does a duck billed platypus have a stomach

He can live out of the water, but his webbed feet make it difficult for him to move around on dry land. His feet and fur are adapted to life in the water. When he’s not sleeping, he is in the water looking for food. When you look at the platypus’s feet, you can see that he is definitely made for living in the water. He sleeps, on average, for around 14 hours a day, in burrows close to the water. The platypus sleeps for most of the day, and hunts from early evening until early morning. This weird creature has glands that help him to digest his food. First, he finds his food at the bottom of the river with his sensitive beak, then he moves to the surface of the water and uses the gravel that he scooped up with his prey to ‘chew’ his food into smaller pieces, so that he can swallow it.ĭoes the platypus get any weirder? Yes, if you take into consideration that he doesn’t have a stomach like most mammals do. But, what is interesting, is that he doesn’t have teeth to chew his food, like other predators do.

The platypus is a carnivore, which means he only eats meat. So, the platypus is indeed a ‘cocktail’ of various animals. They thought that parts of different animals had been sewn together.Īt the beginning of this century, scientists discovered that the platypus’s DNA contains lineages from birds, reptiles and mammals. It is no wonder that British scientists thought they were being pranked when they received a specimen of the platypus from Australia in the late 18th Century. And, if that isn’t weird enough, he has poisonous spurs that look like nails on his ankles. Instead of feathers or scales, his body is covered in fur. He has a bill that looks similar to a duck’s bill, and a tail that resembles a beaver’s tail. The platypus is definitely a strange-looking creature, especially when you see an image of him for the first time.

Let’s find out what else is cool about these creatures. The platypus having two layers of fur help to maintain the species body temperature and cope with the physical conditions of its habitat.Did you know that a group of platypuses is called a paddle, and baby platypuses are called puggles? Puggles are so adorable and platypuses are kind of cute too. The platypus picking up electrical impulses from its prey using it bill allows the species to secure food and nutrients in its environment. The platypus sweeps its bill from side to side underwater 2-3 times per second in order to sift through the bottom of the riverbed and to pick up the electrical impulses from its prey. The prey is then stored in special pouches behind the bill and is consumed after the platypus returns to the surface. As a platypus must close their eyes under the water, the species see in the murky water by sensing electrical currents created by their prey’s small muscle movements. The bill of a platypus has electroreceptors, which aid the platypus through murky waters without the need for eyes or ears. The bill of the platypus aids it survival by acting as a tool for finding and mechanically digesting food. The second layer of fur is longer and is able to get wet, however it acts as a water seal, which waterproofs the platypus’s coat. The first layer of fur is short and dense so that water is unable to get through to the skin, this is known as the under layer. The platypus has two different layers of fur. The adaptation of digging burrows for eggs is influenced by the need for protection and safety of the eggs from predators Once a female platypus lays eggs the female incubates her eggs using her tail and stomach and rarely leaves the burrow. Platypuses are nocturnal creatures and usually only leave their burrows in the early morning and at night. These burrows act a home as well as a place for the females to lay eggs. Platypuses build their burrows in the soft riverbank. The platypus being able to maintain its low body temperature for long periods of time and restrict blood flow to certain part of its body allows the species to obtain warmth as well as cope with the physical conditions of its environment including temperature. This keeps all the vital internal organs intact. During extreme cold weather, the platypus reduces blood flow to bare and extreme parts of its body.

This allows the platypus to maintain its body heat for long periods of time before it drops and also means that heat loss is slow due to the low body temperature. Platypuses have a body temperature of 32 degrees celsius which is significantly lower than other mammals.

Does a duck billed platypus have a stomach