The platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) is a semi-aquatic egg-laying mammal native to eastern Australia and Tasmania, and one of only five surviving monotreme species in the world. It occupies freshwater rivers, streams, and lakes, where it forages along the bottom for invertebrates, detecting prey entirely through electroreception -- specialized receptors in its bill that sense the electrical fields generated by muscle movement in small animals like yabbies, worms, and insect larvae.
Listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List, the platypus faces a combination of pressures that have caused its range and abundance to contract significantly over the past two centuries. Land clearing, altered water flows from dams and irrigation infrastructure, sedimentation, prolonged drought intensified by climate change, and entanglement in recreational fishing gear and opera house-style yabby traps all affect population health. A 2020 study published in Biological Conservation estimated that the species had declined by around 30 percent over the preceding 30 years and recommended upgrading its threat status, a consideration the IUCN continues to assess.
No projects have listed this species yet. If you run a project that protects the Platypus, you can add it to Wildlife Connect.
