Platyfacts - Meet Kevin

Meet Kevin - he’s a duck-billed platypus. At the Higgins Bedford, Kevin is a much loved part of the collections. Platypuses are a bit special as there isn’t any living animal that’s very much like them at all.  Every now and then we'll post a fascinating fact about platypuses like Kevin. Read on for our very first platyfact. What’s in a name? ‘Platypus’ comes from a scientific name that’s not in use any more, meaning ‘flat-footed’ and 'duck-like’. The scientific name is now Ornithorhynchus anatinus, which means ‘bird-snouted duck-like’. The plural of platypus is ‘platypuses’ or ‘platypodes’. Technically it’s wrong to say 'platypi', because the name platypus is of Greek origin, not Latin. And just for the record, there’s no formally agreed name for the babies. Some people call them ‘puggles’ but that was originally the name given to baby echidnas. Other people call them ‘platypups’. Either way they’re very cute… Check back soon for our next platyfact.