The platypus having two layers of fur help to maintain the species body temperature and cope with the physical conditions of its habitat.

The platypus picking up electrical impulses from its prey using it bill allows the species to secure food and nutrients in its environment. The platypus sweeps its bill from side to side underwater 2-3 times per second in order to sift through the bottom of the riverbed and to pick up the electrical impulses from its prey. The prey is then stored in special pouches behind the bill and is consumed after the platypus returns to the surface. As a platypus must close their eyes under the water, the species see in the murky water by sensing electrical currents created by their prey’s small muscle movements. The bill of a platypus has electroreceptors, which aid the platypus through murky waters without the need for eyes or ears. The bill of the platypus aids it survival by acting as a tool for finding and mechanically digesting food. The second layer of fur is longer and is able to get wet, however it acts as a water seal, which waterproofs the platypus’s coat. The first layer of fur is short and dense so that water is unable to get through to the skin, this is known as the under layer. The platypus has two different layers of fur. The adaptation of digging burrows for eggs is influenced by the need for protection and safety of the eggs from predators Its tail is similar to a beaver tail and is furry and flattened. Once a female platypus lays eggs the female incubates her eggs using her tail and stomach and rarely leaves the burrow. As the platypus dives, the two fur layers trap a layer of air next to the. Platypuses are nocturnal creatures and usually only leave their burrows in the early morning and at night. These burrows act a home as well as a place for the females to lay eggs. Platypuses build their burrows in the soft riverbank. The platypus being able to maintain its low body temperature for long periods of time and restrict blood flow to certain part of its body allows the species to obtain warmth as well as cope with the physical conditions of its environment including temperature. This keeps all the vital internal organs intact.

During extreme cold weather, the platypus reduces blood flow to bare and extreme parts of its body. layer and grey to yellow in the under layer. This allows the platypus to maintain its body heat for long periods of time before it drops and also means that heat loss is slow due to the low body temperature. Apart from the already-stated duck bill, the platypus has many other strange physical characteristics. Platypuses have a body temperature of 32 degrees celsius which is significantly lower than other mammals.

Platypus tail layer