By Rebecca
 

The platypus is a very unusual animal.

It is a mammal and is covered with fur and feeds its young on mild.

It is different because it lays leathery-skinned eggs like those of reptiles.

It is an egg laying mammal and this is called a
monotreme.
 
 

The platypus is a very shy animal and is not seen very much.

The platypus spends a lot of time under the water.

It cannot see smell or hear under the water so it uses its bill to find its food, crustaceans and worms, on the bottom.

The fur of the platypus is thick and even and after a long time in the water the skin is still dry.
 
 
 
 

The limbs are webbed and used for swimming.

When the platypus is not in the water it spends its time in a short burrow in the river bank.  The burrows contain an end chamber containing the nest.

Usually the platypus lays two eggs and they take one to two weeks to hatch.

The babies suckle milk from their mother for four to five months.

The platypus is a protected animal.