After they have been translocated, our team will continue to monitor their progress to future-proof their survival. We will look for areas with dense platypus populations and locate appropriate areas to rewild the species. This collaborative team of expert researchers, scientists, rangers and ecologists will survey for platypus in and around Australia’s oldest national park. WWF-Australia has collaborated with UNSW's Platypus Conservation Initiative, Taronga Conservation Society Australia and NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service to embark on a three-year project dedicated to restoring and rewilding platypus populations in Sydney’s Royal National Park. Scroll down to see the amazing work going in to rewild this iconic species. We must take action today.īy protecting the platypus, we will safeguard the livelihoods of so many of Australia’s other incredible animals. And in some urban catchments near Melbourne, their numbers have decreased by as much as 65%. In areas such as the Murray-Darling Basin, platypus populations have declined by almost 31% over the past 30 years. Worryingly, they are now at risk of becoming locally extinct in Sydney's Royal National Park. But the constant threat of bushfires, deforestation, drought, pollution and predators means the future of this extraordinary monotreme lies in the balance. The platypus once thrived across the eastern Australian mainland and Tasmania. When they’re not looking for shrimp, swimming beetles, water bugs and tadpoles to eat, they spend their time in their burrows, which they build in the banks of creeks, rivers or ponds. The platypus usually lives alone, making its home in freshwater systems. Along with the echidna, they are the only mammals on the planet that lay eggs. The platypus is one of the world's most unique animals. As a part of our mission to Regenerate Australia, WWF-Australia is at the forefront of research on restoring, protecting and rewilding platypus populations to safeguard their future in our waterways. The platypus has been used as a mascot for national events in Australia and is featured on the Australian 20 cent coin.The platypus is one of Australia’s most iconic native animals, but it is threatened with local extinction. The platypus is the state animal of New South Wales (NSW). It is now an Australian protected species. The platypus was hunted for its fur until the early 20th century. The platypus sleeps on average up to 14 hours per day. The platypus is usually nocturnal, coming out at night or twilight to feed, sometimes they are also active on overcast days. The platypus eats about 20% of its own weight in food each day. The platypus uses pouches in its cheeks to carry prey back to the surface where it is eaten. Platypus close their eyes and ears when under water, so in order to feed on worms, insects, and freshwater shrimp, they use their sense of electroreception and dig up muddy river beds with their bill to detect the electric fields of prey. The platypus is an excellent swimmer, diving under water on average for around 30 seconds to forage for food before coming up for air. Their natural predators include snakes, water rats, hawks, owls, e agles and sometimes crocodiles. Platypuses can live more than 12 years in the wild. The average length of a male platypus is 50 cm (20 in), the smaller females average 43 cm (17 in) in length. The venom is not lethal to humans, but it can cause severe pain, that sometimes lasts for weeks. The back foot ankle spur of a male platypus contains a venom that is powerful enough to kill small animals such as dogs. Females platypus lay 2 - 4 eggs, incubating them for two weeks. Platypuses and echidnas are the only two mammals in the world classed as monotremes which means that they lay eggs instead of giving birth. When descriptions, drawings and even live specimens of platypus were first taken back to Europe for study by British scientists many believed the animal was a hoax, a beaver's body sewn together with a duck's bill as some sort of joke. The platypus is only found in eastern Australia in small rivers and streams within the states of Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania. The platypus is a semi-aquatic mammal that has a very unusual appearance, it is duck-billed, has a beaver-like tail, lays eggs, has otter-like fur and webbed feet.
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