Platypus

Ornithorhynchus anatinus (Shaw, 1799)

Conservation status in the wild

Could become at risk

IUCN: Near threatened · Red List

Encyclopaedia

What is a platypus?

At a glance2

1
Typical body length: males 50 cm, females 43 cm.^[1]
2
Adult weight: males about 1.7 kg, females about 0.9 kg.^[1]

Overviewnone yet

Origins and historynone yet

Temperament and behaviournone yet

Healthnone yet

Common questionsnone yet

Fun facts8 facts

1
Platypuses hunt with their eyes, ears and nose shut, using about 40,000 electroreceptors in the bill to sense the tiny electric signals of moving prey.^[1]
2
Platypus mothers feed their babies milk that seeps through the skin, and the young lap it up from her fur.^[1]
3
Platypuses have ten sex chromosomes, while most mammals have just two.^[1]
4
Platypuses have no functional stomach, because they lack the genes needed to make the digestive enzyme pepsin.^[1]
5
Platypus fur glows cyan and green under ultraviolet light.^[1]

Sources1

[1]Wikipedia (CC-BY-SA-4.0)

See our data sources & licences

Platypus guides

Protecting and staying safe around a platypus

Animal Welfarenone yet

Community Discussionsnone yet

Handling & Hygienenone yet

Legal & Rightsnone yet

Not veterinary advice. General information about this animal. If you find one injured or in trouble, contact a wildlife rescue or the RSPCA rather than handling it yourself.