Yesterday, I thought I had just discovered the cutest. fact. ever. And I was pretty pumped about it. I read that baby platypuses are called puggles.
Puggles, people.
PUGGLES!
(And yes, the plural of platypus is platypuses. Like octopuses. Look it up if you don’t believe me.)
But back to the puggles. Turns out, this is just an unofficial nickname that the internet has taken on—along with platypups. Which, yes, is also very cute. However, you’re probably not going to hear any animal experts out there using these names. At least not officially.
So what is a baby platypus called then? A baby platypus. Yup. That’s it.
And while the name may not be that creative, let’s all just take a moment to remember how incredibly cool platypuses are. For example, they are one of only two monotreme species in the world. What’s that? A primitive type of mammal that lays eggs. The other is the echidna, or spiny anteater, in case you were wondering. Male platypuses are also venomous—another uncommon trait in a mammal. And they only live in one small area of the world: freshwater regions off the coast of eastern Australia and the island of Tasmania. Yet experts say they could actually weather a lot of different climate conditions because of their waterproof fur and thick tails that store fat. Kind of like a beaver.
And yeah, platypuses do look a little bit like beavers. With the body and fur of an otter. And the bill of a duck. Meanwhile, they’re skeletons resemble those of reptiles. A real animal mashup.
So whether you choose to call them puggles, platypups, or just baby platypuses, it doesn’t really matter. You do you. The most important fact here is that platypuses are one of the most unique species on our planet.