Platypus bear

The platypus bear is a large mammal found throughout the Earth Kingdom.

History
Team Avatar first encountered one near Makapu Village when it attempted to attack an old man. Appa drove the creature away with no harm to it or its intended victim.

One was on display at the Fire Nation circus when Azula came to recruit Ty Lee for the former's elite pursuit team and again in a cage near Appa's when he was captured and sold to the circus.

Another was kept by the guards at the Full Moon Bay ferry terminal to dispose of contraband vegetables, especially those infected with cabbage slugs.

In Ba Sing Se, when Katara read that the Earth King was having a party for his "bear", Aang guessed it might have meant a platypus bear. Later, one was accidentally set loose and chased citizens of the city before Aang created a new zoo.

During the invasion, a confronted Azula proved to Toph that she was a good liar by describing herself as, "a four hundred foot tall purple platypus bear with pink horns and silver wings". Toph was unable to sense the obvious falsehood.

Anatomy
The platypus bear's fur is mostly brown with a shallow white "V" on its chest and a patch of lighter brown around its eyes. The creature has a large bill lined with jagged teeth and a platypus like tail. Its front paws are padded with claws and it has large, webbed hind feet. The platypus bear's bill seems to be a relatively sensitive area, as implied by Sokka when he tells a traveler being attacked by a platypus bear to punch it in the bill before making an escape.

Connection
As its name implies, the platypus bear has direct connections to real life animals, sharing many characteristics with both namesakes. Whether or not male platypus bears share the characteristic of poison barbs on their hind feet with real world platypuses is unknown.

Behavior


This animal is quite vicious, and is known to attack humans. When they do attack, they use their clawed paws, as well as their rudder-like tail which also helps them swim. The platypus bear is capable of standing upright and also lays eggs, rather than giving birth to live young. A platypus bear can lay eggs rather quickly, especially when fearful or angered. The platypus bear can also be trained and has been seen as both a circus animal and a brute enforcer.

The platypus bear is usually found inland, swimming in rivers and hunting for its favorite food, se tu fish.

Trivia

 * "Avatar Extras" stated that the platypus bear's favorite food is the te Tu.