Platypus toothpick skin#

To reach the lake you need to take a 1km walking path (each way) which has one short steep section (despite the sign at the trail head making you think it will be much harder!). The drive to get here from Thredbo or Jindabyne is absolutely stunning through vast open plains dotted with huge rocks and boulders.ĭespite not getting as good a look at the platypus as we'd have liked it's still a magical spot and we were surrounded by wild koalas growling for over an hour which was a pretty special experience in its own right. Getting there: You’ll definitely need your own wheels for this one and the setting is quite remote. Unfortunately for us we were unlucky with actually catching sight of a platypus itself but I read so many reviews of people seeing them here that I still wanted to include it in this blog.

There's a large viewing platform over the river and it was easy to spot the platypus burrows. The reserve is a beautiful place on the water and it would be a peaceful place to bring a picnic as you wait.

It's actually quite far from the main areas most people stay when visiting the Snowy's (1 hour 50 from Thredbo and 1 hour 25 from Jindabyne) so it's a quiet spot and on our visit we were the only ones there! Females nurse their young for three to four months until the babies can swim on their own.Bombala Platypus Reserve in the Snowy Mountains is known as one of the best spots in NSW to catch a glimpse of one of these elusive creatures. The eggs hatch in about ten days, but platypus infants are the size of lima beans and totally helpless. A mother typically produces one or two eggs and keeps them warm by holding them between her body and her tail. It is one of only two mammals (the echidna is the other) that lay eggs.įemales seal themselves inside one of the burrow's chambers to lay their eggs. Platypuses use their nails and feet to construct dirt burrows at the water's edge. However, the webbing on their feet retracts to expose individual nails and allow the creatures to run. On land, platypuses move a bit more awkwardly.

Platypuses do not have teeth, so the bits of gravel help them to “chew” their meal. All this material is stored in cheek pouches and, at the surface, mashed for consumption. They scoop up insects and larvae, shellfish, and worms in their bill along with bits of gravel and mud from the bottom. These Australian mammals are bottom feeders. In this posture, a platypus can remain submerged for a minute or two and employ its sensitive bill to find food.

Platypus toothpick skin#

Folds of skin cover their eyes and ears to prevent water from entering, and the nostrils close with a watertight seal. Platypuses hunt underwater, where they swim gracefully by paddling with their front webbed feet and steering with their hind feet and beaverlike tail. They have sharp stingers on the heels of their rear feet and can use them to deliver a strong toxic blow to any foe. The animal is best described as a hodgepodge of more familiar species: the duck (bill and webbed feet), beaver (tail), and otter (body and fur). In fact, the first scientists to examine a specimen believed they were the victims of a hoax. The platypus is among nature's most unlikely animals.