Animals that start with P – Platypus

Cartoon Platypus | Alphabetimals.com

Platypus

Platypuses are furry, friendly, and full of surprises! Join us on a journey of discovery and find out what makes these animals so special. Learn with Albert as he explores these amazing platypus facts for toddlers, preschoolers and kindergartners. Click on the images to hear silly sounds and then read about fun platypus facts like what do platypuses look like?, what sound do platypuses make?, how big are platypuses?, what do platypuses eat?, where do platypuses live?, and more fun facts about platypuses for kids!

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What do platypuses look like?

Platypus swimming

Platypuses are mammals which means that they are warm-blooded, have fur and they feed milk to their babies. 

Platypuses are also known as duck-billed platypuses.

Platypuses are a special type of mammal because they lay eggs like birds! 

They are fascinating animals that look very weird! They have an otter-like body, a duck-like beak, a paddle-shaped tail and webbed feet!

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What sound do platypuses make?

Cartoon Platypus | Alphabetimals.com
Microphone

Click the the image to hear the sound!

Platypuses make clicks, rattles and growls. Their growling sounds like a puppy growling.

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How big are platypuses?

Cartoon Platypus | Alphabetimals.com
Cartoon French baguette

Platypuses can grow up to 25 inches (63 centimeters) long from the tip of their beak, or bill, to the tip of their tail. That’s about as long as a French baguette.

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What do platypuses eat?

Worm
Insect
Cartoon krill
Cartoon crayfish

Platypuses are carnivores which means that they only eat meat. 

They feed on worms, baby insects, shrimp and crayfish.

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Where do platypuses live?

River stream background
Cartoon Platypus | Alphabetimals.com

Platypuses are only found in Australia. They swim about in freshwater and dig underground burrows.

More fun facts about platypuses for kids

  • Platypuses don’t have nipples to feed their babies milk. Instead they sweat out milk which the babies can lap up. Imagine running around outside and sweating milk!
  • Playtpuses are venomous! Quite a lot of snakes are venomous which means they can hurt you if they bite you. It is very unusual for a mammal to be venomous. Platypuses have a sharp spur (or claw) on their back feet which can inject venom when fighting.
  • For an animal that spends most of its time in and around water, playtpuses can’t hold their breath for very long. They have to resurface to breathe after less than 3 minutes underwater. 
  • Platypuses can store prey in their cheek pouches. They can catch it underwater and then carry it in their cheeks to the surface to eat. If they pick up any mud by mistake, they can spit this out of the pouch whilst eating their food.
  • Platypuses have biofluorescence. This means they glow blue and green (under UV light). Scientists aren’t sure why they do this. To people, they just look brown and white.
  • When explorers first saw a platypus, they took one home to show people. Nobody believed that it was a real animal. They thought that the explorers had glued a duck’s head and feet onto a mammal’s body!

Sources: Wikipedia, Live Science, Creative Commons, Britannica.com and Freesound.org

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Alphabetical list of animals that start with P

A full alphabetical list of popular animal names that begin with the letter P for toddlers and preschool kids.

  1. Panda
  2. Panther
  3. Parakeet
  4. Parrot
  5. Partridge
  6. Peacock
  7. Peccary
  8. Pelican
  9. Penguin
  10. Pheasant
  11. Pig
  12. Pigeon
  13. Pika
  14. Pike
  15. Piranha
  16. Platypus
  17. Poison Dart Frog
  18. Polar Bear
  19. Polecat
  20. Porcupine
  21. Prairie Dog
  22. Prawn
  23. Praying Mantis
  24. Proboscis Monkey
  25. Puff Adder
  26. Puffer Fish
  27. Puffin
  28. Puma
  29. Python

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