Scouring river beds and history books to discover if the platypus is under threat

This study is setting out to work out how well they're faring and what's likely to happen to the species in the next 50 to 100 years.

"For some time we've been hearing from platypus researchers around Australia that things are not looking so good," he said.

Researchers say there are a range of threats facing the platypus — such as foxes and riverbank erosion — but central to this research is what effect dams have in breaking up populations.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-03-05/is-the-future-of-the-platypus-under-threat/8314602