I've decided to do another request from my roommate. One of our favorite shows to watch is on the Disney Channel, laugh if you want. It's about two brothers called Phineas and Ferb who spend their summer building crazy contraptions. Their awesome pet, who doubles as a secret agent, is named Perry and he is a green platypus. The platypus(Ornithorhynchus Anatinus) is one of two animals that are considered monotremes, the other is the echidna. It is about the size of a small dog and has a thick waterproof fun covering its whole body and webbed feet that help propel it through the water. It has characteristics of both reptiles (lays eggs) and mammals (hair, warm blooded). When it dives underwater it can close its eyes,ears, and mouth all at the same time. It stores excess fat in its tail so a fat tail is a sign of a healthy platypus. It has a low body temperature so it is less affected by cold waters. They also have more hemoglobin in their red blood cells. This allows it to stay underwater longer than most mammals. The male platypus even has poisonous burs on its back feet. Personally I think the platypus is one of the most interesting creatures I've written about so far. They have so many hidden secrets that make them interesting. They keep gravel in their mouths to help break up food since they don't have teeth. The platypus can be found on the east coast of Australia. They have super dense fur, denser than the otter's and the polar bear's.






http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/platypus.html
http://www.genevaschools.org/austinbg/class/gray/platypus/