#platypus — Public Fediverse posts

Daily #platypus
#MonotremesOfMastodon

Daily #platypus
#Monotremes

Awesome

#marsupial #australia #platypus

Yesterday’s #platypus, today’s #flood by the Kiewa River, and this afternoon’s light.

Anyway - here are a #platypus, some #orchids and a tree-creeper. #birdsOfMastodon

Death trap: Killing Australian wildlife with everyday items

"Flying foxes make up two-thirds of all entanglement cases in NSW"

"But it’s not just flying foxes – entanglements affect hundreds of different species, mostly mammals and birds, including kangaroos, platypus, raptors and gliders....Hungry animals, especially flying foxes, birds and possums, are attracted to flowers and fruits, and get easily caught in “large-aperture” nets, where the mesh size is greater than 5mm. The rule of thumb is that if you can poke a finger through it, it’s not safe for wildlife."

"Aquatic debris makes up about 10% of entanglement cases, according to NSW wildlife rescue data. Fishing line is probably the most difficult type of litter for platypus to cope with, and causes horrendous injuries – it basically just cuts through the skin.” >>
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/jul/11/everyday-items-catching-killing-native-animals-how-to-help-tangled-wildlife
#biodiversity #wildlife #bats #birds #platypus #traps #entanglement #fencing #netting #FishingGear #Plastic #garbage #BarbedWire #fences #Hairties #fruit #food #gardens
Image: Grey-headed flying foxes mosaic, Bellingen

@frankashwood

Would that be a venom, then?

Not many venomous mammals. There's the Platypus, with a venomous spur on his thigh; some Shrews I gather; and the Slow Loris with really bad armpits.

Any others. people?

#venom #mammal #toxin #Platypus #mole

Today’s #platypus was a bit of a disappointment - a long way off and facing directly towards me, so you’ll just have to believe me.
#MonotremesOfMastodon

Today’s #platypus #MonotremesOfMastodon

I will never get tired of this. Have been visiting this creek for over twenty years. #platypus

Today’s #platypus
#MonotremesOfMastodon

Today’s #platypus sighting, and a monster from the id.
#MonotremesOfMastodon

"What the platypus can teach us about smarter conservation"

#Platypus #Animals #Conservation

https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/06/what-the-platypus-can-teach-us-about-smarter-conservation/

2/
They aren't just floating; they are actively navigating, surveying the riverbank, and processing a world of sensory input (especially with that incredibly sophisticated electro-receptive bill working just beneath the surface).

It’s always a treat when a wildlife photograph manages to capture the actual awareness of the subject, rather than just treating it like a passive object in a landscape. Beautifully spotted!

#platypus

Platypuses are often depicted as these bumbling, awkward, patchwork curiosities of evolution, but when you see them in their element, it’s a completely different story.

That single, clear eye tracking above the waterline shows an animal that is intensely aware of its surroundings. Alex Wheeler captured that perfectly—there’s a quiet, calculating focus there.

#platypus

A Natural Wetsuit
The platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) has a two‑layered fur for maintaining thermal homeostasis in Tasmania’s cold, freshwater environments. Its outer coat consists of tightly packed guard hairs rich in natural oils that provide water resistance. Beneath this lies a layer of fine, wool‑like underfur that traps a stable layer of air against the skin. Together, these layers form effective thermal insulation.
Photograph: Alex Wheeler

#photography
#Tasmania
#platypus
#AltText

Two ways of looking at a #platypus
#MonotremesOfMastodon

Ghost #platypus #MonotremesOfMastodon

✨ A Sprinkle of JoyousJoyness ✨

SO SWEET!

Have a JoyousJoyfulJoyness day!

#happy #platypus #cute #joyousjoyness #repost

Daily #platypus

Daily #platypus

#MonotremesOfMastodon

Today’s #platypus
#MonotremesOfMastodon

Daily #platypus
#MonotremesOfMastodon

Haven't been feeling up to doing digital art much recently but I did do a bunch of sketches on paper. Mostly creatures I've wanted to draw but couldn't think of a full piece to do with them and also Hubert is there.

#furryart #hare #dragon #platypus #thylacine #snake #mole

PFAS contamination sites and dead platypus
Mapping "hazardous concentrations" of PFAS plumes on NSW waterways

A study "found alarmingly high levels of PFOS in the livers of eight dead platypuses, collected from waterways across NSW."

"…Due to the shape of the valley, groundwater from beneath the landfill "ultimately flows towards the Ourimbah Creek catchment”.

"When you look at some of the research that's coming through, clearly it's raw water, our waterways, that we also need to be concerned about because we know PFAS gets into wildlife."

"The research that I've seen, not just in platypus, but in some other species, is really frightening. If that isn't enough to get the government to act on looking at PFAS in waterways, not just drinking water, then I don't know what is."
>>
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-07/pfas-contamination-investigation-ourimbah-creek-catchment-nsw/106037472

"Scientists...have discovered PFOS in the livers of eight deceased platypuses collected from numerous eastern NSW rivers, from the north coast in Bellingen to the alps of Jindabyne." >>
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-08-20/australia-forever-chemicals-pfas-drinking-water-platypus/104244072

#rivers #water #pollution #biodiversity #wildlife #platypus #wetlands #NSW #roads #crashes #spills #landfill #runoff #petrol #PFAS #PFOS #FirefightingFoam #OurimbahCreek #Bellingen #governance

The “chemization” of aquatic habitats

“Mapping chemical footprints of organic micropollutants in European streams. There is increasing awareness that chemical pollution of freshwater systems with complex mixtures of chemicals from domestic sources, agriculture and industry may cause a substantial chemical footprint on water organisms, pushing aquatic ecosystems outside the safe operating space.” >>
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S016041202300644X

Polluter pays
Mandated advanced treatment of micropollutants in wastewater
"But the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries, which are responsible for most of those contaminants, are now pushing back." >>
https://e360.yale.edu/features/europe-water-micropollutants
#water #pollution #AquaticEcosystems #AquaticOrganisms #micropollutants #runoff #regulation #delayism #chemicals #pharmaceuticals #cosmetics #agriculture #lobby #consumers #rivers #platypus #invertebrates #fish #wildlife #PlanetaryBoundaries

NSW platypuses are accumulating the “forever chemical” perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) in very high concentrations.

"The platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) is a semi-aquatic monotreme that occupies a high trophic position in the freshwater ecosystems of eastern mainland Australia and Tasmania. Platypuses are continuously exposed to anthropogenic contaminants including perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS). This study examined PFOS concentrations in the livers of deceased platypuses (eight wild; one captive) that were opportunistically collected across NSW over a two- and a half-year period. There was a large variation in PFOS concentrations, ranging from < 1 µg/kg to 1200 µg/kg. This study presents the first report of PFOS contamination in platypuses, revealing their PFOS levels are broadly similar to those found in river otters (Lutra canadensis) and lower than those in American mink (Mustela vison), both which occupy similar ecological niches in freshwater systems. This study raises concerns about the impact of PFOS on platypus health."

"Platypuses are vulnerable to many impacts associated with human activity including hydrological changes, decline in water quality, increase in litter and discarded fishing line, illegal opera house nets (yabby traps) and water contamination...There are no guidelines on what constitutes safe concentrations of PFOS in wildlife."

>>
Warwick, K.G., Wright, I.A., Whinfield, J. et al. First report of accumulation of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) in platypuses (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) in New South Wales, Australia. Environ Sci Pollut Res 31, 51037–51042 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-024-34704-w
#pollution #water #rivers #contamination #NSW #Wildlife #platypus #platypuses #penguins #PFOS #PFAS #ForeverChemicals #Gleniffer #bellingen #NeverNever #bellinger #catchment #AquaticInvertebrates #DrinkingWater #FoodChain #SyntheticChemicals

If you think a platypus is weird, or an echidna is strange, can you imagine what would happen if you combined the two?

The so-called "echidnapus" – an ancient creature recently identified from a batch of long-forgotten fossils at Australian Museum – may just be the Rosetta Stone of early mammal evolution!

Learn more about this awesome, ancient and frankly bizarre creature… https://ausgeo.co/echidnapus

#museum #museums #discovery #platypus #echidna #australia #seeaustralia #australiagram #australian #exploreaustralia #australianwildlife #animals #animal #megafauna #wildlife #nature #australianmuseum

👨‍🎨 Peter Shouten
#environment #academia #research #academicchatter #biology #history #histodon #nature #wildlife #science #scientist