Let's Explore: The Platypus

All Ages

This mammal is egg-stra special!

It's National Zoo and Aquarium Month! Let's take a closer look at the platypus. Click on the blue highlighted text for links to videos, books, and activities.

We hope you enjoy watching these videos to learn about this unusual animal: Platypus: Animals for Kids and What Is A Platypus?

Then get an up-close look at the platypus from an Australian senior wildlife ecologist.

What has a bill like a duck's and the body of a beaver? A "Platypus, Probably"! This ebook edition of the informational book by Sneed B. Collard III is a good choice to read aloud to a child. It follows a female platypus through her life with vivid, accurate illustrations. 

"Platypus" by Christina Leaf from the Extremely Weird Science is a good ebook option for strong readers.

Both ebooks are available on Hoopla Digital with your EGVPL card.

For more nonfiction platypus books, reserve one or more from our library catalog with your EGVPL card for curbside pickup.

The platypus is only found in Australia. Meet two platypus twins born at the Healesville Sanctuary in Victoria, Australia. Then watch this fun video of a mom platypus laying eggs and platypus playtime fun.

The Toronga Zoo in Sydney, Australia recently gave two platypus to the San Diego Zoo in California, making it the only zoo outside of Australia to have a platypus. Watch this update on how these two platypus are doing in their new home! Here is a link from the San Diego Zoo Kids website with more information about the platypus.

Take a look at the new live platypus cam at the San Diego Zoo! If you'd like to see more live animal cams, go back in our website calendar to June 1st to view live animal webcams at zoos and aquarium all over the country.

For young children, watch the video read-aloud of the book, "Platypus" by Chris Riddell. Platypus decides it's the perfect day to go collecting. He finds a big rock, an old shoe and a broken umbrella, but none of these are quite what he's looking for.

For music fun for young children, watch a platypus puppet sing the song, "I'm a P-P-Platypus" by Steve Axtel

 and the animated video of the song, "Mr Playtypus" by Dennis Morgan.

Slightly older children might enjoy the video read-aloud of "I'm a Platypus" by Moment Johnson. While at home in the Australian rainforest, Plato the Platypus meets other animals who are confused by his appearance. They all think he needs to be more like them. Plato tries to fly like a duck, eat like a Tasmanian devil, climb like a bearded dragon, crow like a rooster, and chew down trees like a beaver. In the end, he realizes he does not need to be like these other animals. He only needs to be himself.

For middle grade students, on Hoopla Digital with your EGVPL card, check out the ebook, "The Frog Who Croaked" by Jarrett J. Krosoczka. It is the first in the "Platypus Police Squad"series, a series of zany, action-packed middle-grade mysteries featuring platypus police detectives Rick Zengo and Corey O'Malley. 

Ready for Art? Learn how to draw a platypus in this video. 

or make a paper bag platypus puppet with these instructions. A printable template is provided.

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