Platypus

Ornithorhynchus anatinus

Blamed on cats

IUCN status: Near Threatened

EPBC Predator Threat Rating: Not assessed

IUCN claim: “Across its range, the Platypus is also subject to predation by the introduced Red Fox, dogs and cats.”

Studies in support

No studies

Studies not in support

No studies

Is the threat claim evidence-based?

No studies were found linking cats to platypus.

Evidence linking Ornithorhynchus anatinus to cats. Systematic review of evidence for an association between Ornithorhynchus anatinus and cats. Positive studies are in support of the hypothesis that cats contribute to the decline of Ornithorhynchus anatinus, negative studies are not in support. Predation studies include studies documenting hunting or scavenging; baiting studies are associations between poison baiting and threatened mammal abundance where information on predator abundance is not provided; population studies are associations between threatened mammal and predator abundance. Gold borders indicate studies that meet qualities of scientific rigour. See methods section in Wallach and Lundgren 2025 for details on evidence categories.
Evidence linking Ornithorhynchus anatinus to cats. Systematic review of evidence for an association between Ornithorhynchus anatinus and cats. Positive studies are in support of the hypothesis that cats contribute to the decline of Ornithorhynchus anatinus, negative studies are not in support. Predation studies include studies documenting hunting or scavenging; baiting studies are associations between poison baiting and threatened mammal abundance where information on predator abundance is not provided; population studies are associations between threatened mammal and predator abundance. Gold borders indicate studies that meet qualities of scientific rigour. See methods section in Wallach and Lundgren 2025 for details on evidence categories.

References

IUCN Red List. https://www.iucnredlist.org/ Accessed June 2023

Wallach A.D., Lundgren E.J. (2025) Review of evidence that foxes and cats cause extinctions of Australia’s endemic mammals. BioScience. DOI: 10.1093/biosci/biaf046