The Platypus
Abe Lenzini

Beginning
The opening leads to a focus statement. Have you ever heard of a mammal that lays eggs like a bird and has venom like a snake? How about one that finds food using electrolocation? With its fur, milk, bill, and flippers, the platypus baffles many people.

Middle
This paragraph explains habitat. Platypuses are small animals that live in Australia and other islands around that area. They range from the tropical lowlands to as high as the Australian Alps. Although platypuses have been sighted in saltwater, they thrive by lakes, streams, ponds, and other freshwater systems. They live half on land and half in water and make their dens in the banks.