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Platypus (Duck-billed)

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Ornithorhynchus anatinus
Platypus (Duck-billed)

Range

They are found in Australia and Tasmania.

Habitat

They live in and near lakes, rivers, and coastal waterways.

Body Traits

They have a furry, sleek, brown body, lighter underneath with webbed feet, a big, wide tail and a soft bill. They are about 2 feet long and weight about 6 pounds. They have a thick outer coat that is waterproof and a warm under fur.

Habits

They are active mostly at night (nocturnal) and in the dawn and dusk. The male has a sharp, poisonous spur on the inside part of each back leg with which it can poke enemies. They live in burrows in riverbanks and are good swimmers.

Diet

They eat worms, insects, small crabs, tadpoles, and shrimp, etc. They have no teeth but mash prey in their bill.

Predators

They are eaten by dingoes, wild cats, large lizards, pythons, crocodiles, hawks and eagles.

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Reproduction

The females dig a burrow nest and lay 1 - 3 soft-shelled eggs. She warms them (incubates) for 10 days until they hatch and then they nurse milk from their mother out of 'milk patches' on her belly.

Lifespan and/or Conservation Status

They can live 10 - 15 years in the wild. They are listed as Near Threatened.

Platypus (Duck-billed)

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Monotremata
Family: Ornithorhynchidae
Genus: Ornithorhynchus
Species: Ornithorhynchus anatinus
 

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