Image by Couleur from Pixabay









the platypus is one of the most unique and fascinating animals in the world resembling a creature somewhere between a beaver and a duck the platypus was thought to be a hoax when it was first seen outside its native country famously they are one of the only mammals to lay eggs but there is so much more to this rare animal so keep reading this article to find out why they are so compelling.

1.features:

platypuses belong to the taxonomic order monitoring in which only three mammal species currently survive all monotreme species lay eggs but the following characteristics of the Platypus also stand out they are one of the few venomous animals that exist platypus males have a spur on their hind legs which releases a venom capable of causing severe pain females are also born with this ability but it does not develop three adolescents and disappears before adulthood while deadly for smaller animals platypus venom is not deadly to humans . they have body parts which seem cobbled together from other animal species with a tail resembling that of a beaver and a bill similar to that of a duck their four legs have membranes similar to a webbing on duck's feet but only the front pair are used to swim the back para fold into the tail and act as a rudder to steer in water the platypus is ability to lay eggs mix an OB Paris although they do feed their young on milk they produce their sex chromosome system is very curious while mammals usually have two sex chromosomes platypuses have ten this mix are more similar to bird sex chromosomes than mammals.

2.habitats:

the platypus lives both on land and in water making it a semi aquatic animal the habitat is usually near small rivers and streams scattered about various ecosystems they are only found in Australia residing in the extensive rainforests of queensland the mountainous areas of the Australian Alps or in various parts of Tasmania.

3.diet and food sources:

the platypus is a completely carnivorous animal they mainly feed on crabs insects shrimp worms and other species did you know they are an efficient and tenacious hunter thanks to their electrolocation system by contracting certain muscles they generate electric fields to detect their prey their electro receptors are located in the bill distributed in rows and working alongside mechanoreceptors which respond to touch these systems send information to the brain which allows the animal to orient themselves without the use of smell or sight this is very useful since the platypus has per hearing and closes their eyes when underwater.

4.reproduction:

their reproductive habits also make the Platypus unique although they hatch from eggs they need to feed from their mother's milk afterwards females are fertile from the age of about two years after this time they are ready to mate with males courtship is a complicated and arduous process for these animals the last part of their mating ritual consists of an underwater dance in which the couple moved together intertwined the male grasps the females tail with their bill making them move together in circles there is only a single mating cycle between June and October.

5.incubation and birth:

platypuses lay between 1 and 3 eggs which are 10 to 11 millimeters in diameter eggs develop inside their mother's uterus for 28 days which are then laid and incubated for 10 to 15 days when they hatch the baby platypus is about 3 centimeters long these newborns are vulnerable hairless and blind as their eyes have not yet fully developed they are also born with teeth which soon fall out they even keratinized pads in their place the mother feeds their young with breast milk until 3 or 4 months of age this milk is suckle directly from pores in the skin since they lack nipples during this period the mother takes care of the babies for most of the day only leaving to look for food after 4 or 5 weeks the young slowly begin to emerge from the Burrow.

5.conservation status:

according to the IUCN Red List the platypus is a species considered almost threatened unfortunately its population is decreasing due to external threats such as habitat destruction pollution and climate change.