Baby Platypus: Some Interesting Things To Know About Platypus
In this article, I will be talking about some of the features of baby platypus and some interesting things to know about platypus in general.
Baby platypus
Baby platypus
The baby platypus is also called a puggle. And this is one of the extraordinary animal that exist in the world. The baby platypus is born from an egg but it draws milk from the mother breast until it hatches, so this somehow makes it one of the few animals that are both oviparious and mammalian.
It is usually very small,like the size of a nickel when born, and usually weighs about 50–80 grams as of when it’s born. It stays close to its mother, who teaches it how to find food and also swim, and it takes about five months for the baby platypus to become independent.
The baby platypus does not have a stomach, not just the baby platypus. Platypus does not have a stomach. So it is made up of a digestive system that allows food to pass quickly from its mouth to its intestines, and because of this, it needs to eat constantly.
The male baby platypus, even as an adult, has a stinger on the back of its hind legs that can inject venom into its enemies. So it mostly used the venom to fight with other males during mating season.
So now let’s look at some of the interesting things to know about platypus that make it one of the extraordinary creatures.
Platypus
Platypus is a mammal, though unlike some mammals, it is also monotreme which means it lays eggs instead of giving birth like most mammals do. And its bill resembles that of a duck, which is actually a highly sensitive organ with electroreceptors and touch receptors that are used for locating prey underwater.
It is a bottom- feeder, thus it uses its bill to feed on insects, shellfish and worms from the riverbed. It has no teeth, so it stores its catch in its cheek pouches, returns to the surface, and mashes up its meal with the help of gravel bits hoovered up en route, before finally swallowing it all down.
Furthermore, it is a solitary creature that typically lives in a burrow near the water’s edge. It has a tail like a beaver and feet like an otter, which helps in its adaptation to aquatic environments. It has the ability to close its eyes, ears and nostrils while submerged and then use its sensitive bill to hunt.
Likewise, it also has an amazing feature, which is its electro location ability. This means that if it possesses specialized sensors on its bill that can detect the electrical fields produced by the movement of prey underwater. Also, under UV light, the tail of the platypus grows, and this characteristic is not widely seen in mammals.
The platypus can vary in size, shape, and color, depending on their habitat and environment. It also has a unique vision. Which means it can move each of its eyes independently, and this allows it to look forward and backward at the same time.
The platypus also encounters many threats, such as habitat loss, pollution, and over-harvesting for traditional medicine and the aquarium trade.
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