Did you know that a platypus tail is bristly so they can brush the dirt away when they dig their burrows?
And did you know that platypus close their eyes when they're swimming under water but they can sense electricity with their bills?
A special visitor came in today to talk to us about platypus. His name was Geoff and he came from the Australian Platypus Conservancy. He brought in Patrick, the stuffed platypus, who was caught in a trap and drowned. Patrick was stuffed by the museum and now he visits schools. We learnt heaps of interesting stuff about platypus but we learnt some important things too, to help us keep platypus safe in our local waters. The things you can do to help platypus are (in no particular order):
1) Plant more trees along the creeks - it stops the banks from crumbling and trees grow up, leaves fall down, invertebrates eat leaves (and each other) and platypus eat invertebrates!
2) Keep our creeks clean - NO RUBBISH!
3) Don't use opera house nets or any other fishing nets in creeks or rivers. You're only allowed to use them in your farm dam.
4) If you go fishing, make sure you take ALL your fishing line with you.
5) If you catch a platypus when you're fishing, reel it in, take out the hook (or take it to a vet) and let it free. Don't cut the line while it's still hooked. It will die.
6) Don't waste water, it is precious and our creeks need it too. Water tanks are cool!
At the end we got to pat Patrick, the stuffed platypus. He was pretty amazing...
His tail was a bit spiky but it didn't hurt. Sean
Patrick's back felt soft. Charlotte
The back of his tail was prickly. Dean
His spur didn't have any venom. Jamil
I touched the spur at the back of his leg, it was sharp. Selvi
The white marks above his bill look like eyes (they're meant to trick predators). Dan
The spur looked a bit like a tooth. Evie
When I touched the tail of the stuffed platypus, it reminded me of a being at home touching the bristles of my toothbrush. Lewis
The big, blunt claws are for digging the dirt to make a burrow. Alisha
His tail was like a broom. Amelia
His front claws felt a bit sharp but not sharp like his back claws. Aimee
The platypus's webbing (on his feet) and bill weren't real, they were made out of plastic. Lola
Did you know they have lots of stretchy webbing around their claws which helps them swim. Romy
Patrick's body felt so so so so so fluffy. Audrey
The bill was a little bit squishy when I touched it. It was made of plastic. Goldie
Patrick was lots of different colours of brown. Aidan
I thought that the under fur was even softer than the top fur. Clarrie
The spur looked like a vampire's tooth! Leila
