What Do You Know About the Platypus?
How many days until a clutch of platypus eggs hatch?
- After the mother keeps the eggs warm with her body, they will hatch into small babies about the size of a lima bean. They are one of the few mammals that lay eggs.
What organ does the platypus not have?
- Over the course of evolution, the platypus has lost its stomach, without the need for enzymes to break down its food.
The plural form of platypus is debated— which of the following is a common plural form?
- Simply using "platypus" for singular and plural is also suggested, but there is no official consensus on which form is the correct one.
The platypus lives in Australia, but only in specific areas. Which of the following locations are you most likely to find a platypus in?
- The platypus is most prevalent in the coastal areas, particularly in the Eastern portions of Australia, dwelling in fresh water there.
What kind of diet does the platypus need to eat?
- The platypus is a carnivore, hunting for prey like shrimp, crayfish, and insects in the water where they live.
What does the platypus use its wide tail for?
- Along with cradling its young, the platypus uses its tail to transport objects like nesting material, including leaves and reeds.
Approximately long can a platypus dive under the water, without coming up for air?
- The platypus is only semi-aquatic, so it can only hold its breath for about 30 seconds before needing to return to the surface for air.
When the female platypus nurses her young, how does the milk come out?
- Interestingly, the female platypus does not have nipples like most other mammals. Instead, the milk comes from the mammary glands and seeps from pores and into natural grooves for her young to drink.
What do you know about the social nature of the platypus?
- The platypus is a very shy and antisocial animal, only coming together to mate. The males are particularly solitary and avoid each other, even when their territories overlap, preferring to avoid interactions.
The platypus has large webbed feet for aquatic use, but when on land, how does the platypus move around easier?
- Like gorillas and anteaters, the platypus actually knuckle-walks when outside of the water, to avoid tripping over their webbed toes.
