NOTE: IRZ = In Robot Zoo and IRL = In Real Life
IRL: The platypus uses its beak-like snout as a sensory device for hunting crayfish and worms in dark, murky waters.
IRZ: The robot’s snout has sensory endings that can find food both by touch and by picking up electrical impulses from its prey.
IRL: Once a platypus’ eggs hatch, the mother raises its young on milk as all mammals do. Instead of suckling, however, the babies lap up milk the mother excretes through many openings on her belly.
IRZ: The webbed front feet of the robot have two roles. With the flaps turned back, the claws stick out enabling a platypus to dig a burrow in a riverbank. With the webbing extended, the front feet are powerful paddles for swimming.
IRL: When the first platypuses arrived in Europe from Australia 200 years ago, scientists thought they were fakes. They could not believe the same animal could have a bill like a duck, a tail like a beaver, be covered with fur and lay eggs.
REAL ANIMAL FACTS
- Length: To 18 in. (46 cm)
- Weight: To 5 lbs. (2.3 kg)
- Location: Tasmania and eastern Australia
Learn more about the Playpus