Platypuses also have pouches on their cheeks. While people familiar in passing with the platypus often cite its awkward 'duck-billed' appearance as its most eminent trait, or take note of how the platypus lays eggs, a lesser-known characteristic of platypuses is that they are one of the few mammals that. A male platypus has poisonous spurs on each hind leg at the ankle joint. The platypus is a truly unusual creature in multiple ways, one of many storied and whimsical-looking animals originating in Australia. The platypuses hind paws are barely webbed. Neither the eyes nor the ears of the platypus are used for finding food.The hind paws of a platypus are used as rudders when swimming, the long claws on the paws are used for grooming and an anchor when digging. The eyes are on top of the head and help them see in the water. Another adaptation platypuses have are eyes and ears. They also use their paws for digging burrows. The webbing on the paws go away when platypuses are on land. They use their front paws to propel through water, and the front paws act like paddles. Another adaption a platypus has is its front paws. Platypuses don't have any teeth but instead the adult has two horny pads that help grind the food platypuses eat. Platypuses also use their bills to find food. Each tiny platypus hatches from an egg, and the young suck milk from special mammary hairs. Courtship and mating take place from late winter through spring. Another adaptation the platypus has is its bill. Platypus - Egg-laying, Monotreme, Adaptations: Little is known about the life cycle of the platypus. The tail of a platypus also acts like a rudder and helps steer the platypus. Its fur is waterproof and traps an insulating layer of air next to its skin.One adaptation a platypus has is its tail. It can reduce blood flow to areas of its body that have no fur, particularly its tail, rear feet and bill. The platypus keeps its body temperature constant by controlling the heat produced from metabolism (all the chemical reactions that occur in the body). Although it has no teeth, the platypus uses grinding plates on the upper and lower surfaces of the jaw to chew its food. It helps the animal to find its way, to search for food and to pick up electrical discharges from its prey.

The duck-like bill of the platypus is a flexible, soft and very sensitive organ. It has sharp vision over long distances, but because its eyes are towards the top of its head it cannot see objects directly under its nose. The platypus has no outer ear lobe, and both its eyes and ears close when it dives. When digging a burrow or moving on land, platypuses can fold away their webbed foot extensions. The forelegs push the animal through the water while the hind legs trail behind, acting as stability rudders.

With their slightly flattened, streamlined body and short, stout legs, they are well-adapted for swimming. This fur ranges in colour from grey to dark brown. Under their long, coarse outer hair is a fine, dense underfur which is woolly in texture. Platypuses are dark brown on their backs and generally light brown on their bellies. The average male platypus is about 50 centimetres long (head to tail) while females measure about 43 centimetres. The platypus and two species of echidna are the world's only monotremes, or egg-laying mammals.Ībout half the size of a household cat, adult males and females can differ greatly in size and weight.

Duck billed platypus facts