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Class: mammals

Objective: Monopore bacteria.

Family: bird beak family

Genus: platypus

Species: platypus

Latin scientific name: duck-billed bird

English name: Platypus platypus, Duckmole

habitat

The most primitive and peculiar animal among the living mammals. It is only distributed between Cape York in eastern Australia and South Australia, and also inhabits Tasmania.

Characteristics of platypus

The platypus is one of the strangest monotremes in Australia. The so-called monotremes refers to an animal between reptiles and mammals. Although more advanced than reptiles, it has not yet evolved into mammals. The similarity between the two is that they both breathe with their lungs, have long hair and are full of blood; Monopore animals reproduce by laying eggs, so they retain the important characteristics of reptiles. Although it is listed as a mammal, it does not have the complete characteristics of mammals. It is the most primitive and lowest mammal, and is called "protozoa" or single-hole oviparous mammal in animal taxonomy.

It is the oldest and most primitive mammal, which appeared as early as 25 million years ago. Its own structure provides a lot of evidence for mammals to evolve from reptiles.

Everyone who has seen platypus says it looks really strange. When British immigrants entered Australia and found platypus, they exclaimed that it was an "incredible animal". The platypus is about 40 cm long and covered with soft brown thick short hair. Compared with the echidna, its skull is smaller and its brain is hemispherical and smooth. The limbs are short, the five toes are hooked, and there are membranous webs between the toes, which are shaped like duck feet. When walking or digging, the web is folded in the palm of your hand in the opposite direction. The snout is flat and shaped like a duckbill. There are wide horny gums in the mouth, but there are no teeth. The tail is large and flat, accounting for 1/4 of the body length. It acts as a rudder when swimming in the water.

Its body temperature is very low, and it fluctuates quickly.

Male platypus has thorns on its hind feet. It stores poisonous juice, which will hurt people when sprayed, just like snake venom. If a person is stabbed by a poisonous distance, it will cause severe pain and it will take several months to recover. This is its amulet. The female platypus is also poisonous at birth, but it disappears when it grows to 30 cm. Platypus is an amphibian and usually likes to make holes in the water. When in the water, its eyes, ears and nose are closed, and it only feeds on shellfish by perception. It eats a lot, and consumes food equivalent to its own weight every day.

Although mothers also secrete milk to feed their young, they are not viviparous but oviparous. That is, the mother bird lays eggs and hatches by the temperature of the mother bird like a bird. The mother beast has no breasts and nipples, but secretes milk on both sides of the abdomen, and the cubs lie on the mother beast's abdomen and lick.

Larvae has teeth, but adult gums have no teeth, instead, they are horny plates that can grow continuously. Many raised transverse ridges are formed on the occlusal surface in front of the board, which are used to crush the shells of mollusks such as shellfish and snails, or to chop up other foods. The horny plate at the back is flat, and the flat uvula opposite to the plate has an auxiliary "chewing" effect.

The platypus in Australia is a very special mammal monotremes endemic to Australia. Its mouth and feet are like ducks, and its tail is like beavers. It is one of only three kinds of mammals that lay eggs in the world (the other are the echidna and the bagged hedgehog in Australia). The platypus has no nipples, but it has a small bag on its stomach, which can secrete milk. The platypus grows up by adding milk.

The adult platypus is 40-50 cm long, and its weight is between 700-1600g for females and between1000-2,400g for males.

Living habits

Platypus lives on the banks of rivers and streams. It spends most of its time in the water. Its fur is oily and can keep its body warm in cold water. When swimming in the water, it closes its eyes and looks for food at the bottom of the river bed by means of electrical signals and tactile sensitive duckbill. It feeds on mollusks and small fish and shrimp.

The platypus breeds in a long tunnel dug on its shore. It can lay up to three eggs at a time. After six months, the platypus will learn to live independently and feed at the bottom of the river bed.

The platypus pursues mating in the water, and its eggs are like turtle eggs. After hatching, platypus can only go out for food by breastfeeding for 4 months. Platypus is a nocturnal animal. They are used to sleeping during the day and exercising at night.

Platypus can dive, often building its nest on the bank of swamps or rivers, and its holes are underwater, including mountain streams, stagnant water or dirty rivers, lakes and ponds. It dug a hole on the shore as a shelter, and the cave was connected with the adjacent waters. It's an underwater forager. It will dive into the water when foraging, and each time it has a diving period of about one minute. It explores shellfish, worms, crustaceans, insect larvae, other animal foods and some plants in the mud with its mouth. The platypus, which is distributed in southern Australia and Tasmania, is the most primitive mammal in existence, and it is an evolutionary link to form higher mammals, which has great scientific research value in animal evolution.

Inactive or hibernating in winter. The female digs a cave equivalent to 16 meters long and lays her eggs in a nest made of wet aquatic plants. Every time she lays eggs, she sometimes lays three eggs. Eggs are smaller than sparrow eggs and stick to each other. During the incubation period, the holes are blocked and the hatched larvae are not fully developed. The platypus has neither a pouch nor nipples, and the mammary gland bundle is directly opened in the abdominal breast area. The cubs suck milk from the breast area with a retractable tongue for about five months.

Academic significance