Official Kids Mag www.kidscoop.com © Vicki Whiting February 2023
8
BILL:
A platypus is
the only mammal
with a bill. The bill is
covered with skin
that is hairless and
moist. It has no
teeth.
TAIL:
The platypus uses its
tail to steer through
the water. It also
stores fat for when
food is scarce or
when the water is
very cold.
mammal
. The bill is
with skin
irless and
t has no
eth.
FRONT FEET:
A platypus swims using
its front feet, but not its
back feet. When it gets out
of the water, the platypus
can roll back its webbed
front feet and claws pop
out to make it easier to
walk on land.
The pla
tail to
the w
stores
food
when
v
ing
its
s out
ypus
bed
pop
r to
BACK FEET:
The male platypus is one of
the world's few venomous mam-
mals! He has sharp stingers on the
heels of his hind feet. With these
stingers, the male platypus can
sting a foe with a strong venom
that doesn't kill but does
cause a lot of pain.
walk on land.
R D B U L C N K
P B J I M L K L D E
R D T P S L V A B T
W Y C P H U J S
Circle every other letter to discover
the mystery animal:
I have a bill and webbed
feet like a duck.
I lay eggs like a bird
or a reptile.
Mothers of my breed
feed our babies with milk
like a mammal.
I have fur like other
mammals and a flat tail
like a beaver.
Mystery Animal Riddle: What Am I?
The Commonwealth of Australia reveres this remarkable mammal so much that it honors
the platypus with a place on its 20-cent coin.
A platypus is a ___________
feeder. It ____________ up
insects, worms, and shellfish in
its bill along with bits of gravel
from the bottom of streams
and ___________.
The ____________ on its bill
close underwater and the
animal can stay under for up to
two ____________ as it
searches for food.
The mix of gravel and under-
water critters is stored in cheek
____________. The platypus
__________ to the surface and
mashes the material in its
pouches. It has no _________,
so the bits of gravel help to
"chew" their meal.
Dinner Dive
Replace these missing words.
