Platypuses are also highly mobile and have a tendency to avoid nets after their initial capture. Collective nouns are usually created for animals that commonly appear in groups, such as a pride of lions or a herd. There is no official collective noun for the platypus animal because this mammal is typically a solitary creature, although a group of platypuses could be referred to as a paddle. What do you call more than 1 platypus plural platypuses also platypi pla- ti- p, - p. The noun platypus adheres to the standard rules for forming the plurals of nouns in English (shown in the table below). Live trapping surveys are difficult, do not capture all animals in an area (and it is unknown what proportion of animals are captured although a larger trapping effort will result in a greater proportion captured), and will sometimes fail to detect platypuses even when they are known to be present in the area. Oxford Scientific/Photodisc/Getty Images. The Greek plural for platypus is platypodes, but this plural is not used in English. Platypuses can’t be individually identified by sight and are mostly active at night so visual surveys are ineffective at estimating platypus numbers and can really only confirm presence in an area. While numbers may be quoted in the media or popular science, they are, at best, an educated guess. From what I remember based on having to do a project on them, the plural of Platypus is TECHNICALLY Platypodes, because it's from the Greek, not the Latin (which would make it Platypi, sorta) But I bet now that I've said that, it's wrong. There is currently no reliable way of estimating absolute numbers of platypus in a given area. Unfortunately, there is no easy way to answer this. Platypuses are small, egg-laying mammals with webbed feet, duck-like bills and tails like beavers that live in Australia and Tasmania. How many platypuses live in this creek/river/area? Platypus is also commonly used as a plural itself (similar to sheep). The ‘i’ ending is used for words with a Latin origin. Platypus is derived from a Greek word meaning ‘flat foot’, therefore the correct plural ending is ‘es’ (although apparently the more correct greek term is platypodes). While most people seem to prefer platypi, the correct term is platypuses. Answer (1 of 4): Platypi is the most formally correct pluralization of platypus, however platypuses follows the more informal trend (that is quickly gaining acceptability) that regularizes Latin plurals that end in i. What is the correct plural of platypus? Platypuses or platypi?Įasily the most commonly asked question. Send us a direct email using the button below. The most interesting or commonly asked questions will be added to the website. Have a platypus biologist satisfy (or further stimulate) your curiosity about this unusual animal.
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