ANZAAS, Victorian Division
EVENING SCIENCE TALK IN MELBOURNE
All welcome, free entry (No booking needed)
Refreshments following the talk.

Venue:  Casey Plaza Theatre (RMIT), Bowne Street, off LaTrobe Street (Melway 579 H6)

Mr Geoff Williams and Dr Melody Serena from the Australian Platypus Conservancy speaking on…
 

Platypus ecology in the Melbourne area.

The platypus is regarded as one of the world’s strangest animals. It is a mammal but, like a reptile, lays eggs and produces venom. The animal’s unique bill also contains hundreds of electrical receptors which it uses to locate its food.

People think this supposedly shy and sensitive creature is found only in pristine rivers, far from our cities. But the platypus can actually inhabit a range of water bodies in close proximity to humans.

Since 1995 the Australian Platypus Conservancy, together with  Melbourne Water, has undertaken studies to map where platypus occur in the metropolitan area and learn more about the species’ ecology in urbanised habitats. These have shown water quality and toxic contaminants in bottom sediment to be just two aspects of platypus habitat influencing the survival of Melbourne’s platypus populations.

Better understanding of the animal’s remarkable mobility (which has seen some individuals make journeys of more than 50 kilometres) and its unexpectedly long lifespan is providing some insight into how the species might respond to drought, flood and longer term climate change.

ANZAAS Melbourne science talks series acknowledges the support by the Finkel Foundation.