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Platypus
(Ornithorhynchus Anatinus)
Core Data
Designation: Semiaquatic, egg-laying mammal.
Habitat: It is endemic to eastern Australia, including Tasmania.
Diet: Feeds on insect larvae, annelid worms, shrimp, crayfish, bivalves, tadpoles and fish eggs.
Size: Has an average length of 50cm (20in).
Lifecycle: Usually 6 to 15 years but can live up to 20+ years in some cases.
Specialized Functions
40,000 electroreceptors are found in its bill allowing it to use electrolocation. Since its eyes, ears, and nose, are closed when underwater, it uses this sense to detect currents generated by muscle contraptions in its prey!
On the back ankles of these creatures are sharp spurs that inject a venom composed of unique proteins produced in kidney shaped glands. This venom is painful to humans and can result in pain sensitivity that lasts for months!