Welcome aboard the Platypus Express! Your fastest way for any knowledge big or small about the one and only platypus! Cute, adorable, and undeniably awesome, it’s time for a party… Turn in your ticket and get ready for a wildly amazing ride!
Hi everyone! I’m Allie the platypus. I’m three years old, but I can live to be up to 12. I live in New South Wales, but I was visiting family in Queensland. We platypus live in eastern and southern Australia. Now that the Christmas holiday is over, it’s time to return to my burrow. The Platypus Express is a perfect way to get home quickly. It’s also full of facts to learn. Hurry up, the trains about to leave!
Look at this bedroom! Perfect for a platypus. The burrow is in a freshwater creek. But I’ve seen burrows in rivers and even farm dams! Nestled in a tangle of tree roots right above water level, it would be perfect for hibernation. Sometimes it gets too cold in the winter so we sleep through it. Since we’re most active at dawn and dusk it’s important to have a cozy burrow. Wow! I am getting hungry. Let’s go check out the dining car!
Mmmm… It’s dinner time! The ideal dinner for me is a plate full of crayfish! Though we also eat freshwater shrimp and insect larvae. Sometimes it’s hard to crunch these delicacies. What I mean is we don’t really have teeth. Just these horny grinding plates. Also, I have to wait till I finish finding all my food. I can’t eat underwater. It is soooo annoying. A buffet on a train is way better. I’m stuffed! How about we hang out on the couch? I have some fun facts to share with you.
Alright, let’s get going. I am an expert on all things platypus (seeing as I am a platypus). First is how old our species is. Platypus evolved before the extinction of the dinosaurs. I think that’s pretty cool. We’ve lived through an apocalypse! I’m a monotreme. A mammal that lays eggs. Only us and the echidna are left of the monotreme family. Next fact! Male platypus have spurs on their hind legs. These are connected to venom
glands in the thigh. They hurt a LOT! Don’t worry though, they only use it if you’re really annoying. Which I am sure you are not. Two more facts to go… Platypus are great swimmers. We can hold our breath for up to ten minutes. The last fact is also about our swimming talents. Since we close our eyes, nose, and ears when we dive underwater we have another way of finding our way around. Our bills can detect electrical currents in the water so we can find our way around the river. It is so cool!
Look, we’re almost at the station. Finally, back in the south. It is way too hot in Queensland. Oh no, I still need to pack up! Hope you had fun, I sure did. Gotta go, see you around. Bye!
