The Platypus as seen through the Human

What’s in a Name, Platypus?

The aborigines called it a

Boonaburra.

The West dubbed it officially

Ornithorhynchus anatinus

or

platys (πλατύς for broad) pous (πους ,foot)

The platypus, in aboriginal mythology was dubbed a
Boonaburra 

Associated with the Platypus are various fables and names.  The one outlined in the video below is a story about the unique nature of the Platypus.  It was asked to be a called a bird by the birds, an animal by the animals and a fish by the fish because it had qualities of all three.  The Platypus denied all three, choosing instead, to belong to Platypoda and in so doing, remained friends with the fish, the birds and the animals.

The Brits sent a Platypus fur to England for examination in 1798.
They assumed the animal to be a hoax.

Some people even today use the existence of the Platypus as evidence of God and to refute Evolution.  Their claim:

“The Duck-billed Platypus: Evolutionary Marvel or Amazing Creation?”  Apparently these Christians dub it an Evolutionary Quandary.  They cite that the creature stopped evolving (as apparently evidenced in by its body remaining unchanged since millions of years ago.)  they reference that the Platypus, given all of its physical traits working against it, would have “chosen” better (breathing, swimming, walking, etc.) abilities.  The fact that it did not for millions of years means that god exists.

Here is a hilarious video which demonstrates some of this group of peoples’ thinking about the creature:

Christian Song

Other humans see the Platypus in danger from Climate Change and work to protect the species.

There are groups across Queensland, for instance, who keep track of Platypus populations. They call themselves Platypus Watch.

They have interactive maps to help their volunteers organize the data and are advocates of protecting the Platypus from extinction.  Though, for now, the Platypus is surviving increasing temperatures in the water they inhabit, they are a vulnerable species.

Platypus PDF of Google Presentation.

Link to google Presentation:Platypus Google Presentation