The Platypus...Mammal or Bird? - by Paige

Did you ever wonder if there was such a thing as an egg laying mammal? If so, I will tell you there are 3 species, 2 Echidna and the Platypus. All 3 species do lay eggs and are mammals. I will talk about the Platypus.

The Platypus looks a lot like a duck-monster, but it is not a duck at all. It is a dark brown colored mammal with a duck-bill, webbed feet, and a tail like a Beaver. They live only in Australia and New Guinea. Males have a spur hidden behind their back feet under their fur. In autumn females dig barrows after they have mated in spring and is ready to lay her eggs.

She will stay wrapped around her eggs during her hibernation. In May her eggs will hatch. All winter in Platypus habitats, the female Platypus will hibernate because it does not snow. The female just protects their eggs. The female nurses her young until their eyes and ears open. She will spend 2 month teaching them how to live in the wild alone. Then one day while her young are still asleep she will leave them. The young Platypus go to start the whole cycle over again.