![]() ![]() Shaw himself had initially believed the specimen to be a hoax consisting of body parts from different animals, sewn together to create a semblance of an extraordinary creature. When 18th-century zoologist George Shaw published the first scientific description of a platypus, many of his contemporaries did not believe that the animal was real. © Hans and Judy Besage-Mary Evans Picture Library Ltd/age fotostock SpaceNext50 Britannica presents SpaceNext50, From the race to the Moon to space stewardship, we explore a wide range of subjects that feed our curiosity about space!.Learn about the major environmental problems facing our planet and what can be done about them! Saving Earth Britannica Presents Earth’s To-Do List for the 21st Century.Britannica Beyond We’ve created a new place where questions are at the center of learning.100 Women Britannica celebrates the centennial of the Nineteenth Amendment, highlighting suffragists and history-making politicians.COVID-19 Portal While this global health crisis continues to evolve, it can be useful to look to past pandemics to better understand how to respond today.Student Portal Britannica is the ultimate student resource for key school subjects like history, government, literature, and more. ![]() Demystified Videos In Demystified, Britannica has all the answers to your burning questions.This Time in History In these videos, find out what happened this month (or any month!) in history.#WTFact Videos In #WTFact Britannica shares some of the most bizarre facts we can find.Britannica Classics Check out these retro videos from Encyclopedia Britannica’s archives.Britannica Explains In these videos, Britannica explains a variety of topics and answers frequently asked questions.After 3-4 months, towards the end of the summer, the young emerge from the burrow as young independent animals. The female spends most of this time with her young in the burrow, and as the young grow she increasingly leaves them to forage. Gestation lasts 21 days and during this egg incubation period, a female holds 1-3 eggs pressed by her tail to her belly, while curled up.Ĭare for young: When the young hatch, the female starts secreting milk and the young Platypuses suckle from the two milk patches covered by fur on the female’s abdomen. She spends a further 4-5 days collecting wet nesting material to prevent her eggs and hatchlings from drying out. Gestation: After mating, a pregnant female builds a nest in a long complex burrow in less than a week. Mating: Platypus reach sexual maturity around 2 years of age. They store their food in their cheek-pouches then chew the food using horny, grinding plates, while they float to rest on the water surface. They forage most of their food from the bottom of the river however they occasionally catch cicadas and moths from the water surface. Size: Males 50cm in length and females 43 cm in length.ĭiet: Platypus are carnivores and feed on aquatic invertebrates such as insect larvae, shrimps, swimming beetles, water bugs, tadpoles, worms, freshwater pea mussels and snails. Life Span: Average life span is between 4-8 years, although they have lived as long as 17years in zoos. Habitat: Platypus are semi aquatic mammals living in fresh water streams, lakes and river systems and creating burrows for shelter and protection. They are also occasionally found in South Australia. Taronga Institute of Science & Learningĭistribution: Platypus can be found along the East Coast of mainland Australia, including Tasmania. ![]()
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