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Except for its loss from the state of South Australia, the Platypus occupies the same general distribution as it did prior to European settlement of Australia. However, local changes and fragmentation of distribution due to human modification of its habitat are documented. Its current and historical abundance, however, is less well known and it has probably declined in numbers, although still being considered as common over most of its current range. The species was extensively hunted for its fur until the early years of the 20th century and, although protected throughout Australia in 1905,up until about 1950 it was still at risk of drowning in the nets of inland fisheries. The Platypus does not appear to be in immediate danger of extinction thanks to conservation measures, but it could be impacted by habitat disruption caused by dams, irrigation, pollution, netting and trapping.The IUCN lists the Platypus on its Red List as Least Concern.


A fungal infection poses a possible threat to Platypuses in Tasmania. The fungus, Mucor amphiborum causes ulceration on the body that can lead to problems with thermoregulation and death from secondary infections. The same fungus so far causes no problems to the Platypus on the Australian mainland. The Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service and Biodiversity Conservation Branch Department of Primary Industries and Water are collaborating to monitor the effects of the infection on the Platypus population in Tasmania. Platypuses in Tasmania tend to be larger than those found in the mainland of Australia, possibly because of the lack of introduced predators. The failure to establish the red fox in particular is theorized to be a contributing factor to both the greater average size and abundance of the Platypus in the state.