Internal structure of the platypus. Duck-billed beast

(Ornithorhynchidae); together with the echidnas, it forms the order of monotremes (Monotremata) - mammals, in a number of characteristics close to reptiles. This unique animal is one of the symbols of Australia; it appears on the reverse of the Australian 20 cent coin.

History of the study

The platypus was discovered in the 18th century during the colonization of New South Wales. A list of the colony's animals published in 1802 mentions "an amphibious animal of the genus Mole. Its most curious quality is that it has a duck’s beak instead of a normal mouth, allowing it to feed in the mud like birds.”

The first platypus skin was sent to England in 1797. Her appearance gave rise to fierce debate among the scientific community. At first, the skin was considered the product of some taxidermist, who sewed a duck beak to the skin of an animal similar to a beaver. George Shaw managed to dispel this suspicion, who examined the parcel and came to the conclusion that it was not a fake (for this, Shaw even cut the skin in search of stitches). The question arose as to which group of animals the platypus belongs to. After it received its scientific name, the first animals were brought to England, and it turned out that the female platypus does not have visible mammary glands, but this animal, like birds, has a cloaca. For a quarter of a century, scientists could not decide where to classify the platypus - to mammals, birds, reptiles, or even to a separate class, until in 1824 the German biologist Meckel discovered that the platypus still has mammary glands and the female feeds her young with milk. It was only proven in 1884 that the platypus lays eggs.

The zoological name was given to this strange animal in 1799 by the English naturalist George Shaw - Platypus anatinus, from ancient Greek. πλατύς - wide, flat, πούς - paw and lat. anatinus- duck. In 1800, Johann-Friedrich Blumenbach, in order to avoid homonymy with the genus of bark beetles Platypus changed the generic name to Ornithorhynchus, from ancient Greek. ὄρνις - bird, ῥύγχος - beak. Aboriginal Australians knew the platypus by many names, including mallangong, boondaburra And tambreet. Early European settlers called it duckbill, duckmole, and watermole. The name currently used in English is platypus.

Appearance

The body length of the platypus is 30-40 cm, the tail is 10-15 cm, and it weighs up to 2 kg. Males are about a third larger than females. The body of the platypus is squat, short-legged; the tail is flattened, similar to the tail of a beaver, but covered with hair, which noticeably thins with age. In the tail of the platypus, like the Tasmanian devil, reserves of fat are deposited. Its fur is thick, soft, usually dark brown on the back and reddish or gray on the belly. The head is round. In front, the facial section is extended into a flat beak about 65 mm long and 50 mm wide. The beak is not hard, like that of birds, but soft, covered with elastic bare skin, which is stretched over two thin, long, arched bones. Oral cavity expanded into cheek pouches, in which food is stored during feeding. Below, at the base of the beak, males have a specific gland that produces a secretion with a musky odor. Young platypuses have 8 teeth, but they are fragile and quickly wear out, giving way to keratinized plates.

The platypus has five-fingered feet, adapted for both swimming and digging. The swimming membrane on the front paws protrudes in front of the toes, but can bend in such a way that the claws are exposed, turning the swimming limb into a digging limb. Webbed on hind legs much less developed; For swimming, the platypus does not use its hind legs, like other semi-aquatic animals, but its front legs. The hind legs act as a rudder in the water, and the tail serves as a stabilizer. The gait of the platypus on land is more reminiscent of the gait of a reptile - it places its legs on the sides of the body.

Its nasal openings open on the upper side of its beak. There are no auricles. The eyes and ear openings are located in grooves on the sides of the head. When an animal dives, the edges of these grooves, like the valves of the nostrils, close, so that under water its vision, hearing, and smell are ineffective. However, the skin of the beak is rich in nerve endings, and this provides the platypus not only with a highly developed sense of touch, but also with the ability to electrolocate. The beak's electroreceptors can detect weak electrical fields, which are produced, for example, by the contraction of crustacean musculature, which aids the platypus in its search for prey. Looking for it, the platypus continuously moves its head from side to side during underwater hunting.

Organ systems

Features of the senses

The platypus is the only mammal with advanced electroreception. Electroreceptors have also been found in the echidna, but its use of electroreception is unlikely to play an important role in searching for prey.

Features of metabolism

The platypus has a remarkably low metabolism compared to other mammals; normal temperature his body is only 32 °C. However, at the same time, he is excellent at regulating body temperature. Thus, being in water at 5 °C, the platypus can maintain normal body temperature for several hours by increasing its metabolic rate by more than 3 times.

Platypus poison

The platypus is one of the few venomous mammals (along with some shrews and shrews, which have toxic saliva, and slow lorises, the only genus of known venomous primates).

Young platypuses of both sexes have rudiments of horny spurs on their hind legs. In females they disappear by the age of one year, but in males they continue to grow, reaching 1.2-1.5 cm in length by the time of puberty. Each spur is connected by a duct to the femoral gland, which produces a complex “cocktail” of poisons during the mating season. Males use spurs during mating fights. Platypus venom can kill dingoes or other small animals. For humans, it is generally not fatal, but it causes very severe pain, and swelling develops at the injection site, which gradually spreads to the entire limb. Painful sensations (hyperalgesia) can last for many days or even months.

Lifestyle and nutrition

Reproduction

Every year, platypuses enter a 5-10-day winter hibernation, after which they enter the breeding season. It lasts from August to November. Mating occurs in water. The male bites the female’s tail, and the animals swim in a circle for some time, after which mating occurs (in addition, 4 more variants of the courtship ritual have been recorded). The male covers several females; Platypuses do not form permanent pairs.

After mating, the female digs a brood hole. Unlike a regular burrow, it is longer and ends with a nesting chamber. A nest of stems and leaves is built inside; The female wears the material with her tail pressed to her stomach. Then she seals the corridor with one or more earthen plugs 15-20 cm thick to protect the hole from predators and floods. The female makes plugs with the help of her tail, which she uses like a mason uses a trowel. The inside of the nest is always moist, which prevents the eggs from drying out. The male does not take part in building the burrow and raising the young.

2 weeks after mating, the female lays 1-3 (usually 2) eggs. Platypus eggs are similar to reptile eggs - they are round, small (11 mm in diameter) and covered with an off-white leathery shell. After laying, the eggs stick together with an adhesive substance that covers them on the outside. Incubation lasts up to 10 days; During incubation, the female rarely leaves the burrow and usually lies curled up around the eggs.

Platypus babies are born naked and blind, approximately 2.5 cm long. When hatching from the egg, they pierce the shell with an egg tooth, which falls off immediately after leaving the egg. The female, lying on her back, moves them to her belly. She does not have a brood pouch. The mother feeds the cubs with milk, which comes out through the enlarged pores on her abdomen. Milk flows down the mother's fur, accumulating in special grooves, and the cubs lick it off. The mother leaves the offspring only for a short time to feed and dry the skin; leaving, she clogs the entrance with soil. The cubs' eyes open at 11 weeks. Breastfeeding continues up to 4 months; at 17 weeks, the cubs begin to leave the hole to hunt. Young platypuses reach sexual maturity at the age of 1 year.

The lifespan of platypuses in the wild is unknown; in captivity they live an average of 10 years.

Population status and conservation

Platypuses previously served as a commercial target due to valuable fur, however, at the beginning of the 20th century, hunting them was prohibited. Currently, their population is considered relatively stable, although due to water pollution and habitat degradation, the platypus' range is becoming increasingly patchy. It was also caused some damage by the rabbits brought by the colonists, who, by digging holes, disturbed the platypuses, forcing them to leave their habitable places.

Australians have created a special system of nature reserves and “sanctuaries” where platypuses can feel safe. Among them, the most famous are Healesville Nature Reserve in Victoria and West Burleigh in Queensland. The platypus is an easily excitable, timid animal, so for a long time it was not possible to export platypuses to zoos in other countries. The platypus was first successfully exported abroad in 1922 to the New York Zoo, but it only lived there for 49 days. Attempts to breed platypuses in captivity have been successful only a few times.

Evolution of the platypus

Monotremes are the surviving members of one of the earliest mammalian lineages. The age of the oldest monotreme discovered in Australia is 110 million years ( Steropodon). It was a small, rodent-like animal that was nocturnal and, most likely, did not lay eggs, but gave birth to severely underdeveloped cubs. A fossilized tooth from another fossil platypus (Obdurodon), found in 1991 in Patagonia (Argentina), indicates that it is likely that the platypus' ancestors came to Australia from South America, when those continents formed part of the supercontinent Gondwanaland. The closest ancestors of the modern platypus appeared about 4.5 million years ago, while the earliest fossil specimen itself Ornithorhynchus anatinus dates back to the Pleistocene. Fossil platypuses resembled modern ones, but were smaller in size.

In May 2008, it was announced that the platypus genome had been deciphered.

Platypuses in culture

Platypuses are characters in several animated series, such as Phineas and Ferb and The Tasmanian Devil.

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Notes

Literature

• M. L. Augee: Platypus and Echidnas. The Royal Zoological Society, New South Wales 1992. ISBN 0-9599951-6-1.
• T. R. Grant: Fauna of Australia. 16. Ornithorhynchidae.
• Bernhard Grzimek: Grzimeks Tierleben. Bd 10. Säugetiere 1. Droemer Knaur, München 1967, Bechtermünz, Augsburg 2000. ISBN 3-8289-1603-1.
• Ann Moyal: Platypus. The Extraordinary Story of How a Curious Creature Baffled the World. Smithsonian Press, Washington DC 2001. ISBN 1-56098-977-7.
• Ronald Strahan: Mammals of Australia. Smithsonian Press, Washington DC 1996. ISBN 1-56098-673-5.
• Jaime Gongora, Amelia B. Swan et al.: . Journal of Zoology. Vol. 286, Iss. 2, pp. 110–119, February 2012.

Links

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• (English)
• Jaime Gongora, Amelia B. Swan et al.,: Genetic structure and phylogeography of platypuses revealed by mitochondrial DNA. Journal of Zoology. Vol. 286, Iss. 2, pp. 110–119, February 2012.

Excerpt characterizing the Platypus

It was not new for him to believe that his presence at all ends of the world, from Africa to the steppes of Muscovy, equally amazes and plunges people into the madness of self-forgetfulness. He ordered a horse to be brought to him and rode to his camp.
About forty lancers drowned in the river, despite the boats sent to help. Most washed back to this shore. The colonel and several people swam across the river and with difficulty climbed out to the other bank. But as soon as they got out with their wet dress flopping around them and dripping in streams, they shouted: “Vivat!”, looking enthusiastically at the place where Napoleon stood, but where he was no longer there, and at that moment they considered themselves happy.
In the evening, Napoleon, between two orders - one about delivering the prepared counterfeit Russian banknotes for import into Russia as soon as possible, and the other about shooting the Saxon, in whose intercepted letter information about orders for the French army was found - made a third order - about the inclusion of the Polish colonel, who unnecessarily threw himself into the river, into the cohort of honor (Legion d'honneur), of which Napoleon was the head.
Qnos vult perdere – dementat. [Whoever he wants to destroy, he will deprive him of his mind (lat.)]

Meanwhile, the Russian emperor had already lived in Vilna for more than a month, making reviews and maneuvers. Nothing was ready for the war that everyone expected and for which the emperor came from St. Petersburg to prepare. There was no general plan of action. Hesitation about which plan, out of all those that were proposed, should be adopted, only intensified even more after the emperor's month-long stay in the main apartment. The three armies each had a separate commander-in-chief, but there was no common commander over all the armies, and the emperor did not assume this title.
How lived longer The emperor in Vilna prepared less and less for war, tired of waiting for it. All the aspirations of the people surrounding the sovereign seemed to be aimed only at making the sovereign, while having a pleasant time, forget about the upcoming war.
After many balls and holidays among the Polish magnates, among the courtiers and the sovereign himself, in June one of the Polish general adjutants of the sovereign came up with the idea of ​​giving a dinner and ball to the sovereign on behalf of his general adjutants. This idea was joyfully accepted by everyone. The Emperor agreed. The general's adjutants collected money by subscription. The person who could be most pleasing to the sovereign was invited to be the hostess of the ball. Count Bennigsen, a landowner of the Vilna province, offered his country house for this holiday, and on June 13 a dinner, ball, boat ride and fireworks display were scheduled at Zakret, Count Bennigsen's country house.
On the very day on which Napoleon gave the order to cross the Neman and his advanced troops, pushing back the Cossacks, crossed the Russian border, Alexander spent the evening at Bennigsen’s dacha - at a ball given by the general’s adjutants.
It was a cheerful, brilliant holiday; experts in the business said that rarely so many beauties gathered in one place. Countess Bezukhova, along with other Russian ladies who came for the sovereign from St. Petersburg to Vilna, was at this ball, darkening the sophisticated Polish ladies with her heavy, so-called Russian beauty. She was noticed, and the sovereign honored her with a dance.
Boris Drubetskoy, en garcon (a bachelor), as he said, having left his wife in Moscow, was also at this ball and, although not an adjutant general, was a participant for a large sum in the subscription for the ball. Boris was now a rich man, far advanced in honor, no longer seeking patronage, but standing on an even footing with the highest of his peers.
At twelve o'clock at night they were still dancing. Helen, who did not have a worthy gentleman, herself offered the mazurka to Boris. They sat in the third pair. Boris, coolly looking at Helen's shiny bare shoulders protruding from her dark gauze and gold dress, talked about old acquaintances and at the same time, unnoticed by himself and others, never for a second stopped watching the sovereign, who was in the same room. The Emperor did not dance; he stood in the doorway and stopped first one, then another kind words which he alone knew how to speak.
At the beginning of the mazurka, Boris saw that Adjutant General Balashev, one of the closest persons to the sovereign, approached him and stood un-courtly close to the sovereign, who was speaking with a Polish lady. After talking with the lady, the sovereign looked questioningly and, apparently realizing that Balashev acted this way only because there were important reasons, nodded slightly to the lady and turned to Balashev. As soon as Balashev began to speak, surprise was expressed on the sovereign’s face. He took Balashev by the arm and walked with him through the hall, unconsciously clearing three fathoms of wide road on both sides of those who stood aside in front of him. Boris noticed Arakcheev's excited face while the sovereign walked with Balashev. Arakcheev, looking from under his brows at the sovereign and snoring his red nose, moved out of the crowd, as if expecting that the sovereign would turn to him. (Boris realized that Arakcheev was jealous of Balashev and was dissatisfied that some obviously important news was not conveyed to the sovereign through him.)
But the sovereign and Balashev walked, without noticing Arakcheev, through the exit door into the illuminated garden. Arakcheev, holding his sword and looking around angrily, walked about twenty paces behind them.
While Boris continued to make mazurka figures, he was constantly tormented by the thought of what news Balashev had brought and how to find out about it before others.
In the figure where he had to choose ladies, whispering to Helen that he wanted to take Countess Pototskaya, who seemed to have gone out onto the balcony, he, sliding his feet along the parquet floor, ran out the exit door into the garden and, noticing the sovereign entering the terrace with Balashev , paused. The Emperor and Balashev headed towards the door. Boris, in a hurry, as if not having time to move away, respectfully pressed himself against the lintel and bowed his head.
With the emotion of a personally insulted man, the Emperor finished the following words:
- Enter Russia without declaring war. “I will make peace only when not a single armed enemy remains on my land,” he said. It seemed to Boris that the sovereign was pleased to express these words: he was pleased with the form of expression of his thoughts, but was dissatisfied with the fact that Boris heard them.
- So that no one knows anything! – the sovereign added, frowning. Boris realized that this applied to him, and, closing his eyes, bowed his head slightly. The Emperor again entered the hall and remained at the ball for about half an hour.
Boris was the first to learn the news about the crossing of the Neman by French troops and thanks to this he had the opportunity to show some important persons that he knew many things hidden from others, and through this he had the opportunity to rise higher in the opinion of these persons.

The unexpected news about the French crossing the Neman was especially unexpected after a month of unfulfilled anticipation, and at a ball! The Emperor, at the first minute of receiving the news, under the influence of indignation and insult, found what later became famous, a saying that he himself liked and fully expressed his feelings. Returning home from the ball, the sovereign at two o'clock in the morning sent for secretary Shishkov and ordered to write an order to the troops and a rescript to Field Marshal Prince Saltykov, in which he certainly demanded that the words be placed that he would not make peace until at least one the armed Frenchman will remain on Russian soil.
The next day the following letter was written to Napoleon.
“Monsieur mon frere. J"ai appris hier que malgre la loyaute avec laquelle j"ai maintenu mes engagements envers Votre Majeste, ses troupes ont franchis les frontieres de la Russie, et je recois a l"instant de Petersbourg une note par laquelle le comte Lauriston, pour cause de cette aggression, annonce que Votre Majeste s"est consideree comme en etat de guerre avec moi des le moment ou le prince Kourakine a fait la demande de ses passeports. Les motifs sur lesquels le duc de Bassano fondait son refus de les lui delivrer, n "auraient jamais pu me faire supposer que cette demarche servirait jamais de pretexte a l" aggression. En effet cet ambassadeur n"y a jamais ete autorise comme il l"a declare lui meme, et aussitot que j"en fus informe, je lui ai fait connaitre combien je le desapprouvais en lui donnant l"ordre de rester a son poste. Si Votre Majeste n"est pas intentionnee de verser le sang de nos peuples pour un malentendu de ce genre et qu"elle consente a retirer ses troupes du territoire russe, je regarderai ce qui s"est passe comme non avenu, et un accommodement entre nous sera possible. Dans le cas contraire, Votre Majeste, je me verrai force de repousser une attaque que rien n"a provoquee de ma part. Il depend encore de Votre Majeste d"eviter a l"humanite les calamites d"une nouvelle guerre.
Je suis, etc.
(signe) Alexandre.”
[“My lord brother! Yesterday it dawned on me that, despite the straightforwardness with which I observed my obligations towards Your Imperial Majesty, your troops crossed the Russian borders, and only now have I received a note from St. Petersburg, with which Count Lauriston informs me regarding this invasion, that Your Majesty considers yourself to be on hostile terms with me from the time Prince Kurakin demanded his passports. The reasons on which the Duke of Bassano based his refusal to issue these passports could never have led me to suppose that the act of my ambassador served as a reason for the attack. And in fact, he did not have a command from me to do this, as he himself announced; and as soon as I learned about this, I immediately expressed my displeasure to Prince Kurakin, ordering him to carry out the duties entrusted to him as before. If Your Majesty is not inclined to shed the blood of our subjects because of such a misunderstanding and if you agree to withdraw your troops from Russian possessions, then I will ignore everything that happened, and an agreement between us will be possible. Otherwise, I will be forced to repel an attack that was not provoked by anything on my part. Your Majesty, you still have the opportunity to save humanity from the scourge of a new war.
(signed) Alexander.” ]

On June 13, at two o'clock in the morning, the sovereign, calling Balashev to him and reading him his letter to Napoleon, ordered him to take this letter and personally hand it over to the French emperor. Sending Balashev away, the sovereign again repeated to him the words that he would not make peace until at least one armed enemy remained on Russian soil, and ordered that these words be conveyed to Napoleon without fail. The Emperor did not write these words in the letter, because he felt with his tact that these words were inconvenient to convey at the moment when the last attempt at reconciliation was being made; but he certainly ordered Balashev to hand them over to Napoleon personally.
Having left on the night of June 13th to 14th, Balashev, accompanied by a trumpeter and two Cossacks, arrived at dawn in the village of Rykonty, at the French outposts on this side of the Neman. He was stopped by French cavalry sentries.
A French hussar non-commissioned officer, in a crimson uniform and a shaggy hat, shouted at Balashev as he approached, ordering him to stop. Balashev did not stop immediately, but continued to walk along the road.
The non-commissioned officer, frowning and muttering some kind of curse, advanced with the chest of his horse towards Balashev, took up his saber and rudely shouted at the Russian general, asking him: is he deaf, that he does not hear what is being said to him. Balashev identified himself. The non-commissioned officer sent the soldier to the officer.
Not paying attention to Balashev, the non-commissioned officer began to talk with his comrades about his regimental business and did not look at the Russian general.
It was unusually strange for Balashev, after being close to the highest power and might, after a conversation three hours ago with the sovereign and generally accustomed to honors from his service, to see here, on Russian soil, this hostile and, most importantly, disrespectful attitude towards himself with brute force.
The sun was just beginning to rise from behind the clouds; the air was fresh and dewy. On the way, the herd was driven out of the village. In the fields, one by one, like bubbles in water, the larks burst into life with a hooting sound.
Balashev looked around him, waiting for the arrival of an officer from the village. The Russian Cossacks, the trumpeter, and the French hussars silently looked at each other from time to time.
A French hussar colonel, apparently just out of bed, rode out of the village on a beautiful, well-fed gray horse, accompanied by two hussars. The officer, the soldiers and their horses wore an air of contentment and panache.
This was the first time of the campaign, when the troops were still in good order, almost equal to the inspection, peaceful activity, only with a touch of smart belligerence in clothing and with a moral connotation of that fun and enterprise that always accompany the beginning of campaigns.
The French colonel had difficulty holding back a yawn, but was polite and, apparently, understood the full significance of Balashev. He led him past his soldiers by the chain and said that his desire to be presented to the emperor would probably be fulfilled immediately, since the imperial apartment, as far as he knew, was not far away.
They drove through the village of Rykonty, past French hussar hitching posts, sentries and soldiers saluting their colonel and curiously examining the Russian uniform, and drove out to the other side of the village. According to the colonel, the division chief was two kilometers away, who would receive Balashev and see him off to his destination.
The sun had already risen and shone cheerfully on the bright greenery.
They had just left the tavern on the mountain when a group of horsemen appeared from under the mountain to meet them, in front of which, on a black horse with harness shining in the sun, rode a tall man in a hat with feathers and black hair curled to the shoulders, in a red robe and with with long legs stuck out forward, like the French ride. This man galloped towards Balashev, his feathers, stones and gold braid shining and fluttering in the bright June sun.
Balashev was already two horses away from the horseman galloping towards him with a solemnly theatrical face in bracelets, feathers, necklaces and gold, when Yulner, the French colonel, respectfully whispered: “Le roi de Naples.” [King of Naples.] Indeed, it was Murat, now called the King of Naples. Although it was completely incomprehensible why he was the Neapolitan king, he was called that, and he himself was convinced of this and therefore had a more solemn and important appearance than before. He was so sure that he was really the Neapolitan king that, on the eve of his departure from Naples, while he was walking with his wife through the streets of Naples, several Italians shouted to him: “Viva il re!” [Long live the king! (Italian) ] he turned to his wife with a sad smile and said: “Les malheureux, ils ne savent pas que je les quitte demain! [Unhappy people, they don’t know that I’m leaving them tomorrow!]
But despite the fact that he firmly believed that he was the Neapolitan king, and that he regretted the grief of his subjects abandoned by him, recently, after he was ordered to enter the service again, and especially after his meeting with Napoleon in Danzig, when the august brother-in-law told him: “Je vous ai fait Roi pour regner a maniere, mais pas a la votre,” [I made you king in order to reign not in his own way, but in mine.] - he began cheerfully for a task familiar to him and, like a well-fed, but not fat, horse fit for service, sensing himself in the harness, began to play in the shafts and, having discharged himself as colorfully and expensively as possible, cheerful and contented, galloped, not knowing where or why, along the roads Poland.
Seeing the Russian general, he royally and solemnly threw back his head with shoulder-length curled hair and looked questioningly at the French colonel. The Colonel respectfully conveyed to His Majesty the significance of Balashev, whose surname he could not pronounce.
- De Bal macheve! - said the king (with his decisiveness overcoming the difficulty presented to the colonel), - charme de faire votre connaissance, general, [it’s very nice to meet you, general] - he added with a royally gracious gesture. As soon as the king began to speak loudly and quickly, all royal dignity instantly left him, and he, without noticing it, switched to his characteristic tone of good-natured familiarity. He put his hand on the withers of Balashev's horse.

The platypus (lat. Ornithorhynchus anatinus) is a waterfowl mammal of the monotreme order that lives in Australia. It is the only modern representative of the platypus family (Ornithorhynchidae); together with the echidnas, it forms the order of monotremes (Monotremata) - mammals, in a number of characteristics close to reptiles. This unique animal is one of the symbols of Australia; it appears on the reverse of the Australian 20 cent coin.

History of the study

Ever since scientists discovered the beak-nosed platypus in 1797, it has become evolution's mortal enemy. When this amazing animal was sent to England, scientists thought it was a fake made by Chinese taxidermiers. At that time, these craftsmen were famous for connecting different parts of the body of animals and making unusual stuffed animals. After the platypus was discovered, George Shaw introduced it to the public as Platypus anatinus (translated as flat-footed duck). This name did not last long, as another scientist Johann Friedrich Blumenbach changed it to “paradoxical bird's beak”, or Ornithorhynchus paradoxus (translated as paradoxical bird's beak). After much debate between the two scientists over the name of this animal, they finally came to an agreement and decided to call it Ornithorhynchus anatinus.

Taxonomists were forced to distinguish the platypus in separate detachment, because he did not belong to any other unit. Robert W. Feid explains it this way: “The platypus's nose is like a duck's beak. Each foot has not only five toes, but also webs, making the platypus something of a cross between a duck and an animal that can burrow and dig. Unlike most mammals, the platypus's limbs are short and parallel to the ground. Externally, the ear looks like an opening without the pinna, which is usually present in mammals. The eyes are small. The platypus is an animal that is nocturnal. It catches food underwater and stores a supply of food, i.e. worms, snails, larvae and other worms like squirrels in special bags that are located behind his cheeks"

There is a humorous parable according to which the Lord, having created animal world, discovered the remains of “building material”, collected them together and connected them: duck nose, beaver tail, rooster spurs, webbed feet, sharp claws, thick short fur, cheek pouches, etc.

Evolution of the platypus

Monotremes are the surviving members of one of the earliest mammalian lineages. The oldest monotreme discovered in Australia is 110 million years old (Steropodon). It was a small, rodent-like animal that was nocturnal and, most likely, did not lay eggs, but gave birth to severely underdeveloped cubs. A fossil tooth from another fossil platypus (Obdurodon), found in 1991 in Patagonia, Argentina, indicates that the platypus' ancestors most likely came to Australia from South America, when these continents were part of the supercontinent Gondwana. The closest ancestors of modern

The platypus appeared about 4.5 million years ago, while the earliest fossil specimen of Ornithorhynchus anatinus itself dates back to the Pleistocene. Fossil platypuses resembled modern ones, but were smaller in size. In May 2008, it was announced that the platypus genome had been deciphered.

Description

The body of the platypus is tightly knit, short-legged, covered with thick, pleasant to the touch, dark brown hair, which acquires a grayish or reddish tint on the belly. Its head is round in shape, its eyes, as well as its nasal and ear openings are located in recesses, the edges of which meet tightly when the platypus dives.

The animal itself is small:

• Body length is from 30 to 40 cm (males are a third larger than females);
• Tail length – 15 cm;
• Weight – about 2 kg.

The animal's legs are located on the sides, which is why its gait is extremely reminiscent of the movement of reptiles on land. The animal’s paws have five toes, which are ideally suited not only for swimming, but also for digging: the swimming membrane connecting them is interesting because, if necessary, it can bend so much that the animal’s claws will be on the outside, turning a swimming limb into a digging one.

Since the membranes on the animal’s hind legs are less developed, when swimming it actively uses its front legs, while it uses its hind legs as a rudder, with the tail acting as a balance. The tail is slightly flat and covered with hair. Interestingly, it can be used to very easily determine the age of the platypus: the older it is, the less fur it has. The animal’s tail is also notable for the fact that it is in it, and not under the skin, that fat reserves are stored.

Beak

The most remarkable thing in the appearance of the animal will, perhaps, be its beak, which looks so unusual that it seems that it was once torn off from a duck, repainted black and attached to its fluffy head.

The beak of the platypus differs from the beak of birds: it is soft and flexible. At the same time, like a duck, it is flat and wide: with a length of 65 mm, its width is 50 mm. One more interesting feature The beak is that it is covered with elastic skin, which contains a huge number of nerve endings. Thanks to them, the platypus, while on land, has an excellent sense of smell, and is also the only mammal that senses weak electric fields that appear during muscle contraction of even the smallest animals, such as crayfish. Such electrolocation abilities enable the blind and deaf to aquatic environment the animal detects prey: for this, while under water, it constantly turns its head in different directions.

Anatomical features of the platypus

Evolutionists are surprised by the variety of structural features that can be found in the platypus. Looking at its beak, you might think that it is

relative of the duck; by his tail one could classify him as a beaver; his hair is similar to that of a bear; its webbed feet resemble those of an otter; and its claws resemble those of reptiles. Behind all this diversity there is definitely the hand of God, and certainly not evolution!

The physiological diversity of the platypus is simply breathtaking. Spurs located on the platypus's hind legs secrete a toxic substance. This poison is almost as strong as most poisonous snakes! This feature makes the platypus the only poisonous animal in the world whose body is covered with hair. Stuart Burgess, in his book Signs of Design, points out the following:

“The platypus, like an ordinary mammal, feeds its young with milk. However, unlike other mammals, the platypus does not have nipples for feeding. The milk penetrates through the holes located on its body!”

It is with the help of nipples that mammals feed their young. The platypus breaks this rule and uses the holes on its body as a way to feed its young. If we look at these functions of the platypus from the point of view of evolutionary classification, they seem paradoxical. However, from a creationist perspective, explaining why God created something so different from all other animals becomes much easier.

The fossil record also supports the fact that the platypus is a real creature that did not evolve from a common ancestor. Scott M. Hughes writes: “There are several good reasons to disagree with the evolutionary interpretation of the origin of the platypus.

These some reasons are the following facts:

1. The fossilized remains of the platypus are absolutely identical to modern forms.
2. The complex structures of the egg or mammary glands are always fully developed and do not help in any way to explain the origin and development of the platypus's uterus and milk.
3. More typical mammals are found in strata much lower than the egg-laying platypus. So the platypus is a special kind of animal that was specifically created to have such diverse features.”

Evolutionists are unable to explain the anatomical structure of the platypus; they cannot explain its physiological characteristics; and they don't know how to explain this animal using evolutionary processes. One thing is clear: the diversity of the platypus leaves evolutionary scientists completely confused.

How does he live and what does he eat?

Australian platypuses live near lakes and rivers, near swamps, and in warm lagoon waters. The 10 m long hole has 2 entrances: one is located under the roots of trees and camouflaged in the thickets, the other is underwater. The entrance to the hole is very narrow. When the owner passes through it, even water is squeezed out of the animal’s coat.

The animal hunts at night and is in the water all the time. He needs food per day, the weight of which is at least a quarter of the weight of the animal itself. It feeds on small animals: frogs and snails, small fish, insects, crustaceans. It even eats algae.

In search of its breakfast, it can turn out stones on land with its beak and claws. Underwater, the fast-moving animal catches its prey in a few seconds. Having caught food, no

eats it immediately and stores it in its cheek pouches. When it floats up, it eats, rubbing its prey with horny plates. He has them instead of teeth.

Platypus breeding

The breeding season for platypuses occurs once a year between August and November. During this period, the males swim into the females’ areas, the couple spins in a kind of dance: the male grabs the female by the tail and they swim in a circle. There are no mating fights between males; they also do not form permanent pairs.

Before the start of the mating season, all platypuses go into hibernation for 5-10 days. Having woken up, the animals actively get down to business. Before mating begins, each male courts the female by biting her tail. The mating season lasts from August to November.

After mating, the female begins to build a brood burrow. It differs from the usual one in being long and at the end of the hole there is a nesting chamber. The female also equips the brood hole inside, placing various leaves and stems in the nesting chamber. Upon completion of construction work, the female closes the corridors to the nesting chamber with plugs from the ground. Thus, the female protects the shelter from floods or attacks by predators. The female then lays eggs. More often it is 1 or 2 eggs, less often 3. Platypus eggs are more like reptile eggs than birds. They are round in shape and covered with a leathery grayish-white shell. Having laid the eggs, the female remains in the hole almost all the time, warming them until the babies hatch.

Platypus cubs appear on the 10th day after laying. Babies are born blind and completely without hair up to 2.5 cm in length. To be born, babies break through the shell with a special egg tooth, which falls out immediately after birth. The mother moves the newly hatched cubs onto her stomach and feeds them with milk protruding from the pores on the stomach. The new mother does not leave her babies for a long time, but only for a few hours to hunt and dry the fur.

At the 11th week of life, babies are completely covered with hair and begin to see. The cubs hunt independently as early as 4 months. Young platypuses lead a completely independent life without a mother after the 1st year of life.

Enemies

The platypus has few natural enemies. But at the beginning of the twentieth century. he was on the verge of extinction. In Australia, poachers mercilessly exterminated the animal because of its valuable fur. More than 60 skins were used to sew one fur coat. A complete ban on hunting was successful. Platypuses were saved from complete destruction.

Determination of gender

In 2004, scientists from the Australian National University in Canberra discovered that the platypus has 10 sex chromosomes, rather than two (XY) like most mammals. Accordingly, the combination XXXXXXXXXXX produces a female, and XYXYXYXYXY produces a male. All sex chromosomes are connected into a single complex, which behaves as a single whole in meiosis. Therefore, males produce sperm with chains XXXXX and YYYYY. When sperm XXXXX fertilizes an egg, female platypuses are born if the sperm

YYYYY – male platypuses. Although the platypus chromosome X1 has 11 genes that are found on all X chromosomes in mammals, and chromosome X5 has a gene called DMRT1 found on the Z chromosome in birds, being the key sex-determining gene in birds, overall genomic studies have shown that five sex The X chromosome of the platypus is homologous to the Z chromosome of birds. The platypus does not have the SRY gene (a key gene for sex determination in mammals). It is characterized by incomplete dosage compensation, recently described in birds. Apparently, the mechanism for determining the sex of the platypus is similar to that of its reptilian ancestors.

Population status and conservation

Platypuses were previously hunted for their valuable fur, but at the beginning of the 20th century, hunting them was prohibited. Currently, their population is considered relatively stable, although due to water pollution and habitat degradation, the platypus' range is becoming increasingly patchy. It was also caused some damage by the rabbits brought by the colonists, who, by digging holes, disturbed the platypuses, forcing them to leave their habitable places.

Australians have created a special system of nature reserves and “sanctuaries” where platypuses can feel safe. Among them, the most famous are Healesville Nature Reserve in Victoria and West Burleigh in Queensland. The platypus is an easily excitable, timid animal, so for a long time it was not possible to export platypuses to zoos in other countries. The platypus was first successfully exported abroad in 1922 to the New York Zoo, but it only lived there for 49 days. Attempts to breed platypuses in captivity have been successful only a few times.

Relationships with people

While in nature this animal has few enemies (sometimes it is attacked by a python, a crocodile, predatory bird, monitor lizard, fox or accidentally swam seal), at the beginning of the last century it was on the verge of extinction. The hundred-year hunt did its job and destroyed almost everyone: products made from platypus fur turned out to be so popular that poachers had no mercy (about 65 skins are needed to sew one fur coat).

The situation turned out to be so critical that already at the beginning of the last century, hunting for platypuses was completely prohibited. The measures were successful: now the population is quite stable and is not in danger, and the animals themselves, being indigenous to Australia and refusing to breed on other continents, are considered a symbol of the continent and are even depicted on one of the coins.

Where to look?

To see a live platypus, you can visit Melbourne Zoo or Healesville Australian Animal Sanctuary outside Melbourne. The natural habitat conditions of the platypus in nature are recreated here, and you can almost always observe this amazing animal.

1. After the discovery of platypuses, scientists for another 27 years did not know which class to classify these animals into. It was only when the German biologist Meckel discovered mammary glands in a female platypus that they were classified as mammals.
2. Female platypuses lay eggs like reptiles or birds.
3. Platypuses have the slowest metabolism of all mammals. But if necessary, for example, to warm up in cold water, the platypus can speed up metabolism by 3 times.
4. The normal body temperature of the platypus is only 32°C.
5. There are only two mammals that can sense electrical signals, and one of them is the platypus. Using electropolation, platypuses can sense the electrical fields of their prey.
6. Platypuses are poisonous, but only the males. Each male platypus has spurs on its hind legs that are connected to a gland on its thigh. During the mating season, the gland produces a very strong poison that can easily kill a medium-sized animal, for example, a dingo. Although platypus venom is not fatal to humans.
7. In male platypuses, the reproductive testes are located inside the body near the kidneys.
8. Platypuses live only in fresh water, never swimming in salty waters.
9. The platypus's beak is soft, not hard like a bird's, covered with skin.
10. The platypus' feet are designed for both swimming and digging.
11. Female platypuses do not have a brood pouch or nipples. The milk flows straight down the fur, and the babies simply lick it off.
12. Platypuses live on average about 10 years.
13. The platypus is featured on the Australian 20 cent coin.
14. Under water, platypuses cannot see, hear or smell anything, since the valves of the nostrils and the grooves of the ears and eyes are closed.
15. Every year, platypuses go into hibernation for 5-10 days, after which the mating season begins.

Video

Sources

https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platypus

Animal Platypus

The platypus is a small waterfowl mammal, which is found on the territory of the Australian continent. It belongs to the order of monotremes, that is, oviparous. In addition to platypuses, this family also includes echidnas.

The world first learned about the platypus in the 18th century, at a time when widespread colonization of New South Wales was underway. The first mention of this strange creature was made in 1802 and described the platypus as an amphibian animal similar to a mole.

The discoverers noted that instead of a nose, this animal has a duck-like beak, which allows it to easily find food in the mud. The platypus skin was then sent to England for further study. Scientists for a long time could not come to definite conclusions about this animal, attributing it to different families - mammals, reptiles or even birds. It was later discovered that female platypuses lay eggs and feed their young with milk.

Platypuses are small animals - from 30 to 40 centimeters in length. The largest animal weighs two kilograms. The animal has a squat body and short legs, and is also distinguished by flat tails. The platypus's tail is shaped like a beaver's tail and contains the animal's fat deposits.

The body of the animal is completely covered with thick short fur, dark brown or red in color. The muzzle ends in a flat beak, similar in shape to the beak of a duck. However, the beak of this animal is unique in structure - it is soft and consists of skin stretched over two bones.

Platypus photo

The structure of the platypuses' paws is unique. They have five fingers with which the animal can dig the ground. Between the toes there is a membrane that helps platypuses move through the water. If necessary, the membrane “folds”, exposing the animal’s claws.

Few people know that platypuses are poisonous animals. The poison is contained in their saliva and serves as protection against enemies. With the help of this poison they escape from wild dingoes and other small predators, for which it is fatal.

Platypuses are nocturnal, moving on land or water. They mainly live near small bodies of water (lakes or rivers), and are most often found in Tasmania and the Australian Alps, as well as in Queensland. During the day, platypuses hide in their burrows, which can reach ten meters in length. Burrows usually have two entrances and a chamber inside. Platypuses make the first entrance to the hole from water, and the second from land.

Platypuses need oxygen to breathe, but they can stay under water for quite a long time - up to five minutes. The water element is the main element for the animal; they spend 10 or more hours a day in it. It is in reservoirs that platypuses find their food sources - these are small animals living in silt (worms, crustaceans, insect larvae, tadpoles, mollusks). The platypus puts its food in special bags behind its cheeks and then eats it on land.

In winter, platypuses hibernate, but it does not last long. After this, they begin the mating season. Meetings of male and female animals occur in the aquatic environment. The male chooses a female and grabs her tail with his beak, and then they swim together for some time, describing circles. In order to lay her eggs, the female requires a special burrow. It is up to six meters long and about forty centimeters deep.

Inside the hole there is a nesting chamber. The female builds a nest from plants that she finds underwater, as well as branches and foliage of eucalyptus trees. After the hole is ready, the female clogs all the exits with earth, making her nest inaccessible and invisible to enemies.

Platypus Video

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The platypus is an extremely strange animal. It lays eggs, has poisonous spurs, detects electrical signals and is completely toothless, but it does have a beak. Since it is not so easy to see a platypus in nature, we have compiled a gallery of photographs of these unusual animals.

When the platypus skin was first brought to England at the very end of the 18th century, scientists initially thought it was something like a beaver with a duck beak sewn onto it. At that time, Asian taxidermists made a lot of similar chimeric crafts (the most famous example is the mermaid from Fiji). Having finally become convinced that the animal was real, zoologists for another quarter of a century could not decide who to classify it as: mammals, birds, or even a separate class of animals. The confusion of British scientists is quite understandable: the platypus is a mammal, but a very strange mammal.

First, the platypus, unlike normal mammals, lays eggs. These eggs are similar to the eggs of birds and reptiles in the amount of yolk and the type of division of the zygote (which is related precisely to the amount of yolk). However, unlike bird eggs, platypus eggs spend more time inside the female than outside: inside for almost a month, and outside for about 10 days. When the eggs are outside, the female “incubates” them, curling up around the clutch. All this happens in a nest that the female builds from reeds and leaves in the depths of a long brood hole. Hatching from the egg, small platypuses help themselves with an egg tooth - a small horny tubercle on the beak. Birds and reptiles also have such teeth: they are needed to break through the egg shell and fall off soon after hatching.

Secondly, the platypus has a beak. No other mammal has such a beak, but it is also not at all similar to the beak of birds. The beak of the platypus is soft, covered with elastic skin and stretched over bony arches formed above by the premaxillary bone (in most mammals this is a small bone on which the incisors are located), and below - lower jaw. The beak is an organ of electroreception: it picks up electrical signals generated by the contraction of the muscles of aquatic animals. Electroreception is developed in amphibians and fish, but among mammals only the Guiana dolphin, which, like the platypus, lives in turbid water, has it. The platypus' closest relatives, the echidnas, also have electroreceptors, but they, apparently, do not particularly use them. The platypus uses its electroreceptor beak to hunt, swimming in the water and swinging it from side to side in search of prey. He does not use either vision, hearing, or smell: his eyes and ear openings are located on the sides of his head in special grooves that close when diving, just like the valves of his nostrils. The platypus eats small aquatic animals: crustaceans, worms and larvae. At the same time, he also has no teeth: the only teeth in his life (only a few on each jaw) are worn out a few months after birth. Instead, hard horny plates grow on the jaws, with which the platypus grinds food.

In addition, the platypus is poisonous. However, in this it is no longer so unique: among mammals there are several more poisonous species- some shrews, sawtooths and slow lorises. Venom in the platypus is secreted by horny spurs on the hind legs, into which the ducts of the poisonous femoral glands emerge. Both sexes have these spurs at a young age, but the females soon fall off (the same thing, by the way, happens with the spurs of echidnas). In males, the poison is produced during the breeding season, and they kick with spurs during mating fights. The basis of platypus venom is made up of proteins similar to defensins - peptides of the mammalian immune system designed to destroy bacteria and viruses. In addition to them, the poison contains many more active substances, which in combination cause intravascular blood coagulation, proteolysis and hemolysis, muscle relaxation and allergic reactions in the bitten person.

Platypus venom was also recently found to contain glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1). This hormone, produced in the intestines and stimulating the production of insulin, is found in all mammals and is usually destroyed within a few minutes after entering the bloodstream. But not the platypus! In the platypus (and echidna), GLP-1 lives much longer, and therefore, scientists hope, in the future it can be used to treat type 2 diabetes, in which regular GLP-1 “does not have time” to stimulate insulin synthesis.

Platypus venom can kill small animals like dogs, but is not fatal to humans. However, it causes severe swelling and excruciating pain, which develops into hyperalgesia - an abnormally high sensitivity to pain. Hyperalgesia may persist for several months. In some cases, it does not respond to painkillers, even morphine, and only blocking the peripheral nerves at the site of the bite helps to relieve pain. There is also no antidote yet. Therefore, the surest way to protect yourself from platypus poison is to beware of this animal. If close interaction with the platypus is unavoidable, it is recommended to lift it by the tail: this advice was published by an Australian clinic after the platypus stung an American scientist who was trying to study it with both of its spurs.

Another unusual feature of the platypus is that it has 10 sex chromosomes instead of the usual two for mammals: XXXXXXXXXX in the female and XYXYXYXYXY in the male. All these chromosomes are connected in a complex, which in meiosis behaves as a single whole, so males produce sperm of two types: with XXXXX chains and with YYYYY chains. The SRY gene, which in most mammals is located on the Y chromosome and determines the development of the organism according to male type, the platypus does not either: this function is performed by another gene, AMH.

The list of platypus oddities goes on for a long time. For example, the platypus has mammary glands (after all, it is a mammal, not a bird), but no nipples. Therefore, newborn platypuses simply lick milk from the mother’s belly, where it flows through enlarged skin pores. When the platypus walks on land, its limbs are located on the sides of the body, like those of reptiles, and not under the body, like other mammals. With this position of the limbs (it is called parasagittal), the animal seems to be continuously doing push-ups, spending a lot of strength on it. Therefore, it is not surprising that the platypus spends most of its time in the water, and once on land, it prefers to sleep in its hole. In addition, the platypus has a very low metabolism compared to other mammals: its normal body temperature is only 32 degrees (at the same time, it is warm-blooded and successfully maintains body temperature even in cold water). Finally, the platypus gains fat (and loses weight) with its tail: it is there that, like the marsupial Tasmanian devil, it stores fat reserves.

It is not surprising that scientists had to place animals with so many oddities, as well as their equally bizarre relatives - echidnas - into a separate order of mammals: oviparous, or monotremes (the second name is due to the fact that their intestines, excretory and reproductive systems open into a single cloaca). This is the only order of the infraclass cloacal, and cloacal is the only infraclass of the subclass Prototheria. The primal beasts are contrasted with animals (Theria) - the second subclass of mammals, which includes marsupials and placentals, that is, all mammals that do not lay eggs. Protobeasts are the earliest branch of mammals: they split from marsupials and placentals about 166 million years ago, and the age of the oldest monotreme fossil, Steropodon ( Steropodon galmani), found in Australia, is 110 million years old. Monotremes came to Australia from South America, when both of these continents were part of Gondwana.

Platypus – animal, which is the symbol Australia, there is even a coin with his image on it. And it’s not in vain.

This amazing animal has characteristics of birds, reptiles and mammals. Like birds, it lays eggs; it walks like a reptile, that is, its legs are located on the sides of its body, but at the same time, the platypus feeds its children with milk.

Scientists for a long time could not determine which class to classify this interesting representative fauna. But, since the cubs are fed milk, they nevertheless decided that platypus - mammal.

The platypus itself is no longer than 40 cm, and even the tail (up to 15 cm), weight does not exceed 2 kg. At the same time, females are much smaller. The body and tail are covered with thick but soft fur, although with age, the fur on the tail becomes much thinner.

Of course, the most notable thing about the animal is its nose. This is, rather, not a nose, but a beak, although it is very different from a bird’s beak.

The beak of the platypus has a very interesting structure - it is not a hard organ, but some kind of two arched bones covered with skin. Young males even have teeth, but over time they wear out.

Nature has seriously prepared this animal for swimming. The platypus has ears, but no auricles.

The eyes and ears are located in some depressions and when the platypus is in the water, these depressions close, and the nostrils also close with valves. It turns out that the animal cannot use its eyes, nose, or ears in water.

But all the skin on the animal’s beak is so generously covered with nerve endings that the platypus not only perfectly navigates the aquatic environment, but also uses electrolocation.

With its leathery beak, the platypus captures even the weakest electrical radiation, which appears, for example, when muscles contract. Therefore, if you watch a platypus in the water, you can see how the animal constantly turns its head - it is trying to catch radiation in order to detect prey.

The paws are also interestingly designed animal platypus. This is a combined “device” for swimming and digging. It would seem that the incompatible has been united, but no, the animal miraculously helps itself in swimming with its paws, because it has a membrane between its toes, but when the platypus needs to dig, the membrane folds in a special way so that the claws protrude forward.

The platypus' webbed feet are convenient not only for swimming, but also for digging.

It should be said that when swimming, the hind legs serve only as a rudder, while the swimmer operates mainly with the forelimbs. And another curious feature of the paws is that they are located on the sides of the body, and not under it. The paws of reptiles are located in the same way. This placement of paws provides the platypus with a special gait.

However, this is not the entire list of amazing features of the platypus. This is an animal that can independently set its own body temperature. The normal state of the animal's body is at a temperature of 32 degrees.

But, hunting for a long time under water, where the temperature can drop to 5 degrees, this cunning creature miraculously adapts to the surrounding temperature, regulating its own. However, don't think of platypuses as harmless cuties. This is one of the few animals that is poisonous.

Platypuses can regulate their body temperature

On the hind legs of males there are spurs, where the poison enters. With such poisonous spurs, a male can kill, for example, a dingo. For humans, the venom of the platypus is not fatal, but pain is guaranteed when meeting the spurs. In addition, swelling forms, which can last for more than one month.

The platypus lives in the waters of Eastern Australia, but it is difficult to find it in Southern Australia, because the waters of that area are too polluted, and the platypus cannot live in dirty waters and salt water. Apart from Australia, this extraordinary animal is not common anywhere else.

Character and lifestyle of the platypus

Rarely, what animal spends as much time in water as platypus. The animal swims and dives underwater for a good half of the day; it is an excellent swimmer. True, during the day the platypus prefers to rest in a hole, which he digs for himself on the bank of some calm river.

By the way, this animal can easily sleep for ten days and go into hibernation. This happens before mating season, the platypus is simply gaining more strength.

After a day's sleep, when dusk comes, the platypus goes hunting. He has to work hard to feed himself, because he eats so much food per day, which in weight is equal to a quarter of the weight of the platypus itself.

Animals prefer to live alone. Even when breeding offspring, platypuses do not form pairs; the female takes all care of the offspring. The male is limited to only short courtship, which consists of grabbing the female by the tail.

The female, by the way, uses her tail to the fullest. This is what she uses to attract males, and a rudder when swimming, and a place for storing fat, and a weapon of self-defense, and a kind of shovel with which she rake grass into her hole, and a beautiful door, because it is with her tail that she closes the entrance to the lair, when he retires for 2 weeks to breed offspring.

With such a “door” she is not afraid of any enemies. The platypus has only a few of them, but they do occur. This is both, and, and even sea fish, which can easily make a dinner out of this amazing animal.

This amazing animal is very careful, so get photo of platypus– great luck even for a professional.

Previously, the platypus population was exterminated because of the animal’s beautiful fur.

Platypus feeding

The platypuses themselves prefer a menu of small animals that live in the water. Excellent food for this animal are the larvae of various insects and all kinds of crustaceans. If tadpoles or fry come across, the platypus will not refuse, and when the hunt doesn’t work out at all, aquatic vegetation will also be suitable for food.

And yet, it rarely reaches vegetation. The platypus is not only capable of catching deftly, but it can also miraculously obtain its food. In order to get to the next worm, the platypus deftly scrapes away the mud with its claws and turns over stones with its nose.

However, the animal is in no hurry to swallow food. First, he stuffs his cheek pouches, and only then, rising to the surface and lying on the surface of the water, he begins his meal and grinds everything he has obtained.

Reproduction and lifespan

After mating, a month later, the female begins to dig a deep hole, lines it with soft grass, and lays eggs, of which there are very few, 2 or less often 3. The eggs are glued together, and the female lays on them in a ball, so that in about two weeks the babies will appear.

These are very tiny lumps, only 2 cm in size. Like many animals, they are born blind, but with teeth. Their teeth disappear immediately after milk feeding.

Baby platypus hatching from eggs

The eyes begin to open only after 11 weeks. But even when their eyes open, the platypuses are in no hurry to leave their parents’ shelter; they stay there for up to 4 months, and all this time the mother feeds them with her milk. The female feeds her cubs in an unusual way as well.

The platypus' milk rolls into special grooves, from where the babies lick it off. After the birth of the offspring, the female places the cubs on her stomach, and there the animals find their food.

Climbing out of the hole to feed, the female platypus is able to eat as much as she weighs during this period. But she cannot leave for long, the babies are still too small and could freeze without their mother. Platypuses become sexually mature only after one year. And their total lifespan is only 10 years.

Due to the fact that the number of platypuses was declining, they decided to breed them in zoos, where platypuses were very reluctant to breed. This special animal is in no hurry to become friends with humans until they cannot be tamed.

Although exotic hunters are ready buy a platypus, overpaying a lot of money for it. Platypus price, perhaps someone can afford it, but future owners probably don’t ask themselves whether a wild animal can survive in captivity.