If you’ve been lucky enough to see a platypus, you remember it.
Australian Conservation Foundation nature campaigner Jess Abrahams said the animal was so fascinating that when English colonisers first reported their sightings of this creature to the British crown, its uniqueness was so astounding that some accused them of fabricating tales or attaching a duck’s bill to a beaver.
“Everyone loves the platypus, it’s such a magnificent yet mysterious creature,” he said.
“I mean, they are on our national currency — alongside the koala and the kangaroo it’s Australia’s most iconic animal.”
But now, the platypus population is dwindling — and we don’t know why.
“Australia is in the midst of an extinction crisis,” Mr Abrahams said.
“The platypus is disappearing in front of our very eyes.”
ACF is launching its Platypus Project next month.
It is reaching out to people all over Australia, encouraging them to explore their nearby waterways in search of this fascinating creature.
The goal is to create a comprehensive map of platypus sightings and estimate their population across the nation.
Through this effort, ACF aims to uncover the reasons behind the decline in platypus numbers and hopefully step in before it’s too late and we lose the national treasure forever.
In our region, ACF said it knew there were platypuses in Seven Creeks and the Goulburn River.
But there isn’t a lot of data about which other waterways platypuses live in, where populations might be in decline or even if there have been local extinctions.
The last recorded platypus sighting in the Goulburn River was in 2020, and there has not been a recorded sighting in the Broken River since 2015.
ACF is asking Greater Shepparton residents to head to their local river and look for a platypus.
Not sure how to find them?
Mr Abrahams has you covered.
1. Find a good spot
Locate waterways with lush vegetation, flowing water and calm spots for observing platypus movements as they search for food among rocks and logs.
2. Find a good time
Platypuses are primarily active at night, making dawn and dusk the optimal times for spotting them throughout the year.
During winter and early spring, they’re also active during the day due to increased food requirements.
3. Keep a keen eye out
Watch for water ripples, especially well-formed ‘bulls-eye’ or V-shaped wake ripples, as these are distinctive signs of a platypus’s presence.
Differentiate between platypuses and rakali (native water-rats) by observing their features.
Both tend to float with only their head and body visible, but rakali have a long tail with a white tip, while a platypus’s tail is short, flat and rounded.
Observe their movements — platypuses typically move along the water’s surface, diving for around a minute and then resurfacing.
4. Prepare to share
Try to take a photo — even a phone capture from a distance is valuable.
Using equipment such as a DSLR camera or long-lens can also be helpful.
Note any observations you made, such as the platypus’s movements or the surrounding vegetation.
Record the location — most phones have location settings in the camera app. Otherwise, you can use a phone, GPS, or estimate the location afterwards.
Upload your observation and send it to platypus@acf.org.au
You can sign up for the initiative here: https://www.acf.org.au/platy-project-signup
Good luck!