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Moments later,
a mere ripple on the surface saw Alberto motioning us to become
statues. No one moved, I don't think anyone breathed.
The animal that suddenly appeared, 20m
distance, was darker than I expected. Twisting and turning, it dived
and vanished after about 10 seconds. "Quick, follow me".
Our guide beckoned as we ran to keep up with him. "Hes heading
this way. Once he's beneath the water he swims with his eyes, ears
and nose closed. But soon as he surfaces, all his censes are acute."
Alberto stopped abruptly. Lifting his
arm like an Indian chief, to signal us to stop, all movement, he said:
" Have your cameras ready. He'll come up for air right beneath
us." And that's precisely where, to the whirr and click of
cameras, he did.
During the next three hours, focused
on watching, stalking and photographing this unique Australian mammal,
we recorded 11 sightings of seven platypuses. We had to take
Alberto's word on this latter fact as telling one platypus from
another was obviously a job for the experts.
Now was time for morning tea. A small
but beautiful riverside beach became the setting for a wood fire and
the chance to discuss our sightings. The two biologists in our group
could barely contain their excitement. So many close sightings in
such pristine environment had virtually blown them away. As we sipped
billy tea and munched on home made muffins, we learned more about the
reticent, web-footed object of our search.
"There has been some quite
intensive studies completed on platypus in regions south of here,"
Alberto said. " But not in the tropics. While it appears to be
much the same creature, its habits in North Queensland are very
different to those elsewhere and possibly so to are its habits."
Surprisingly, I learned no one has witnessed a platypus laying eggs.
The species lives as far north as Cooktown and in streams in the very
south of Tasmania. Having experienced little change in it's make up
for 50,000 years, the platypus is very much a living fossil. It's not
easy to find in the wild and is so timid, it's almost impossible to
photograph close up.
But few creatures, even in this
country of so many, weird, endemic species, deserve as much interest
and fascination as the platypus.
(This article is contributed by Wildscapes
Safaris Cairns - Editor.)
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Categories
Platypus spotting is one of the most popular and
potentially rewarding of all tropical ecotourism
activities.