The Platypus

The platypus lives near streams and rivers.
Photo: Brittanica.com

A platypus is a silly looking animal! It has the body of an otter, the mouth, nose and webbed feet of a duck, and the tail of a beaver! This is a very cool animal. It lives in streams in Eastern Australia. The platypus uses its sensitive, rubbery beak like a scanner, swishing it back and forth underwater picking up tiny electrical signals coming from creatures hidden near by. Because of this ability, it can find worms hidden in the mud or shrimp hiding under a rock. It has no teeth, but uses hard pads in its beak to grind up its food. When underwater, it swims with its eyes and ears shut, using its beak to find food. 

A platypus is a rare type of animal called a monotreme, which means it is a mammal that lays eggs! A female platypus lays two to three eggs at a time, which are about as big as pigeon eggs. A baby platypus is born without a beak. The beak forms after it stops drinking its mother's milk and starts hunting on its own. 

Cool Fact: Each back leg of the male platypus has a sharp venomous claw!