It isn’t quite a beaver, though it has a beaver’s tail,

A freshwater-living mammal, much smaller than a whale.

It’s something like an otter with body dressed in fur.

Its bill and feet are duck-like but it has a poisonous spur.

It burrows into riverbanks to lay its eggs therein.

It swims around in waters while having not one fin.

If you come across it, I urge you not to scream.

It wouldn’t ever harm you. It’s just a monotreme.

Its name can be quite tricky, but you’ll learn it without fuss.

So try:

               Or –

                      Or – nith – or

                             Ornithorhynchus,

You might call it the platypus.