Platypus  (Ornithorhynchus anatinus)

Species information

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Glossary

  • Benthic: the lowermost region of an aquatic habitat, the bottom.
  • Crustaceans: diverse group of arthropods (a phylum of animals with jointed limbs and a hard chitinous exoskeleton) characterised by the possession of two pairs of antennae, one pair of mandibles (parts of the mouthparts used for handling and processing food) and two pairs of maxillae (appendages used in eating, which are located behind the mandibles). Includes crabs, lobsters, shrimps, slaters, woodlice and barnacles.
  • Endemic: a species or taxonomic group that is only found in one particular country or geographic area.
  • Incubation: the act of incubating eggs, that is, keeping them warm so that development is possible.
  • Invertebrates: animals with no backbone.
  • Mammary glands: the milk secreting organs of female mammals.
  • Molluscs: a diverse group of invertebrates, mainly marine, that have one or all of the following; a horny, toothed ribbon in the mouth (the radula), a shell covering the upper surface of the body, and a mantle or mantle cavity with a type of gill. Includes snails, slugs, shellfish, octopuses and squid.

References

  1. IUCN Red List (April, 2009)
    http://www.iucnredlist.org
  2. Nowak, R.M. (1999) Walker's Mammals of the World.Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore.
  3. Macdonald, D. (2001) The New Encyclopedia of Mammals.Oxford University Press, Oxford.
  4. Nicholas, F.W. and Nicholas, J.M. (1989) Charles Darwin in Australia.Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK.
  5. Moyal, A. (2001) Platypus: The Extraordinary Story of how a Curious Creature Baffled the World.Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC.
  6. Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered (EDGE) (April, 2009)
    http://www.edgeofexistence.org/mammals/species_info.php?id=533
  7. Burnie, D. (2001) Animal.Dorling Kindersley, London.
  8. Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service (April, 2009)
    http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/index.aspx?base=4789
  9. Tasmania Department of Primary Industries and Water (April, 2009)
    http://www.dpiw.tas.gov.au/inter.nsf/WebPages/SSKA-7AH66E?open
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