Platypuses Are Being Decapitated In Australia And No One Knows Why

Someone killed three platypuses in the last five weeks near the border of the Australian states of Victoria and New South Wales. Two of the platypuses were decapitated using a sharp object, authorities said.

"These animals appear to have been deliberately killed in a despicable act of cruelty to one of Australia’s most loved animals," the New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service said in a statement released Monday.

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The third animal was found Wednesday in the Albury Botanic Gardens, the same place the previous two bodies were found. Authorities ruled out attacks from other animals in the killings and said examinations showed a sharp object was used to cut into the necks of the semi-aquatic animals.

"You can actually see where they’ve tried to cut into the vertebrae," Wildlife Information Rescue and Education Service Murray River secretary Hazel Cook told the Border Mail. "It’s very obvious it’s not a fox."

The platypus is one of only five mammal species on earth that lay eggs. It's distinctive bill and webbed feet earned it the name "duck-billed platypus" and led the first scientists to examine a specimen to think they were being hoaxed, according to National Geographic. Until the early 20th century, the platypus was hunted for its fur, leading to its extinction in southern Australia. The species has since rebounded, but penalties for killing the creature include a fine of up to $11,000 and or six months in prison.

Platypuses are aquatic and nocturnal and therefore difficult to catch. A spokeswoman for the National Parks and Wildlife Service said the killer must have dumped the bodies in the gardens, as platypuses are not normally native to the waters there. Cook said this indicated the person who killed the platypuses wanted them to be found.

"It’s just sad," Cook said. "I think they need some help."