What is an ornithorhynchus?

Question

I have heard that word before, but I want to know what it means. I think it is a scientific name for a type of animal, but I wish to know the type of animal it is. Please help me. Thankyou.

Answer 1

Isn't it a dinosaur?

Answer 2

Ornithorhynchus is the duckbill platypus. The duckbill platypus lives in the deciduous forests of Australia. It is about half the size of a house cat. It has a thick covering of hair except for its bill and feet. Its back is a dark brown and has light yellow on its stomach . The tail has fatty tissue which is used to store energy. The body is streamlined and flat. It has short legs and webbed front feet. The back feet are partially webbed. Their feet have broad nails for digging. Males have hollow spurs on their ankles which carry venom. They use this venom as protection. It has a bill shaped like a duck's bill. This bill is sensitive to touch. It is flat, soft and

rubbery with many nerves. The bill has nostrils for breathing that can be closed when they go under water. When you look at a picture of a platypus, the eyes look about the size of a dime. The platypus does not have teeth, so it grinds its food with grinding pads in its mouth. The eyes are just behind their bill. The ear slits are behind the eyes. It can make sounds such as a growl, and a clucking noise. It weighs between 1 1/2 and 5 1/2 pounds. It is from 26 inches to 39 inches long. It can walk or swim.

Answer 3

Yes, it is an animal.
Ornithorhynchus anatinus is a semi-aquatic mammal endemic to eastern Australia and Tasmania. Together with the four species of echidna, it is one of the five species of monotremes, the only mammals that lay eggs instead of giving birth to live young. It is the sole living representative of its family (Ornithorhynchidae) and genus (Ornithorhynchus), though a number of related species have been found in the fossil record.

The bizarre appearance of this egg-laying, duck-billed mammal baffled naturalists when it was first discovered, with some considering it an elaborate fraud. It is one of the few venomous mammals; the male Platypus has a spur on the hind foot which delivers a poison capable of causing severe pain to humans. The unique features of the Platypus make it an important subject in the study of evolutionary biology and a recognizable and iconic symbol of Australia; it has appeared as a mascot at national events and is featured on the reverse of the Australian 20-cent coin.
Here is the picture
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f2/Platypus.jpg

Answer 4

Platypus (Greek platys, “broad”; pous, “foot”), also duckbill, semiaquatic, egg-laying mammal native to Tasmania and southern and eastern Australia. The animal has a bill that resembles a duck bill but is actually an elongated snout covered with soft, moist, leathery skin and sensitive nerve endings. The body of the platypus is 30 to 45 cm (12 to 18 in) long; the flattened tail measures 10 to 15 cm (4 to 6 in) in length. The feet are webbed. The body and tail are covered with a thick, soft, woolly layer of fur, from which long, flat hairs protrude. The most conspicuous feature of the small head is the bill, which is about 6 cm (about 2.5 in) long and 5 cm (2 in) wide and which the animal uses for detecting prey and stirring up mud at the bottom of rivers in order to uncover the insects, worms, and shellfish on which it feeds. The head is joined directly to the body without an apparent neck. The platypus's eyes are small, and it has no external ears, but it has keen senses of sight and hearing. Young platypuses have rudimentary teeth; in adults the teeth are replaced by a few horny plates. Adult males have a hollow, horny spur on the inner side of the hind leg, from which a toxic fluid is ejected and which may be used as a weapon of defense. The call of the platypus is a low growl.
Duckbills are shy animals and are seldom observed, even in localities where they abound. They are active only during the early morning and late evening, and are excellent swimmers and divers. They live in long, winding burrows, which are usually dug by the females in the banks of rivers or streams. The burrows are blocked with earth in several places as fortification against intruders and flooding. At the end of the burrow, which may be from about 9 to 18 m (about 30 to 59 ft) in length, the female constructs a bed of weeds, leaves, and grass, which it uses as a nest for the eggs and young, and for a retreat. The male is excluded from the nesting burrow. The female lays usually two but sometimes as many as four eggs in a clutch. The young animals have no fur when they hatch. The female uses its tail to clasp the young to its abdomen, enabling them to nurse. Platypuses are unfortunately sometimes captured as biological curiosities, but the hunting of platypuses is forbidden by law.
Scientific classification: The platypus makes up the family Ornithorhynchidae, in the order Monotremata. It is classified as Ornithorhynchus anatinus.

Answer 5

Yes, it is the genus part of the scientific name of the Duck Billed Platypus. It's scientific name is Ornithorhynchus anatinus. They are one of the two spiecies of egg laying mammals. The other is the spiny ant eater. It is the sole living representative of its family (Ornithorhynchidae) and genus (Ornithorhynchus), though a number of related species have been found in the fossil record.

Here is the picture :-
http://www.davidlnelson.md/Cazadero/CazImages/Platypus.jpg

The others are the echicnas in their species.