8 Interesting Platypus Facts. Can I have a platypus as a pet?

The platypus is a famous recluse and it is one of Australia's most recognizable animals. This semi-aquatic creature has a waterproof fur and loves to frolic in the freshwater rivers and creeks it calls home.

1. Platypus is poisonous.

They look cute, but encounter a male platypus during the mating season and its attack will make you sick. Male platypus have a hollow bone spur on each hind leg that is connected to glands that secrete venom, and while their venom is deadly, no deaths from platypus bites have been recorded.

2. Like sharks use electronic pulses to detect underwater prey.

Like sharks, platypus use electrical pulses to detect underwater prey and locate objects in the darkest depths of creeks and rivers. They feed on insect larvae, freshwater shrimp, worms, and larvae, and generally bring them to the surface for consumption.

3. Platypus lays eggs.

They are mammals, and platypus still lay eggs - making them monotremes. They are one of only five remaining monoporous species.

4. Platypus has two layers of fur.

Platypuses have two layers of fur - for insulation and waterproofing, platypus use their fur to trap a layer of air next to their skin so they can stay buoyant and dry when underwater. Platypus spends about 12 hours a day looking for food underwater.

5. They are mysterious.

No one knows why, but when these little brown creatures are placed under an ultraviolet light, they emit a biofluorescent green-blue light.

6. Platypuses are cute, but their babies are even cuter.

That's probably why the little platypus' name is puggle.

7. They are now more hidden than before.

Protracted droughts, bushfires, climate change and land clearing have affected the platypus' habitat and reduced their numbers. Therefore, they are forced by the environment, and it is difficult for people to find them now.

8. They are real!

When the platypus were first discovered in 1798, British scientists thought they were a hoax made from a combination of different parts of different animals - webbed feet and duck-like bills, otter-like bodies and beaver-like tails .

All the awkward combinations, in fact, the platypus is a real creature.

Why can't you have a platypus as a pet?

The Australian government forbids keeping the platypus as a pet. It also makes it next to impossible to export, except to zoos and scientific institutions. So, if you thought it would be easy to get one, sorry to disappoint.

Of course, if you want a Platypus as a pet, our stuffed Platypus plush toy can be the perfect substitute!

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