Platypus

By: Gigi Lin, Annie Yang

Background Information of Platypus:

The Platypus is a monotreme that is a unique mammal
and it is one of a few mammals that could lay eggs. The
scientific name for the modern platypus is called
Ornithorhynchus anatinus. The males are usually larger
than the female platypus. Modern platypus closest
relative in the modern time are echidna.

Modern echidna

Modern platypus

Platypus Habitats
Platypus lives on the coast of Eastern Australia
Across the continent of Australia. The habitats
they lives in are areas that include:

Freshwater lakes/rivers
Stream
Lagoons
Farm dams

Platypus sometime lives on river banks and

build burrow to stay away from predators.

Burrow that the

platypus built to
stay away from
predator

Diet of the Modern Platypus

The platypus is a carnivore that feeds on invertebrates
animals like:
Freshwater yabbies
Freshwater shrimp/crayfish
Freshwater shripmps
Annelid worms
Insect larvae

Freshwater crayfish

Freshwater
yabbies

Annelid worms

Predator of Modern Platypus:

Humans
Carpet pythons
Goanna
Hawks/Eagles
Owls
Eels
Crocodiles

Platypus hunt animals across the Northern region and the areas
of Southern Australia.
Humans are one of the main enemies/predators of the platypus
because usually humans hunt platypuses because of their fur.

Obdurodon Insignis (First distant

extinctive relatives)
Obdurodon Insignis was a specie that lives
during the Oligocene time period. Obdurodon
Insignis adult teeth was smaller than other
species that belong to the Obdurodon Class.
Cenozoic period, the Oligocene period(26
MYA). Males uses its spur and it venom to kill
predators and pain for humans. Obdurodon
Insignis was discovered by Dikc H. Tedford
and Mike O. Woodburne in 1975.

Habitat:
Obdurodon Insignis lived in Southern Australia

Diet:
Frog
Shrimps

Evolution of the Platypus:

Second Distant extinctive Platypus

Obdurodon Dicksoni in Cenozoic, miocene

epoch period(19-15 MYA ). They used their
electric sense when they were hunting.
Discovered by S.J. Hand, P. Murray, Michael
Archer, F. A. Jenkins, and H. Godthelp, in
northern Queensland, in Australia in 1984.

Habitat:
This mammal lives in a area called the river
sleigh in Eastern Australia in the early
Miocene Epoch period. The Platypus lives in
an area that includes :
Lakes/Pools
Caves
Sometimes the Platypus lives along
waterways and lives in forests and
woodlands

Diet of the Obdurodon Dicksoni:

Obdurodon Dicksoni have more molar
functional teeth that means they feed
on more food. The Obdurodon Dicksoni
spend more time feeding on the land
than the water, the specie feeds on
small vertebrates animal like:

Frogs
Eats a large amount of fishes
Insect larvae
Yabbies

Predators of Obdurodon Dicksoni:

Their predators are:
Humans
Clever headed crocodiles
Large carnivores

Obdurodon Dicksoni was about twice time

larger than the modern platypus.

Obdurodon Dicksoni

Modern platypus

Early platypus had larger teeth and longer

skull than the modern platypus. This was
according by a fossil of an early platypus that
was about 110 million years old.
The Obdurodon Dicksoni s skull is flatter and
the specie has a lower jaw and teeth. The
Obdurodon Dicksoni also has a flatter bill
than todays Platypus, It is similar to a
crocodiles skull.

Key
A, C, E=modern platypus
B, F, D=Oburodon Dicksoni

Third Distinctive Platypus: Obdurodon

Tharalkooschild(15-5 MYA) which was during the
Micene, Cenozoic period.
The Obdurodon Tharalkooschild lives in the early
and mid Miocene period. Scientists believe that
Odburodon Tharalkooschild was about twice time
larger than the modern platypus. The average
size of the this specie was 3.3 feet long(1m).
They use the duck bill to use their electric pulse
from their muscle contraction to hunt.
Obdurodon Tharalkooschild was discovered by a
team from New South Whale University in 2012.
Habitat: It lives in the famous Riversleigh in
Queensland, in Australia.
Food/Diet: It feeds on a wider variety of foods than
the modern platypus
Freshwater lung fishes
Crayfish
Pond frogs
Small turtles

Evolution changes from the Obdurodon

Tharalkooschild:
The evolution change is that the Tharalkooschild use to
be a carnivore so their skull/fossil is twice time as
large as the modern platypus. Also because of the
platypus adult tooth it can hunt larger prey than the
modern platypus. Thats why the Tharalkooschild body
size was larger than the platypus today because they
eat more meat and had more muscles and fat, their
bodies grew faster.

Obdurodon
Tharalkooschild

Habitat Change:
The habitats that platypus lived in were affected by
the Europeans that settled in Australia in the past. The
people cut down trees, so less trees would affect the
platypus. The trees help to cover up their entryways so
they wont get caught by predator. When the Europeans
settled in Australia, it had increases the water pollution
that affect the platypus. Because platypus mostly hunt
underwater, so if the water were polluted, it would had
harm the platypus when they were hunting for food
underwater.

Family Tree of the platypus

Platypus belong to the class of Amniotes, its a
very unique mammal because there are very few
mammals that could lay eggs. Platypus is a type
of Monotremes.

Timeline of the
Platypus

Sources:
* https://evolution-

institute.org/article/paleontologists-findlargest-platypus-ever-in-australia/

* Wikipedia.org
* http://www.sci-

news.com/paleontology/science-obdurodontharalkooschild-fossil-platypus-01518.html

* http://australianmuseum.net.au/Platypus/
* Prezi.com
* Answer.com