The platypus is an unusual inhabitant of freshwater rivers, ponds and lakes of eastern Australia and is found nowhere else in the world. It is such a bizarre animal that when the first specimens were sent from Australia to England, scientists there were convinced it was a hoax!

One of its most famous characteristics is that it is one of the few mammals in the world to lay eggs, rather than give birth. Often called the ‘duck-billed’ platypus because of its flattened snout, on close examination it is nothing like a duck’s bill at all. Rather than being hard like a bird’s bill, it is soft and leathery.

It is also covered in pores containing tiny electrosensors, another one of the platypus’ unique characteristics. These sensors help the platypus to find its prey, mostly small crustaceans like yabbies and freshwater shrimp, by detecting the small electrical pulses given off when these animals flex their muscles – very similar to the manner in which sharks detect prey!

A third unusual characteristic of the platypus is that it is one of very few venomous mammals in the world, for males have spurs on their hind legs attached to venom glands. These are used mainly for fighting other males during the breeding season.