Ŏr'ni-tho-rhŷnch'us, n.

(-rĭnk'us), n. [Gr. ὄρνις, ὄρνιθος, bird, and ῥύγχος, snout, beak, fr. ῥύζειν, to growl, snarl; Fr. ornithorhynque.] (Zoöl.) A mammal of the shape and size of the otter, with a horny beak resembling that of a duck, with paws webbed and formed for swimming. The animal is covered with a brown fur, lives in burrows near the water, like the otter, and is only found in Australia. It is also called duck-billed platypus and water-mole.