Friday Eco-Fact: The Platypus’ Unusual Bill

One of Australia’s two monotreme species, the platypus has a feature that makes it stand out from all other mammals in the wild and that is its duck bill.  The first stories about these unusual animals that trickled back to England were at first not believed because it just seemed nonsense that an animal could exist that was a mix
between a beaver and a duck.  Even when the first stuffed pelts of the platypus were brought back to England many thought they were forgeries.

However as we all know now, there is nothing fraudulent about the platypus.  Its unusual duck bill is real and if you can believe much more useful then the bills on any bird in the world.  When a platypus dives underwater it closes its eyes and navigates entirely by using its bill.  The skin that covers the bill has electroreceptors that can detect potential prey.  The muscles in insects and animals creates small electronic currents when moving and the platypus’ bill is sensitive enough to detect these electric currents and allow the platypus to swoop in for the kill. The platypus’ monotreme cousin the echidna has also been found to have these same electroreceptors on its snout as well to locate ants to eat that is its main prey.

The electroreceptors of the monotreme is just another characteristics that makes the platypus one of the world’s most unusual animals.