Before the dawn of time, all animals looked identical. This was usually fine, but some cheeky creatures loved to play tricks on Mother Earth by pretending to be one another. Since they were indistinguishable, even their creator couldn't tell them apart!
To solve this, Mother Earth decided to give each animal a unique appearance, preventing them from swapping identities.
While many animals loved flying or climbing, Platypus preferred swimming. When Mother Earth announced her plan to change everyone's looks, Platypus was underwater playing with his friend, Fish.
Platypus stayed in the water even after Fish left. Since sound travels poorly underwater, he missed the message entirely. He only learned of it when Fish returned, transformed into a beautiful river fish with gleaming scales.
Platypus rushed to Mother Earth's home, hoping for a new look too. But by the time he arrived, only leftovers remained. Eager to be like the others, he took what was left.
He ended up with a beaver's tail, a duck's bill and webbed feet, and a bear's fur and claws on his flippers.
When he returned to the lake to show his friends, they all laughed at him. Embarrassed, Platypus dug a burrow in the riverbank to live in.
After a while, Fish came to apologize. They became friends again, and Platypus even made a second entrance to his home underwater so Fish could visit.