Platypus

During our stay in Bonadio Rv Park in Atherton in QLD we finally got to see our first platypus so here is a bit more about them.

Distribution:

Platypus is endemic to Australia and is dependent on rivers, streams and bodies of freshwater. It is present in eastern Queensland and New South Wales, eastern, central and southwestern Victoria and throughout Tasmania.

Habitat:

• From the lowlands and plateaus of far-northern Queensland's tropical rainforest to the chilly heights of Tasmania and the Australian Alps, platypuses can be found in watery environments.

• The majority of the time that the platypus spends is in its burrow, which is located in the bank of a river, stream, or pond.

• Therefore, a river or stream with earth banks and natural flora that offers shade for the stream and cover along the bank is the perfect habitat for the species.

• The Platypus tends to be more prevalent in regions with pool-riffle sequences, and the presence of logs, twigs, and roots as well as cobblestone or gravel water substrate results in increased microinvertebrate fauna (a significant food source).

Seasonality:

Platypuses are active all day long, although they are most active after dusk and at night. People find refuge in a little hole in the bank during the day. These creatures' activity patterns are influenced by a number of variables, such as their environment, human activity, ambient temperatures, day length, and food availability.

Diet and feeding:

• The Platypus feeds mainly during the night on a wide variety of aquatic invertebrates.

• The animal closes its eyes, ears and nostrils when foraging underwater and its primary sense organ is the bill, equipped with receptors sensitive to pressure, and with electro-receptors.

• The precise way in which the Platypus uses the bill to detect prey is still unknown, but the bill serves to find and sift small prey from the substrate, while larger prey is taken individually.

• The Platypus stays underwater for between 30-140 seconds, collecting the invertebrates from the river bottom and storing them in its cheek-pouches.

• It then chews the food using its horny, grinding plates, while it floats and rests on the water surface.

• Diet of the Platypus consists mainly of the benthic invertebrates, particularly the insect larvae.

• Occasionally the animals catch cicadas and moths from the water surface.

• In captivity, the Platypuses are often fed freshwater crayfish (Yabbies).

Communication:

The Platypus is largely a solitary animal, but several individuals can share the same body of water. The vocalisation has not been recorded in the wild, but captive animals produce a low-pitched growling sounds when disturbed or handled.

Breeding behaviours:

The Platypus's mating season varies both between and within populations.

According to studies, breeding starts in Queensland first, then moves on to New South Wales, Victoria, and Tasmania. In New South Wales and Victoria, mating typically occurs from August to October, while breastfeeding females were spotted between September and March.

• Males start mating relations throughout the winter (when the water is still chilly). Aquatic behaviours used in courtship include rolling back and forth, diving, caressing, and passing.

• A male has also been seen grabbing a female's tail with its beak.

• The behaviour might continue anywhere from a minute to more than thirty minutes and is typically repeated over the course of many days.

• In less than a week following mating, a female building a nest digs a lengthy, intricate burrow that may be used again by other females in other seasons.

• She occasionally emerges from the burrow, but nothing is known about this part of the animal's existence.

• When the eggs hatch, the mother begins secreting milk, and the young platypus suckle from the two milk patches on the female's belly that are coated in fur.

• The mother spends the majority of this time in the burrow with the young, leaving them to forage as they get older.

• The baby animals emerge from the burrow at the end of the summer, and it is still mostly uncertain what will become of them as young, independent creatures.

Life history cycle:

It appears that young platypus do not begin to breed until their second year of life, when both sexes are able to procreate. However, many females wait until they are at least 4 years old before giving birth. She then incubates the eggs for maybe 10 days, followed by a 3- to 4-month nursing phase before the young hatch from the egg and emerge from the burrow. Both in captivity and in the wild, platypuses have a lengthy lifespan of up to 20 years.