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Which senses are reduced when a platypus is submerged?
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platypus
The duck-billed platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus), or duckbill, is common in the waterways of eastern Australia.
When a platypus is submerged to feed, its senses of sight, smell, and hearing are essentially shut down.1
To navigate and hunt effectively underwater despite the loss of these primary senses, the platypus relies on a sophisticated electromechanical system. It utilizes electroreceptors and touch receptors located on its bill to detect the minute electrical signals generated by the muscles of its prey.1