It is hard to guess what a Platypus weights. But we have the answer:
An adult Platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) on average weights 1.48 kg (3.27 lbs).
The Platypus is from the family Ornithorhynchidae (genus: Ornithorhynchus). They can live for up to 22 years. When reaching adult age, they grow up to 41.9 cm (1′ 5″). Usually, Platypuss have 2 babies per litter.
As a reference: An average human weights in at 62 kg (137 lbs) and reaches an average size of 1.65m (5′ 5″). Humans spend 280 days (40 weeks) in the womb of their mother and reach around 75 years of age.
The platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus), sometimes referred to as the duck-billed platypus, is a semiaquatic egg-laying mammal endemic to eastern Australia, including Tasmania. The platypus is the sole living representative of its family (Ornithorhynchidae) and genus (Ornithorhynchus), though a number of related species appear in the fossil record.Together with the four species of echidna, it is one of the five extant species of monotremes, the only mammals that lay eggs instead of giving birth to live young. Like other monotremes it senses prey through electrolocation. It is one of the few species of venomous mammals, as the male platypus has a spur on the hind foot that delivers a venom capable of causing severe pain to humans.The unusual appearance of this egg-laying, duck-billed, beaver-tailed, otter-footed mammal baffled European naturalists when they first encountered it, and the first scientists to examine a preserved platypus body (in 1799) judged it a fake, made of several animals sewn together.The unique features of the platypus make it an important subject in the study of evolutionary biology, and a recognisable and iconic symbol of Australia. It has appeared as a mascot at national events and features on the reverse of the Australian twenty-cent coin, and the platypus is the animal emblem of the state of New South Wales.Until the early 20th century humans hunted the platypus for its fur, but it is now protected throughout its range. Although captive-breeding programs have had only limited success, and the platypus is vulnerable to the effects of pollution, it is not under any immediate threat.
Animals with the same weight as a Platypus
As a comparison, here are some other animals that weight as much as the Ornithorhynchus anatinus:
- Short-tailed mongoose with a weight of 1.4 kilos (3.09 lbs)
- Lac Alaotra bamboo lemur with a weight of 1.62 kilos (3.57 lbs)
- Gambian mongoose with a weight of 1.64 kilos (3.62 lbs)
- Atlantic titi with a weight of 1.39 kilos (3.06 lbs)
- Coppery ringtail possum with a weight of 1.77 kilos (3.9 lbs)
- Black-footed cat with a weight of 1.36 kilos (3 lbs)
- Lake Mackay hare-wallaby with a weight of 1.5 kilos (3.31 lbs)
- Eastern cottontail with a weight of 1.21 kilos (2.67 lbs)
- Pel’s flying squirrel with a weight of 1.77 kilos (3.9 lbs)
- Haussa genet with a weight of 1.4 kilos (3.09 lbs)
Animals with the same size as a Platypus
Not that size really matters, but it makes things comparable. So here are a couple of animals that are as big as Platypus:
- Menzies’ echymipera with a size of 34.9 cm (1′ 2″)
- Crested mona monkey with a size of 45.9 cm (1′ 7″)
- Humboldt’s white-fronted capuchin with a size of 38.4 cm (1′ 4″)
- Pig-tailed langur with a size of 49.9 cm (1′ 8″)
- Ring-tailed cat with a size of 33.9 cm (1′ 2″)
- American hog-nosed skunk with a size of 42.2 cm (1′ 5″)
- Rio Tapajós saki with a size of 39.9 cm (1′ 4″)
- Amami rabbit with a size of 44.4 cm (1′ 6″)
- Red-tailed monkey with a size of 44.4 cm (1′ 6″)
- Common brown lemur with a size of 46.3 cm (1′ 7″)
Animals with the same litter size as a Platypus
Here is a list of animals that have the same number of babies per litter (2) as a Platypus:
- Chinese mole shrew
- Southern spiny pocket mouse
- Dobson’s shrew tenrec
- Himalayan striped squirrel
- Desert woodrat
- Fat-tailed dwarf lemur
- Serval
- Tatra pine vole
- Caracal
- Central African oyan
Animals with the same life expectancy as a Platypus
Completely different animals, but becoming as old as a Platypus:
- Masked palm civet with an average maximal age of 18 years
- Eld’s deer with an average maximal age of 19.33 years
- Japanese serow with an average maximal age of 18.5 years
- Swift fox with an average maximal age of 20 years
- Takin with an average maximal age of 19.5 years
- Mule deer with an average maximal age of 22 years
- Cacomistle with an average maximal age of 23 years
- North American river otter with an average maximal age of 25 years
- Indian hog deer with an average maximal age of 20 years
- Large Indian civet with an average maximal age of 20 years