When first discovered, the unusual look of a Platypus caused considerable confusion and doubt amongst European naturalists and scientists, many of whom believed that the animal was a fake. Males have a venomous spur above the heel of each hind leg which some scientists believe are used to assert dominance over other males during breeding season. The Platypus is the only Australian mammal known to be venomous. It is richly supplied with touch and electro- receptors that can detect weak currents emitted by the muscles of its prey. The platypus has a leathery beak which works very well as a device for sifting small invertebrates from the bottom of a river bed. While the platypus has 40,000 electroreceptors on its bill, echidnas have only 400-2,000 electroreceptors on their snouts. It is classified under the mammalian group monotremes, which include echidnas. The animal is best described as a hodgepodge of more familiar species: the duck (bill and webbed feet), beaver (tail), and otter (body and fur). A platypus doesn't really have a stomach. Truly a remarkable specimen, platypus can live, hunt, and thrive in both land and water. She then incubates the eggs for possibly 10 days, after which the. (1884) discovery that the platypus was indeed an egg-laying mammal capped. The babies hatch after about 10 days of incubation. After mating, a female will lay 1-3 eggs (usually 2) following a 21-days gestation period. species, alone among all existing mammals lay eggs from which their young are. The platypus lays her eggs, and then incubates them by curling around them. Like the platypus, the echidna has an electroreceptive system. The platypus is the only remaining animal (besides the echidna) that is classified as a monotreme, or egg-laying mammal. The soft egg-laying habit of monotremes is a notable reptilian feature that has been kept in this group of mammals. The platypus and echidna have both survived by occupying ecological niches. Platypuses Breed: The platypus, sometimes referred to as the duck-billed platypus, is a semiaquatic egg-laying mammal endemic to eastern Australia, including Tasmania. Along with echidnas, platypus are grouped in a separate order of mammals known as monotremes, which are distinguished from all other mammals because they lay eggs. Ornithorhynchus anatinus, is a unique Australian species.
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