• Key Information

  • Platypus

  • Species
    Ornithorhynchus anatinus
  • Diet
    Carnivore
  • Length
    15 inches (5 inches for the tail)
  • Weight
    3 lb
  • Lifespan
    Up to 17 years
  • Classification
    Mammalia > Monotremata > Ornithorhynchidae
  • Conservation Status
    Near threatened
  • Habitat
    Rivers and lakes
  • Learning Point
  • The platypus is an unusual mammal, it has parts of other species of animals: duck (bill and webbed feet), beaver (tail), and otter (body and fur).
  • When it was first discovered and shown to scientists, many thought it was a hoax as it seemed to be made up of several different animals.
  • Project
  • Draw a platypus and its eggs.
  • Location
  • Places
    Eastern Australia
  • Fun Facts
  • Platypuses hunt underwater, where they swim gracefully by paddling with their front webbed feet and steering with their hind feet and beaverlike tail.
  • They have folds of skin that cover their eyes, ears and nostrils to help them when they are underwater.
  • They scoop up insects and larvae, shellfish, and worms in their bill along with bits of gravel and mud from the bottom
  • It is one of only two mammals (the echidna is the other) that lay eggs.