The Platypus: Millions of years ago, all the continents on our planet were one super-continent called Pangaea (pronounced pan-GEE-uh). One of the first pieces of Pangaea to break off and float away was Australia, which is now the proud home of some of the strangest animals you've ever seen. Since Australia separated early from the rest of the continents, the plants and animals evolved on their own, without being influenced by other species. (To learn more about Pangaea, check out the Let's Learn About Forces of Nature and check out the earthquake stuff!)

One of the oddest animals you can find in Australia is the platypus. Even its name is strange - if you have more than one platypus, you can either say you have three platypuses or three platypi! Found in streams, rivers, and lakes in Eastern Australia, the platypus looks like it's part bird (it has a duck bill, webbed feet, and it lays eggs) and part mammal (it has fur, a tail like a beaver, and feeds its babies milk). When the Europeans first saw the animal, they thought it was a duck-mole or a water-mole. Scientists later named it the platypus, which means "flat-footed." As a matter of fact, a platypus is a mammal, but it's a special kind called a monotreme. A monotreme is an egg-laying mammal. Most mammals give birth to live babies, but not the platypus. The mother platypus lays two eggs that stick to her fur on her belly. Later, the babies break out of the eggs (using an "egg-tooth") and then attach themselves to their mother's belly hair. Then the mother's milk oozes out of glands buried under the fur and the babies can eat. Even though the babies don't live in a pouch, the platypus is also considered a marsupial. A marsupial is a type of mammal that can be found mostly in Australia that carries babies in a pouch -- like a kangaroo.

Since the platypus lives in and around water, they burrow long tunnels into the banks to make their homes. Some of the tunnels can be as long as 50 feet! That's funny, since the platypus is only about 2 feet long. At the end of the tunnel is a comfortable sleeping room filled with leaves. They usually build more than one tunnel entrance to their nests. All entrances are above water level and are hidden by hanging reeds, grasses and bushes. The tunnels themselves are small, so it's a tight squeeze for the platypus to climb through to the sleeping area. This is actually a smart design because the tight squeeze forces all the moisture out of the platypus' fur (like squeezing a sponge!) before it makes it to its leafy bed. A platypus actually has two layers of fur -- a short, thick layer that keeps the water away from the skin and a longer layer that gets wet.

When swimming, the platypus uses its webbed feet and large, flat tail to paddle around and hunt for food. Its favorite food is shrimp, hiding in the bottom of the lakes and rivers. The platypus closes up its eyes and ears and swims to the bottom. It can hold its breath for up to six minutes at a time - which is much longer than humans can. While underwater, the platypus uses its touch-sensitive bill to sniff out and snuffle up pond-bottom food. But, unlike the bill of a duck, which is hard, the platypus bill is soft and rubbery, like the cartilage in our noses and ears. It looks like it's made of plastic. The platypus usually feeds in the early morning or in the late afternoon. In between feeding time, it either takes a nap in its nest or lies in the sun near the entrance.

The platypus may seem kind of cute and sweet, but beware! All male platypi have two sharp rear claws called spurs. These spurs have enough poison in them to make a person sick! When threatened, the male platypus will deliver a swift kick with their spurs.