Platypuses have learned to adapt to climate change. Can they survive microplastics polluting their waterways?

Last month, three platypuses were found to have died in an illegal fishing trap in the Yarra Ranges.

Traps are just one of the threats facing the iconic Australian mammals - others include  drought and pollution from household plastics and polystyrene from building sites.

What threats face the platypus?

Platypuses are listed as “Vulnerable” in Victoria under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act.

Healesville Sanctuary platypus specialist Dr Jessica Thomas said landing on even a rough platypus population was difficult as not all states and territories kept suitable data. Estimates place the national total at between 30,000 and 300,000.

“It’s quite remarkable for a reasonably small mammal in Australia - that has one of the highest extinction rates of mammals in the world  - [to] manage to persist this long without having that [Vulnerable] listing,” she said.

Thomas said “litter entanglement is probably the most common injury we see in platypuses brought into our wildlife hospital. We've had something like eight animals come in this year already”.

What is being done to help the platypus?

The Yarra Riverkeeper Association (YRKA) recently released a report outlining actions to take to reduce and ultimately eliminate expanded polystyrene (EPS) pollution from the construction industry.

“EPS breaks down into microplastics, which can be ingested by wildlife,” YRKA president Janet Bolitho told the Eastern Melburnian.

“We don't want to make things harder for our iconic mammals. Our work is dedicated towards creating the best possible conditions to enable platypus to thrive.”

Credit: Yarra Riverkeeper Association