This page is about the Platypus, a creature which resembles a water rat but which has a bill similar to that of a duck.
Platypus can be found in rivers, streams and ponds in eastern Australia from Cooktown in the north to southern Tasmania.
The best chance to see a platypus is to look in still or slow-moving streams in the hour before sunset or the hour after sunrise when the ripples formed when they swim and dive show up most clearly.
Avoid confusing a water rat for a platypus. Both have dark fur. But the water rat has a long, narrow tail with a white tip while the platypus has a flat, uniformly brown tail. Unlike the platypus, water rats may sit on a rock or log.
Indigenous Animals
of
northern Victoria & the Southern Riverina
Project Platypus |
||
Welcome
to Echuca Landcare Group's
Project Platypus Page
Introduction |
|||
Echuca is located alongside the Campaspe and Murray Rivers in northern Victoria, Australia. Occasionally, a platypus is seen in the Campaspe River. Echuca Landcare Group would like platypus sightings to be reported. A form to report sightings can be downloaded from this page.
The platypus is an amazing Australian animal. It has fur and flippers and a duck-like bill. The platypus is a shy nocturnal animal, with a retiring nature, so it is hard to see one.
There is evidence that they are declining in number.
Platypus Care is a community-based programme to map where platypus occur and to develop a reliable snapshot of the status of local platypus populations. The information can be used to identify where conservation actions are needed.
Echuca Landcare Group is keen to protect and enhance platypus habitat along the lower reaches of the Campaspe River and members have spent many hours planting trees and shrubs along the lower reaches to enhance habitat and to provide shade.
How to report sighting a platypus
If you see a platypus (either alive or dead) along the Campaspe River, Echuca landcare Group members would like you to report your sighting either to a Landcare member (using a form which can be downloaded from this page) or directly to the Australian Platypus Conservancy, P O Box 84 Whittlesea Victoria 3757. Your sighting report is likely to contribute to understanding the conservation needs, numbers and distribution of the platypus.
The details of your sighting(s) will be kept secure. The Australian Platypus Conservancy will use the information only for conservation and study purposes.
Sharing your knowledge about where a platypus lives will not cause any problems for the animals. Platypus are fascinating creatures, but are themselves not a problem to anyone and have no commercial value. The commonest problem facing platypus conservation is human ignorance. It is an unfortunate fact that people may be completely unaware that their actions can have an impact on platypus living in the area.
Your contact details will be kept strictly confidential, if you wish it, and will not be used for any other purpose, or passed on to any part other than the Australian Platypus Conservancy.
When reporting a sighting along the lower reaches of the Campaspe river, please click on one of the two rectangular maps below to help determine the sector in which you made the observation.
When you click on either the Rochester or Echuca section of the above map, a number of reaches will be show. Once you have determined the location, click here to report your sighting directly to the Australian Platypus Conservancy.
Tips on spotting a platypus
The Platypus are active mainly at night. However, they can sometimes be seen during the day, especially when the sky is overcast. Females with young are especially likely to be visible in summer, when they feed up to 17 hours a day to meet the increased energetic demands of lactation. Adult males may be most visible in late winter and early spring, when they spend increased time on the water surface watching for rivals in the months leading up to breeding.
In general, the best time to look for wild platypus is either the hour before sunset or the hour just after dawn. Ideally, choose a day when there is little or no wind to disturb the water surface.
WHERE IS THE BEST PLACE TO LOOK FOR A PLATYPUS?
Platypus are most easily observed in still pools or relatively slow-flowing sections of river, where their distinctive ripple patterns (see below) are readily spotted. They can be active in almost any part of a waterway, but are much harder to identify if the water surface is fast-flowing or disturbed.Sit quietly, a bit back from the edge of the water and in a place that commands a reasonable view up and downstream. To minimise glare on the water surface, sit with the sun behind you. Use a pair of binoculars or spotting scope to confirm your sighting if possible, since platypus are small animals and can be confused with other species (see below).
In order not to startle the animals, remain reasonably still and consider masking your outline by sitting in front of or next to a tree or large shrub. Platypus are soon alarmed by loud/sharp noises or sudden movements but will not be bothered by a quiet, unobtrusive observer.
For general information about where platypus occur, see the section Where to Look for a Platypus on Australian Platypus Conservancy's web site.
WHAT DO I LOOK FOR?
Platypus are surprisingly small, typically measuring 40-60 centimetres in total length (bill tip to tail tip).Both adults and juveniles are uniformly dark chocolate brown above, apart from a small whitish spot located in front of each eye (visible only at close range). However, depending on the angle of light, platypus fur sometimes appears to have a silvery shine (or even golden, in bright sunlight).
Platypus sometimes swim at the surface in one direction for relatively long distances (up to several hundred metres), broken only by short, shallow dives. This behaviour typically creates a long, narrow wake behind the animal, often seen as a distinctive silvery streak in calm water.
However, a platypus will more typically be seen diving and surfacing in a leisurely manner as it feeds. A diving sequence usually begins with a platypus arching its back briefly as it launches itself downwards. There is little or no associated sound unless the platypus has been startled, which is immediately followed by an audible splash as the animal dives with extra force. A platypus generally remains underwater for 10-60 seconds (with dives tending to take longer in relatively deeper water) and returns to the surface within 20 metres of where it was last seen. The platypus then floats on the surface, usually for a period of about 10-30 seconds, while chewing its meal of aquatic insects and worms. At the same time, the animal may scan its surroundings for possible danger or groom its fur (scratching or combing with a hind foot). If faced with an apparent threat, a platypus may respond by hiding underwater for 10 minutes or more, or retiring to a protected location under an overhanging shrub until the threat has passed.
Platypus float very low in the water, with two rounded bumps marking the top of their head and rump. As they float, they normally tread water with their front feet, creating a concentric bulls-eye pattern of ripples. The ripples strengthen and become more conspicuous as an animal dives, and then gradually fade away. The initial path of a platypus underwater is sometimes marked by a stream of small bubbles rising to the surface, as air is squeezed from the fur.
For further information on the platypus, log on to the web site of the Australian Platypus Conservancy
Animals that may be mistaken for a platypus
Water Rat
The Australian water-rat (Hydromys chrysogaster) is the animal that is most likely to be mistaken for a platypus, especially as the two species co-exist in many waterways. At a distance of more than 20 metres, even an experienced observer can find it virtually impossible to tell the two species apart in the water, particularly in dim light or overcast conditions.Waterbirds
It is possible to confuse the platypus with a variety of waterbirds ~ including ducks, grebes, cormorants and darters. This is especially true of musk ducks (Biziura lobata): large, dark birds which are often seen swimming alone, produce a platypus-like pattern of ripples when they dive, and can stay submerged for the same length of time as a feeding platypus. Particularly in autumn, a male musk duck will sometimes swim with his head dipped forward near the surface of the water, producing a very platypus-like outline.To distinguish waterbirds from platypus, keep in mind that the platypus maintains a very low profile in the water, with only the rounded top of its head and back located much above the surface. Accordingly, the silhouette of a platypus is much less bulky than that of even relatively small waterbirds such as grebes and coots. If part or all of the profile of a swimming animal projects well above the waterline, it is unlikely to be that of a platypus.
Lizards, turtles and fish
Eastern water dragons (Physignathus lesueurii), freshwater tortoises, and some of the larger fish species (including carp, eels and freshwater catfish) can sometimes be mistaken for a platypus, particularly if glimpsed for only a few seconds in poor light or at long range. However, differences in the appearance and behaviour of these animals and the platypus usually become obvious upon more careful observation.
The Water Rat
The Australian Water Rat (or Rakali) is an intelligent and cautious mammal of Australian waterways. Australian Platypus Conservancy is keen to hear of sightings to help it assess how well these mammals are doing in the wild (please give full details of the location and date of any observation: a CFA map reference is ideal).
Water rats have broad hind feet with webbing between the toes and a thick, well-fured tail. Their fur is soft and dense and it repels water. They are very dark in colour. Adults are up to 40cm long from nose to rump.
Like a platypus, water-rat fur is usually brown (though sometimes grey). The two species also overlap in size, with adult male water-rats weighing about the same as a small to medium-sized platypus. However, water-rats are much more likely to be seen out of the water, sitting on a rock or log or running along the bank. In contrast, platypus are very rarely seen on land for any length of time.
They are short-lived (3-4 years) so consecutive breeding failures can result in a population crash. Retaining fallen logs in waterways and protecting streamside vegetation can assist them survive.
The best way to distinguish the two species in the water is by examining the tail: the water-rat has a long, narrow tail with a conspicuous white tip, while the platypus has a flat, uniformly dark, paddle-like tail. Water-rats also swim with a slightly more sinuous movement than the platypus. They also create no distinct bow wave and leave a wide trailing wake, presumably because they mainly paddle using their hind feet, whereas the platypus only uses its front legs for propulsion.
Links to Platypus Sites
Echuca Landcare Group
