| "They don't do much, you know." — Charlene Doofenshmirtz on platypuses.[src] |
A common zoo platypus
A platypus (sometimes referred to as a duck-billed platypus or beaverduck) is a semi-aquatic, egg-laying mammal native to Australia but known to be domesticated in America. Platypuses bear a beaver tail, venomous spurs (males only), a duckbill, webbed feet, and fur, as well as being one of the only mammals to lay eggs. Also, female platypuses sweat milk ("Does This Duckbill Make Me Look Fat?"). Platypuses are always slated as being relatively useless, not "doing much", though one is known to be a high-class member of the Organization Without a Cool Acronym and therefore possesses heightened abilities.
Traits and behavior[]
Description[]
A platypus chirps besides his master, Phineas Flynn.
Platypuses are small monotreme mammals typically known to have turquoise-colored fur, though there are brown-furred variants as well, along with a beaver tail and a duckbill. Platypuses are also often stated to be the only known mammals to lay eggs ("Rollercoaster"). Platypuses are generally considered to be "mindless" and dull, tending to never really "do anything." Like many other animals, however, platypuses have the capability to be highly trainable, even to the point of coming to rival human intelligence, as evident by Agent P, a highly prestigious member of the O.W.C.A. - a spy organization which utilizes the hidden potential of animal intelligence to recruit them as secret agents.
Platypuses naturally make a chirping noise that appears to be understandable to other animals ("Are You My Mummy?"). Humans, however, appear to have no understanding of the chirp whatsoever ("Perry Lays an Egg", "It's About Time!", "Interview With a Platypus").
Natural abilities[]
Platypuses are semi-aquatic and therefore have natural swimming capabilities.
Being semi-aquatic, platypuses can swim underwater for long distances quickly with ease ("Perry the Platypus", "The Magnificent Few", "The Lake Nose Monster", "Interview With a Platypus", "Primal Perry", "La Candace-Cabra"). Due to their small size, they can fit into small spaces as well.
Although they have a reputation for "not doing much," it seems that platypuses in general have the potential to be skilled fighters, as evidenced by the fact that Heinz Doofenshmirtz was able to hold his own against Agent P more easily when he turned himself into a platypus ("Doofapus"). Male platypuses possess a venomous spur on their ankle that can be used in defense ("Primal Perry").
Natural enemies[]
According to Heinz Doofenshmirtz, the natural enemy of the platypus is man, and so he built a robot man named Norm programmed to destroy any platypus it saw - his specific target being Agent P. However, Perry was able to get behind Norm and switch him off ("Greece Lightning").
Other natural enemies of the platypus are snakes and badgers ("Greece Lightning").
The rare Whale song-singing double-breasted angle hooper is also known to be a natural enemy of the platypus. Phineas and Ferb found an egg of one, and raised it thinking it was a platypus egg. Candace put on a platypus suit and took over care of the egg as well. Later, the egg hatched, and the baby whale song singing double breasted angle hooper, already able to fly, instinctively started pecking at Candace's platypus suit. ("Perry Lays an Egg").
Human view on platypuses[]
For centuries, the platypus has been considered by humans to be one of the weirdest creatures of all time. When first discovered to science in 1798, people even thought it was a hoax ("Where's Perry? (Part Two)"). Even to this day, not much is known about platypuses and their behavior. People are known to also frequently confuse a platypus for either a beaver, a duck, or both ("Leave the Busting to Us!", "Nerds of a Feather", "Misperceived Monotreme", "Phineas and Ferb: Mission Marvel").
Prehistoric Platypus[]
A bunkaquan.
Modern platypuses seemed to have descended from an ancient saber-toothed animal species which prehistoric peoples referred to as a "bunkaquan". Like their modern descendants, bunkaquans were known to have been domesticated, and probably "didn't do much". The body shape of the bunkaquan was slightly stockier than a modern platypus. They had pronounced brows, and a row of orange spines running along their tail. A notable member of the species was Bunka da Bunkaquan.
Gallery[]
Background Information[]
A real life platypus
- They are one of the few species of mammals that are venomous.
- There is no universally agreed plural for the word "platypus." The three generally accepted plurals are "platypodes," "platypi," and "platypuses".
- Ferb stated in "Rollercoaster" that platypuses are the only mammals to lay eggs. However echidnas are also mammals that lay eggs, so this is actually false.
- Real life platypuses have brown fur. Almost all platypuses on Phineas and Ferb have turquoise-colored fur, an exception being a brown-furred one shown in Liam McCracken's flashback ("Primal Perry").