# I Want to See a Platypus **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 6, 2012, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-see-a-platypus/612016 "2012-02-06T21:52:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2012, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-see-a-platypus/612016/21 "2012-02-07T15:24:51Z")
LOL! I was going to say the same thing - what a great word! Thanks everybody, ignorance fought. Hoo-wah! ! P.S. Blue Platypi in bowlers do not count. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2012, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-see-a-platypus/612016/22 "2012-02-07T15:53:45Z")
> [@bienville](#): > > I just want to say that learning the word “platypusery” has made my day. > > Although, the image it brings to mind is of a small bakery that specializes in baking platypus into a flaky pastry. That’s a platypusería. If they blend some octopus into the mix, it’s a platypupusería. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2012, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-see-a-platypus/612016/23 "2012-02-07T16:21:57Z")
Actually, you can find them in the US pretty easily. You just have to know where to look for a playtpus beetle: [http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in331](http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in331) ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2012, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-see-a-platypus/612016/24 "2012-02-07T19:09:26Z")
> [@bienville](#): > > I just want to say that learning the word “platypusery” has made my day. Me, too! Best new word I’ve learned since the also-Australian-animal-related [Kangatarianism](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kangatarian#Kangatarianism). ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2012, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-see-a-platypus/612016/25 "2012-02-07T19:16:09Z")
> [@bienville](#): > > I just want to say that learning the word “platypusery” has made my day. It’s right next to the echidnatorium. ---
**Author:** ![caveman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/caveman/32/7242_2.png) [@caveman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caveman)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2012, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-see-a-platypus/612016/26 "2012-02-07T19:43:31Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > > [@bienville](#): > > > > I just want to say that learning the word “platypusery” has made my day. > > It’s right next to the echidnatorium. They’re both in the Monotredrome. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2012, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-see-a-platypus/612016/27 "2012-02-07T20:05:13Z")
> [@caveman](#): > > They’re both in the Monotredrome. Two platypodes enter. One platypus leaves. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2012, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-see-a-platypus/612016/28 "2012-02-07T20:57:37Z")
> [@](#): > > Quoth **The Hamster King** : > How close are you to the tri-state area? He’s in the tri-state area, of course, like almost every other American (well, except for those in the Four Corners area). What you probably meant to ask was _which_ tri-state area he’s in. _Every_ grouping of three adjacent states is called “the tri-state area” by the locals. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2012, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-see-a-platypus/612016/29 "2012-02-07T21:16:41Z")
Chronos: > [@](#): > > Every grouping of three adjacent states is called “the tri-state area” by the locals. Well, only if it’s anchored by a major city, e.g., New York-New Jersey-Connecticut around New York City. I imagine that the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana confluence anchored by Cincinnati might be called one also. Chicago’s metro area could be said to extend to Indiana and Wisconsin, but the natives refer to the area as “Chicagoland”, not “tri-state area.” What other areas could the term conceivably refer to? ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2012, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-see-a-platypus/612016/30 "2012-02-07T21:35:46Z")
Re: The Tri-State Area He’s referring to the intended dominion of [Dr. Heinz Doofenschmirtz](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Heinz_Doofenshmirtz). ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2012, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-see-a-platypus/612016/31 "2012-02-07T21:46:39Z")
> [@cmkeller](#): > > Well, only if it’s anchored by a major city, e.g., New York-New Jersey-Connecticut around New York City. > > I imagine that the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana confluence anchored by Cincinnati might be called one also. Chicago’s metro area could be said to extend to Indiana and Wisconsin, but the natives refer to the area as “Chicagoland”, not “tri-state area.” > > What other areas could the term conceivably refer to? > **[Tri-state area](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tri-state_area)** > > Tri-state area is an informal term in the United States which can refer to any of multiple areas that lie across three states. When referring to populated areas, the term implies a shared economy or culture among the area's residents, typically concentrated around a central metropolis. > Tri-state areas may or may not include a state boundary tripoint. > The following is not an exhaustive list. "Tri-state area" may refer to several additional places in locally understood contexts, such as a busine... Googling “tri state area” will give you a listing that mostly refers to the NYC one, but others show up. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2012, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-see-a-platypus/612016/32 "2012-02-07T21:51:14Z")
> [@](#): > > What other areas could the term conceivably refer to? It’s also pretty common in the Philadelphia area for it to mean Pennsylvania-New Jersey-Maryland. Which really confused the Delawarians, who thought it meant New Jersey-Maryland-Delaware. And around here I’ve occasionally (though not as often) heard it for Montana-Idaho-Wyoming. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2012, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-see-a-platypus/612016/33 "2012-02-07T22:17:57Z")
> [@SeldomSeen](#): > > Speaking of platypi…platypussies?..we hereby offer a potential solution to the difficulty of captive breeding; > > [how the platypus evolved](http://www.stuffonbread.com/comics/2011-03-06-platypus.jpg) Platypodes, if you’re being obnoxious. ---
**Author:** ![sisu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@sisu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sisu)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2012, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-see-a-platypus/612016/34 "2012-02-07T22:40:36Z")
> [@Darryl\_Lict](#): > > I spent a couple of afternoons looking around for platypuses while in Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park in Tasmania. I never saw one, but I actually managed to see a Tasmanian Devil, which was pretty exciting. No, it wasn’t flying around in a whirlwind. I also saw a wombat, which was damn cute, but I don’t think they are particularly rare. They are also pretty slow, so they are easier to see. > > Someone said that there was a small reservoir where it was pretty much guaranteed to see a platypus, but alas, I ran out of time and missed out. Living down under I have seen a couple of fleeting glimpses of platypus but they are pretty hard to spot and this comes from someone who goes bush a lot! Wombats, Tassi Devils etc are pretty common and not hard to spot at all. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2012, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-see-a-platypus/612016/35 "2012-02-07T22:51:50Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > He’s in the tri-state area, of course, like almost every other American (well, except for those in the Four Corners area). What you probably meant to ask was _which_ tri-state area he’s in. _Every_ grouping of three adjacent states is called “the tri-state area” by the locals. I think he’s talking about silicon valley. He wants to know if you’re near a high impedance state. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2012, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-see-a-platypus/612016/36 "2012-02-07T23:15:09Z")
> [@cmkeller](#): > > What other areas could the term conceivably refer to? The [WV-KY-OH Tri-State Area](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huntington%E2%80%93Ashland,_WV%E2%80%93KY%E2%80%93OH,_Metropolitan_Statistical_Area) includes the largest inland port and largest coal port in the United States – that should be enough to anchor the area. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![fluiddruid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@fluiddruid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fluiddruid)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2012, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-see-a-platypus/612016/37 "2012-02-07T23:22:27Z")
> [@gazpacho](#): > > I was in Sydney in October and went to the Torango zoo. They had a good platypus exhibit. The video that Shagnasty linked too was a lot better than the view we had. The exhibit was a dark room, I would not be surprised if it was the same exhibit, and the platypus was swimming around farther back in the tank we watched for about 10 minutes but never got a really good view. I was also at Toranga Zoo in October. 🙂 I saw the platypus also. We got a pretty good look since it had buried a carcass of some sort of crustacean in the rocks near the front of the tank, and went back looking for it. I was surprised by how tiny they were, I always thought they were bigger, and also it was very quick. We came back an hour later and it was nowhere to be seen, though. ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2012, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-see-a-platypus/612016/38 "2012-02-07T23:36:55Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > It’s also pretty common in the Philadelphia area for it to mean Pennsylvania-New Jersey-Maryland. O.K., I hate to continue a hijack but I absolutely can _not_ let this slide by. Growing up in Philadelphia I knew the term Tr-State area, which was indeed used very frequently, but it _ALWAYS_ meant [SE Pennsylvania, SW Jersey, and N Delaware](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delaware_Valley#Lexicon_note). People in Philadelphia have never even _heard of_ Maryland and wouldn’t care about it if they had. Maryland gives you crabs. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2012, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-see-a-platypus/612016/39 "2012-02-08T00:09:44Z")
> [@cmkeller](#): > > Chronos: > > Well, only if it’s anchored by a major city, e.g., New York-New Jersey-Connecticut around New York City. > > I imagine that the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana confluence anchored by Cincinnati might be called one also. Chicago’s metro area could be said to extend to Indiana and Wisconsin, but the natives refer to the area as “Chicagoland”, not “tri-state area.” > > What other areas could the term conceivably refer to? When I heard “tri-state,” I actually did initially think of Wisconsin-Illinois-Indiana, being a Chicagoan. It’s not the most common term, (though it’s not rare, either), but we have I-294, known as “the Tri-State” or “tri-state tollway,” and I do use the term “Tri-State area” to refer to these states but beyond the more geographically exclusive “Chicagoland” area. ---
**Author:** ![installLSC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/54ee81/32.png) [@installLSC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/installLSC)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2012, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-see-a-platypus/612016/40 "2012-02-08T07:25:56Z")
> [@Blake](#): > > They’re not especially difficult to care for, but they don’t live for very long and they don’t breed well in captivity. Australia generally won’t allow people to capture wild animals just so they can die in a cage for public entertainment. There’s no great difficulty obtaining capture permits if an institution wants to set up a bona fide captive breeding program, but since it’s difficult and unrewarding, it appears that no zoos outside the continent think it’s worth the effort. So with only handful captive bred individuals, and no wild caught exports permitted, they just ain’t around. Not to threadjack, but what’s the point of zoos if they don’t capture or buy non-endangered animal specimens? After all, if zoos only existed to run breeding programs for rare animals then allowing the public to visit only gets in the way. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-see-a-platypus/612016.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-see-a-platypus/612016.md?page=3)