Have you ever seen a platypus? Do you know of a zoo that has any?

Question

I have never seen one at a zoo. I know they are native to Australia. They really look weird. They are really fascinating.

Answer 1

Yes, ive seen a platypus... but i live in Australia. A few years ago i lived on a property in the country with a stream running thru it. These were platypus living in the stream. Many zoos and wildlife parks in Australia have them on display... usually in large fish tanks with about half being water and the other half land. They are kept in dark/underground rooms with ultra violet lights so you can see them (the are nocturnal).

PS it is true that they are venomous... they have small spurs on their back legs that contain venom. And they are a protected species... but zoos and things are still allowed to keep them.

Answer 2

They used to have an exhibit at the Bronx Zoo. However their security was not very good and the local kids used to climb the fences at night and kill animals. They took the platypus from their area and threw them into the lion cages to be slaughtered. The keepers found some dead and others missing and presumed eaten. In the interest of keeping the zoo's vulnerabilities hushed up they never told the public where the missing ones were.

Answer 3

I am also in Australia and so I have seen a platypus in zoos here as well, come here and you can see one...

By the way, they are not called 'duck-billed platypus' they are just the platypus.

Answer 4

It's illegal to remove a living duckbilled platypus from Australia, even to a zoo. They are an endangered species.

I've seen *stuffed* specimens at zoos, though.

The shrew and the duckbilled platypus are supposedly the only venomous mammals, according to a trivia webpage I once saw. I wouldn't bet money that it is true; it had a lot of other trivia there that was incorrect.

Answer 5

They are so cute, and so much smaller than I expect them to be.

I live in Austraila too, sorry.