SPECIES
Platypus
Ornithorhynchus anatinus
An egg-laying mammal with a duck-like bill senses the electrical traces of life underwater.
Platypuses forage with eyes and ears closed, using electroreception in their bill.
They capture aquatic insect larvae and other invertebrates in freshwater streams.
Rivers and freshwater systems of eastern Australia and Tasmania.
Where does a platypus live?
Rivers and freshwater systems of eastern Australia and…
Worth knowing
- Adaptation Platypuses forage with eyes and ears closed, using electroreception in their bill.
- Ecological role They capture aquatic insect larvae and other invertebrates in freshwater streams.
- Home Rivers and freshwater systems of eastern Australia and Tasmania.
How it survives
Platypuses forage with eyes and ears closed, using electroreception in their bill.
An egg-laying mammal with a duck-like bill senses the electrical traces of life underwater.
Why relationships matter
They capture aquatic insect larvae and other invertebrates in freshwater streams.
Where it lives
Rivers and freshwater systems of eastern Australia and Tasmania.
Pressures and responses
Drought, water extraction, stream degradation and flood-related changes.
Protect river flows, riparian habitat and safe passage between reaches.
Sources
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology — Animal Diversity Web, Ornithorhynchus anatinus
- GBIF — Ornithorhynchus anatinus accepted taxon
- Australian Museum — Are platypuses venomous?
- Tasmania Natural Resources — How do they feed?
- Australian Museum — What threatens waterways?
- CSIRO Publishing — How can habitat be protected?
Records of where it has been seen come live from GBIF; observed interactions from GloBI. Draft — not yet reviewed by a person.