A duck-billed, egg-laying mammal of eastern Australia and Tasmania. It hunts underwater with its eyes, ears and nostrils shut, finding prey through electroreceptors in its bill.
Quick answers
What is it?Mammal
Carnivore?Yes
Dangerous?Can be
Males have a spur on each hind foot that delivers venom, strong enough to cause severe pain and swelling in people.
Domesticated?No
Awake when?Night
Mainly nocturnal, but also active at dusk in summer and during the day in winter.
Hibernates?No
Kept as a pet?No
Do people eat it?No
At a glance
Found inAustralia
HabitatRivers & lakes
ColoursBrown
SizeSmall
Length39–60 cm
Weight0.8–2.5 kg
Legs4
Covered inFur
Lives alone
Lives for12–17 years
Can swim
Lays eggs
In the wild
- Where it lives
- Rivers and streams of eastern Australia, including Tasmania.
- What it eats
- Insect larvae, worms, shrimp, crayfish, small shellfish, tadpoles and fish eggs, stored in its cheek pouches while it forages.
- Conservation
- Near Threatened (IUCN Red List)
Did you know
A mammal that lays eggs, and the males have venomous spurs.
When scientists first examined one, in 1799, they thought it was a fake made of several animals sewn together.
Often confused with
- Echidna
The only other egg-laying mammals are the four species of echidna, which are covered in spines and live on land.
Sources
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