Wired for Worms T e platypus is an even weirder animal than


the aye-aye. It’s like many diff erent animals all mixed together! It has a bill like a duck, a fl at tail like a beaver, and webbed feet like an otter. T e males are poisonous. Sharp spurs on their back feet hold a terrible toxin. If all that wasn’t odd enough, the platypus


lays leathery eggs just like a reptile. In fact, it’s one of the few mammals that lay eggs instead of giving birth to live babies. Like the aye-aye, it has a special way to fi nd


food. It hunts in murky, muddy water. Under the water, folds of skin cover its eyes and ears. Its watertight nostrils keep out mud, too. So how does it fi nd food with its eyes, ears,


and nose shut? T e platypus has electrical sensors in its snout. T e sensors detect prey such as squiggly worms. T e platypus uses its webbed feet and broad tail to swim to its next meal. It scoops up the worms with its bill.


This aye-aye uses its long fi nger to pull grubs from trees.


trees.


This duck-billed platypus dives in murky waters, hunting for food.


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