#also shoutout to San Diego zoo for coming in clutch with actually having good pics

[todaysbird]

despite their duck-like bills and webbed feet, the duck-billed platypus (often known simply as the platypus) is not a bird, but a very unique mammal. this species, endemic to eastern australia, has a number of unique adaptations. they are one of only five species of mammal who lay eggs rather than give live birth. they forage for around 10-12 hours daily, primarily for small aquatic invertebrates like crayfish; they use electroreception to locate their prey. the species is also biofluorescent, turning bluish-green under UV light. male platypuses are also venomous; they have a spur on the back of their hind flippers that produces a venom that can be harmful to humans. females have a small spur, but are not venomous. these creatures are largely antisocial and as such produce few vocalizations, as they rarely communicate among their own species.