Platypus
DB: This is Earth and Sky. When British scientists first saw a dried platypus skin in 1798, they thought it was a hoax – a duck’s bill and feet attached to a rabbit’s body.
JB: You might say the example of the platypus shows that it’s humans, not nature, who make the categories. The platypus has lots of qualities that make it an in-between kind of creature. It’s a furry egg-laying mammal with webbed feet, a broad tail and a bill that looks like a duck’s beak – though it’s actually an elongated snout covered with leathery skin. And on top of that, the platypus is one of only a few poisonous mammals. The male can eject a toxic fluid from a hollow spur on its heel – a poison strong enough to kill a small mammal.
DB: The platypus swam with dinosaurs 100 million years ago – and it was common in waterways of Australia until over-hunting and pollution severely reduced its population. The good news is that the platypus is slowly coming back.
JB: Protective laws, repair of eroded stream channels, and the planting of eucalyptus and tea-trees along the banks are bringing it back to streams – even within only about 25 kilometers of downtown Melbourne – a city of more than three million people. For updates on platypus research and conservation – come to today’s show at earthsky.org.
DB: Special thanks today to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and to the U.S. Forest Service. We’re Block and Byrd for Earth and Sky.
For more facts and updates on platypus research and conservation, see the web site of the Australian Platypus Conservancy
The following people were interviewed for today’s program. Our thanks to:
Melody Serena
Conservation Biologist
Australian Platypus Conservancy
The following books, articles and web sites were used in preparing this script:
Serena, Melody, “Duck-billed Platypus”, National Geographic, April 2000, pp.
Author’s Notes:
The platypus can spend five minutes underwater at a time. When the platypus is hunting underwater, it closes both its eyes and ears. It uses sensitive electroreceptors on its bill to find crayfish, larval dragonflies and freshwater shrimp in murky river waters.
The platypus is a member of the monotremes, the group of egg-laying mammals made up of platypuses and spiny anteaters
In spite of its antiquity, the platypus has a much larger brain than many of the
“advanced” mammals.
Scientific classification: The platypus makes up the family Ornithorhynchidae, in the order Monotremata. It is classified as Ornithorhynchus anatinus.
Additional Teacher Resources
U.S. Public Broadcasting Service, Creature World: Platypus
This site provides a “creature profile” geared towards younger students. A good resource for introducing younger students to the species.
Wikipedia.com: Platypus
This is a great site to find an extensive amount of information on any subject including the duckbilled platypus. The contents of this site includes: What sort of animal is it? How does it live? Where can I find a platypus? The past and the future. The site also contains links to external links to more information.
Blue Planet Biomes: Duckbill Platypus
This site provides a brief natural history of the duckbill platypus as well as provides links to sites with more information on the species.
Chambers Wildlife Rainforest, North Queensland Australia: Platypus
This is a great site for students to become familiar with the platypus. The site contains information to any question students could possibly have concerning the duckbill platypus or its habitat.
