Grant T R, Temple-Smith P D
School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, University of New South Wales, Australia.
Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 1998 Jul 29;353(1372):1081-91. doi: 10.1098/rstb.1998.0267.
The field biology of the platypus, Ornithorhynchus anatinus, was first studied by a number of expatriate biologists who visited the Australian colonies to collect specimens in the 1800s. Their work was followed in the early to mid-1900s by a group of resident natural historians and later by an increasing number of academic biologists. All of these workers contributed significantly to the current understanding of the field biology of this unique Australian species. The platypus occupies much the same general distribution as it did prior to European occupation of Australia, except for its loss from the state of South Australia. However, local changes and fragmentation of distribution due to human modification of its habitat are documented. The species currently inhabits eastern Australia from around Cooktown in the north to Tasmania in the south. Although not found in the west-flowing rivers of northern Queensland, it inhabits the upper reaches of rivers flowing to the west and north of the dividing ranges in the south of the state and in New South Wales and Victoria. Its current and historical abundance, however, is less well known and it has probably declined in numbers, although still being considered as common over most of its current range. The species was extensively hunted for its fur until around this turn of this century. The platypus is mostly nocturnal in its foraging activities, being predominantly an opportunistic carnivore of benthic invertebrates. The species is homeothermic, maintaining its low body temperature (32 degrees C), even while foraging for hours in water below 5 degrees C. Its major habitat requirements include both riverine and riparian features which maintain a supply of benthic prey species and consolidated banks into which resting and nesting burrows can be excavated. The species exhibits a single breeding season, with mating occurring in late winter or spring and young first emerging into the water after 3-4 months of nurture by the lactating females in the nesting burrows. Natural history observations, mark and recapture studies and preliminary investigations of population genetics indicate the possibility of resident and transient members of populations and suggest a polygynous mating system. Recent field studies have largely confirmed and extended the work of the early biologists and natural historians.
鸭嘴兽（Ornithorhynchus anatinus）的野外生物学研究最初由一批在19世纪前往澳大利亚殖民地采集标本的侨居生物学家开展。20世纪初至中叶，一批当地的自然历史学家继续了他们的工作，后来又有越来越多的学术生物学家加入。所有这些研究者都为当前对这种独特澳大利亚物种的野外生物学理解做出了重大贡献。鸭嘴兽的总体分布范围与欧洲人占领澳大利亚之前大致相同，只是在南澳大利亚州绝迹了。不过，有记录表明，由于人类对其栖息地的改造，其分布出现了局部变化和碎片化。该物种目前栖息在澳大利亚东部，北起库克敦附近，南至塔斯马尼亚岛。虽然在昆士兰州北部向西流的河流中未发现，但它栖息在该州南部、新南威尔士州和维多利亚州分水岭以西和以北河流的上游。然而，其当前和历史上的数量情况鲜为人知，其数量可能已经减少，尽管在其当前分布的大部分地区仍被认为较为常见。直到本世纪初左右，该物种一直因其珍贵的皮毛而遭到大量捕杀。鸭嘴兽的觅食活动大多在夜间进行，主要是机会主义的底栖无脊椎动物食肉动物。该物种是恒温动物，即使在5摄氏度以下的水中觅食数小时，也能保持较低的体温（32摄氏度）。其主要的栖息地要求包括河流和河岸特征，以维持底栖猎物的供应，并提供坚固的河岸，以便挖掘休息和筑巢洞穴。该物种有一个单一的繁殖季节，交配发生在冬末或春季，幼崽在巢穴中由哺乳期雌性养育3至4个月后首次进入水中。自然历史观察、标记重捕研究和种群遗传学的初步调查表明，种群中可能存在定居和短暂停留的个体，并暗示存在一夫多妻制的交配系统。最近的野外研究在很大程度上证实并扩展了早期生物学家和自然历史学家的工作。
