The End of our Platypus Journey

Our platypus journey together is now coming to a close. During the course of this blog series we have learned so much together about the platypus; its unique features and history (when it was first discovered it was thought to be a hoax!), its territorial and mating behaviors, its successful conservation story, its relevance in the media, and so much more. We have had the opportunity to see real pictures of platypus and platypus babies, as well as funny cartoon drawings and memes featuring our strange little friends. We have even gotten to see some funny videos featuring star platypus. Overall, it is my hope that this blog has helped spark your interest in not only the platypus but in researching and discovering a variety of animals as well as considering the impact our actions and behaviors have on their environment and ultimately their survival (check out the conservation status entry for more info!).

  

Platypus in Entertainment

Between songs, spoof videos, memes, and TV shows like Phineas and Ferb, the platypus has strangely become quite the hit in entertainment media! The unique combination of features that the platypus possesses make it an easy target for jokes and also lends itself to being a silly character in television and clever meme spoofs. Phineas and Ferb for example, is an animated childrens show that features a popular pet platypus. In fact, all the way back in 1995 there was even a sitcom called the Platypus Man that featured comedian Richard Jeni. There is actually even a website called the Psychology Student Platypus that is a meme generator focused on pictures of platypus!  

Scholarly Article Review

In “Reproductive behavior and food consumption associated with the captive breeding of platypus,” Norm Holland and Stephen M. Jackson investigate the reproductive behavior of a female platypus in captivity at the Healesville Sanctuary in Victoria, Australia. This is important research, considering how I mentioned in my most recent platypus blog just how difficult it is to raise platypus in captivity. Holland and Jackson comment that one of the main reasons for these difficulties is the platypus’ inability to adjust to change. Their findings contributed new and vital information about the relationship between the mother and her newborns, the gestation and lactation time periods, and the “food consumption in relation to breeding stage” (Holland & Jackson 2001).  Another interesting observation made during the study is the period of time the mother platypus, Koorina, spent inactive.  The researchers observed Koorina spending periods of up to six days completely inactive, during which she never left her burrow.  This information is somewhat puzzling because despite some consideration that the platypus engage in hibernation behavior, evidence suggest that they do not. These observations were further considered unusual because Koorina had never shown such periods of inactivity before. The study determined some key numerical data regarding the time periods of gestation, incubation, and lactation periods for platypus. However, some other vital information that the study provides to researchers and zookeepers is how to best accommodate the platypus to encourage reproductive behavior in captivity. Holland and Jackson suggest that to increase the likelihood for successful platypus breeding in captivity, male and female platypus should be brought into captivity at as young an age as possible and also be introduced to each other (the platypus they are meant to breed with) as quickly as possible so they can have a lengthy time period to familiarize themselves with one another.

Personal Platypus Picture

 (Source)

This is a picture of a platypus from the Taronga Zoo in Sydney, Australia taken by Tom McHugh. Unfortunately, the San Diego Zoo is not home to any platypus so I was unable to get a picture of the adorable yet strange creatures myself :( In even worse news, there actually are not any American zoos that house platypus; to see an authentic, live platypus you must travel outside the country. Even the countries that do have the platypus in their zoos, typically Australia and New Zealand, have strict limits on the number of zoos or universities that are allowed to house platypus as well as the number of platypus they are allowed to house. Apparently, having platypus in a zoo is not easy because of the difficulty of breeding the animals in captivity. In fact, only a few platypus babies have ever been born under such artificial conditions.
Additional Source

Platypus; A Hoax?!

When the platypus was first discovered, it was actually thought to be a made up creation done as either a prank  or just a hoax by Chinese taxidermists wanting credit for having discovered a potentially new species! The first documented platypus discovery occurred in 1797 and was sent to England to be reviewed and studied, where scientists at first believe it was a fake creature made up of the parts of various other existing animals (duck, beaver, otter, reptiles). Fossils were soon discovered, however, that proves the platypus to be its own “genuine creature,” that did not “evolve from a common predecessor.” (Source) The platypus, above all others, poses a unique difficulty for evolutionary scientists to solve and explain!