When the first platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) specimen was sent to England for identification, its appearance was so strange that it was thought to be a hoax. An animal that had a muzzle like a duck's bill and carried a tail like a beaver was said to be an impossibility. Since then, scientists have come to accept that this Australian native is very real. But it's something of a rarity.
The platypus and the two species of echidna are the world's only monotremes, or egg-laying mammals. The name 'monotreme' comes from the fact that these animals have only a single opening for reproduction and getting rid of body wastes.
While the Platypus is not listed as a threatened species individual populations are under pressure.
Foundation Platypus Projects
Platypus Monitoring in the Bellinger catchment
The Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife funded scientists to survey the Platypus in the three major rivers of the Bellinger catchment. Supported by the local community, scientists collected data through netting, observation from the river bank and by canoe.
