It's not a great photo but I wanted to include it. We sat on the bank of the creek with a glass of wine and some nibblies, trying to be really quiet... snickering every now and then because we could hear the crunch of the crackers in the silence of the early evening. The platypus will not come out to feed before sunset. We were all so excited when we finally saw this guy. We then woke at 5am for another early trip to the creek. We saw three happily swimming around, as it became lighter they were less active. It's the first time I've ever seen them like this but it won't be the last.
The platypus is an egg-laying mammal and is quite unique with its duck bill, beaver tail and otter feet.
Thanks Megan for pointing out that the echidna is also a monotreme (egg-laying mammal).
Totally understand the desire to include a photo even when it's not a great image. We get what we can in these instances and we want to preserve the moment, if only for our own memory...
Did you know it's a monotreme? One of the many useless facts I know ;o) I just about see them. This is on a par with my deer shots through the trees where I get mainly trees :o) xx
@psychographer Yes but I thought the platypus was the only surviving monotreme but as Megan pointed out the echidna is also, I didn't realise that! Hehe, the photo is pretty shocking huh? If you enlarge it her bill is pointing to the the top of the pic and the tail is still under water, you then have to squint one eye, stand on one leg and it will all be clear, it's just one platypus ;-)
@lbmcshutter Thanks Megan!! I'm not a very good Australian am I, lol?! I should have checked with Wikipedia before relying on my shocking memory, it gets worse by the minute ;-)
@bella_ss to me the is a great platypus shot, I can pick it out with ease. I have always hd a bit of a soft spot for the monotremes, I did a major project on platypus in year 12 Biology so that gives me a bit of an edge on these fascinating creatures
but I have to say you've forgotten the echidna also lays eggs