Buzz
On November 5, 1953, a crowd of journalists and photographers endured the cold to capture what was anticipated to be a landmark event at the Bronx Zoo: the unveiling of the first platypus born on American soil.
This was the expectation of zoo staff, as Penelope, the female platypus, had shown all the signs of nurturing a newborn within her burrows.
After nearly two and a half hours of excavation, a small platypus was retrieved. While the audience cheered, one zoo worker voiced doubt, remarking, “That just looks like Penelope.”
A recognizable notch in the animal’s tail quickly confirmed his suspicion, and after another three hours passed, there was still no trace of offspring or even remnants of a nest. The team had no choice but to admit that Penelope had fooled the nation into believing she had become a mother.
“Honestly, we’re devastated,” a zoo representative confessed to the press.
This wouldn’t be the last instance where Penelope left them feeling heartbroken.
Journey to America
Penelope arrived in the U.S. from Australia in April 1947, accompanied by two other platypuses, Cecil (a male) and Betty Hutton (a female). The event captured national attention, as it was only the second time a platypus had been brought to the U.S. (the first had died after roughly seven weeks in The Bronx in 1922). The public remained fascinated by the existence of such an extraordinary creature—with its duck-like bill, beaver-like tail, and egg-laying ability. Fairfield Osborn, president of the New York Zoological Society, even described it as “literally the strangest animal” [PDF].
Despite Betty Hutton dying during a 1948 heatwave, the Bronx Zoo remained optimistic about her two companions, hoping they would breed. If successful, they would become the second pair of platypuses to reproduce in captivity.
However, things didn’t go as planned.
Penelope and Cecil struggled to adjust to their new home, a 9-foot-by-7-foot habitat called the platypusary, prompting zookeepers to take extraordinary measures to ensure their survival.
“Cecil began to decline until carpenters repainted his tank. Penelope refused to eat until the tank’s awning was replaced. Cecil’s heart raced dangerously whenever he saw keeper John Blair in his white uniform, but switching to a muted eucalyptus green calmed him,” Australian journalist Peter Hastings reported in Sydney’s Daily Telegraph.
Even after the platypuses adapted to their new environment, Penelope “strongly rejected Cecil’s advances,” as zoo official William Bridges explained to the Associated Press in 1952. The pair were separated, and their planned mating was postponed indefinitely.
What to Anticipate When Your Platypus Is Pregnant
The following July, the zoo announced that the platypusary would temporarily close to visitors due to signs that Penelope might be pregnant. On June 21, she had excited her keepers by scratching at the barrier leading to Cecil’s side. Once allowed in, Cecil gripped Penelope’s tail with his bill as she swam around the tank—a behavior indicating possible mating.
In the weeks that followed, Penelope’s actions hinted at a successful mating. She consumed unprecedented amounts of worms and crayfish and began gathering eucalyptus leaves and other materials, presumably to construct a nest in her burrow.
By mid-July, after spending nearly a week underground, Penelope reappeared, leading zoo officials to inform the press they were “fairly confident” she had given birth. (Platypuses usually lay two eggs, which hatch within six to 10 days.) Her increased appetite further supported the idea that she was nursing young. Since platypus offspring typically remain in the burrow for three to four months, the lack of sightings through autumn raised no alarms.
However, as October ended without any signs of the babies, zookeepers faced a tough decision. With winter approaching, the platypuses needed to be moved indoors. By early November, they resolved to dig into the tunnels to retrieve the young platypuses themselves.
The discovery that there were no babies to retrieve stunned everyone. David Fleay, the Australian naturalist who initially transported the three platypuses to the U.S., assured reporters that he believed “remains of young or eggshells would be uncovered if [Penelope’s] burrow was thoroughly examined.” Despite her weight loss despite eating more, zoo officials found no evidence of eggs or a nest, concluding that Penelope had deceived them all.
“She was running quite the scam. Double rations for five months. That ends now,” one official remarked.
Where Did You Go, Penelope
Although Penelope seemed to show renewed interest in Cecil during the spring of 1954, nothing materialized, and the duo remained out of the spotlight until 1957. Then, in late July of that year, Penelope vanished without a trace.
The exact method of her escape from the platypusary was unclear—she might have dug under the mesh barrier, found a gap to slip through, or even climbed over the fence. However, zookeepers believed they understood her motive: Cecil had been persistently pursuing her to the point of harassment, even sneaking into her section of the enclosure after they were separated.
Penelope’s whereabouts remained unknown. Despite thorough searches of the zoo’s ponds and streams, as well as reported sightings in Long Island and Troy, New York, no trace of her was found. On September 17, the search was officially called off, with Penelope “presumed lost and likely deceased.”
The following morning, the zoo faced another loss: Cecil was discovered dead.
Cecil’s death was less shocking than Penelope’s disappearance. After she vanished, he began losing weight and eventually stopped eating entirely. With no clear illness to explain his death, reporters embraced the narrative that he had succumbed to a broken heart. “Here Lies a Platypus Who Loved in Vain,” declared one article, portraying him as a victim of “unrequited love.” This portrayal contrasted sharply with the media’s often harsh treatment of Penelope, who was variously described as “coy” or “a brazen hussy.”
While Penelope and Cecil’s story is unique as the only known instance of a platypus pregnancy hoax, it would have been notable regardless. Platypuses have rarely been exhibited in the U.S. In 1958, the Bronx Zoo brought in three more—Patty, Pamela, and Paul—all of whom died within a year.
The U.S. didn’t see another platypus until 2019, when the San Diego Zoo introduced two—Birrarung (a male) and Eve (a female)—from Sydney’s Taronga Zoo. Judging by the live platypus cam, they appear to be thriving.
