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David Parer
brings us the fruits of his labour in this fascinating wildlife documentary on
the native Australian marsupial the platypus. “A creature with webbed feet
like a frog, a bill like a duck and venom like a snake, and oddest of all, it
lays eggs like a bird.” Three years in the making we delve into the life of
this unique mammal.
David pursues
the platypus down the East Coast of Australia with the help of fellow minded
wildlife observers filming the various habits and habitats along the way. As
the creature spends most of it’s life underwater and underground David uses
the latest technology of micro cameras and infra red to follow the platypus
within their burrows and at night.
The scenery
is breathtaking especially within the remote Tasmanian wilderness and
rainforests where platypuses are still plentiful, feeding on larva and
insects. We see their social structure, mating rituals and territorial
battles between rival males. Their interaction with other creatures, the
pushy sea bird is noteworthy as it pecks the platypus to dig up the sea floor
so it can pilfer the goodies beneath. Platypus comes from the
Greek for ‘flat footed’ and has changed little from the time of the
dinosaurs. We look at a close relative briefly in the echidna as well.
A fascinating
and passionate documentary that gives great insight into Australia’s native
platypus highly recommended for wildlife buffs. The hard work involved in
bringing this creature to life is to be commended. Well worth a look and
great educational material for schools.
DVD visual
transfer is crisp and pleasing in a 16X9 anamorphic transfer (widescreen)
presentation.
Audio is in
Dolby Digital 2.0 and has a clear mix although it is primarily a dialogue
driven soundtrack.
Extras
include a photo gallery and an extra documentary called Bobby and the Banded
Stills exploring the life of this inland bird, often referred to as an
Australian flamingo. This is in 4:3 aspect ratio.
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The Platypus:
World's Strangest Animal Features |
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