Look it up now! Solitary; Fun Fact The first specimen seen in Europe was thought to be fake! Adding to the animal’s distinctive appearance are conspicuous white patches of fur under the eyes. Wrong! Name Of Young Baby Platypus Group Behavior. Platypuses Are Venomous Mammals Anas, the “genus” is Latin for duck, and indicates that the Mallard is related to other ducks such as the Pintail, Gadwall, and Black Duck.The species name, platyrhynchos, is Greek for flat bill, referring to the typical ducklike bill.See my book, Latin for Bird Lovers, just out in 2014. Scientific name definition at Dictionary.com, a free online dictionary with pronunciation, synonyms and translation. WATCH: Platypus Hunts with “Sixth Sense” With the tail of a beaver, and a bill like a duck's, the platypus is a real ungainly creature. The generic name had been pre-empted, but not the specific name. Platypus, small amphibious Australian mammal noted for its odd combination of primitive features and special adaptations, especially the flat, almost comical duck-beak-like bill. Anas platyrhynchos is the scientific name for the Mallard . The scientific name Ornithorhynchus anatinus is derived from ορνιθόρυγχος (ornithorhynkhos), which literally means "bird snout" in Greek; and anatinus, which means "duck-like" in Latin. The Platypus is a common species with very little apparent change in its historical distribution (except in South Australia). In these names, abbreviations for the words ‘subspecies’ and ‘variety’ take a full stop. Backhousia citriodora is the scientific name of the lemon myrtle. The Platypus is protected by legislation in all of the states that it occurs in. 2. It was then re-christened Ornithorhynchus paradoxus. But there's more to this strange killer than meets the eye. Ornithorhynchus anatinus is the scientific name of the platypus. Whenever a scientific name is first mentioned in a piece of literature, ... monotreme like the platypus and was therefore reassigned to the platypus genus Ornithorhynchus (birdlike snout), with the species label of hystrix Individuals cannot be captured or killed, except for scientific research. The critter's scientific name is now Ornithorhynchus anatinus, and it is the only living representative of its family and genus. There is no universally-agreed plural form of "platypus" in the English language. The correct name is Ornithorhynchus anatinus. Originally called Platypus anatinus, its generic name was pre-empted by a genus of insects. Subspecies and the names of varieties are also italicised. Meaning : Originally the mother of Hermes in Greek mythology and the goddess of growth in Roman mythology, alternatively spelled Maja. 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