7/31/2023 0 Comments North carolina scenery drawingsAs in other monotremes, the limbs of the platypus are set in a permanent push-up position, the upper limb bones extending out from the sides of the body, horizontal to the ground, the lower limb bones going straight down. ![]() The body is somewhat flattened and streamlined. As the platypus dives, the two fur layers trap a layer of air next to the skin, thus keeping the body dry and helping to insulate it against cold while the platypus swims, often throughout the night, and sometimes in temperatures close to freezing. The fur has two layers, an undercoat with a woolly texture and an overcoat of coarser hair. Platypus fur is fine, soft, and dense, with up to 900 hairs per square inch of skin. The pelt color varies from dark amber to very dark brown on the platypus's back and sides, and from grayish white to yellowish brown on the underbelly. Most of the body is covered with fine, soft fur. The scientific name, Ornithorhynchus anatinus, means, in Latin, "bird-snout, resembling a duck." The plural is "platypuses" or just "platypus." The word "platypus" means "flat feet," referring to the animal's webbed, somewhat ducklike feet. The nostrils are set close together on the top of the upper bill. The bill has an upper and lower section, like that of a mammal or bird, and the jaw hinging and motions are like those of mammals. The snout, despite its duckbill shape, is soft, moist, and rubbery in texture, not hard like a bird's beak. ![]() ![]() An adult platypus, about the size of a house cat, weighs from 3 to 5 pounds (1.5 to 2.5 kilograms), its adult head and body length runs 12 to 18 inches (30 to 45 centimeters), and the tail adds another 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 centimeters). DUCK-BILLED PLATYPUS: Ornithorhynchidae PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICSĪ platypus, at first glance, resembles an otter with a duck's bill on its face and a beaver's tail in back.
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