Platypus

The platypus is a nocturnal Australian semi-aquatic egg-laying mammal.http://www.australian-wildlife.com/Platypus-information.html It is found in eastern Australia and the state of Tasmania, from tropical swamps at sea level to cold lakes at 6000 feet (1830 meters).http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/platypus.aspx Its soft, rubbery bill is shaped like a duck's, and thick dark brown fur covers its head, flat trunk and tail.http://www.australian-wildlife.com/Platypus-information.html Platypuses are bottom feeders, so their food is freshwater animals dredged from the muddy bottoms of water bodies like rivers, and stored in cheek pouches to be eaten on land.http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/platypus.html<ref> Because they need to consume at least a quarter of their body weight each day, they spend about 12 hours hunting for food.<ref>http://www.australian-wildlife.com/Platypus-information.html

Platypuses are monotremes, which means they have a single opening for urinating, defecating and reproduction.http://www.australian-wildlife.com/Platypus-information.html They are one of only two mammals (the echidna is the other) that lay eggs.http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/platypus.html They breed in late winter to early spring, and lay one to three eggs before the female curls around them for incubation.http://www.australian-wildlife.com/Platypus-information.html The young are blind and hairless when they hatch about 10 days later.http://www.australian-wildlife.com/Platypus-information.htmlhttp://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/platypus.html Platypus infants are the size of lima beans and need to be nursed for three to four months until they can swim on their own.http://www.australian-wildlife.com/Platypus-information.html Since platypuses bear no nipples, the young are fed from milk secreted through the mother's skin.http://www.australian-wildlife.com/Platypus-information.html Fathers have no part in raising offspring.http://www.australian-wildlife.com/Platypus-information.html

The earliest known remains of the platypus as it is known today date back almost 100,000 years.http://www.platypus.asn.au/historical_background.html Due to its ancient lineage and combination of mammalian and reptilian features, the platypus has been described as a "living fossil".http://www.platypus.asn.au/historical_background.html The first description of a platypus was in 1799 by British scientist Dr George Shaw, who initially thought the strange-looking animal was a hoax.http://www.platypus.asn.au/historical_background.html Aboriginal people had a number of names for the animal, before European settlers arrived in Australia, including "boondaburra", "mallingong" and "tambreet".http://www.platypus.asn.au/historical_background.html