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The platypus senses electrical signals generated by prey using its bill. The figure is taken from Encyclopædia Britannica, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.

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A platypus uses electricity to hunt under water

The platypus senses electrical signals generated by prey using its bill.

Thousands of electrosensors in the platypus bill detect tiny electrical currents created by the muscle movements of crustaceans and worms. This electroreception allows the platypus to hunt effectively in murky riverbeds with its eyes, ears, and nostrils closed.

Platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus). First Description 1799 — Frederick Polydore Nodder · CC0 · licence · source

Where this comes from

Encyclopædia Britannica

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Tags: platypus, mammals, sensory

A platypus uses electricity to hunt under water: the short answers

Where does this come from, and can I check it?: The platypus senses electrical signals generated by prey using its bill. The figure is taken from Encyclopædia Britannica, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
Is this really a animals fact?: Yes. It sits on the Animals shelf, one of 1,090 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
What else can I read about it?: The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.