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A platypus swims by paddling with its four feet, and using its thick tail as a rudder. It has retractable webbing on its feet to assist it with speed and for hundreds of dives it must make daily in order to find food. It closes its eyes and ears as it swims, and locates food by electroreceptors in its bill as it forages around on the river or creek floor.
Platypuses do not breathe underwater. They usually hold their breath for one to two minutes while they hunt and feed underwater, and they are capable of staying underwater for up to eight minutes if undisturbed. They must make hundreds of dives every day in order to find enough food, as they cannot live or breathe underwater.
Platypuses travel alone, and they do not venture far from their burrows. When on land, they walk on their four legs, and when hunting in water, they swim very effectively, aided by the retractable webbing on their feet.
The platypus has webbed feet with a retracting webbed membrane which can expose the claws, enabling the platypus to effectively dig burrows. Its claws are used for digging burrows into riverbanks for shelter, and the webbing membrane retracts for that purpose, but spreads between its toes when it needs to swim - which it needs to do to get its food.
The platypus has four legs. When on land, it walks. When in water, it swims. Its feet have retractable webbing between the toes. This means it can swim effectively, but it can also dig on land because the webbing retracts to expose the sharp claws.
Platypuses swim using their webbed feet, and their tail which acts as a rudder.
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Do platypuses breed in water or land?
Platypuses breed on land. They only hunt for food in the water.
Where do platypuses mate?
Platypuses mate on land, not in the water.
Where do platypuses breed?
Platypuses breed on land. They do not mate in the water.
Can platypuses come on to land?
Yes - platypuses live on land. They only hunt in water. Platypuses dig burrows in the riverbank or creek bank near which they do their hunting.
What land food do platypuses eat?
Platypuses do not eat land food. They feed entirely off crustaceans and small water creatures.
Are platypuses fast on land?
No. Platypuses do not walk particularly fast on land.
Does land move water?
No, because only water can move land not land can move water.
What do platypuses do when they don't have sufficient food and water?
Sometimes, during drought seasons, the water level in a platypus's river or creek will get too low to sustain enough food for the platypus to survive. When this happens, the platypus must move to a new waterway. Platypuses do not move quickly over land, and they can become dehydrated, dying before they reach a new creek or river. Some do survive the move.
When a platypus walks is it easy to walk on land?
Yes. Platypuses spend equal amounts of time on land and in water. Platypuses have four legs which they use to walk. Although they have webbed feet, the webbing is retractable, so it does not impede them from walking when they are on land. They live on land, but they hunt n water, so they are well adapted for life both on land and in water.
Do platypuses live in water or on land?
Although platypuses are regarded as semi-aquatic, they actually live on dry land. Platypuses shelter in burrows dug in riverbanks, but these burrows are quite dry, above the water line. They are dependent on water for their food, and they spend most of their waking hours diving for invertebrates and tiny crustaceans at the bottom of creeks and rivers.
Can platypuses live in the water?
Platypuses must live on land (in burrows) but they hunt for food in the water. They are air-breathing mammals, but unlike whales and dolphins, they do not have a blowhole, so they cannot spend all of their time in water,
Do platypuses sleep on land or under water?
Platypuses sleep in burrows that are accessible from the banks of the creeks that they live near and in. These burrows can be from about 20 to 100 feet in length.
