HI Elizabeth. With regard to the platypus, they don't 'see' in the
conventional sense under water - in fact they hunt with their eyes shut.
They rely almost exclusively on an extraordinary sense for which we
don't even have a meaningful name. Their bill surfqce is packed with
sensors which detect very faint electrical impulses, such as are emitted
by a worm's muscle contractions! As for seeing where to go - that
probably doesn't matter. They know their home range, and bumping into
something probably isn't a very big deal; they're not going anywhere,
just foraging.
The swan's foot - my guess is that it's just to keep it out of the cold
water and against a relatively warm back. The one in the water is
assisted by cutting off much of the blood supply to it.
I look forward to other interpretations.
cheers
Ian
---
Ian Fraser,
Environment Tours; Vertego Environmental Wordsmithing
GPO Box 3268, Canberra, ACT 2601
ph: 61 2 6249 1560 fax: 61 2 6247 3227
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