duckbilled platypus
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun: 1. A small, semi-aquatic, egg-laying mammal native to eastern Australia and Tasmania: It is characterized by a unique combination of features including a broad, leathery bill resembling that of a duck, a dense, waterproof fur coat, webbed feet for swimming, and a flat, beaver-like tail. It is one of the only five extant species of monotremes, mammals that lay eggs instead of giving birth to live young.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- The duckbilled platypus is one of the most unusual animals in the world.
- Scientists were initially skeptical that a preserved duckbilled platypus specimen was real.
- Observing a duckbilled platypus foraging for food in a river is a rare and special experience.
Advanced Usage
- In biological and zoological contexts: The term is used precisely to refer to the species . It is often discussed in relation to evolutionary biology due to its unique combination of reptilian, avian, and mammalian traits.
- The duckbilled platypus genome provides crucial insights into mammalian evolution.
Variants and Related Words
- Platypus (n): The common shortened form of "duckbilled platypus." This is the most frequently used term.
- We went hiking in hopes of spotting a platypus.
- Ornithorhynchus anatinus (n): The formal scientific (binomial) name for the species.
- Monotreme (n): The order of egg-laying mammals to which the platypus belongs, also including echidnas.
Synonyms
- Platypus: The standard synonym.
- Ornithorhynchus (scientific): Used in technical writing.
Related Idioms and Phrases
- As odd/unique as a duckbilled platypus: Used figuratively to describe something or someone that is highly unusual or an anomaly.
- His approach to solving the problem was as unique as a duckbilled platypus.
Noun
- small densely furred aquatic monotreme of Australia and Tasmania having a broad bill and tail and webbed feet; only species in the family Ornithorhynchidae