platypus

/plat"i peuhs, -poos'/, n., pl. platypuses, platypi /-puy'/.

a small, aquatic, egg-laying monotreme, Ornithorhynchus anatinus, of Australia and Tasmania, having webbed feet, a tail like that of a beaver, a sensitive bill resembling that of a duck, and, in adult males, venom-injecting spurs on the ankles of the hind limbs, used primarily for fighting with other males during the breeding season. Also called duckbill, duckbilled platypus.

[1790-1800; < NL < Gk platýpous flat-footed, equiv. to platy- PLATY- + -pous, adj. deriv. of poús FOOT]

* * *

or duckbill

Monotreme amphibious mammal (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) of lakes and streams in eastern Australia and Tasmania.

About 23 in. (60 cm) long, the squat-bodied platypus has a ducklike snout, short legs, webbed feet, and a beaverlike tail. Each day it eats nearly its own weight in crustaceans, fishes, frogs, mollusks, tadpoles, and earthworms; lacking teeth, it crushes its food with ridges in the bill. The female lays one to three eggs in a nest in a long twisting passage above the waterline. The young are weaned about four months after hatching. The male's heel bears a spur connected to a poison-secreting gland. Large fishes and perhaps snakes prey on platypuses. Formerly trapped for their dense, soft fur, they are now protected by law.

* * *

▪ monotreme

Introduction

also called  duckbill 

 a small amphibious Australian mammal noted for its odd combination of primitive features and special adaptations, especially the flat, almost comical bill that early observers thought was that of a duck sewn onto the body of a mammal. Adding to its distinctive appearance are conspicuous white patches of fur under the eyes. The fur on the rest of the body is dark to light brown above, with lighter fur on the underside.

      The platypus is common in waterways of eastern Australia, where it generally feeds on bottom-dwelling invertebrates but also takes an occasional frog, fish, or insect at the water's surface. This shy creature forages most actively from dusk to dawn, sheltering during the day in burrows dug into stream banks. It is exquisitely adapted for its aquatic lifestyle, having a flattened, torpedo-like body, dense waterproof fur, and strong front limbs used for swimming as well as digging. Even the head is streamlined, each ear being housed in a groove together with a small eye. The senses of sight, smell, and hearing are essentially shut down while the platypus is submerged to feed, but it possesses a unique electromechanical system of electroreceptors and touch receptors that allow it to navigate perfectly under water. Similar electroreceptors are also present in echidnas, which, together with the platypus, make up the mammalian order Monotremata (monotreme), a unique group with an exceptionally ancient history.

Natural history

      Platypuses are generally solitary, spending their lives either feeding along the bottoms of rivers, streams, and lakes or resting in burrows dug into the banks. They are extremely energetic, feeding almost continuously while in the water, shoveling through streambed debris with their flat bills as they hunt for larval insects and freshwater crustaceans (a favourite food). The platypus uses its sophisticated electromechanical system to detect minute electrical signals given off by the muscles of its prey. After feeding, it retires to its burrow, the entrance of which is large enough to admit only the platypus and serves to squeeze excess moisture from the fur.

      The platypus is found in terrain ranging from the high country of Tasmania and the Australian Alps to lowland areas close to the sea. Although it has on occasion been seen swimming in salt water, the platypus must feed in fresh water, where its electrical navigation system is operative. The platypus is present in all eastern Australian states in both eastward- and westward-flowing river systems, but it is absent from far northern Queensland and, unlike its relatives, the echidnas, does not appear to have colonized the island of New Guinea.

      Generally most active around dawn and dusk (crepuscular), platypuses can also be active during the day depending on the season, cloud cover, stream productivity, and even individual preference. Platypuses are not known to hibernate, although it is possible they may do so for short periods in the colder parts of their range. Platypuses have an unusually low body temperature for mammals (about 32 °C [90 °F]). Studies have shown that they can maintain a constant body temperature even after extended periods in water with temperatures as low as 4 °C (39 °F), a fact that puts to rest the belief that monotremes cannot regulate their body temperature.

Form and function

      Platypuses range in length from 38 to 60 cm (15 to 24 inches); males are generally larger than females. Aquatic adaptations include the flat, streamlined body, dorsally placed eyes and nostrils, and dense waterproof fur that keeps the platypus well insulated. Long guard hairs protect the soft underfur, which remains dry even after hours in the water. The extensive webbing on the front feet extends well past the claws and is essential in propelling the animal through the water. The paddlelike tail acts as a stabilizer during swimming, while the back feet act as rudders and brakes.

      Odd skeletal features of platypuses include an archaic robust shoulder girdle and a short, wide humerus providing extensive muscle attachment areas for the exceptionally strong front limbs. The outside of the bill is covered by soft, sensitive skin. Inside the bill, adult platypuses do not have true teeth but instead have developed flat pads of hardened gum tissue. Male platypuses have a spur on the inner side of each ankle that is connected to a venom gland located over the thighs. The spurs can be wielded in defense, and the venom will cause intense pain if the spur penetrates the skin.

Life cycle and reproduction

      Despite their abundance, little is known about the life cycle of the platypus in the wild, and few of them have been kept successfully in captivity. The sexes avoid each other except to mate. Males often fight during the breeding season, inflicting wounds on each other with their sharp ankle spurs. Courtship and mating take place in the water from late winter through spring; timing varies with latitude, with mating occurring earlier in the more northern parts of the range and later in the more southerly regions. Mating is a strenuous affair; in one recorded session the male was seen tightly grasping the tail of the female with his bill as she led him on an exhaustive chase.

      Males take no part in rearing the young. Females construct specially built nursery burrows, where they usually lay two small, leathery eggs. Gestation is at least two weeks (possibly up to a month), and incubation of the eggs takes perhaps another 6 to 10 days. The female incubates the eggs by curling around them with her tail touching her bill. Each tiny platypus hatches from the egg with the aid of an egg tooth and fleshy nub (caruncle), structural holdovers from a reptilian past. The young suck milk from special mammary hairs and remain protected in the burrow, suckling for three to four months before becoming independent. Hatchlings possess vestigial teeth that are shed shortly after the young platypus leaves the burrow to feed on its own. They are long-lived for small mammals, surviving for over 20 years in captivity and recorded at up to 13 years of age in the wild.

Evolution, paleontology, and classification

      Aquatically adapted platypus-like monotremes probably evolved from a more generalized terrestrial monotreme. The first occurrence in the fossil record of a platypus-like monotreme is from about 110 million years ago (the early Cretaceous Period), when Australia was still connected to South America by Antarctica. Until recently this Cretaceous monotreme (Steropodon galmani, known by a stunning opalized jaw) was placed within the platypus family, but, partly on the basis of molecular studies and partly on dental structure, it is now classified in its own family, Steropodontidae. The living platypus family (Ornithorhynchidae) includes the Tertiary Period platypuses (genera Monotrematum and Obdurodon as well as Ornithorhychus). The discovery of M. sudamericanum in 62 million-year-old Patagonian (Patagonia) sediments confirmed that platypuses were once distributed through the southern continents that were once linked geographically (Gondwanaland (Gondwana)). Species of Monotrematum and Obdurodon, which retained functional teeth, were generally larger and more robust than the living platypus.

Anne Marie Musser

Additional Reading

Tom Grant, The Platypus: A Unique Mammal, rev. ed. (1995), briefly yet comprehensively treats the species and includes colour plates. Michael L. Augee (ed.), Platypus and Echidnas (1992), is a compilation of scientific papers presented at a 1991 symposium on monotremes.

* * *