duck-billed platypus
Venomous Australian monotreme
A duck-billed platypus is a semiaquatic egg-laying mammal native to eastern Australia, with a broad flat bill, webbed feet, and a beaver-like tail.
One of only a few venomous mammals, males have a poisonous spur on their hind legs.
Usually called simply a platypus: We spotted a platypus swimming in the creek.
Reproducing via external ova
- oviparousReproducing through external eggs
- echidnaEgg-laying spined mammal
- cloacaMultipurpose posterior opening
- incubationDevelopment before emergence
burrow nesting · puggle · lactation · evolutionary · hatchling · brooding · yolk · fertilization
Amount owed, written
- spurIncentive or heel device
- webbed feetSkin-connected toes for swimming
- dense furTightly packed animal hair
- cheek pouchesExpandable oral storage compartments
nostrils · waterproof coat · sensory receptors · biofluorescence · flat tail · streamlined body · claws
Locomotion through water
- divingEntering water deliberately
- webbed feetSkin-connected toes for swimming
- freshwaterNon-saline aquatic environment
- streamsContinuous flows of something
rivers · paddling · underwater · burrow · foraging · crustaceans · larvae · yabbies
Native to one area
- OutbackAustralian-themed steakhouse chain
- eucalyptusAromatic Australian timber tree
- waterwaysNavigable bodies for transport
- TasmaniaIsland state below Australia
Queensland · Victoria · billabong · bushland · creek · burrow · Australian wildlife · conservation
Incentive or heel device
- venomInjected animal poison
- envenomationInjection of animal poison
- maleSperm-producing sex
- defenseProtection against harm
painful · neurotoxin · swelling · potent · peptides · excruciating · seasonal · hind leg
Something hard to fathom
- chimeraUnrealistic fantasy or hybrid
- bizarreStrikingly unconventional
- curiosityDesire to learn
- uniqueOnly one exists
peculiar · oddity · Darwin · convergent evolution · living fossil · hodgepodge · improbable
egg-laying
Reproducing via external ova
- oviparousReproducing through external eggs
- echidnaEgg-laying spined mammal
- cloacaMultipurpose posterior opening
incubation · burrow nesting · puggle · lactation · evolutionary · hatchling · brooding · yolk · fertilization · ancestral
bill
Amount owed, written
- spurIncentive or heel device
- webbed feetSkin-connected toes for swimming
- dense furTightly packed animal hair
cheek pouches · nostrils · waterproof coat · sensory receptors · biofluorescence · flat tail · streamlined body · claws
swimming
Locomotion through water
- divingEntering water deliberately
- webbed feetSkin-connected toes for swimming
- freshwaterNon-saline aquatic environment
streams · rivers · paddling · underwater · burrow · foraging · crustaceans · larvae · yabbies · amphibious
endemic
Native to one area
- OutbackAustralian-themed steakhouse chain
- eucalyptusAromatic Australian timber tree
- waterwaysNavigable bodies for transport
Tasmania · Queensland · Victoria · billabong · bushland · creek · burrow · Australian wildlife · conservation · protected species
spur
Incentive or heel device
- venomInjected animal poison
- envenomationInjection of animal poison
- maleSperm-producing sex
defense · painful · neurotoxin · swelling · potent · peptides · excruciating · seasonal · hind leg · keratinous
enigma
Something hard to fathom
unique · peculiar · oddity · Darwin · convergent evolution · living fossil · hodgepodge · improbable