The platypus is one of the world’s most fascinating animals, but it turns out it’s a rare sight here in the United States. The San Diego Zoo is the only zoo outside of Australia where you can see platypuses for yourself, and it’s about a two-hour drive from L.A. Lucky for us, the zoo also runs a 24-hour live cam of its two playful platypus residents. If, like us, you’ve been keeping an eye on the Big Bear bald eagle cam, you’ll surely get a kick out of this Platypus Cam too. See even more of our favorite animal live streams here.
Platypuses Birrarung and Eve live in an enclosure at the San Diego Zoo’s Safari Park, a massive wildlife park covering nearly 3 square miles. The Platypus Cam lets you watch 13-year-old Birra and 20-year-old Eve as they flip and flop around their enclosure in real time — wiggling up rocks, twirling through the water, and eating tasty worms. Since platypuses are most active at nighttime, day and night are reversed in the zoo’s platypus habitat.
🎥 Watch the San Diego Zoo’s Platypus Cam here.
You can see a sneak peek in this adorable video of platypus highlights on YouTube…
What’s the deal with platypuses?
It’s hard to pick a favorite feature of the platypus. The elusive mammal has a wild combination of features including a bill-like snout resembling a duck’s, webbed feet, a thick hairy coat, and a paddle-shaped tail. Even more unusually, the platypus classifies as a mammal, but it lays eggs. Platypuses are native to freshwater habitats on the east coast of Australia, specifically in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, and Tasmania.
Platypus populations were considered to be “at risk” up until the 2019 wildfires in Australia, which destroyed much of their native habitat and upgraded the species’ status to “near threatened.” The San Diego Zoo has worked with the University of Melbourne, the Taronga Zoo in Sydney, and Australia-based conservation group Cesar to help assist with species protection and conservation efforts.
Where else can I watch animal live cams?
The San Diego Zoo operates 14 different live cameras throughout its enclosures, including the Platypus Cam. Some popular ones include the giant pandas, polar bears, hippos, penguins, and tigers.
Numerous other California zoos and museums stream live feeds of their animal residents. We recommend looking into the California Academy of Sciences and the Monterey Bay Aquarium.