A duckbill is a small amphibious mammal that is native to Australia. It is about half the size of a house cat and has thick fur to keep it warm and dry.
It has a flat head with a beak that looks like a duck’s bill and specialized nerve endings that help it find food. It eats frogs, fish, shrimp and larvae that it finds in the water. It dives down to the bottom, wiggles its beak in the mud, and scoops up prey with gravel bits that it hoovers up along the way.
Males have sharp stingers on the heels of their feet that they can use to deliver a strong toxic blow to their prey. They also carry venom in their hollow spurs that they inject into their predators to make them sick and stop eating.
They mate between August and October. They give birth to 2 young that live with the mother until they are able to survive on their own. They leave their mother’s burrow at 17 weeks of age.
The duckbill valve is a one-piece, elastomeric, self-contained sleeve with lips in the shape of a duck’s bill that prevent backflow and allow forward flow when opened. They are used in chemical pumps, fuel pumps and other industrial applications where backflow is undesirable.
They are available in many elastomeric materials, including medical and food-grade silicone, hydrocarbon-resistant fluorosilicone rubber to handle a variety of media. They can withstand high temperature and are abrasion and corrosion resistant. They are also highly sanitary and are suitable for disposing of suspended solids entrained in streams, as well as abrasive slurries. They are easily incorporated into devices and do not require complex assembly processes.