Platypus

Identification
Body length 370 mm, tail length 130 mm. Luxuriously dense fur; tan brown above, lighter gold-brown on belly. Flattened, duck-like bill; webbed feet. Male has venom-delivering spur on hind foot.

Habitat and Range
Freshwater (occasionally brackish) streams, some dams and lakes. Common in outer Brisbane, but secretive and seldom seen. Coastal Australia from Cooktown, Qld, to Vic. and throughout Tas.

Notes
When swimming, Platypus looks similar to the Water Rat but lacks visible ears and a white-tipped tail. Active at dawn and dusk, or, all day if overcast. Eats mostly larval and adult aquatic invertebrates. Breeds July-August; its 2 eggs hatch after 10 days incubation; young are weaned at 3-4 months.

Threats
Set fishing nets, dogs, foxes, chemical pollution, dredging, dams.

Traces
An elliptical burrow entrance (75 mm X 100-125 mm) just above water level and among tree roots.

Did you know?
David Fleay’s greatest achievement was successfully breeding the platypus in captivity in 1944. ‘Jack’ and ‘Jill’ produced ‘Corrie’; a feminine abbreviation of ‘Coranderrk’, the local Aboriginal name for the Sanctuary area. (© David Fleay Trustees)

Classification

Names