CLIP 6240

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Platypus - the most unusual animal

Platypus - the most unusual animal
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Key Info
  • Platypus - the most unusual animal
  • Duration: 04:35
  • What is the most unusual-looking animal? Animation describing the different characteristics of the platypus. Grandad Charlie, an elderly tortoise, tells his grandson Sam a story about an unusual animal, the platypus. A young platypus named Peter hatched from his egg. One morning he woke up and his mother wasn't there. He tried to find her. He asked a kookaburra if she was his mummy. She said that although he did have a beak like hers she also had feathers and Peter had fur. He asked a kangaroo if she was his mummy, but the kangaroo said that she did have fur but Peter had webbed feet and she didn't. Peter went back to water and found a duck with webbed feet. The duck said she wasn't his mummy as he had a long tail and she didn't. Peter found a crocodile with a long tail but the crocodile said his tail was different and he also had sharp teeth. Duck decided Peter was a platypus. Kangaroo added that Peter had a poisonous spine to defend himself against the crocodile. Peter then went back to the river and found his mother. The Flash version of this clip has subtitles available.
  • Subject:

    Science

       Topic:

    Living Things in their Environments: Adaptation

  • Keywords: Darwin, predator, prey, adaptation, platypus, duck, egg, kookaburra, kangaroo, crocodile, spine, defend, suckle, mother, fur, beak, webbed feet, swim, sense, evolution, Just So Darwin, animation, subtitled
Ideas for use in class
  • Describe how a platypus senses objects in the water and in the dark. How do platypuses suckle from their mothers? Use as a stimulus resource to discuss and model identification of animals using a key or decision tree. For an example of these animals in the natural world, see Clip 6561.
Background details
  • Clip language : English
  • Aspect ratio : 16x9
Video options
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  • Location of Windows Media clip:
  • Location of Flash Video clip:

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