The platypus is an amazing animal that lives only in Australia, on the island of Tasmania. The outlandish miracle belongs to mammals, but, unlike other animals, it lays eggs like an ordinary bird. Platypuses belong to oviparous mammals - rare species animals that have survived only on the Australian continent.

Discovery history

Strange creatures can boast of an unusual story of their discovery. The first description of the platypus was given by Australian pioneers in the early 18th century. For a long time, science did not recognize the existence of platypuses and considered the mention of them to be an inept joke of Australian residents. Finally, at the end of the 18th century, scientists at a British university received a parcel from Australia containing the fur of an unknown animal, similar to a beaver, with paws like those of otters and a nose like that of an ordinary domestic duck. Such a beak looked so ridiculous that scientists even shaved off the hair on the muzzle, believing that Australian pranksters sewed a duck nose to the skin of a beaver. Finding no seams, no traces of glue, pundits just shrugged. No one could understand where he lives or how the platypus breeds. Only a few years later, in 1799, the British naturalist J. Shaw proved the existence of this miracle and gave the first detailed description creature, which was later given the name "platypus". A photo of a bird animal can only be taken in Australia, because this is the only continent on which these exotic animals currently live.

Origin

The appearance of platypuses refers to those distant times when there were no modern continents. All land was united into one huge continent - Gondwana. It was then, 110 million years ago, that platypuses appeared in terrestrial ecosystems, taking the place of the recently extinct dinosaurs. Migrating, platypuses settled throughout the mainland, and after the collapse of Gondwana, they remained to live on a large stretch of the ex-continent, which was later called Australia. Due to the isolated location of their homeland, the animals have retained their original appearance even after millions of years. Different kinds platypuses at one time inhabited the expanses of the entire land, but only one species of these animals has come down to the present.

Classification

For a quarter of a century, the leading minds of Europe puzzled over how to classify the overseas beast. Of particular difficulty was the fact that the creature turned out to have a lot of signs that are found in birds, animals, and amphibians.

The platypus saves all fat reserves in the tail, and not under the hair on the body. Therefore, the tail of the beast is solid, heavy, able not only to stabilize the movement of the platypus in the water, but also serves as an excellent means of defense. The weight of the animal fluctuates around one and a half to two kilograms with a length of half a meter. Compare with a domestic cat, which, with the same dimensions, weighs much more. Animals do not have nipples, although they produce milk. The temperature of the bird animal is low, barely reaching 32 degrees Celsius. This is much lower than that of mammals. Among other things, platypuses have another striking feature in the literal sense. These animals can hit with poison, which makes them quite dangerous opponents. Like almost all reptiles, the platypus lays eggs. Platypuses have in common with snakes and lizards both the ability to produce poison and the arrangement of the limbs, like those of amphibians. Amazing walk of the platypus. He moves by bending his body like a reptile. After all, his paws do not grow from the bottom of the body, like birds or animals. The limbs of this either a bird or an animal are located on the sides of the body, like those of lizards, crocodiles or monitor lizards. High on the head of the animal are the eyes and ear holes. They can be found in depressions located on each side of the head. The auricles are absent, while diving, he closes his eyes and ears with a special skin fold.

mating games

Every year, platypuses go into hibernation, which lasts 5-10 short winter days. This is followed by a mating period. How the platypus breeds, scientists have found out relatively recently. It turns out that, like all major events in the life of these animals, the courtship process takes place in the water. The male bites the tail of the female he likes, after which the animals circle each other in the water for some time. They do not have permanent pairs, the children of the platypus remain only with the female, who herself is engaged in their cultivation and education.

Waiting for the cubs

A month after mating, the platypus digs a long deep hole, filling it with armfuls of wet leaves and brushwood. The female wears everything necessary, covering her paws and tucking her flat tail from below. When the shelter is ready, the expectant mother is placed in the nest, and the entrance to the hole is covered with earth. In this nesting chamber, the platypus lays its eggs. The clutch usually contains two, rarely three small whitish eggs, which are glued together with a sticky substance. The female incubates the eggs for 10-14 days. The animal spends this time curled up in a ball on the masonry, hidden by wet leaves. At the same time, the female platypus can occasionally leave the hole in order to have a snack, clean itself and moisten the fur.

Birth of platypuses

After two weeks of residence, a small platypus appears in the clutch. The baby breaks eggs with an egg tooth. After the baby comes out of the shell, this tooth falls off. After birth, the female platypus moves the cubs onto her abdomen. The platypus is a mammal, so the female feeds her cubs with milk. Platypuses do not have nipples, milk from the enlarged pores on the parent's stomach flows down the wool into special grooves, from where the cubs lick it. The mother occasionally goes outside to hunt and clean herself, while the entrance to the hole is clogged with earth.
For up to eight weeks, cubs need their mother's warmth and can freeze if left unattended for a long time.

At the eleventh week, the eyes of small platypuses open, after four months the babies grow up to 33 cm in length, grow hair and completely switch to adult food. A little later, they leave the hole and begin to lead an adult lifestyle. At the age of one year, the platypus becomes an adult sexually mature individual.

Platypuses in history

Before the appearance of the first European settlers on the shores of Australia, platypuses had practically no external enemies. But the amazing and valuable fur made them an object of trade for white people. Skins of platypuses, black-brown on the outside and gray on the inside, at one time were used to make fur coats and hats for European fashionistas. Yes, and the locals did not hesitate to shoot the platypus for their needs. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the decline in the number of these animals became rampant. The naturalists sounded the alarm, and the platypus joined the ranks. Australia began to create special reserves for amazing animals. Animals were taken under state protection. The problem was complicated by the fact that the places where the platypus lives must be protected from the presence of a person, since this animal is shy and sensitive. In addition, the mass distribution of rabbits on this continent deprived platypuses of their usual nesting places - eared aliens occupied their holes. Therefore, the government had to allocate huge areas, protected from third-party interference, in order to preserve and increase the population of platypuses. Similar nature reserves have played decisive role in maintaining the population of these animals.

Platypuses in captivity

Attempts have been made to resettle this animal in zoos. In 1922, the first platypus arrived at the New York Zoo and lived in captivity for only 49 days. Because of their desire for silence and increased shyness, animals have not mastered zoos; in captivity, the platypus reluctantly lays eggs, offspring were only obtained a few times. No cases of domestication of these exotic animals by humans have been recorded. Platypuses were and remain wild and distinctive Australian Aborigines.

Platypus today

Now platypuses are not considered Tourists are happy to visit the places where the platypus lives. Travelers willingly publish photos of this animal in their stories about Australian tours. Images of a bird animal serve as a hallmark of many Australian goods and manufacturing companies. Along with the kangaroo, the platypus has become a symbol of the Australian continent.

The platypus, which lives in Australia, can be safely called one of the most amazing animals on our planet. When the first skin of a platypus first came to England (this happened in 1797), at first everyone thought that some joker had sewn a duck's beak onto the skin of an animal that looked like a beaver. When it turned out that the skin was not a fake, the scientists could not decide which group of animals to attribute this creature to. The zoological name for this strange animal was given in 1799 by the English naturalist George Shaw - Ornithorhynchus (from the Greek. scientific name- "platypus", but in modern English language the name platypus is used - "flat-foot" (from the Greek platus - "flat" and pous - "paw").
When the first animals were brought to England, it turned out that the female platypus has no visible mammary glands, but this animal, like birds, has a cloaca. For a quarter of a century, scientists could not decide where to attribute the platypus - to mammals, birds, reptiles, or even to a separate class, until in 1824 the German biologist Johann Friedrich Meckel discovered that the platypus still has mammary glands and the female feeds her cubs with milk. It became clear that the platypus is a mammal. The fact that the platypus lays eggs was only proven in 1884.

The platypus, together with the echidna (another Australian mammal), form the monotreme order (Monotremata). The name of the detachment is due to the fact that the intestines and the urogenital sinus flow into the cloaca (similarly - in amphibians, reptiles and birds), and do not go out in separate passages.
In 2008, the platypus genome was deciphered and it turned out that the ancestors of modern platypuses separated from other mammals 166 million years ago. An extinct species of platypus (Obdurodon insignis) lived in Australia more than 5 million years ago. Modern look The platypus (Obdurodon insignis) appeared during the Pleistocene epoch.

Stuffed platypus and its skeleton

The body length of the platypus is up to 45 cm, the tail is up to 15 cm, it weighs up to 2 kg. Males are about a third larger than females. The body of the platypus is squat, short-legged; the tail is flattened, similar to the tail of a beaver, but covered with hair, which thins noticeably with age. Fat stores are stored in the tail of the platypus. Its fur is thick, soft, usually dark brown on the back and reddish or gray on the belly. The head is round. Anteriorly, the facial section is elongated into a flat beak about 65 mm long and 50 mm wide. The beak is not hard like in birds, but soft, covered with elastic bare skin, which is stretched over two thin, long, arched bones. The oral cavity is expanded into cheek pouches, in which food is stored during feeding (various crustaceans, worms, snails, frogs, insects and small fish). At the bottom at the base of the beak, males have a specific gland that produces a secretion with a musky odor. Young platypuses have 8 teeth, but they are fragile and quickly wear out, giving way to keratinized plates.

The paws of the platypus are five-fingered, adapted for both swimming and digging. The swimming membrane on the front paws protrudes in front of the toes, but can be bent in such a way that the claws are exposed outward, turning the swimming limb into a digging one. The webs on the hind legs are much less developed; for swimming, the platypus does not use its hind legs, like other semi-aquatic animals, but its front legs. The hind legs act as a rudder in the water, and the tail serves as a stabilizer. The gait of the platypus on land is more reminiscent of the gait of a reptile - he puts his legs on the sides of the body.

Its nasal openings open on the upper side of the beak. There are no auricles. The eyes and ear openings are located in the grooves on the sides of the head. When the animal dives, the edges of these grooves, like the valves of the nostrils, close, so that neither sight, nor hearing, nor smell can function under water. However, the skin of the beak is rich in nerve endings, and this provides the platypus not only with a highly developed sense of touch, but also with the ability to electrolocate. Electroreceptors in the bill can detect weak electric fields, such as those produced by crustacean musculature, which help the platypus find prey. When looking for it, the platypus continuously moves its head from side to side during spearfishing. The platypus is the only mammal that has developed electroreception.

The platypus has a remarkably low metabolism compared to other mammals; his normal body temperature is only 32°C. However, at the same time, he perfectly knows how to regulate body temperature. So, being in water at 5 ° C, the platypus can maintain normal body temperature for several hours by increasing the metabolic rate by more than 3 times.

The platypus is one of the few venomous mammals (along with some shrews and flint teeth that have toxic saliva).
Young platypuses of both sexes have rudiments of horn spurs on their hind legs. In females, by the age of one year, they fall off, while in males they continue to grow, reaching 1.2-1.5 cm in length by the time of puberty. Each spur is connected by a duct to the femoral gland, which during the mating season produces a complex "cocktail" of poisons. Males use spurs during courtship fights. Platypus venom can kill a dingo or other small animal. For a person, it is generally not fatal, but it causes very severe pain, and edema develops at the injection site, which gradually spreads to the entire limb. Pain (hyperalgesia) can last for many days or even months.

The platypus is a secretive nocturnal semi-aquatic animal that inhabits the banks of small rivers and stagnant reservoirs of Eastern Australia and the island of Tasmania. The reason for the disappearance of the platypus in South Australia, apparently, was water pollution, to which the platypus is very sensitive. He prefers water temperatures of 25-29.9 °C; V brackish water does not occur.

The platypus lives along the banks of water bodies. It shelters in a short straight burrow (up to 10 m long), with two entrances and an internal chamber. One entrance is underwater, the other is located 1.2-3.6 m above the water level, under the roots of trees or in thickets.

The platypus is an excellent swimmer and diver, remaining underwater for up to 5 minutes. In water, he spends up to 10 hours a day, since he needs to eat an amount of food per day that is up to a quarter of his own weight. The platypus is active at night and at dusk. It feeds on small aquatic animals, stirring up silt at the bottom of the reservoir with its beak and catching rising living creatures. They observed how the platypus, feeding, turns over stones with its claws or with the help of its beak. He eats crustaceans, worms, insect larvae; rarely tadpoles, mollusks and aquatic vegetation. Having collected food in the cheek pouches, the platypus rises to the surface and, lying on the water, grinds it with its horny jaws.

In nature, the enemies of the platypus are few. Occasionally it is attacked by a monitor lizard, a python and a sea leopard swimming in the rivers.

Every year, platypuses fall into a 5-10-day hibernation, after which they have a breeding season. It continues from August to November. Mating takes place in the water. Platypuses do not form permanent pairs.
After mating, the female digs a brood burrow. Unlike the usual burrow, it is longer and ends with a nesting chamber. Inside, a nest is built from stems and leaves; The female wears the material, pressing her tail to her stomach. She then plugs the corridor with one or more earth plugs 15-20 cm thick to protect the burrow from predators and floods. The female makes plugs with the help of her tail, which she uses as a mason's spatula. The nest inside is always damp, which prevents the eggs from drying out. The male does not take part in the construction of the burrow and the rearing of the young.

2 weeks after mating, the female lays 1-3 (usually 2) eggs. Incubation lasts up to 10 days. During incubation, the female lies, bending in a special way and holds the eggs on her body.

Platypus cubs are born naked and blind, about 2.5 cm long. The female, lying on her back, moves them to her belly. She doesn't have a pouch. The mother feeds the cubs with milk, which comes out through the enlarged pores on her stomach. Milk flows down the mother's coat, accumulating in special grooves, and the cubs lick it off. The mother leaves the offspring only for a short time to feed and dry the skin; leaving, she clogs the entrance with soil. The eyes of the cubs open at 11 weeks. Milk feeding lasts up to 4 months; at 17 weeks, the cubs begin to leave the hole to hunt. Young platypuses reach sexual maturity at the age of 1 year.

Deciphering the platypus genome showed that the immune system of platypuses contains a whole developed family of genes responsible for the production of antimicrobial protein molecules cathelicidin. Primates and vertebrates have only one copy of the cathelicidin gene in their genome. Probably, the development of this antimicrobial genetic apparatus was necessary to enhance the immune defense of barely hatched platypus cubs, which go through the first, rather long stages of their maturation in brood burrows. The cubs of other mammals go through these stages of their development while still in the sterile womb. Being more mature immediately after birth, they are more resistant to the action of pathogenic microorganisms and do not need increased immune protection.

The lifespan of platypuses in nature is unknown, but one platypus lived at the zoo for 17 years.

Platypuses previously served as an object of fishing because of their valuable fur, but at the beginning of the 20th century. hunting them was prohibited. Currently, their population is considered to be relatively stable, although due to water pollution and habitat degradation, the platypus's range is becoming increasingly mosaic. Some damage was caused to it by the rabbits brought by the colonists, who, digging holes, disturbed the platypuses, forcing them to leave their habitable places.
The platypus is an easily excitable, nervous animal. The sound of a voice, footsteps, some unusual noise or vibration is enough for the platypus to be out of balance for many days, or even weeks. Therefore, for a long time it was not possible to transport platypuses to zoos in other countries. The platypus was first successfully taken abroad in 1922 to the New York Zoo, but it only lived there for 49 days. Attempts to breed platypuses in captivity have been successful only a few times.

Platypus on video:

In preparing the article, materials from the Russian Wikipedia, gazeta.ru were used.

The platypus belongs to the order of mammals. Echidna is considered to be his close relative, together with her they represent the detachment of monotremes. only on one continent - Australia.

For the first time, the zoological European world spoke about platypuses only in 1797. And immediately after the discovery of the animal, disputes began to sharpen, who is it, a bird, reptiles or a mammal? The answer to the question was given by the German biologist Meckel, who discovered mammary glands in a female platypus. After this discovery, platypuses were classified as mammals.

What does a platypus look like?

The platypus is an animal of small size, it reaches a length of 30-40 centimeters. Its tail is flat, similar to a beaver's tail, only covered with hair, 10-15 cm long. The platypus has a round head, a flat beak up to 6.5 cm long and 5 cm wide is placed on the muzzle. Fat is deposited in the back of the tail. The structure of the beak of the platypus is very different from the structure of the beak of birds. The beak of the platypus consists of two long arched bones covered with elastic and soft skin. In the oral cavity there are cheek pouches in which the platypus collects prey.

The paws of the platypus are equipped with five fingers, between which there are swimming membranes. In addition, on the fingers of the animal there are claws designed for digging the earth. The membranes on the hind legs of the platypus are poorly developed, therefore leading role when swimming, they win back the forelimbs. When the animal moves on land, its gait is similar to that of a reptile.

Platypus breeding

Before the start of the mating season, all platypuses go into hibernation for 5-10 days. Waking up, the animals actively get down to business. Before mating begins, each male courts the female by biting her tail. The mating season lasts from August to November.

After mating, the female begins to build a brood burrow. It differs from the usual one in its length and at the end of the hole there is a nesting chamber. The female also equips the brood hole inside, putting different leaves and stems into the nesting chamber. At the end construction works, the female closes the corridors to the nesting chamber with plugs from the ground. Thus, the female protects the shelter from floods or predator attacks. The female then lays eggs. More often it is 1 or 2 eggs, less often 3. Platypus eggs are more like reptile eggs than birds. They have a rounded shape and are covered with a leathery grayish-white shell. After laying eggs, the female stays in the hole almost all the time, heating them until the babies hatch.

Platypus cubs appear on the 10th day after laying. Babies are born blind and absolutely hairless up to 2.5 cm long. To be born, babies pierce the shell with a special egg tooth that falls out immediately after birth. Only the hatched cubs are moved by the mother onto her stomach and fed with milk protruding from the pores on the stomach. The newly-made mother does not leave her babies for a long time, but only for a few hours to hunt and dry the wool.

At the 11th week of life, babies are completely covered with hair and begin to see. Cubs hunt on their own as early as 4 months. Young platypuses lead a complete independent life without a mother after the 1st year of life.

Platypus recognized as one of the most amazing animals on Earth. It combines features of birds, reptiles and mammals. It was the platypus that was chosen as the animal symbolizing Australia. With his image in this country even minted money.

Upon discovering this animal, scientists, researchers and zoologists were quite puzzled. They could not immediately determine what kind of animal was in front of them. A nose incredibly similar to a duck's beak, a beaver's tail, spurs on the legs, like a rooster, and many other features baffled scientists.

Origin of the species and description

The animal belongs to waterfowl mammals. Together with the echidnas, it is in the detachment of one-passers. To date, only these animals are representatives of the platypus family. Scholars note a number characteristic features that unite them with reptiles.

The skin of an animal was first discovered in Australia in 1797. At that time, researchers could not find an explanation of who actually owns this skin. Scientists even thought at first that it was some kind of joke, or perhaps it was created by Chinese stuffed craftsmen. At that time, skilled craftsmen of this genre managed to fasten body parts of completely different animals.

Video: Platypus

As a result, amazing non-existent animals appeared. After the existence of this amazing animal was proven, researcher George Shaw described it as a flat-footed duck. However, a little later, another scientist, Friedrich Blumenbach, described him as a paradoxical bearer of a bird's beak. After much debate and striving to come to a consensus, they gave the animal the name "duck-shaped bird-billed".

With the advent of the platypus, all ideas about evolution were completely shattered. Scientists and researchers for almost three decades could not determine which class of animals to attribute it to. In 1825 they identified it as a mammal. And only after almost 60 years it was found out that platypuses tend to lay eggs.

It has been scientifically proven that these animals are among the most ancient on Earth. The oldest representative of this genus, found in Australia, is more than 100 million years old. It was a small animal. He was nocturnal and could not lay eggs.

Appearance and features

The platypus has a dense, elongated body, short limbs. The body is covered with a rather dense woolen cut of a dark, almost black color. In the abdomen, the coat has a lighter, reddish tint. The head of the animal is small in comparison with the body, round in shape. On the head is a large, flat beak, reminiscent of a duck in shape. Eyeballs, nasal and ear passages are located in special recesses.

When diving, these holes in the recesses close tightly, preventing water from entering. However, in the water, the platypus is completely deprived of the ability to see and hear. The main guide in this situation is the nose. It is concentrated a large number of nerve endings, which help not only to perfectly navigate in the water space, but also to capture the slightest movements, as well as electrical signals.

Platypus dimensions:

• body length - 35-45 cm. Representatives of the platypus family have clearly expressed sexual dimorphism. Females are one and a half - 2 times smaller than males;
• tail length 15-20 cm;
• body weight 1.5-2 kg.

The limbs are short, located on both sides, on the lateral surface of the body. That is why animals, when moving on land, walk, waddling from side to side. The limbs have an amazing structure. They have five fingers, which are connected by membranes. Thanks to this structure, animals swim and dive perfectly. In addition, the membranes can fold over, revealing long, sharp claws to help dig the ground.

On the hind limbs, the membranes are less pronounced, therefore, in order to swim quickly, they use the forelimbs. The hind legs are used as a corrector for the direction of movement. The tail performs the function of balance. It is flat, long, covered with wool. Due to the density of hair on the tail, you can determine the age of the animal. The more wool on it, the younger the platypus. It is noteworthy that fat reserves accumulate mainly in the tail, and not on the body.

This animal is characterized by a number of features:

• The body temperature of a mammal does not exceed 32 degrees. It has the ability to regulate its body temperature, thanks to which it adapts perfectly to different conditions external environment.
• Male platypuses are poisonous.
• The beak of animals is soft.
• Platypuses are distinguished by the slowest course of all metabolic processes in the body among all mammals that exist today.
• Females tend to lay eggs, like birds, from which offspring are subsequently hatched.
• Platypuses are able to stay under water for five minutes or more.

Where does the platypus live?

Until the 20s of this century, animals lived exclusively in Australia. To date, animal populations are concentrated from the Tasmanian possessions through the Australian Alps, up to the outskirts of Queensland. The bulk of the representatives of the platypus family is concentrated in Australia and Tasmania.

The mammal leads a hidden lifestyle. They tend to inhabit the coastal territory of reservoirs. It is characteristic that they choose only fresh water bodies for living. Platypuses prefer certain temperature regime water - from 24 to 30 degrees. Animals build burrows to live. They are not long, straight moves. The length of one hole does not exceed ten meters.

Each of them has two entrances and a furnished room. One entrance is accessible from land, the second - from the reservoir. Those wishing to see the platypus with their own eyes can visit the zoo, or national reserve in Melbourne, Australia.

What does a platypus eat?

Platypuses are excellent swimmers and divers. To do this, they need a lot of energy. The daily volume of food should be at least 30% of the animal's body weight in order to cover energy costs.

What is included in the diet of the platypus:

• shellfish;
• seaweed;
• crustaceans;
• tadpoles;
• small fish;
• insect larvae;
• worms.

While in the water, platypuses collect food in the buccal space. Having got out, they crush the extracted food with the help of horny jaws. Platypuses tend to instantly capture the victim and send it to the buccal region.

Aquatic vegetation can serve as a food source only if there are difficulties with other food sources. But this is extremely rare. Platypuses are considered excellent hunters. They are able to turn over stones with their noses, and also feel confident in muddy, silt-filled water.

Features of character and lifestyle

Animals tend to spend a third of their lives in the water. These animals tend to hibernate. It can last 6-14 days. Most often, this phenomenon occurs before the onset of the mating season. Thus, the animals gain strength and rest.

The platypus is most active at night. At night, he hunts and gets his own food. These representatives of the platypus family prefer a separate lifestyle. It is unusual for them to unite in groups or create families. By nature, platypuses are endowed with excessive caution.

Platypuses inhabit mainly coastal zones of water bodies. Due to the unique ability to regulate body temperature and perfectly adapt to environmental conditions, they settle not only near warm rivers and lakes, but also near cold high-mountain streams.

For permanent residence, adults create tunnels, burrows. They dig them with strong paws and large claws. Nora has a special structure. It has two entrances, a small tunnel and a spacious, cozy inner chamber. Animals build a hole in such a way that the entrance corridor is narrow. While moving along it into the inner chamber, all the liquid on the body of the platypus is squeezed out.

Social structure and reproduction

The mating season begins with platypuses in August and lasts until the end of October, mid-November. Females attract members of the opposite sex by wagging their tails. During this period, males come to the territory of the females. For some time they smoothly follow each other in a kind of dance. Then the male begins to pull the female by the tail. This is a kind of courtship that lasts a very short period of time.

After entering into marriage and fertilization, females build a dwelling for themselves, in which they subsequently give birth to offspring. Such a hole differs from the standard dwelling of animals. It is somewhat longer, and at the very end of the female nest. The female lines the bottom with foliage, to collect which she uses her tail, with which she rakes her into a pile. After the construction and arrangement is completed, the female clogs all the corridors with earth. This is a way to protect against flooding and the attack of dangerous predators.

After that, she lays one to three eggs. Outwardly, they look like reptile eggs. They have a grayish tint, leathery shell. After laying eggs, the expectant mother constantly flies them with her warmth until the moment when the cubs are born. The offspring hatch ten days after the female laid her eggs. Cubs are born tiny, blind and hairless. Their size does not exceed 3 cm. Babies tend to be born through an egg tooth, designed to break through the shell. Then he falls out of favor.

After the birth, the mother puts the babies on her stomach and feeds them with her milk. The females do not have nipples. In the abdomen, they have pores through which milk is secreted. The cubs just lick it off. The female is with her babies almost all the time. It comes out of the hole only to get food for itself.

After 10 weeks from the moment of birth, the body of the babies is covered with hair, the eyes open. The first hunt and the experience of independent food production appears at 3.5-4 months. After a year, young individuals lead an independent lifestyle. Average life expectancy under natural conditions is not precisely defined. Zoologists suggest that it is 10-15 years.

Natural enemies of platypuses

Under natural habitat conditions, platypuses have few enemies in the animal kingdom, these are:

• python;
• monitor lizard;
• sea ​​leopard.

The worst enemy of a mammal is a man and his activities. At the very beginning of the 20th century, poachers and hunters ruthlessly exterminated the animals in order to get their fur. At that time, it was especially valued among manufacturers of fur products. The animal was on the verge of extinction. To make a fur coat alone, it was necessary to destroy more than five dozen animals.

Population and species status

Due to poachers and hunters who exterminated platypuses in large numbers in pursuit of wool, at the beginning of the 20th century, the platypus family was almost completely destroyed. In this regard, the hunting of these animals was completely prohibited.

To date, the animal is not threatened with complete extinction, but its habitat has been significantly reduced. This is due to the pollution of water bodies, the development of large areas by man. The rabbits introduced by the colonists also reduce the habitats. They dig holes in the places where the beast lives and force them to look for other habitats.

Platypus protection

To preserve the species of the population, the animal is listed in the Red Book. The Australians have organized special reserves, on the territory of which nothing threatens the platypuses. Favorable living conditions have been created for animals within such zones. The most famous nature reserve is Hillsville in Victoria.

The platypus is the most primitive animal, combining features of mammals, birds, reptiles and even fish. The platypus is so unusual that it is allocated to a special detachment of One-passers, in which, apart from it, only echidnas and prochidnas are included. However, he also bears little resemblance to his relatives, therefore he is the only species in the platypus family.

Platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus).

The first thing that catches your eye when looking at a platypus is its beak. Its presence on the body of the beast is so out of place that European scientists initially considered stuffed platypuses to be fake. But the observations of naturalists in nature proved that the beast with a bird's beak actually exists. In fairness, it should be noted that the beak of the platypus is really not quite real. The fact is that its internal structure does not look like a device of a bird's beak, the platypus has quite animal jaws, they are just covered with skin on the outside. But platypuses have no teeth, auricles, and one of the ovaries is underdeveloped and does not function - these are typical bird features. Also, in platypuses, the excretory openings of the genitals, bladder and intestines open into a common cloaca, which is why they are called single-pass.

The body of this animal is slightly elongated, but at the same time quite rounded and well-fed. The eyes are small, the auditory canals open to the surface of the body with simple holes. The platypus does not hear and see very well, but its sense of smell is excellent. In addition, the amazing beak of the platypus gives this beast another unique quality - the ability to electrolocation. Sensitive receptors on the surface of the beak are able to pick up weak electric fields and detect moving prey. In the animal world, such abilities are noted only in sharks. The tail of the platypus is flat and wide and strongly resembles the tail of a beaver. The paws are short, and swimming membranes are stretched between the fingers. In the water, they help the animal to row, and when they land on land, they fold up and do not interfere with walking.

While walking, the platypus keeps its paws on the sides of the body, and not under the body like typical mammals - this is how reptiles move.

With reptiles, platypuses also have in common a low, unstable body temperature. Unlike most mammals, the body temperature of the platypus averages only 32°! You can call it warm-blooded with some stretch, besides, body temperature is highly dependent on temperature. environment and can vary between 25°-35°. At the same time, platypuses can, if necessary, maintain a relatively high body temperature, but for this they have to move and eat a lot.

The reproductive system of platypuses is very unusual for mammals: not only do females have one ovary, but there is also no uterus, so they cannot bear cubs. Platypuses solve demographic problems simply - they lay eggs. But this sign makes them related not to birds, but to reptiles. The fact is that the eggs of the platypus are not covered with a hard calcareous shell, but with an elastic cornea like in reptiles. At the same time, the platypus feeds its young with milk. True, it turns out that he is not quite clever. Platypus females do not have formed mammary glands, instead, the milk ducts open directly to the surface of the body, they are similar in structure to sweat glands and milk simply flows onto the abdomen into a special fold.

The body of the platypus is covered with short brown hair. These animals show sexual dimorphism. Males reach a length of 50-60 cm and weigh 1.5-2 kg, females are noticeably smaller, their body length is only 30-45 cm, and their weight is 0.7-1.2 kg. At the same time, the length of the tail is 8-15 cm. In addition, males differ from females in spurs on their hind legs. In females, these spurs are present only in childhood, then they disappear, in males their length reaches a couple of centimeters. But the most amazing thing is that these spurs secrete poison!

Poison platypus spur.

Among mammals, this is the rarest phenomenon and, apart from the platypus, only slit-tooths can boast of it. Scientists at the Australian University of Canberra have discovered that platypuses have not one, but as many as 5 pairs of sex chromosomes! If in all animals the combinations of sex chromosomes look like XY (males) or XX (females), then in platypuses they look like XYXYXYXYXY (males) and XXXXXXXXXX (females), and part of the platypus sex chromosomes is similar to those in birds. That's how amazing this beast is!

Platypuses are endemic to Australia, they live only on this continent and nearby islands (Tasmania, Kangaroo). Previously, platypuses were found in vast areas of southern and eastern Australia, but now, due to severe pollution of the main water system of the continent, the Murray and Darling rivers, they have survived only in the eastern part of the mainland. Platypuses lead a semi-aquatic lifestyle, therefore they are closely associated with water bodies. Their favorite habitats are quiet rivers with a calm current and slightly raised banks, usually flowing through forests. On the coasts of the seas mountain rivers with a rapid current and in stagnant swamps, platypuses do not live. Platypuses are sedentary, occupy the same section of the river and do not move far from the lair. Their shelters are burrows that animals dig on their own on the shore. The burrow has a simple device: it is a sleeping chamber with two entrances, one entrance is opened under water, the second - above the water's edge at a height of 1.2-3.6 m in a secluded place (in thickets, under tree roots).

Platypuses are nocturnal animals. They are busy searching for food in the early morning and evening, less often at night, during the day they sleep in a hole. These animals live alone, developed social connections not found between them. I must say that platypuses are generally very primitive animals, they do not show much intelligence, but they are very careful. They do not like to be seen, they do not tolerate anxiety, but where they are not touched they can live even on the outskirts of cities. Interestingly, platypuses that live in warm climates hibernate during the winter. This hibernation is short (only 5-10 days) and occurs in July before the breeding season. The biological significance of hibernation is unclear, perhaps animals need it to accumulate energy reserves before the mating season.

Platypuses feed on small invertebrates - crustaceans, mollusks, worms, tadpoles, which are searched for at the bottom of reservoirs. Platypuses are good swimmers and divers, and can stay underwater for a long time. During the hunt, they stir up the bottom silt with their beak and select prey from there. The platypus lays the caught living creatures by the cheeks, and then on the shore with toothless jaws grinds the prey. In order not to inadvertently eat something inedible, platypuses use their electroreceptors, so they can even distinguish a motionless living being from an inanimate object. In general, these animals are unpretentious, but rather voracious, especially during lactation. A case is known when a female platypus ate an amount of food almost equal to her weight during the night!

Swimming platypus.

The breeding season for platypuses occurs once a year between August and November. During this period, the males swim to the sites of the females, the couple whirls in a kind of dance: the male grabs the female by the tail and they swim in a circle. There are no mating fights between males; they also do not form permanent pairs. The female's pregnancy lasts only 2 weeks, during this period she is busy preparing the brood burrow. The brood hole of the platypus is longer than usual, the female arranges litter in it. She does this with the help of ... a tail, capturing a bunch of grass, she presses it to her body with her tail and carries it into the hole. Having prepared the “bed”, the female clogs the hole in order to protect herself from the penetration of predators. She clogs the entrance with earth, which she rams with tail blows. Beavers also use their tail in the same way.

Platypuses are not fertile, the female lays 1-2 (rarely 3) eggs. At first glance, they are difficult to spot in the nest because they are disproportionately small and brownish in color. The size of the platypus egg is only 1 cm, that is, the same as that of passerine birds! The female “incubates” tiny eggs, or rather warms them, curling up around them. The incubation period depends on the temperature, in a caring mother, the eggs are hatched after 7 days, in a bad mother, incubation can take up to 10 days. Platypuses hatch naked, blind and helpless, their length is 2.5 cm. Platypus cubs are as paradoxical as their parents. The fact is that they are born with teeth, the teeth are preserved while the female feeds the cubs with milk, and then they fall out! All mammals do the opposite.

Baby platypus.

The female places the cubs on her belly, they lick the flowing milk from the fold on her abdomen. Platypuses grow very slowly, they begin to see clearly only after 11 weeks! No animal has a longer period of infantile blindness. The female spends a lot of time in the hole with the cubs, leaving her for a short time only for feeding. 4 months after birth, the cubs switch to independent nutrition. Platypuses live in nature up to 10 years, in zoos such a life expectancy is observed only with good care.

Platypus enemies are few. These are pythons and monitor lizards that can crawl into holes, as well as dingoes that catch platypuses on the shore. Although platypuses are clumsy and generally defenseless, but caught, they can use their only weapon - poisonous spurs. Platypus venom can kill dingoes, but for humans, its dose is too small and non-lethal. But this does not mean that the poison is completely harmless. At the injection site, it causes swelling and severe pain that cannot be relieved with conventional painkillers. The pain can last for days or even weeks. Such a strong pain effect can also serve as reliable protection.

The first Australian colonists hunted platypuses for their fur, but this trade quickly died out. Soon, platypuses began to disappear in the vicinity of large cities due to disturbance, river pollution, and land reclamation. Several reserves were created to protect them, and attempts were made to breed platypuses in captivity, but this was fraught with great difficulties. It turned out that platypuses do not tolerate even a little stress very well, all animals that were initially transported to other zoos soon died. For this reason, platypuses are now kept almost exclusively in Australian zoos. But great success has been achieved in their breeding, now in zoos platypuses not only live for a long time, but also breed. Thanks to the protection of their number in nature does not cause concern.