Is it endangered?
What does it eat?
How does it protect its self?
2006-07-19 19:45:29 · 7 answers · asked by Jock _203 1 in Education & Reference ➔ Homework Help
the duck billed platypus is a monotreme
a monotreme is an egg-laying mammal the only other egglaying mammal is the echidna
it has spurs on its feet that are poisonous this is its only real physical defence. Though its most effective defence is to be hidden.
Platypus dig deep caverns into the river banks and live and raise their young in these. The tunnel opening is under the water but inside the cave is dry.
it is omnivorous which means it eats meat and plants it feeds on small animals such as little fish and yabbies (crayfish), frogs and plants as well.
they are a protected species and are endangered.
there has long been an argument about whether two of them should be called platypuses, platypi, or platypus. The correct answer tot his argument is platypus....
2006-07-21 23:43:34 · answer #1 · answered by wollemi_pine_writer 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Platypus
Scientific Name: Ornithorhynchus anatinus
Home: Streams, rivers, and lakes of Eastern Australian coastal regions
Description: Short, dense dark-brown fur, 2 inch wide bill, hairless, webbed feet, flat, furry tail, up to 2 foot long body
The platypus seems weird to people because it lays eggs and is a mammal, but really it's just a creature that's just very specialized to do what platys do best -- swim, eat, and burrow! Living on the banks of bodies of water, the platypus burrows 50 foot long tunnels and uses its webbed feet to doggy-paddle around. The bill is a stream-lined nose and mouth for sniffing and snuffling up pond-bottom delicacies like shrimp! Perfectly designed for underwater life, the platypus has two layers of fur -- the first is short and dense and never lets water through to the skin! The second is longer and is the layer of fur that gets wet. The flat furry tail stores fat for the long cold winter in freezing waters.
The platypus closes its eyes and ears underwater! How does it manage to find its food in the murky depths below? With an amazing touch-sensitive beak! Platypus bills aren't like bird bills -- they're soft, flexible cartilage -- like the stuff our noses are made of!
Like a duck-billed cowboy, platypus males have spurs on their hind feet that deliver a poisonous venom with a swift kick! A platypus sting is powerful enough to make people sick and kill a dog!
Mama platypus lays usually two eggs less than an inch long that stick to the fur on her belly. The babies bust their way out with an egg tooth, and then attach themselves to mom's belly-hairs. Milk oozes from glands nearby that soak the fur and the babies suck it up!
2006-07-20 03:53:00 · answer #2 · answered by tlalteutli 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the duck billed platypus lives in Australia and I don't think they are critically endangered, but they are very rare. They eat small crayfish and other fish and inscets and they protect themselves as they have a numbing poison in one of their claws. They are also one of two mammals that lay eggs.
2014-02-21 10:22:45 · answer #3 · answered by Izzy 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes it is endangered. This website will have all the info you need
http://www.platypus.asn.au/
2006-07-20 02:53:17 · answer #4 · answered by Lily 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
one important fact ab't platypus .. only mamals that lay eggs.
2006-07-20 04:44:18 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I saw one in the zoo.
2006-07-20 02:48:57 · answer #6 · answered by Indian 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
its cool its has an bill its underwater
2006-07-20 02:47:51 · answer #7 · answered by Sheilaa 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋