Englische Grammatik Online … wo Englisch Lernen Spaß macht!

Duck-Billed-Platypus – An Odd Character

by Michael Russell

Platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus)

The Schnabeltierplatypus was first written about in 1797. An Berichtaccount described it as a small fur-bearing animal with Schwimmhäute an den Füßenwebbed feet and biberartigbeaver like tail. The head featured a flat Schnabelbeak like a duck. The feet were webbed for efficient swimming. Long sharp claws on the feet help it buddelnburrow out a Bauden. Thus the platypus lives both in water and on land.

The scientific elite were misstrauischsuspicious that the account was a wild story like sailors of the time told about Meerjungfrauenmermaids. When a konserviertpickled pair of der Schnabeltierartduck-billed-platypus specimens were seziertdissected by a anerkanntnoted anatomist, the scientific world was erstauntstunned to learn it was a echtgenuine animal. Scientists had difficulty believing there was an animal that could lay eggs and also säugensuckle its youngsters. In 1884 a British zoologist found two platypus eggs. The eggs had soft Schalenshells like those laid by a Echselizard. The platypus is a very old species. It is thought to be a Übergangsformlink species between reptiles and mammals.

The name platypus comes from the Greek language for flat foot. Still more was learned about this animal. Its cheeks contain specialized Taschenpouches used to store sand and Kies, Schottergravel. These minerals are used to zermahlengrind up worms and small shelled water organisms. The platypus has the ability to close both its eyes and ear openings when it swims under water.

The mother platypus herausquellen lassenoozes milk from her Bauch, Unterleibabdomen. The platy kittens lick the milk off of her Fellfur. The male platypus has Giftspornepoisonous spurs located on his hintere Knöchelrear ankles. This is used for Verteidigungdefence. Platypus are sehr reinliche Tiereconscientious groomers. They putzenpreen their fur with their rear claws after emerging from the water. The size of the platypus is about twenty inches in length. They weigh between two and three pounds. They are big eaters for their size. Mostly they feed between dusk and the early morning hours. Platypus swim with their eyes closed and aufspürensense their Beuteprey, guided with their sensitive Schnabelbill.

Platypus have been gezüchtetbred in Gefangenschaftcaptivity. Ten years is the longest time a pair of platypus have been kept alive in captivity. They were featured at the Bronx Zoo in New York. The pair were named Cecil and Penelope and they lived on a feast of twenty five thousand worms a month. Their diet was spiced up with crayfish, frogs and egg custard. The Platypus were the most expensive species to take care of in the zoo as they ate a higher dollar amount than the elephants did. The zoo keepers hoped they would produce some young ones and they were watched closely. At one point the keepers thought that Penelope might be expecting young ones as she had zurückgezogensecluded herself inside her Bauburrow. Before the cold winter months started they dug her up. She was found alone with no young ones. Later she escaped from the zoo, never to be seen again. Cecil lasted another two years before he died.

The life span of a platypus is seventeen years. They have few natural enemies but these include black rats and fleischfressende Dorschartencarnivorous cod fish.

The platypus is now protected now by Australian law, ensuring their continued survival in the future.

Michael Russell. Your Independent guide to Animals.

Article Source: EzineArticles.com

Questions on the text

Answer the questions according to the text.

  1. When scientists first heard about the platypus, they did not believe that the animal really existed.

  2. The young ones suckle milk from their mother's teats.

  3. Which part of the body does a platypus use to find its food?



  4. A pair of platypus at the Bronx Zoo in New York produced young ones.