Platypus

October, 2006.

Platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) surfacing, Manley Aquarium.

I could write all day about these little buggers, so don't get me started. (I'll do that some other day.) I wanted so much to see one in the wild and spent a fair amount of time sitting by the side of creeks and streams and drainage ditches and what have you. The Aussies thought it was hilarious. The great majority have never seen one—even in a zoo. I finally met two people in a pub in Gunning who had actually seen platypuses in the wild. They saw them west of Sydney, beyond the Blue Mountains even.

I'll be there.

This guy, along with another that day, was very frisky and swimming and rooting in the aquarium floor and even jumped out of the water and onto the "beach" for a little while. Truly cute and bizarre. Big yellow eyes and sleek, brown, silky fur. Fast, wassly swimmers. Just beautiful. I'll put up some video of them soon. And some day I'll click here.