General Information

Introduction

The Duck-Billed Platypus in Water

The duck-billed platypus is one of the strangest animals inhabiting our planet Earth today. Having the body of an otter, the tail of a beaver, and the bill of a duck, the duck-billed platypus was once thought to be an imaginary creature of mythological origins.  However, today the species is well known as one of the only mammals that lay eggs rather than having live-birthed offspring.  In fact, the duck-billed platypus belongs to a rare order of mammals known as monotremes.  Although monotreme species were more prevalent in the past, today there are only 5 known extant species of monotremes.  Aside from the duck-billed platypus, there are also four species of monotremes called echidnas, which are more commonly known as spiny anteaters.  Whereas the spiny anteaters live solely on dry land, the duck-billed platypus is a semi-aquatic animal living alongside, and within, streams and riverbeds of the deciduous forests along the Eastern Australian coastline.

Monotremes:

Check out this cool video about monotremes!

Classification

 

Domain:            Eukarya – Organisms with eukaryotic cells.

Kingdom:          Animalia –  Multicellular, heterotrophic, sexually reproducing, eukaryotic organisms.

Phylum:            Chordata – Animals containing a notochord, a hollow dorsal nerve chord, pharyngeal slits (embryonic gill slits), an endostyle (mucous producing gland in the pharynx), and a post-anal tail during fetal development and/or throughout their life cycle.

Subphylum:      Vertebrata – Chordates with segmented backbones encasing the hollow dorsal nerve chord.

Class:                Mammalia – Warm-blooded vertebrates with hair, three middle ear bones, a 4-chambered heart, a neocortex (outer layer of the brain enabling high-functioning sensory perception), and females with milk-producing mammary glands.

Subclass:           Prototheria – Mammals that lay eggs.

Order:               Monotremata – Egg laying mammals with a cloaca (a single opening for           the penis or vagina, anus, and urethra).

Family:              Ornithorhynchidae – Bird-like mammals

Genus:               Ornithorynchus – Bird-billed

Species:             anatinus – Flat-footed

Scientific Name:    Ornithorynchus  anatinus