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!!