The platypus, or "duckbilled platypus", has the bill of a duck, the body of the otter, the tail of a beaver, large webbed forefeet and a double coat of fur. Living as part of a family group — the plural of platypus is platypi — the platypus makes its home in vast tunnels which it digs into the sides of river banks and creeks (some tunnels can extend over 65 feet).
While the platypus can move on land to get around, the webbing on its front feet extends below the toes, making it a little slow and ungainly. On the other hand, it's thanks to those same big webbed feet and flat paddle tail that the platypus is in its element underwater. It is beneath the surface that the platypus finds the crustaceans, mollusks, frogs, worms and insect larvae that form its diet. Interestingly, while underwater, the platypus closes its eyes, nostrils and ears, relying solely on the sensitivity of its bill to locate its food.
Like the echidna, the platypus is a monotreme, or an egg-laying mammal.
