Out of water, the senses of sight and hearing are sharp.īoth hind limbs of the male bear hollow, pointed, poison spurs mounted on the insides of the ankles, just above the heels. These grooves are closed underwater, shutting both eyes and ears, when the platypus dives to hunt for food. There are two long grooves for protecting the eyes and ears, a single groove surrounding both the eye and ear on each side. The eyes are small and the external ears are mere holes in the skull, although the internal structure of the ears is like that of other mammals. The platypus uses the forelimbs and forefeet for swimming and digging, while using the hind feet and claws as combs to keep the fur clean and waterproof. Back on land or in its burrow, the animal folds the extra webbing under its forefeet and walks on its knuckles.

Although an excellent swimmer, the platypus is clumsy when trying to walk on land, and seldom does so anyway, except within its tunnels, since it burns up twice as much body energy moving about on land as it does swimming underwater.Īll four feet have five claws apiece and are webbed, but the webbing of the front feet extends in a flat flange beyond the toes when the platypus swims. As in other monotremes, the limbs of the platypus are set in a permanent push-up position, the upper limb bones extending out from the sides of the body, horizontal to the ground, the lower limb bones going straight down. The body is somewhat flattened and streamlined. As the platypus dives, the two fur layers trap a layer of air next to the skin, thus keeping the body dry and helping to insulate it against cold while the platypus swims, often throughout the night, and sometimes in temperatures close to freezing. The fur has two layers, an undercoat with a woolly texture and an overcoat of coarser hair. Platypus fur is fine, soft, and dense, with up to 900 hairs per square inch of skin. The pelt color varies from dark amber to very dark brown on the platypus's back and sides, and from grayish white to yellowish brown on the underbelly. Most of the body is covered with fine, soft fur. The scientific name, Ornithorhynchus anatinus, means, in Latin, 'bird-snout, resembling a duck.' The plural is 'platypuses' or just 'platypus.' The word 'platypus' means 'flat feet,' referring to the animal's webbed, somewhat ducklike feet. The nostrils are set close together on the top of the upper bill.

The bill has an upper and lower section, like that of a mammal or bird, and the jaw hinging and motions are like those of mammals. The snout, despite its duckbill shape, is soft, moist, and rubbery in texture, not hard like a bird's beak. An adult platypus, about the size of a house cat, weighs from 3 to 5 pounds (1.5 to 2.5 kilograms), its adult head and body length runs 12 to 18 inches (30 to 45 centimeters), and the tail adds another 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 centimeters). DUCK-BILLED PLATYPUS: Ornithorhynchidae PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICSĪ platypus, at first glance, resembles an otter with a duck's bill on its face and a beaver's tail in back.

Platypus feet vs duck feet