Have your weekly dose of cuteness with a side of venom, courtesy of the platypus

Friends of Blizzard Watch, we somehow have another long week ahead of us, and we could all use some cuteness to sustain us. After a week off, we wanted to return with a unique critter. But truly, who would expect the platypus to join the cuteness lineup?

This suggestion comes courtesy of writer Nick Marino, who first shared a precious Instagram reel of a juvenile platypus (also known as a platypup or puggle — omg) found by a fly fisherman in Tumut, a town in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. The reel comes from the Platypus Conservation Initiative, a section of the Centre for Ecosystem Science at the University of New South Wales. It was established in 2016 to reduce species extinction risk “through scientific research, improved management, and increased awareness.”

The platypus is considered an incredibly unique species and a hallmark of Australia. They are aquatic predators that hunt and forage for up to 16 hours each day, then rest in riverbank burrows. The platypus physiology combines a boggling array of characteristics — for example, they are one of five mammalian species in the world that lay eggs (collectively known as monotremes). The platypus and four different types of echidnas are collectively called monotremes and are all found in Australia!

Those monotremes and the cetaceous Guiana dolphin are the world’s only known electroreceptive mammals. Through various mechanisms (such as glands found in the platypuses’ bill), these creatures can detect the electric fields around them, such as those produced by their prey. Now add in the fur and nursing of young that most mammals do with venomous spurs on their hind ankles, and the platypus is genuinely one of a kind.

While not formally listed as endangered by the IUCN’s Red List, the platypus population is on a downward trend and is indeed considered an endangered population in South Australia. Like many populations, their natural habitats have been reduced due to a variety of factors. Everything from human agriculture and fishing, urbanization and river development (such as the building of dams and extraction of water), and climate change, droughts, and fires have a building impact on platypus populations.

Check out the Platypus Conservation Initiative and the Australian Platypus Conservancy for more information about this quirky animal. You can follow the Platypus Conservation initiative on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, USNW’s TikTok with a dedicated “PlatypusTok” playlist and occasionally featured on USNW’s YouTube (no dedicated playlist — yet).

In the interim, enjoy this clip of a junior platypus found in the Royal National Park just ten months after the species was reintroduced to the area. Happy Monday!