![]() ![]() We think you’ll agree, though, that a lesser-known term for young swans, flappers, is pretty darn cute and seemingly appropriate for a baby bird learning to fly. The most common term for baby swans is cygnets, which is derived from an Old French term meaning little. The majority of the world’s marsupials live in Australia, and the term joey originates from an aboriginal term meaning small animal. Like all marsupials, baby opossums are called joeys. Because they have little to no fur, their pink skin is evident early in life. Mice and ratsīaby mice and rats are referred to as pups, but they are also sometimes called pinkies, likely a reference to their coloring at birth. Baby woodchucks are actually sometimes referred to as chucklings, and it doesn’t get much cuter than that. Woodchucksīaby woodchucks are called pups or kits, but we think everyone can agree that the cutest name for a baby woodchuck is a chuckling. Baby llamas and alpacas are called crias, and a baby hare is a leveret.Ĭloser to home, we see plenty of baby animals that have names that range from too cute to downright unusual. In what may be a nod to onomatopoeia, baby partridges are called cheepers. In a more straightforward naming convention, baby goats are called kids. Need more convincing? Baby platypuses (or would you rather call them platypi?) and echidnas are called puggles, although there’s a movement afoot to have baby platypuses called platypups. Case in point: A baby porcupine is called a porcupette. Its fur is waterproof and traps an insulating layer of air next to its skin.Almost nothing in nature is cuter than a baby animal, but some of the terms used for baby animals are almost as adorable as the babies themselves. It can reduce blood flow to areas of its body that have no fur, particularly its tail, rear feet and bill. The platypus keeps its body temperature constant by controlling the heat produced from metabolism (all the chemical reactions that occur in the body). Although it has no teeth, the platypus uses grinding plates on the upper and lower surfaces of the jaw to chew its food. It helps the animal to find its way, to search for food and to pick up electrical discharges from its prey. The duck-like bill of the platypus is a flexible, soft and very sensitive organ. It has sharp vision over long distances, but because its eyes are towards the top of its head it cannot see objects directly under its nose. The platypus has no outer ear lobe, and both its eyes and ears close when it dives. ![]() When digging a burrow or moving on land, platypuses can fold away their webbed foot extensions. The forelegs push the animal through the water while the hind legs trail behind, acting as stability rudders. With their slightly flattened, streamlined body and short, stout legs, they are well-adapted for swimming. This fur ranges in colour from grey to dark brown. Under their long, coarse outer hair is a fine, dense underfur which is woolly in texture. Platypuses are dark brown on their backs and generally light brown on their bellies. The average male platypus is about 50 centimetres long (head to tail) while females measure about 43 centimetres. The platypus and two species of echidna are the world's only monotremes, or egg-laying mammals.Ībout half the size of a household cat, adult males and females can differ greatly in size and weight. ![]()
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