The Duck-Billed Platypus Page
The Duck-Billed Platypus Page
This is a picture of a Duck-Billed Platypus
Duck-Billed Platypus
The platypus may look funny but he is one extrordinary creature.
When the Duck-Billed Platypus was found in the 1800's he was stuffed and sent
to England. The scientists thought it was a joke! They thought that
someone glued the body of a beaver and the bill and feet of a duck onto it!
But they were very wrong.
Duck-Billed Facts
Their Coat
The Duck-Billed Platypus' coat is very special. It is dark brown in color and
very thick. It is so thick it enables the platypus to swim in water
as cold as zero degrees Celsius.
Their Claws
The Duck-Billed Platypus claws are also very special.
They are about a quarter of an inch in length and are dark black. The Platypus uses
his claws to dig out their homes. He also uses his
claws to pick up the fish, larva, and insects that he eats.
The claws turn out when he walks and retract when he takes pressure off his feet.
The Male Platypus
The male platypus weighs about 2 kg and is about 50 to 65 cm long.
The male platypus eats larva, shrimp, and insects. It's
favorite food is shrimp. One of the very important things about a male platypus
is his leg. The important thing is that the male platypus has a little brown
spur on the back of its leg that holds poisonous venom. When the platypus
is challenged or threatened it throws venom out of this spur on to the
intruder. The poison is so strong that it can kill a dog.
The Female Platypus
The female platypus is a lot like the male platypus. She is 43 cm
long and is 0.9 kg in weight. Her favorite foods are also larva, shrimp, and insects.
She also has a spur but it falls off in her first year.
The female platypus has extra shoulder bones for digging.
The platypus lays about three eggs every year.
Habitat
The platypus lives in burrows along the river bank.
The burrows can be eighty five feet long. The female platypus
makes two burrows, one for regular living and another for hatching the babies.
They are made near the pools of water in Australia.