Platypus
Platypus Temporal range: Miocene to Recent
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Platypus swimming in waters near Scottsdale, Tasmania | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Monotremata |
Family: | Ornithorhynchidae |
Genus: | Ornithorhynchus Blumenbach, 1800 |
Species: | O. anatinus
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Binomial name | |
Ornithorhynchus anatinus (Shaw, 1799)
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Platypus range (red – native, yellow – introduced) | |
Synonyms[2] | |
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The platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus),
Together with the four species of
The unusual appearance of this egg-laying, duck-billed, beaver-tailed, otter-footed mammal at first baffled European naturalists. In 1799, the first scientists to examine a preserved platypus body judged it a fake made of several animals sewn together.
The unique features of the platypus make it important in the study of evolutionary biology, and a recognisable and iconic symbol of Australia. It is culturally significant to several Aboriginal peoples, who also used to hunt it for food. It has appeared as a national mascot, features on the reverse of the Australian twenty-cent coin, and is an emblem of the state of New South Wales.
The platypus was hunted for its fur, but it has been a legally
Taxonomy and naming
When the platypus was first encountered by Europeans in 1798, a
The common name "platypus" literally means 'flat-foot', deriving from the
There is no universally-agreed plural form of "platypus" in the English language. Scientists generally use "platypuses" or simply "platypus". Alternatively, the term "platypi" is also used for the plural, although this is a form of pseudo-Latin;[10] going by the word's Greek roots the plural would be "platypodes". Early British settlers called it by many names, such as "watermole", "duckbill", and "duckmole".[10] Occasionally it is specifically called the "duck-billed platypus".
The scientific name Ornithorhynchus anatinus literally means 'duck-like bird-snout',
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A book for children published in Germany in 1798
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Illustration from the first scientific description in 1799
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Colour print from 1863
Description
In David Collins's account of the new colony 1788–1801, he describes "an amphibious animal, of the mole species", with a drawing.[22]
The body and the broad, flat tail of the platypus are covered with dense, brown, biofluorescent fur that traps a layer of insulating air to keep the animal warm.[10][16][23] The fur is waterproof, textured like that of a mole.[24] The platypus' tail stores fat reserves, an adaptation also found in the Tasmanian devil.[25] Webbing is more significant on the front feet, which in land walking are folded up in knuckle-walking to protect the webbing.[26] The elongated snout and lower jaw are covered in soft skin, forming the bill. The nostrils are located on the snout's dorsal surface, while the eyes and ears are just behind the snout in a groove which closes underwater.[16] Platypuses can give a low growl when disturbed, and a range of vocalisations have been reported in captivity.[10]
Size varies considerably in different regions, with average weight from 0.7 to 2.4 kg (1 lb 9 oz to 5 lb 5 oz); males have average length 50 cm (20 in), while females are the smaller at 43 cm (17 in).[16] This variation does not seem to follow any particular climatic rule and may be due to other factors such as predation and human encroachment.[27]
The platypus has an average
In addition to laying eggs, the anatomy, ontogeny, and genetics of monotremes shows traces of similarity to reptiles and birds. The platypus has a reptilian gait with legs on the sides of the body, rather than underneath.[16] The platypus's genes are a possible evolutionary link between the mammalian XY and bird/reptile ZW sex-determination systems, as one of the platypus's five X chromosomes contains the DMRT1 gene, which birds possess on their Z chromosome.[31]
As in all true mammals, the tiny bones that conduct sound in the
The platypus
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Diving
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Surfacing
Venom
While both male and female platypuses are born with back ankle spurs, only the males' deliver venom.[36][37][38] It is powerful enough to kill smaller animals such as dogs, and though it is not lethal to humans, it can inflict weeks of agony.[39][40] Edema rapidly develops around the wound and gradually spreads through the affected limb, and it may develop into an excruciating hyperalgesia (heightened sensitivity to pain) persisting for days or even months.[41][42]
The venom is composed largely of defensin-like proteins (DLPs) produced by the immune system, three of which are unique to the platypus.[39] In other animals, defensins kill pathogenic bacteria and viruses, but in platypuses they are also collected into a venom against predators. Venom is produced in the crural glands of the male, which are kidney-shaped alveolar glands connected by a thin-walled duct to a calcaneus spur on each hind limb. The female platypus, in common with echidnas, has rudimentary spur buds that do not develop (dropping off before the end of their first year) and lack functional crural glands.[16] Venom production rises among males during the breeding season, and it may be used to assert dominance.[39]
Similar spurs are found on many archaic mammal groups, indicating that this was an ancient general characteristic among mammals.[43]
Electrolocation
The
The platypus can feel the direction of an electric source, perhaps by comparing differences in
Monotreme electrolocation for hunting in murky waters may be tied to their tooth loss.[52] The extinct Obdurodon was electroreceptive, but unlike the modern platypus it foraged pelagically (near the ocean surface).[52]
Eyes
In recent studies it has been suggested that the eyes of the platypus are more similar to those of Pacific hagfish or Northern Hemisphere lampreys than to those of most tetrapods. The eyes also contain double cones, unlike most mammals.[53]
Although the platypus's eyes are small and not used under water, several features indicate that vision was important for its ancestors. The
Biofluorescence
In 2020, research revealed that platypus fur gives a bluish-green biofluorescent glow in black light.[54]
Distribution, ecology, and behaviour
The platypus is semiaquatic, inhabiting small streams and rivers over an extensive range from the cold highlands of Tasmania and the Australian Alps to the tropical rainforests of coastal Queensland as far north as the base of the Cape York Peninsula.[55]
Inland, its distribution is not well known. It was considered extinct on the
There is a population on Kangaroo Island[60] introduced in the 1920s, said to stand at 150 individuals in the Rocky River region of Flinders Chase National Park. In the 2019–20 Australian bushfire season, large portions of the island burnt, decimating wildlife. However, SA Department for Environment and Water recovery teams worked to reinstate their habitat, with a number of sightings reported by April 2020.[61]
The platypus is no longer found in the main Murray–Darling Basin, possibly due to declining water quality from land clearing and irrigation.[62] Along the coastal river systems, its distribution is unpredictable: absent in some relatively healthy rivers, but present in some quite degraded ones, for example the lower Maribyrnong.[63]
In captivity, platypuses have survived to 17 years of age, and wild specimens have been recaptured when 11 years old.
The platypus is an excellent swimmer and spends much of its time in the water foraging for food. It has a swimming style unique among mammals,[68] propelling itself by alternate strokes of the front feet, while the webbed hind feet are held against the body and only used for steering, along with the tail.[69] It can maintain its relatively low body temperature of about 32 °C (90 °F) while foraging for hours in water below 5 °C (41 °F).[16] Dives normally last around 30 seconds, with an estimated aerobic limit of 40 seconds, with 10 to 20 seconds at the surface between dives.[70][71]
The platypus rests in a short, straight burrow in the riverbank about 30 cm (12 in) above water level, its oval entrance-hole often hidden under a tangle of roots.[68] It may sleep up to 14 hours per day, after half a day of diving.[72]
Diet
The platypus is a carnivore, feeding on annelid worms, insect larvae, freshwater shrimp, and yabby (crayfish) that it digs out of the riverbed with its snout or catches while swimming. It carries prey to the surface in cheek-pouches before eating it.[68] It eats about 20% of its own weight each day, which requires it to spend an average of 12 hours daily looking for food.[70]
Reproduction
The species has a single
The female has two
Most mammal zygotes go through
Young platypus are called "puggles". Newly hatched platypuses are vulnerable, blind, and hairless, and are fed by the mother's milk, that provides all the requirements for growth and development.[80][81] The platypus' mammary glands lack teats, with milk released through pores in the skin. The milk pools in grooves on the mother's abdomen, allowing the young to lap it up.[10][64] After they hatch, the offspring are milk-fed for three to four months.
During incubation and weaning, the mother initially leaves the burrow only for short periods to forage. She leaves behind her a number of thin soil plugs along the length of the burrow, possibly to protect the young from predators; pushing past these on her return squeezes water from her fur and allows the burrow to remain dry.[82] After about five weeks, the mother begins to spend more time away from her young, and at around four months, the young emerge from the burrow.[64] A platypus is born with teeth, but these drop out at a very early age, leaving the horny plates it uses to grind food.[33]
Evolution
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Evolutionary relationships between the platypus and other mammals[83] |
The platypus and other monotremes were very poorly understood, and some of the 19th century myths that grew up around them – for example, that the monotremes were "inferior" or quasireptilian – still endure.[84] In 1947, William King Gregory theorised that placental mammals and marsupials may have diverged earlier, and a subsequent branching divided the monotremes and marsupials, but later research and fossil discoveries have suggested this is incorrect.[84][85] In fact, modern monotremes are the survivors of an early branching of the mammal tree, and a later branching is thought to have led to the marsupial and placental groups.[84][86] Molecular clock and fossil dating suggest platypuses split from echidnas around 19–48 million years ago.[87]
The oldest discovered fossil of the modern platypus dates back to about 100,000 years ago, during the
Because of the early divergence from the
Conservation
Status and threats
Except for its loss from the state of South Australia, the platypus occupies the same general distribution as it did prior to
The
Habitat destruction
The platypus is not considered to be in immediate danger of extinction, because conservation measures have been successful, but it could be adversely affected by habitat disruption caused by
Researchers have worried for years that declines have been greater than assumed.
A November 2020 report by scientists from the
Disease
Platypuses generally suffer from few
Wildlife sanctuaries
Much of the world was introduced to the platypus in 1939 when
Captivity
As of 2019, the only platypuses in captivity outside of Australia are in the San Diego Zoo Safari Park in the U.S. state of California.[115][116] Three attempts were made to bring the animals to the Bronx Zoo, in 1922, 1947, and 1958. Of these, only two of the three animals introduced in 1947, Penelope and Cecil,[117] lived longer than eighteen months.[118]
Human interactions
Usage
Aboriginal Australians used to hunt platypuses for food (their fatty tails being particularly nutritious), while, after colonisation, Europeans hunted them for fur from the late 19th century until 1912, when it was prohibited by law.[119] In addition, European researchers captured and killed platypus or removed their eggs, partly in order to increase scientific knowledge, but also to gain prestige and outcompete rivals from different countries.[6]
Cultural references
The platypus has been a subject in the
According to one story of the upper Darling River,[6] the major animal groups, the land animals, water animals and birds, all competed for the platypus to join their respective groups, but the platypus ultimately decided to not join any of them, feeling that he did not need to be part of a group to be special,[120]: 83–85 and wished to remain friends with all of those groups.[6] Another Dreaming story emanate of the upper Darling tells of a young duck which ventured too far, ignoring the warnings of her tribe, and was kidnapped by a large water-rat called Biggoon. After managing to escape after some time, she returned and laid two eggs which hatched into strange furry creatures, so they were all banished and went to live in the mountains.[6]
The platypus is also used by some Aboriginal peoples as a
The platypus has often been used as a symbol of Australia's
Platypuses have been used several times as mascots: Syd the platypus was one of the three mascots chosen for the
Since the introduction of
In the American animated series Phineas and Ferb, the title characters own a pet bluish-green platypus named Perry who, unknown to them, is a secret agent. Such choices were inspired by media underuse, as well as to exploit the animal's striking appearance;[127] additionally, show creator Dan Povenmire, who also wrote the character's theme song, said that its opening lyrics are based on the introductory sentence of the Platypus article on Wikipedia, copying the "semiaquatic egg-laying mammal" phrase word for word, and appending the phrase "of action".[128] As a character, Perry has been well received by both fans and critics.[129][130] Coincidentally, real platypuses show a similar cyan colour when seen under ultraviolet lighting.[131]
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Platypus fur cape made in 1890, now in the National Gallery of Victoria
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Early 20th-century matchbox label
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9d postage stamp from 1937
See also
Footnotes
- platysma, a broad, wide and flat muscle of the neck.
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References
Books
- Augee, Michael L. (2001). "Platypus". World Book Encyclopedia.
- Burrell, Harry (1974). The Platypus. Adelaide SA: Rigby. ISBN 978-0-85179-521-8.
- Fleay, David H. (1980). Paradoxical Platypus: Hobnobbing with Duckbills. Jacaranda Press. ISBN 978-0-7016-1364-8.
- Grant, Tom (1995). The platypus: a unique mammal. Sydney: University of New South Wales Press. ISBN 978-0-86840-143-0.
- Griffiths, Mervyn (1978). The Biology of the Monotremes. Academic Press. ISBN 978-0-12-303850-0.
- Hutch, Michael; McDade, Melissa C., eds. (2004). "Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia: Lower metazoans and lesser deuterosomes". Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia. Vol. 12: Mammals III. Gale. OCLC 1089554968.
- ISBN 978-0-8018-8052-0.
- Strahan, Ronald; Van Dyck, Steve (April 2006). Mammals of Australia (3rd ed.). New Holland. ISBN 978-1-877069-25-3.
Documentaries
- "Southern Exposure". Eye of the Storm. 2000. EAN9398710245592
- "El Niño". Eye of the Storm. 2000. Archived from the original on 28 February 2013.
External links
- Biodiversity Heritage Library bibliography for Ornithorhynchus anatinus
- Platypus facts (archived 10 September 2019)
- View the platypus genome in Ensembl
- PBS Nature "The Platypus Guardian"