RC Platypus and Echidna

1. Which two things do an echidna and a platypus have in common?

• They live only on land and lay eggs.

• They eat shrimp and live on land.

• They are monotremes and eat shrimp.

• They are monotremes and lay eggs.

Use the information on the Venn diagram to help you find the answer.

The platypus and the echidna both ...

• have a large tail and dig with claws.

• lay eggs and have a pouch.

• are monotremes and lay eggs.

• are covered in fur and are monotremes.

Echidnas and platypuses have this in common.

• They both eat freshwater crayfish.

• They both use their back claws for grooming.

• They are both covered in a coarse hair.

• They both feature on an Australian coin.

Which two things are only true for echidnas?

• They are mammals and usually lay two eggs

• They have powerful claws and a rubbery bill.

• They lay one egg and are monotremes.

• They are monotremes and have webbed feet.

Describe three ways that the appearance of a platypus and echidna are different

Explain what is similar about a platypus's bill and an echidna's snout

The echidna and the platypus are similar because

• they both find food in streams and river beds.

• they are both covered in coarse hair.

• they both lay soft-shelled eggs.

• they both use their tail to keep their offspring close.

Platypuses and echidnas are similar because:

• they eat insects.

• they use their back feet as brakes.

• they have coarse hair.

• their young are called puggles.

2. Explain how the platypus and echidna use their front feet and claws and their back feet and claws differently from each other.

What is different about the way an echidna and a platypus react when threatened by a predator?