Platypus Nest

The platypus is an egg-laying mammal that only lives in eastern Australia and Tasmania. Together with the specific species of echidna, it is one of the five surviving species of monotremes, the only mammals that lay eggs instead of giving birth, like other mammals.

The animal is the sole living representative of its family, Ornithorhynchidae and genus, Ornithorhynchus, though some related species have been found in the fossil record.

Platypus Nest (with Wax replica nestlings), collected in the 1920s from Namoi River

When European naturalists first encountered the platypus, they were divided over whether the female laid eggs. This debate was not confirmed until 1884 when an English naturalist-led an extensive search assisted by a team of 150 Aborigines managed to discover a few Platypus eggs.

A female platypus usually lays two eggs, about 25 millimeters long, that stick to the fur on her belly. The babies break their way out with an egg tooth and then attach themselves to the mother’s belly-hairs. The newly hatched are vulnerable, blind, and hairless and are fed by the mother’s milk. The young Platypus are suckled for four months. A platypus is born with teeth, but these drop out at a very early age, leaving the horny plates it uses to grind food.

The unusual appearance of this duck-billed, beaver-tailed, otter-footed mammal baffled naturalists. It is one of the few species of venomous mammals. The male platypus has a spur on the hindfoot that delivers a venom capable of causing severe pain to humans. The unique features of the platypus make it an essential subject in the study of evolutionary biology.

Platypus Nest

Title: Platypus Nest
Dates: 20th Century
Provenience: Platypus Nest (with Wax replica nestlings) the 1920s from Namoi River
Museum: National Museum of Australia