Platypus

Hello there. My name is Platypus, and I am a very special animal. I live in the cool, clear rivers of a place called Australia. I have a very funny-looking body. My bill is soft and wide, just like a duck's bill. My coat is made of thick brown fur that is waterproof to keep me warm and dry. I have a big, flat tail like a beaver. I use my tail to help me steer when I am swimming in the water. My favorite parts of my body are my webbed feet. They are like little paddles that help me swim super, super fast through the river.

I want to tell you my super special secret. I am a mammal, which means I am warm and fuzzy, but I do something most other mammals don't do. I lay eggs. That makes me very unique. To keep my eggs safe, I dig and build a cozy home called a burrow. My burrow is a long tunnel in the soft dirt of the riverbank. It is the perfect place to keep my eggs nice and warm. I wait there until my babies hatch. Baby platypuses are called puggles, and they are very tiny and cute when they come out of their eggs.

My favorite thing to do all day is go splishing and splashing while I hunt for my snacks. I dive deep down to the bottom of the river to find my food. When I go underwater, I close my eyes tight, I close my ears, and I close my nose so no water gets in. I can't see or hear, so how do I find my food? I use my amazing bill. I move it back and forth in the mud to feel for yummy snacks like wriggly worms and tiny shrimp.

I have a very important job in my river home. When I am digging in the mud at the bottom of the river looking for my snacks, I am also helping everyone else. By digging and stirring everything up, I help keep the water clean and healthy. This makes the river a happy home for all the fish and other animals that live here with me. I am a helpful river cleaner, and that is my special job.