An illustration of a platypus, a unique mammal with the appearance of a duck's beak and the body of a small otter, measuring over two feet long. It has a soft brown fur, small eyes, and no visible ears. The platypus has short, strong limbs with five toes on each foot, webbed toes, and hooked claws. It is often found near water burrows and feeds on insects and fish. The platypus is oviparous, has a marsupium for rearing its young, lacks nipples, and secretes milk through mammary glands in the skin. The young have teeth that are shed upon maturity. The platypus is native to Australia and is considered a primitive mammal with both mammalian and reptilian characteristics.