62-477: This article is about the surname. For the river, see Coliban River . For the water corporation, see Coliban Water . Coliban is a Romanian surname . Notable people with the surname include: Ion Coliban (born 1925, date of death unknown), Romanian skier Sorin Coliban (born 1976), Romanian opera singer [REDACTED] Surname list This page lists people with
124-470: A calcaneus spur on each hind limb. The female platypus, in common with echidnas, has rudimentary spur buds that do not develop (dropping off before the end of their first year) and lack functional crural glands. Venom production rises among males during the breeding season, and it may be used to assert dominance. Similar spurs are found on many archaic mammal groups, indicating that this was an ancient general characteristic among mammals. Monotremes are
186-452: A polygynous mating system. Females are believed to become sexually mature in their second year, with breeding observed in animals over nine years old. During copulation , the male grasps the female's tail with his bill, wraps his tail around her, then grips her neck or shoulder, everts his penis through his cloaca, and inserts it into her urogenital sinus . He takes no part in nesting, living in his year-long resting burrow. After mating,
248-431: A chicken egg, which spends about one day in tract and 21 days externally). The female curls around the incubating eggs, which develop in three phases. In the first, the embryo has no functional organs and relies on the yolk sac for sustenance, until the sac is absorbed. During the second phase, the digits develop, and in the last phase, the egg tooth appears. At first, European naturalists could hardly believe that
310-449: A distinctive lower molar tooth row was previously present in its lineage for over 95 million years. Even its closest relative, Obdurodon , which otherwise closely resembles the platypus, retained this tooth row. More recent studies indicate that this tooth loss was a geologically very recent event, occurring only around the Plio - Pleistocene (around 2.5 million years ago), when the rakali ,
372-426: A large optic tectum , suggesting that the visual midbrain plays a more important role than the visual cortex , as in some rodents. These features suggest that the platypus has adapted to an aquatic and nocturnal lifestyle, developing its electrosensory system at the cost of its visual system. This contrasts with the small number of electroreceptors in the short-beaked echidna , which dwells in dry environments, while
434-451: A large semiaquatic rodent , colonized Australia from New Guinea . The platypus, which previously fed on a wide array of hard and soft-bodied prey, was outcompeted by the rakali over hard-bodied prey such as crayfish and mussels. This competition may have selected for the loss of teeth in the platypus and their replacement by horny pads, as a way of specializing for softer-bodied prey, which the rakali did not compete with it over. Because of
496-563: A legally protected species in all states where it occurs since 1912. Its population is not under severe threat, although captive-breeding programs have had slight success, and it is vulnerable to pollution. It is classified as a near-threatened species by the IUCN , but a November 2020 report has recommended that it be upgraded to threatened species under the federal EPBC Act , due to habitat destruction and declining numbers in all states. Australian Aboriginal people name or have named
558-503: A nesting platypus was filmed inside the recently reopened sanctuary. There is a population on Kangaroo Island introduced in the 1920s, said to stand at 150 individuals in the Rocky River region of Flinders Chase National Park . In the 2019–20 Australian bushfire season , large portions of the island burnt, decimating wildlife. However, SA Department for Environment and Water recovery teams worked to reinstate their habitat, with
620-598: A number of sightings reported by April 2020. The platypus is no longer found in the main Murray–Darling Basin , possibly due to declining water quality from land clearing and irrigation although it is found in the Goulburn River in Victoria. Along the coastal river systems, its distribution is unpredictable: absent in some relatively healthy rivers, but present in some quite degraded ones, for example
682-660: Is larila . When the platypus was first encountered by Europeans in 1798, a pelt and sketch were sent back to Great Britain by Captain John Hunter , the second Governor of New South Wales . British scientists' initial hunch was that the attributes were a hoax. George Shaw , who produced the first description of the animal in the Naturalist's Miscellany in 1799, stated it was impossible not to entertain doubts as to its genuine nature, and Robert Knox believed it might have been produced by some Asian taxidermist . It
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#1732780586210744-404: Is composed largely of defensin -like proteins (DLPs) produced by the immune system, three of which are unique to the platypus. In other animals, defensins kill pathogenic bacteria and viruses, but in platypuses they are also collected into a venom against predators. Venom is produced in the crural glands of the male, which are kidney-shaped alveolar glands connected by a thin-walled duct to
806-700: Is different from Wikidata All set index articles Coliban River The Coliban River , an inland perennial river of the north–central catchment, part of the Murray-Darling basin , is located in the lower Riverina bioregion and Central Highlands region of the Australian state of Victoria . The headwaters of the Coliban River rise on the northern slopes of the Great Dividing Range and descend to flow north into
868-406: Is incorrect. In fact, modern monotremes are the survivors of an early branching of the mammal tree, and a later branching is thought to have led to the marsupial and placental groups. Molecular clock and fossil dating suggest platypuses split from echidnas around 19–48 million years ago. The oldest discovered fossil of the modern platypus dates back to about 100,000 years ago during
930-429: Is one of the few species of venomous mammals , as the male platypus has a spur on the hind foot that delivers an extremely painful venom . The unusual appearance of this egg-laying, duck -billed, beaver -tailed, otter -footed mammal at first baffled European naturalists. In 1799, the first scientists to examine a preserved platypus body judged it a fake made of several animals sewn together. The unique features of
992-467: Is specifically called the "duck-billed platypus". The scientific name Ornithorhynchus anatinus literally means 'duck-like bird-snout', deriving its genus name from the Greek root ornith- ( όρνιθ ornith or ὄρνις órnīs 'bird') and the word rhúnkhos ( ῥύγχος 'snout', 'beak'). Its species name is derived from Latin anatinus ('duck-like') from anas 'duck'. The platypus
1054-474: Is the sole living representative or monotypic taxon of its family Ornithorhynchidae and genus Ornithorhynchus , though a number of related species appear in the fossil record. Together with the four species of echidna , it is one of the five extant species of monotremes , mammals that lay eggs instead of giving birth to live young. Like other monotremes, the platypus has a sense of electrolocation , which it uses to detect prey in cloudy water. It
1116-402: Is the sole living representative or monotypic taxon of its family (Ornithorhynchidae). In David Collins 's account of the new colony 1788–1801, he describes "an amphibious animal, of the mole species", with a drawing. The body and the broad, flat tail of the platypus are covered with dense, brown, biofluorescent fur that traps a layer of insulating air to keep the animal warm. The fur
1178-471: Is waterproof, and textured like that of a mole . The platypus's tail stores fat reserves, an adaptation also found in the Tasmanian devil . Webbing is more significant on the front feet, which in land walking are folded up in knuckle-walking to protect the webbing. The elongated snout and lower jaw are covered in soft skin, forming the bill. The nostrils are located on the snout's dorsal surface, while
1240-810: The Campaspe River with the impounded Lake Eppalock . The river is a major water supply source for towns and cities in the lower Central Highlands region. The river rises below Little Hampton near Lyonville in the Great Dividing Range and flows generally north, descending 33 metres (108 ft) over the Trentham Falls, and continuing to flow northward to the Upper Coliban, Lauriston and Malmsbury reservoirs. Subsequently, it flows through Malmsbury , Metcalfe , Redesdale and Mintaro , and finally reaches its confluence with
1302-466: The Campaspe River within Lake Eppalock . The river descends 518 metres (1,699 ft) over its 89-kilometre (55 mi) course . Gold was found in the river in 1858, and water from the river was used to supply the goldfields cities of Bendigo and Castlemaine . As the population of those cities grew a water supply system consisting of 70 kilometres (43 mi) of tunnels and aqueducts
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#17327805862101364-455: The Linnaean name Platypus anatinus when he described it, but the genus term was quickly discovered to already be in use as the name of the wood-boring ambrosia beetle genus Platypus . It was independently described as Ornithorhynchus paradoxus by Johann Blumenbach in 1800 (from a specimen given to him by Sir Joseph Banks ) and following the rules of priority of nomenclature, it
1426-539: The Macquarie perch . Four of the fish species are endangered and the trout cod is regarded as critically endangered in the river, and may no longer be present. Indigenous vegetation in the area includes the black gum ( Eucalyptus aggregata ) which, though once plentiful in the area, is now rare due to vegetation clearance over many years. In the Aboriginal Djadjawurrung language , the name for
1488-610: The Quaternary period, though a limb bone of Ornithorhynchus is known from Pliocene -aged strata. The extinct monotremes Teinolophos and Steropodon from the Cretaceous were once thought to be closely related to the modern platypus, but are now considered more basal taxa. The fossilised Steropodon was discovered in New South Wales and is composed of an opalised lower jawbone with three molar teeth (whereas
1550-510: The long-beaked echidna , which lives in moist environments, is intermediate between the other two monotremes. In 2020, research revealed that platypus fur gives a bluish-green biofluorescent glow in black light . The platypus is semiaquatic, inhabiting small streams and rivers over an extensive range from the cold highlands of Tasmania and the Australian Alps to the tropical rainforests of coastal Queensland as far north as
1612-445: The surname Coliban . If an internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding the person's given name (s) to the link. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Coliban&oldid=1163190568 " Categories : Surnames Romanian-language surnames Hidden categories: Articles with short description Short description
1674-400: The 19th century myths that grew up around them – for example, that the monotremes were "inferior" or quasireptilian – still endure. In 1947, William King Gregory theorised that placental mammals and marsupials may have diverged earlier, and a subsequent branching divided the monotremes and marsupials, but later research and fossil discoveries have suggested this
1736-448: The X chromosomes of the platypus has great homology to the bird Z chromosome. The platypus genome also has both reptilian and mammalian genes associated with egg fertilisation. Though the platypus lacks the mammalian sex-determining gene SRY , a study found that the mechanism of sex determination is the AMH gene on the oldest Y chromosome . A draft version of the platypus genome sequence
1798-474: The adult contemporary platypus is toothless). The molar teeth were initially thought to be tribosphenic , which would have supported a variation of Gregory's theory, but later research has suggested, while they have three cusps, they evolved under a separate process. The fossil jaw of Teinolophos is thought to be about 110 million years old, making it the oldest mammal fossil found in Australia. Unlike
1860-435: The animal's head while hunting. It may also be able to determine the distance of moving prey from the time lag between their electrical and mechanical pressure pulses. Monotreme electrolocation for hunting in murky waters may be tied to their tooth loss. The extinct Obdurodon was electroreceptive, but unlike the modern platypus it foraged pelagically (near the ocean surface). In recent studies it has been suggested that
1922-695: The base of the Cape York Peninsula . Inland, its distribution is not well known. It was considered extinct on the South Australian mainland, with the last sighting recorded at Renmark in 1975. In the 1980s, John Wamsley created a platypus breeding program in Warrawong Sanctuary (see below ), which subsequently closed. In 2017 there were some unconfirmed sightings downstream from the sanctuary, and in October 2020
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1984-597: The bones show osteosclerosis , increasing their density to provide ballast. The platypus jaw is constructed differently from that of other mammals, and the jaw-opening muscle is different. Modern platypus young have three teeth in each of the maxillae (one premolar and two molars ) and dentaries (three molars), which they lose before or just after leaving the breeding burrow; adults instead develop heavily keratinised food-grinding pads called ceratodontes . The first upper and third lower cheek teeth of platypus nestlings are small, each having one principal cusp, while
2046-423: The burrow to remain dry. After about five weeks, the mother begins to spend more time away from her young, and at around four months, the young emerge from the burrow. A platypus is born with teeth, but these drop out at a very early age, leaving the horny plates it uses to grind food. Platypus Echidnas Marsupials Eutherians The platypus and other monotremes were very poorly understood, and some of
2108-576: The early divergence from the therian mammals and the low numbers of extant monotreme species, the platypus is a frequent subject of research in evolutionary biology. In 2004, researchers at the Australian National University discovered the platypus has ten sex chromosomes , compared with two (XY) in most other mammals. These ten chromosomes form five unique pairs of XY in males and XX in females, i.e. males are X 1 Y 1 X 2 Y 2 X 3 Y 3 X 4 Y 4 X 5 Y 5 . One of
2170-437: The egg's cytoplasm, allowing the yolk and embryo to exchange waste and nutrients with the egg through the cytoplasm. Young platypus are called "puggles". Newly hatched platypuses are vulnerable, blind, and hairless, and are fed by the mother's milk, that provides all the requirements for growth and development. The platypus's mammary glands lack teats, with milk released through pores in the skin. The milk pools in grooves on
2232-400: The eyes and ears are just behind the snout in a groove which closes underwater. Platypuses can give a low growl when disturbed, and a range of vocalisations have been reported in captivity. Size varies considerably in different regions, with average weight from 0.7 to 2.4 kg (1 lb 9 oz to 5 lb 5 oz); males have average length 50 cm (20 in), while females are
2294-410: The eyes of the platypus are more similar to those of Pacific hagfish or Northern Hemisphere lampreys than to those of most tetrapods. The eyes also contain double cones , unlike most mammals. Although the platypus's eyes are small and not used under water, several features indicate that vision was important for its ancestors. The corneal surface and the adjacent surface of the lens is flat, while
2356-646: The female constructs a deep, elaborate nesting burrow up to 20 m (65 ft) long. She tucks fallen leaves and reeds underneath her curled tail, dragging them to the burrow to soften the tunnel floor with folded wet leaves, and to line the nest at the end with bedding. The female has two ovaries , but only the left one is functional. She lays one to three (usually two) small, leathery eggs (similar to those of reptiles), about 11 mm ( 7 ⁄ 16 in) in diameter and slightly rounder than bird eggs. The eggs develop in utero for about 28 days, with only about 10 days of external incubation (in contrast to
2418-411: The female platypus lays eggs, but this was finally confirmed by William Hay Caldwell in 1884. Most mammal zygotes go through holoblastic cleavage, splitting into multiple divisible daughter cells. However, monotremes like the platypus, along with reptiles and birds , undergo meroblastic cleavage, in which the ovum does not split completely. The cells at the edge of the yolk remain continuous with
2480-473: The few marginal surviving monotreme species, rather than a general characteristic of past monotremes. In addition to laying eggs, the anatomy, ontogeny , and genetics of monotremes shows traces of similarity to reptiles and birds. The platypus has a reptilian gait with legs on the sides of the body, rather than underneath. The platypus's genes are a possible evolutionary link between the mammalian XY and bird/reptile ZW sex-determination systems, as one of
2542-473: The late Oligocene to the Miocene of Australia. It closely resembled the modern platypus, aside from the presence of molar teeth. A fossilised tooth of the giant platypus Obdurodon tharalkooschild was dated 5–15 million years ago. Judging by the tooth, the animal measured 1.3 metres long, making it the largest platypus on record. The loss of teeth in the modern platypus has long been enigmatic, as
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2604-489: The lower Maribyrnong . In captivity, platypuses have survived to 30 years of age, and wild specimens have been recaptured when 24 years old. Mortality rates for adults in the wild appear to be low. Natural predators include snakes , water rats , goannas , hawks , owls , and eagles . Low platypus numbers in northern Australia are possibly due to predation by crocodiles . The introduction of red foxes in 1845 for sport hunting may have had some impact on its numbers on
2666-435: The mainland. The platypus is generally nocturnal and crepuscular , but can be active on overcast days. Its habitat bridges rivers and the riparian zone , where it finds both prey and river banks to dig resting and nesting burrows. It may have a range of up to 7 km (4.3 mi), with a male's home range overlapping those of three or four females. The platypus is an excellent swimmer and spends much of its time in
2728-575: The modern platypus (and echidnas ), Teinolophos lacked a beak. In 2024, Late Cretaceous ( Cenomanian )-aged fossil specimens of actual early platypus relatives were recovered from the same rocks as Steropodon , including the basal Opalios and the more derived Dharragarra , the latter of which may be the oldest member of the platypus stem -lineage, as it retains the same dental formula found in Cenozoic platypus relatives. Monotrematum and Patagorhynchus , two other fossil relatives of
2790-433: The mother's abdomen, allowing the young to lap it up. After they hatch, the offspring are milk-fed for three to four months. During incubation and weaning, the mother initially leaves the burrow only for short periods to forage. She leaves behind her a number of thin soil plugs along the length of the burrow, possibly to protect the young from predators; pushing past these on her return squeezes water from her fur and allows
2852-565: The only mammals (apart from the Guiana dolphin ) known to have a sense of electroreception , and the platypus's electroreception is the most sensitive of any monotreme. Feeding by neither sight nor smell, the platypus closes its eyes, ears, and nose when it dives. Digging in the bottom of streams with its bill, its electroreceptors detect tiny electric currents generated by the muscular contractions of its prey, enabling it to distinguish between animate and inanimate objects. Experiments have shown
2914-504: The other teeth have two main cusps. While both male and female platypuses are born with back ankle spurs, only the males' deliver venom. It is powerful enough to kill smaller animals such as dogs, and though it is not lethal to humans, it can inflict weeks of agony. Edema rapidly develops around the wound and gradually spreads through the affected limb, and it may develop into an excruciating hyperalgesia (heightened sensitivity to pain) persisting for days or even months. The venom
2976-462: The platypus feels electric fields like touches. These receptors in the bill dominate the somatotopic map of the platypus brain, in the same way human hands dominate the Penfield homunculus map . The platypus can feel the direction of an electric source, perhaps by comparing differences in signal strength across the sheet of electroreceptors, enhanced by the characteristic side-to-side motion of
3038-848: The platypus in various ways depending on Australian indigenous languages and dialects . Among the names found: boondaburra , mallingong , tambreet , watjarang (names in Yass , Murrumbidgee , and Tumut ), tohunbuck (region of Goomburra , Darling Downs ), dulaiwarrung ou dulai warrung ( Woiwurrung language, Wurundjeri , Victoria ), djanbang ( Bundjalung , Queensland ), djumulung ( Yuin language, Yuin , New South Wales ), maluŋgaŋ (ngunnawal language, Ngunnawal , Australian Capital Territory ), biladurang , wamul , dyiimalung , oornie , dungidany ( Wiradjuri language, Wiradjuri , Vic , NSW ), oonah , etc. The name chosen and approved in Palawa kani (reconstructed tasmanian language)
3100-429: The platypus make it important in the study of evolutionary biology , and a recognisable and iconic symbol of Australia . It is culturally significant to several Aboriginal peoples , who also used to hunt it for food. It has appeared as a national mascot, features on the reverse of the Australian twenty-cent coin , and is an emblem of the state of New South Wales . The platypus was hunted for its fur, but it has been
3162-453: The platypus will even react to an "artificial shrimp" if a small electric current is passed through it. The electroreceptors are located in rostrocaudal rows in the skin of the bill, while mechanoreceptors for touch are uniformly distributed across the bill. The electrosensory area of the cerebral cortex is in the tactile somatosensory area, and some cortical cells receive input from both electroreceptors and mechanoreceptors, suggesting
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#17327805862103224-580: The platypus's five X chromosomes contains the DMRT1 gene, which birds possess on their Z chromosome. As in all true mammals, the tiny bones that conduct sound in the middle ear are fully incorporated into the skull, rather than lying in the jaw as in pre-mammalian synapsids . However, the external opening of the ear still lies at the base of the jaw. The platypus has extra bones in the shoulder girdle, including an interclavicle not found in other mammals. As in many other aquatic and semiaquatic vertebrates ,
3286-400: The platypus, are known from the latest Cretaceous ( Maastrichtian ) and the mid- Paleocene of Argentina , indicating that some monotremes managed to colonize South America from Australia when the two continents were connected via Antarctica . These are also considered potential members of the platypus stem-lineage. The closest fossil relative of the platypus was Obdurodon , known from
3348-439: The posterior surface of the lens is steeply curved, similar to the eyes of other aquatic mammals such as otters and sea-lions. A temporal (ear side) concentration of retinal ganglion cells , important for binocular vision, indicates a vestigial role in predation , though the actual visual acuity is insufficient for such activities. Limited acuity is matched by low cortical magnification , a small lateral geniculate nucleus , and
3410-520: The river is Teeranyap , with no clearly defined meaning. In the Taungurung and Djadjawurrung languages, the names for the river is Pe-er , with no clearly defined meaning, and Dindelong yaluk , with yaluk meaning "river". Platypus The platypus ( Ornithorhynchus anatinus ), sometimes referred to as the duck-billed platypus , is a semiaquatic , egg-laying mammal endemic to eastern Australia , including Tasmania . The platypus
3472-419: The riverbed with its snout or catches while swimming. It carries prey to the surface in cheek-pouches before eating it. It eats about 20% of its own weight each day, which requires it to spend an average of 12 hours daily looking for food. The species has a single breeding season between June and October, with some local variation. Investigations have found both resident and transient platypuses, and suggest
3534-431: The smaller at 43 cm (17 in). This variation does not seem to follow any particular climatic rule and may be due to other factors such as predation and human encroachment. The platypus has an average body temperature of about 32 °C (90 °F), lower than the 37 °C (99 °F) typical of placental mammals . Research suggests this has been a gradual adaptation to harsh environmental conditions among
3596-417: The surface between dives. The platypus rests in a short, straight burrow in the riverbank about 30 cm (12 in) above water level, its oval entrance-hole often hidden under a tangle of roots. It may sleep up to 14 hours per day, after half a day of diving. The platypus is a carnivore , feeding on annelid worms, insect larvae , freshwater shrimp , and yabby ( crayfish ) that it digs out of
3658-505: The water foraging for food. It has a swimming style unique among mammals, propelling itself by alternate strokes of the front feet, while the webbed hind feet are held against the body and only used for steering, along with the tail. It can maintain its relatively low body temperature of about 32 °C (90 °F) while foraging for hours in water below 5 °C (41 °F). Dives normally last around 30 seconds, with an estimated aerobic limit of 40 seconds, with 10 to 20 seconds at
3720-519: Was constructed. Over time, the water supply was extended to Kyneton , as well as many other smaller towns in the region. Today, the system supplies drinking water to a population exceeding 200,000. Coliban Water manages the three major water supply reservoirs, which are part of the Eppalock Proclaimed Water Supply Catchment. The river is home to the platypus as well as eight native fish species, including
3782-553: Was later officially recognised as Ornithorhynchus anatinus . There is no universally agreed plural form of "platypus" in the English language. Scientists generally use "platypuses" or simply "platypus". Alternatively, the term "platypi" is also used for the plural, although this is a form of pseudo-Latin ; going by the word's Greek roots the plural would be "platypodes". Early British settlers called it by many names, such as "watermole", "duckbill", and "duckmole". Occasionally it
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#17327805862103844-460: Was thought that somebody had sewn a duck's beak onto the body of a beaver-like animal. Shaw even took a pair of scissors to the dried skin to check for stitches. The common name "platypus" literally means 'flat-foot', deriving from the Greek word platúpous ( πλατύπους ), from platús ( πλατύς 'broad, wide, flat') and poús ( πούς 'foot'). Shaw initially assigned the species
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