An egg-laying mammal that forages in Australian rivers.
It mainly searches at night for aquatic insect larvae and other prey. Underwater it closes its eyes, ears and nostrils and uses its bill to detect food.
Platypuses close their eyes, ears and nostrils underwater and use sensitive bills to find prey. Small invertebrates go into cheek pouches. Back at the surface, horny plates grind the food while the animal rests. Feeding therefore spans the river bottom and surface; daytime shelter lies in a bank burrow.
Food includes aquatic insect larvae, shrimps and small molluscs. The bill senses pressure and weak electric signals. Earth banks and roots provide shelter, connecting aquatic feeding with a place to rest. Females gather damp nesting material in long burrows, incubate eggs and nurse the hatchlings.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.
Platypuses depend on freshwater systems and are legally protected in the states where they occur. Catchment-level population information is important for understanding change.