CANBERRA, May 4 (Xinhua) -- Previously thought to be extinct in Australia's pristine Adelaide Hills region, reports of platypus sightings have prompted authorities to investigate the waterways by setting up cameras in an attempt to capture the iconic "Aussie" species.
The water-based mammal, with its duck bill and webbed feet, was thought to have become extinct in South Australia in 1975. But a spokesperson from South Australia's Environment Water and Natural Resources Department has said reports of possible sightings had prompted the government to monitor the hot spots.
"We are now setting up two cameras upstream of the dam to see if it reveals any platypus activity," the spokesperson told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) on Thursday.
"It will be four-to-six weeks before we expect to have any result from this investigation."
One of the most recent reports came from South Australian Greens politician Mark Parnell who told the ABC that he spotted the iconic mammal while out for a walk in the Adelaide Hills, an hour out of the major city of Adelaide.
"I saw a v-shaped wake (and) clearly something was moving under the water and I originally thought it might be a duck, but it didn't have a head," Parnell said.
"It's only when it did a bit of a turn and ducked into the bank that I saw what I'm pretty sure was a duck bill, and I thought, that's a platypus."
Mammal expert Dr. Catherine Kemper from the South Australia Museum said while there had been dozens of reports of wild platypus in the region, none had been officially confirmed.
"The last confirmed record (of a platypus in South Australia) was in 1975 from near Renmark," she said. "That is not to say they are extinct in South Australia."
