The quiet backwaters of the Murray River near Rutherglen have become the passionate playground for the local platypus population.
Spring is in the air and the platypuses are making quite a splash with their mating antics … if you know where to look for the loved-up couples.
Photographer Ann Killeen has been keeping a close eye on the elusive monotremes (egg-laying mammals) and her persistence has paid off with a sneak peek into their amorous courtship rituals.
“This is the time of year when they are most active; mating and nesting,” Killeen said.
“The males swim in circles to impress the female and then they grab each other’s tails.”
In a series of photographs and video (by friend Paul Blake) dubbed The Platypus Diaries, Killeen has caught the magic of their romance.
One lucky lady had two males chasing her.
“She was gorgeous and there was a lot of grooming and preening going on to impress her,” Killeen said.
