Palm sized platypus!

Isn't he cute?? My boyfriend got me this little guy in Montana, of all places. And he gave it to me the night he asked me to be his girlfriend... AWWWWW. Seriously though, it takes a special boy to scour the mid-west for monotreme souvenirs.

Same old platypusary.

So, perhaps you are wondering, what exactly IS a "platypusary"? Or perhaps you were not even aware that this was, in fact, an actual item. Well, read on. Here is one:

The image is from p. 175 of Ann Moyal's platypus tome, which I have to return to the library tomorrow, sadly. The pictured gentleman, Harry Burrell, was a real pioneer of platypus studies. He was the first to successfully keep the critters in captivity, in, yes, the platypusary! It contained a sandy area, connected by a tube (representing the long burrow) to a water area. The burrow is important because the plat has to dry off by squeezing through on the way to the sand. In the past, platypuses had languished in bathtubs and other too-watery environs. Burrell also closely observed what, and how much, plats ate, which had been another huge stumbling block. Apparently they eat way more than anyone would have surmised. The portability of the platypusary is another important factor, because that was what let platypuses be transported long distances, even to a zoo in America, introducing them to the world outside Australia. This, of course, was before it was illegal to take them to other countries.

So, don't you all want to make a platypusary? Get building on your portable platypus home!!

So, you're a platypus?

Check out this ad for the Honda Element on Youtube. It's pretty kickin'. I guess someone must have said "So, an SUV runs into a monotreme at a bar..." and this was the result.

Platypus of the Day:


Not sure what this little tyke's name is... I christen him Fattypus.

The image is from platypus pool, which just added some cute new pictures to their "Platypuses and People: Friends Forever" section. Also, I might add that when I criticized the accuracy of this site in the past, I was not aware of the two different types of echidna! So perhaps they were right in their "three monotreme" assertion. I am still not sure if the two are actually different species though. Will look into it!

Echidna Special!

Even his mother had trouble with this face.

In doing some research online, I discovered that the University of Tasmania actually has a monotreme research center. Amazing!! Here is the link. This site is pretty fabulous, and so informative. It is about both platys and echidnas, but I was surprised to find that there is more info on the platy's spiny cousin. It was so interesting, I just had to share some.

First off, I learned that echidnas actually do come in two different varieties! Apparently there is a straight beak and a curved beak echidna... fascinating.

Whichida chidna is which??

The one on the left is the straight beak echidna, found in Australia and Southern New Guinea, and the one on the right is the curved beak echidna, found only in New Guinea. The straight beaker is smaller, though here they look about the same.

Teeeeny little hatchling:

Oh. man. I am totally baffled by the teeniness of this little guy. I'm guessing that's what baby platys start out like too!! I have been trying to find a picture of one for quite some time, and this is getting close. Seriously, wow! I also learned that echidna mommies, unlike plats, usually only lay one egg. Plats, you might recall, almost always lay two. And this little bean creature will grow into the ugly little gremlin above! Talk about an awkward adolescence. Don't feed him after midnight!! That image just cracks me up.

There is a bit of info on platys also, including this darling picture:


Hiiii little guy!!

So, check that website out. You will learn lots, and have lots of fun... and wish you had gone to school in Tasmania.

Favorite Stuffed Plats!

Lots of stuffed platys are available from various sources. Here are a few of my faves:

This Place Is a Zoo
I think this is just about my favorite... very realistic feet and bill, and so snuggly looking! I've got to get my hands on this one.

Kulamakua Waldorf (Hawaii)
This one is sooo adorable! Hand-made by a student in Honolulu... I guess it's not for sale but how endearing!!

Australian Geographic
This is a little guy with a big old schnoz!

Stuffed Ark
This is the Fiesta platypus that my mom gave me for my birthday! Let me tell you, he is the king of snuggle.

Animal World
My platy, with a little bro! How sweet.

Oh, stuffed platys, I could snuggle them forever!!!

Sponsor a Platypus!

This wacky image can be found at www.platypusgroup.com. In fact, it's the only thing there! I don't know what it is or why, but somebody made it and they are awesome.

For only $10 Australian (that's only $8.99 USD) you can sponsor one of four platypi at the Australian Platypus Concervancy! Check out their great website and sponsor Lucky, Little Notch, Double Trouble, or Magellan. With a sweet price like that, how can you go wrong?? Better act soon, while the AUD is still weaker than our money... chances are that won't be long. The website also includes recommended platypus reading, lots of facts, and some fun products you can buy. I'm totally going to sponsor Magellan.

Platypus Grafitti!

Yes, it's true... someone in Brooklyn tagged up a platypus in the bathroom at the Brooklyn Museum. I was lucky enough to visit the very stall where it was written last February, and snapped a picture with my cell phone.


Note that this clever writer used the "pi" symbol as that last two letters of the word "platypi". Ingenious! The drawing may leave a bit to be desired, but hey, it's totally awesome anyway.

Historical Platypus of the Day:

This is Corrie, the first platypus ever born in captivity. He was born at the Healesville Sanctuary in 1944, with the efforts of platypus keeper David Fleay. The next platys to be born in captivity were the twins I showed you earlier, and that wasn't until 1994! Wow! Also, as you can see, Corrie was a very cute little animal. I would assume he had been de-spurred, if that's possible. I will look into that topic for next time.

But for now, enjoy your Indigenous Peoples/ Columbus/ Leif Eriksson Day.

Paging Dr. Platypus...

Get ready for yet another AMAZING true fact about the best animal ever:

In addition to all the awesome features already mentioned, the platypus is THE WORLD'S ONLY VENOMOUS MAMMAL!

Yes, that's right, that cute little plat can defend himself too. And I use the pronoun "him" because only male platypi are poisonous. They secrete their toxin from a gland in the thigh called the crural gland, and inject it via a spur on the back of the hind foot:

Ouch! That's gotta hurt! And from all accounts, it certainly does. Platypus venom is not known to be fatal to humans, but it hurts like hell and according to rainforest-australia.com it causes "spectacular localised swelling." Platypus venom is unique among animal poisons in that it acts on pain receptor cells. In other words, this is a poison geared to huuuurt. And, according to the above website, this is a characteristic shared by the chemicals that make chili peppers burn your mouth! What's more, some scientists believe that this unique property should be studied in relation to the creation of new painkillers. Wow!

Due to the fact that venom production increases during platypus mating season, scientists believe that the spurs are for fighting with other males over females-- Think goats ramming eachother, or bucks sparring with their antlers. There are accounts of both hunting dogs and other platypi dying after being spurred, but researchers are not sure if this is due to the damage caused by the spur itself, or the poison. As for humans, platypus hunters back in the bad ol' days used to get spurred, and they probably deserved it. I also read an account of an old Aussie dude who got spurred in the hand and was still having aches and stiffness there 3 months later!

If you are curious to learn more about the venomous platypus boyz, check out these interesting websites: http://rainforest-australia.com/platypus_poison.htm (also gives tips on how to handle plats to avoid being spurred)
http://www.bio.davidson.edu (this is where you can read about the old dude)

Well, the point being, don't mess with that platypus!!! Not only adorable, but boy do they know how to defend themselves!

Monotreme Madness for the Kiddies.

As your source for all things Ornithorynchus-y, I would be remiss to leave out all the platypus reading fun available for "crumb crunchers". I used to work at a library with an awesome kid's section, where I was introduced to these great titles (click on the links to check them out on Amazon.com):

A Platypus, Probably, by Collard B. Sneed

Because, seriously, what could be better than an epic poem about the platypus? Also, "a platypus, probably." is a great multi-purpose response to basically any statement or question. Example: Room mate: "Who drank my beer??" You: "A platypus, probably."

Platypus and the Lucky Day, and Platypus and the Birthday Party
both by Chris Riddell

I have read both of these books out loud to a 3 year old, and she loved them. Ok let's face it, I loved them too. In Birthday Party, Platypus celebrates the birthday of his friend (yes!) Echidna. Genius!! Also note that I happen to own the lovely plush platypus toy that Amazon recommends purchasing with the Lucky Day book.

A Purloined Purple Plush Platypus Purchased Provides Plentifully Pleasurable Playing.

Wednesday is Platypus Day!

Why? Because every day is platypus day.

In my last entry I mentioned the incredibly long burrow of the platypus. I remembered that in Ann Moyal's book there was a neat sketch of one by early explorer/ scientist George Bennett, a platypus pioneer of sorts. So here it is for your enjoyment:This image can be found on p85 of Moyal's Platypus: The Extraordinary Story of How a Curious Creature Baffled the World (2001).

Moyal does not indicate when the sketch was done, but I would estimate sometime in the mid 1830's based on the other info on Bennett's trips to Australia. You can see here that the platypus burrow is sort of like that of a beaver, with the entrance underwater. Bennett has handily included a platypus swimming toward the entrance (it looks like a little lump in the water there). Then there is a little kind of entry room-- where the platypus would dry off and take it's boots off? Ha, no just kidding. By squeezing through the rest of the tunnel, though, the animal would get mostly dry by the time it reaches the end. The tunnel here looks pretty slim, but in reality it would be about the width of the little platy itself. At the end of this long tunnel is the nest area, where mom platy will lay her little eggs and hatch her babies. As I mentioned before, these tunnels are looooong-- Bennett apparently measured one at 16 M. That's approximately 58 feet for us Americans. The platypus itself is not very big, remember, like less than 2 feet long, so that is a nice roomy home!

Platypus of the Day!

Image from the Healesville Platypus Institute

Meet Koorina, the "mum" of the darling twins pictured in my last entry. She is shown here attempting a daring escape from an Australian scientist at her home, the Healesville Institute. She came to the Institute when she was only 4 months old to be a part of their breeding program, started in 1989. The twins were born in 1999. This picture was taken in 2004, and Koorina seems to be happy and healthy. Hopefully she remains as rambunctious today!

Have fun celebrating your "Platypus Wednesday"!

And give a loud round of applause for that amazing tunnel digger, Ornithorynchus anatinus!!

Why I love the platypus, part 3.

Platypus Babies.

The grown-up platy is pretty damn cute, but in my opinion there is just nothing cuter than a baby platypus. Behold:

Pocket sized platy!! Boy, is this guy ADORABLE.

Also note that he's super fat! That's from nursing on his mom, of course. When platypi were first being investigated, one of the most puzzling things about them was how an animal with a beak could suckle like other mammals. Well, as you can see above, the baby's little snout is much stubbier than the adult's. This lets it chow down on milk.

Another thing that was a huge controversy was whether or not platypi could be considered mammals, because they do not have the standard milk-bearing equipment (ie nipples). Instead, when stimulated by baby, milk just kind of drips out of glands on the mom's tummy. It seems a little less efficient-- doesn't that waste milk? But it seems to work well for the platypus.

Now, as for eggs.

Images from The Complete Platypus (www.platypus.org.uk)

This is a platypus egg! As you can see, it's teeny tiny! So the palm-sized platypus above is actually well on its way to growing up. I have not been able to find any good pictures of just hatched babies, but I am investigating, so hopefully I'll have some soon. This is the youngest platypus I've come across:


The lack of photo evidence may be because the females lay their eggs deep within their burrows, which can be HUGE, up to 15 meters long! Platypi almost always lay two eggs. Why this is is not really known, but I'm guessing they are like other animals with a two baby norm, like sheep. One of my favorite platypus pictures is of two baby platys born at the Healesville Sanctuary.

So fat and cute!!

In the course of finding my pictures for this entry, I came across another kinda neat platypus website, Platypus Pool. It's actually an anti-war website, but they have some interesting info and platy-pics. I like that platypi are their mascot, and they seem cool. They say that the platypus "is noted for its odd combination of primitive features and special adaptations," which is a good way of putting it, I think. I noticed that some of their other info is a little off though, so don't use it as your primary platypus source...

Happy October!

--Platygirl

Snugglypus!

I dare you to find something cuter than this, anywhere:

Yup, looks like platys like to spoon! How ADORABLE is that?!

Also, related to yesterday's topic (the platypus bill and its amazing powers), I thought this picture was cool too:You can see how he's kind of feeling along the bottom with his bill. Apparently underwater pictures of the platypus are very rare, and most I've seen aren't as good as this one.

I got both of these images from a really neato website called The Complete Platypus. As I mentioned previously, there aren't too many platypus websites out there, let alone platypus fan sites! This one is really quite a gem. And as a source of great platy pictures, it can't be beat!

Well, hope you all enjoy your weekends...

xo Platygirl

Why I love the platypus, part 2.

IT HAS A SIXTH SENSE!!

Image source: nationalgeographic.com

It can see dead platypi...

Ha, no just kidding. Actually, what I mean is, the platypus finds its food underwater by sensing minute electrical charges created when its prey (wormies and such) moves around. When a platypus is under water, its eyes and nose are sealed tight shut, and yet it still can find things and navigate successfully! How does it do this?

WITH ITS BILL!

That's right, that adorable little beak also has a really cool purpose in being on the platy's schnoz. It is in fact an extremely perceptive sensory organ. When platypuses are alive, the bill is very soft and flexible, not at all like the bill of a duck, which it obviously resembles. That weird looking part at the top of the bill, near the face, is meant to protect platy's eyes while it's digging around in the mud.

So, how was this fantastic electric capacity discovered? Well, according to Platypus Guru Ann Moyal, the platypuses secret was found out by a German dude named Henning Scheich (Moyal, pp 188-191). Scheich put a platy into a tank with charged and uncharged batteries. Sure enough, our hero was able to find his way right over to the electrified ones, but couldn't tell where the others were! Click here to see a video of a platy swimming about, just like that.

Ok, so, that's pretty cool. But, even more interestingly, the way the platypus uses electricity is different from the way other animals do it. Example: the sleek and fancy bottlenosed dolphin below:

Basically (very basically, if you want a more scientific or in-depth explanation, go ahead and read Moyal!) the platypus' system is unique because in most animals, the electro-receptors trigger some chemical that tells neurons in the brain "hey, there's something over there. Go check it out." In the platy, the electrical current "excites the nerve fiber directly," (Moyal, 191) without any middle man, as it were.

And that, let's face it is just damn COOL.

Hip, hip, hooray for plugged-in platypi!!!


xo Platygirl

PlatyRap!

Artist: The Platy Boyz
Album: Monotreme Wars (2007)

In this new album, veteran Aussie rappers the Platy Boyz (AKA DJ Duckbill and MC Spiny) don't fail to deliver, living up to the standards set by 1998's Hello Platy, 1999's Illin' With a Bill, and 1994's record-breaking Some Old Platypussary. In songs like "Fishin' for Wormz," the Boyz manage to capture, with their witty, always humorous style, the strange pathos, yet inarguable "illness" of the Ornithorynchus anatinus species. Well done, Boyz, yet again!!

*****
-- Rolling Stone

Plat Nasty Git Down!
Monotreme Wars, track 3

Now, all around the world nothing like it can be found
One beak, four legs, knows how to get down!

Platypus, platypus, that's our proclivity
bring him back home and breed him in captivity

Not a bird, not a bat, not a two-humped camel
Duck-billed platypus: egg laying mammal
Pint-sized platypus, evolution credible
Electro-sensing platypus, finds bugs that are edible

Species: anatinus
Genus: Ornithorynchus
Order: Monotremata
Class: Mammalia
Phylum: Choradata
Kingdom: Animalia. Duck-billed platypus, found in Australia!

Now that platypus is a sassy little beast
Give him some worms and he'll have himself a feast

Not a fish, not a whale, not an African Giant Snail
Duck-billed platypus, hot on yer tail!

Platypus, platypus looks kinda funny
Not slimy like a newt or bouncy like a bunny
You say he's not an animal, yo, what ya bin smokin'?
He's a duck-billed platypus, we ain't jokin'.

Species: anatinus
Genus: Ornithorynchus
Order: Monotremata
Class: Mammalia
Phylum: Choradata
Kingdom: Animalia. Duck-billed platypus, found in Australia!

Yo! Platygirl here. For more fun facts about all sorts of platypussary, check out the Wikipedia entry on "platypus". As always, very informative. You could also look up the Beastie Boys on Wiki, like Platygirl just did, and read all about their discography, then make up funny sounding album titles based on it.

Enjoy! And stay tuned for "Why I Love the Platypus: Reason #2," coming soon.

xo, Platygirl

Why I love the platypus, part 1.

The animal itself, getting some serious cute on.

This image is from the very informative website of the Healesville Platypus Sanctuary, in Australia, which can be found at: http://www.zoo.org.au/healesville/platypus_hs.htm. I will definitely refer to this great institution later on, so watch for further mention.

Thinking about, reading about, and generally devoting attention to the most adorable and fascinating animal around (yes, the platypus, pictured above!) takes up a lot of space in my brain. I thought, why not take up some space on the internet with it too? There are actually very few websites or online spots concerning platypi (or if you are Australian, "platypuses"), so why not!

With no further ado, I will present Reason One Why I Love the Platypus

1) It is an egg-laying mammal. There are only two of these IN THE WORLD. Way to be different, platypus! The only other egg-laying mammal, or monotreme (of the mammal subclass Prototheria) is the Spiny Echidna, also a totally rocking animal. See below:


Clearly this critter a) is also amazing, and b) looks absolutely nothing like our hero, the cuddly, stubby beaked platypus.

What these seemingly disapparate animals have in common is that they are both mammals (i.e. warm blooded, have chambered hearts and hair), but are oviparous (lay eggs), an attribute usually reserved for reptiles, fish, and birds. Also, normally to be a mammal you have to suckle your young, you know, with milk and stuff. Well, even though these two animal super-stars don't give birth to their young viviparously, like other mammals, THEY STILL DO THIS!

echidna image source: http://www.abc.net.au/science/scribblygum/June2000/img/f_echid10.jpg

The platypus and echidna both come from Australia, a continent famous for wacky animals (think marsupials). The platypus is, in fact, not allowed to be brought out of Australia for any reason, scientific or otherwise, which explains why we don't have any at zoos here in the USA.

And now for a little literary plug: I recently read a pretty great book on platypi called Platypus: The Extraordinary Story of How a Curious Creature Baffled the World, by Australian scientific historian (how sweet is that for a job!?) Ann Moyal.

It may be a little dry if you aren't a superfan like me, but I learned lots of great stuff about the history of platypusdom in the human arena. Believe it or not, this cute little animal at one point cause a huge amount of crazy argument in the scientific world. And at one point Winston Churchill even wanted one (see Moyal p181 for more on this). Expect to see lots more references to this book, at least until I can track down more "platyrature" to cite and try to make you read.

So, let's have three cheers for the Ornithorynchus anatinus, warm blooded egg-layer!