The Kit Fox took off with the platypus for about ten feet, dropped it, and ran off into the night. I said again, HEY!!! I worked on the zipper and stood up on my feet. I yelled “Hey cut that out, you little bleeper.” I only had one hand out my bag and couldn’t get my zipper down (see why here). NO….I don’t believe what I am seeing……….Drinking out of the hose?… Noooo. It was a Kit Fox and it was……… No….that can’t be? It had stolen my platypus (platypai) and was…. I reached for my headlamp and spotted it in the beam. I could make out a shape a couple of feet away. I knew it right away, it was another animal other than me. I must of heard or felt something behind my head. My eyes came open but they were not accompanied by the usual cramping in my belly and bathroom panic. (I know its gross Folks, but hang in there) I would dig in the dark every night, making a cat hole for the impending cow pie. I heard it “mooo” often but I could never quite translate Bovine. Printout a diagram of a platypus for kids and learn more about this unique monotreme.At this juncture I awaken every evening for a nature call, sometimes at midnight and sometimes at 2:43 and sometimes at both. Source: Australian Museum Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School Today's platypus is smaller than the ones found in the fossil record! Learn more here. Source: Australian Wildlife Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School When the platypus swims its eyes, ears and nostrils are closed! Source: National Geographic Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School The platypus has poisonous spurs on its rear feet. Source: Animal Diversity Web Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School The platypus is well-adapted to life in the water. Source: Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School Read more and listen to a rare platypus growl! The platypus spends half its day resting in its burrow. Source: Arkive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School The platypus has a soft and rubbery beak and has no teeth! Status taken from US Fish and Wildlife and NH Fish and GameĪfrica Asia Australia/Oceania Europe North America South America NH Click for More Info Click for Image New Hampshire Speciesĭuck-billed platypus - Ornithorhynchus platypusĭuck-billed Platypus - Ornithorhynchus platypus Threatened in US Threatened in NH Endangered in US Endangered in NH Introduced If no status is listed, there is not enough data to establish status. Status and range is taken from ICUN Redlist. Least Concern Near Threatened Vulnerable Endangered Critically Endangered Extinct in Wild Extinct The young platypuses lick the milk off their mother. The female cares for the young and produces milk that is secreted though her skin. The female duck-billed platypus lays 1-3 leathery eggs. It scoops up its prey from the muddy water, uses its bill to strain out the water, and then stores the food in its cheeks. Its bill detects the small electrical currents put out by creatures swimming in the water. The duck-billed platypus uses electricity to locate its food. It swims under water to locate insects, crustaceans, and mollusks. The duck-billed platypus lives in burrows near lakes, ponds, streams, and rivers. The venom is strong enough to kill small predators and cause pain to larger ones. The make attacks with the spur and injects venom into his attacker. Venomous spur on his ankle that he uses when he is threatened by predators or other male duck-billed platypuses. The duck-billed platypus is 19-22 inches in length and it looks like it is made up of pieces of other animals! It has thick, waterproofed brown fur a flat, round and flexible black snout that looks like a duck's bill a flat, rounded, beaver-like tail and webbed feet. The duck-billed platypus is the only species in this family.
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