![]() ![]() They both seemed happy in a proto-mammalian way, but the curators were ambitious for them. In summer each had an outdoor private swimming pool, and in winter they retired to an indoor platypusary.Įvasive Tactics. Penelope and Cecil were fed extravagantly on worms, insect larvae, frogs and water plants. But Penelope and Cecil, the male, seemed to adjust themselves gradually to the alien Bronx. When they got three live platypuses in 1947 (TIME, June 9, 1947), they devised elaborate plans for breeding the two females. But the Bronx curators were not discouraged. Only after several months do they frisk out of their burrow as furry platykittens.Įven in their native Australia, only one platypus couple (Jack and Jill) have bred in captivity, and they produced only one offspring. From the eggs hatch blind, hairless little "larvae" that nurse by licking milk from their mother's mammary pores. Their blood is warm and they have mammal-like fur, but they lay soft, reptile-type eggs about ¾ in. Platypus reproduction is a baffling business, for platypuses are not quite mammals. Sadly, Betty died of a cold, but Cecil and Penelope adjusted to their new home and there were hopes they would create a family there.įor six years the earnest curators of New York's Bronx Zoo have busied themselves with the delicate problem of platypus family life. After 3-4 months, towards the end of the summer, the young emerge from the burrow as young independent animals.On April 25th, 1947, David and Sigrid Fleay arrived at the Bronx Zoo with platypuses named Cecil, Penelope and Betty, who were accommodated in a new platypusary built to the Fleay's specifications. The female spends most of this time with her young in the burrow, and as the young grow she increasingly leaves them to forage. Gestation lasts 21 days and during this egg incubation period, a female holds 1-3 eggs pressed by her tail to her belly, while curled up.Ĭare for young: When the young hatch, the female starts secreting milk and the young Platypuses suckle from the two milk patches covered by fur on the female’s abdomen. ![]() She spends a further 4-5 days collecting wet nesting material to prevent her eggs and hatchlings from drying out. Gestation: After mating, a pregnant female builds a nest in a long complex burrow in less than a week. Mating: Platypus reach sexual maturity around 2 years of age. They store their food in their cheek-pouches then chew the food using horny, grinding plates, while they float to rest on the water surface. They forage most of their food from the bottom of the river however they occasionally catch cicadas and moths from the water surface. Size: Males 50cm in length and females 43 cm in length.ĭiet: Platypus are carnivores and feed on aquatic invertebrates such as insect larvae, shrimps, swimming beetles, water bugs, tadpoles, worms, freshwater pea mussels and snails. Life Span: Average life span is between 4-8 years, although they have lived as long as 17years in zoos. ![]() Habitat: Platypus are semi aquatic mammals living in fresh water streams, lakes and river systems and creating burrows for shelter and protection. They are also occasionally found in South Australia. ![]() Taronga Institute of Science & Learningĭistribution: Platypus can be found along the East Coast of mainland Australia, including Tasmania. ![]()
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