where do platypus live

Platypuses live only in Australia, specifically in freshwater habitats such as rivers, streams, lakes, ponds, and dams. Their range extends along the east and southeast coasts of mainland Australia from western Victoria to far northern Queensland, including Tasmania and King Island. They inhabit diverse freshwater environments from sea level to high altitudes like the Australian Alps. Platypuses typically build burrows in riverbanks and prefer areas with native vegetation, earth banks, and substrates like cobbles and gravel for feeding. They are found from the tropical rainforests in northern Queensland to cold alpine areas and Tasmania, thriving in reliable freshwater bodies where they can find their invertebrate food sources.