
The platypus is the only extant species of the family ornithorhynchidae of the order of mammals. It has a horny beak, like turtles and most birds. And. together with the echidnas, it forms the order monotremataso named because they have a single body outlet, common to the digestive and urogenital tracts.
1. The habitat of the platypus
The platypus is native to Australia and Tasmania. It generally lives in freshwater areas, such as rivers, lakes, ponds and streams. They build their burrows with quite complicated tunnels, with many galleries that are excavated on the banks of the rivers. There they make their nests and lay their eggs.
Regarding its habitat, it is curious to think that the females of this mammal that lays eggs usually dig two different burrows, one for the young and another for the male and herself.
2. About her appearance
This animal measures between 40 and 60 cm, and weighs about 60 kilos. It is quite heavy for its size!
Its tail is 30 cm long, wide and flat, very similar to that of a beaver and it is used to maneuver in the water.
The beak is 6 cm long by 5 wide, very similar to that of the ducks (ducks, geese, swans, etc.), with the difference that it is flexible and soft to the touchfleshy in consistency and covered with bare skin.
Also, in its beak it has two nostrils with a multitude of sensory receptors, made to pick up electric fields from other animals underwater. This feature is called electrolocation.
3. The genetics of the platypus
Incredible, but a group of scientists managed to discover the genetic map of this super-curious egg-laying mammal.
They concluded that it is, at the same time, a mammal, a bird and a reptile.: it has a privileged sense of smell, it is oriented through electrolocation, he has poison with which he defends himself, lays eggs and breastfeeds without nipples. Really curious!
4. How is a platypus born?
The birth process of this mammal is quite peculiar. The female platypus makes a gallery 40 cm deep and 4 to 6 meters long, at the end of which the “nesting chamber” opens, safe from floods and predators.
the mother puts two or three eggs, soft and compressible. Incubation takes two weeks, during which time you keep them close to your body.
At birth, the pups immediately inserted into a skin fold (like kangaroos, it is marsupial), and a lactic secretion is poured there.
And now we add another curious fact: platypuses have milk teeth, and lose them with age. As adults, these teeth become horny plates.
5. How does the egg-laying mammal behave?
The platypus is a rather rare animal. In addition to being considered the only mammal that lays eggs, it is also notable for being semi-aquatic.
Their burrows are on land, but most of their time is spent in the water, swimming. It is an activity in which they are very skilled. It is solitary in nature and rather nocturnal.
They are so adept at swimming because their eyes and ears are protected by a membrane. They are then oriented thanks to the sensory organs that are located in their beak. On land they are quite slow and usually move by crawling on their belly.
6. What about your diet?
In relation to its diet, the platypus usually eats small freshwater crustaceans and molluscs. It also eats tadpoles, insect larvae and fish eggs.
It is quite voracious in eating, reaching eat an amount of food equivalent to their body weight in a single day. It has a series of electroreceptors in its beak, which serve to detect both its prey and possible predators.
7. Captivity and the danger of extinction
These spectacular animals are very delicate, because they are not very well adapted to unnatural conditions.
However, the immense human curiosity about them has led to the improvement of transport and accommodation techniques and thus Platypusariums were built, like the one in the new york zoo, where the platypus has been able to live quite well, and can be seen for very short periods. However, the mammal that lays eggs is considered an endangered animal.
Climate change, the loss of its natural habitat due to human development and the devastating droughts that have impacted the Australian climate, have affected its population.. Therefore, it is important to be aware of the care of its environment, to guarantee the survival of this extraordinary animal over time.
And you, Did you know these peculiarities about the platypus? If you are interested in knowing more peculiarities about the rarest species in nature, enjoy the article in which we tell you about the echidna, the mammal that lays eggs just like the platypus. See you in an upcoming supercurious article!