Platypus
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Fresh flow for platypus
The region’s vulnerable platypus population will be given a boost with a freshening flow down the Coliban River this month. Before the millennium drought, platypus foraging around the banks of the Coliban River downstream of Malmsbury Reservoir was a common sight. However, climate change and challenging flow patterns have had an impact on them, and…
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Platypus death has silver lining
A tiny juvenile female platypus was found recently in a moribund state on the banks of the Coliban River at Malmsbury by early morning walkers. She was in very poor condition and died shortly before biologists from the Australian Platypus Conservancy arrived to transfer her to Healesville Sanctuary for specialised care. Malmsbury Landcare member Chris…
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Working together to protect waterways
On a dry hot summer day last Wednesday, citizen scientists, government agencies, landcare and a platypus ecologist worked together collecting water samples from 20 sites along the Coliban and Campaspe Rivers. The focus of the day was to identify critical refuge areas where platypus can survive during the dry periods. Last Wednesday the lack of…
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Platypus protectors
Lucky students from four primary and secondary schools in our district are learning how to become Platypus Protectors and care for our two beautiful rivers – the Campaspe and the Coliban. The students are involved in the Platypus Project, a collaboration between the Upper Campaspe Landcare Network and platypus ecologist Josh Griffiths from EnviroDNA. The…
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Platypus project begins!
About 130 people gathered on the banks of the Campaspe River in Kyneton on Friday for the launch of the Upper Campaspe Landcare Network’s Platypus Project. With the sound of poddlebonk frogs calling from the river, they learnt from senior wildlife ecologist and platypus expert Josh Griffiths of EnviroDNA how they could be part of…
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Platypus plans
What uses electroreception to find its prey, is venomous, and is a semi aquatic mammal that lays eggs? One of Australia’s iconic species, the platypus. The word ‘platypus’ comes from the Greek for ‘flat-footed’ as they walk on their knuckles when travelling on land to protect their webbed feet. If you’d like to learn more…