Platypus Family Celebrates Birthday With Bubbles Not Balloons in Fight Against Plastics

A family of platypuses celebrated their birthdays at Victoria’s Healesville Sanctuary on October 25 with a mix of bubbles and boogie boards. “Fleay is turning 26 years old, twins Milsomm and Binarri turning 17, Waddirrang 12, Ember 11, Tarrabi 10, Yami nine and Alooka is turning eight years old,” platypus keeper Dr Jess Thomas said. Fleay is the world’s oldest-known platypus and has lived at Healesville Sanctuary since 1993. The duck-billed platypuses are a native Australian species which, along with fellow monotreme the echidna, are one of only two mammals worldwide that lay eggs. “For Yami’s ninth birthday we’ve gotten her a little mermaid boogie board,” Dr Thomas added. “She loves to climb up on it, swim around and investigate it with her bill, like a mermaid.” 17-year-old Milsomm’s present revolved around bubbles. “As the jets push water up from the bottom, he loves to swim through them and let the jet push him through the water nice and fast. He also loves letting the bubbles tickle him on the bill," Dr Thomas said. “These changes in water pressure and flow would resemble the changes in water levels in the creeks, rivers and estuaries that the platypus are found in out in their natural habitat." Instead of balloons, the sanctuary used bubbles to mark the monotremes’ birthdays. “Rubbish from balloons, elastic hair ties and other small plastics are one of the highest contributors to platypus deaths in the wild,” the sanctuary said. Credit: Healesville Sanctuary via Storyful

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