Discover

Today
Animals
Explore
Archive
Search

Use it

Classroom
Resources
Field lab
Quiz
Saved

Trust

Methodology
Sources
Corrections
Accessibility
Contributors

Details

About
Contact
Privacy
Terms
Newsletter

Animal profile

Platypus

Ornithorhynchus anatinus

MammaliaFreshwater rivers, streams and lakes with earthen banks for burrowingNear Threatened

Field profile

The platypus is an egg-laying mammal with a leathery bill, webbed forefeet and dense waterproof fur. It forages on the bottom of rivers for insect larvae, worms and crustaceans, and stores them in cheek pouches until it surfaces. Males carry a venomous spur on each hind ankle.

Scope note

This is an editorial profile, not a diagnostic field-identification guide or a substitute for current conservation assessments. Follow the cited sources on each fact for the evidence trail.

Published field notes

2025-02-18

Platypus

The platypus hunts with its eyes shut

Underwater, a platypus closes its eyes, ears and nostrils. It locates prey entirely with its bill, which carries thousands of electroreceptors that detect the faint electrical fields produced by the muscles of moving invertebrates.

Read with evidence →

Platypus | Daily Animal Facts