Normally Australians would be lucky to catch just a glimpse of a platypus’s broad beak and webbed feet as it gracefully paddles through the water.
But one Tasmanian has captured an even rarer sight – two male platypuses in a ferocious battle for dominance.
For 20 minutes Esme Atkinson stood near the bank of a dam at the farm where she works watching the two platypuses spinning each other around in circles, similar to a “crocodile roll”, and lift their bodies upright using their back tail in order to tussle with their feet.
“I’m still pinching myself. I can’t believe I got to see it,” she said. “They were right at my feet at one stage.
“They did not let up in the time I was there, I could have stayed for longer but felt I was imposing.”
Dr Gilad Bino, a platypus researcher at the University of New South Wales Centre for Ecosystem Science, said this behaviour is normal for male platypuses as they battle to be the alpha in the eyes of female platypuses in the lead up to breeding season in September.
While the scuffles aren’t usually a battle to the death, Bino said male platypuses have small venomous spurs tucked into their hind legs that they use to jab their foe. If a human is stung, it can lead to excruciating pain for several months.
Bino said it is not unusual for male platypuses, which are nocturnal and often skittish, to have scarring from the battle wounds around this time of year. Although it is rare for humans to spot this sparring behaviour.
“It’s great that more people get to learn about how cool platypuses are,” he said. “It means more people can see how important it is to protect their habitat.
According to research released in 2020 by the University of New South Wales, platypus habitat has shrunk by almost a quarter in 30 years.
This is being compounded by modern day threats such as water extraction from rivers and creeks and the building of dams and weirs.
Atkinson said she often spots the two platypuses in the dam, but they normally each stick to one end. The day after the scuffle, Atkinson did spot one again.
“He was on the dam spending a lot of time on his back scratching,” she said. “He must have been itchy from his war wounds.”
