Ducks and Platypuses

         Platypuses are rare creatures and can be found in some zoos, while a duck is a common creature that can be found at a nearby pond or park.  These two creatures may look alike, but are different in their own ways.  Ducks and platypuses are two amazing species of animals that God created so alike yet so different.

         Ducks are eight-pound birds that have a bill, webbed feet, and brown and white, waterproof feathers, which also make up its tail.  Ducks are generally ten to fifteen inches tall.  Its head color depends on its gender and species and can vary from brown to green to purple-blue.  During its five to fifteen years of living, the semi-aquatic bird learns to fly and lays eggs.  The female duck generally lays eggs once or twice a year, lying up to fifteen eggs at a time.  The father then watches the eggs twenty-six to twenty-eight days to keep them safe from predators.  Sadly, ducks are killed for sport by hunters and cannot defend themselves.  Ducks can be found living in North America, Europe, and Asia.

         Platypuses weigh about one and a half to five pounds and are seventeen to twenty inches long with a similar appearance to the duck.  Platypuses have a beaver-like tail, waterproof fur, and similarly to the duck, webbed feet and a bill.  As a semi-aquatic mammal, platypuses are one of the five rare species of mammals that lay eggs!  Even though ducks and platypuses both lay eggs, many people do not realize that ducks are birds, while platypuses are mammals.  The female lays one to three eggs and protects them without help from the male platypus.  In the same way as the duck’s hatching sequence, platypuses’ eggs generally hatch within twenty-six to twenty-eight days.  Differing from the duck, the platypus has a venomous claw on each foot to protect themselves from predators. However, platypuses have an identical lifespan to ducks of five to fifteen years.  The platypus is native to Australia.

         Platypuses are rare creatures and ducks are more common.  Whenever you see these creatures, remember that God made two things alike, and yet so different.