Members Only Platypus Workshops
This Platypus Month, uncover the secrets of one of Australia’s most mysterious creatures at an exclusive members-only evening workshop.
Join Dr Jess Thomas for an engaging presentation on A Year in the Life of a Platypus, then step into the World of the Platypus to meet our resident animals.
Dr Jess will also share expert tips for spotting platypus in the wild, and then take you to Coranderrk Creek where you can put those skills to the test. If luck is on your side, you might even glimpse one in its natural habitat!
The platypus is found is most freshwater streams along the east coast of Australia. Current survey methods are labour intensive but through citizen science, the observation that people make along their local waterways can help researchers identify the status of platypus populations.
Because the platypus is a species that is difficult to see, we can forget the impact we have on them and their habitat, particularly through the litter we drop on the ground.
Learn the best ways to see one in the wild, how to care for their habitat and contribute to the nation-wide monitoring of this species.
These workshops are being held as part of Threatened Species Month at Healesville Sanctuary. To see our other exciting programming in the month of September, please visit the Threatened Species Month webpage
Meet our Platypus Specialist
Dr Jessica Thomas
Dr Jessica Thomas is the Platypus Specialist at Healesville Sanctuary. She has a Bachelor of Science (Zoology) from The University of Melbourne and a Masters of Reproductive Biology from Monash University. She completed her PhD on Breeding biology of the Platypus in 2018 and has worked for Zoos Victoria for 18 years.