ety Sa he ihe y seen + r Cy ae aN Everything that you want to know about the animal kingdom ‘Welcome to BOOK OF AMAZING ANIMALS From tetrsingl-celled origins throughthe Cambrian ‘explosinand ight uptothe emergence o recognisable fauna ‘andra the oanismsthatpopulateour wold have continually pushed ther limits adopting developing “organ, imb and behaviour in responseto environmental andsocial pressures -anddemonstrateatenacty fr ethat really seublime In eeebration ofthe ser diversity ofanimals ‘onathtoday, we ve gathered tgethersomecftherast amazing reaturesand gotten ghtunderthersknsior ‘exoskeleton -s0 wecan show you exactly how they work Creatures ofthe deep theland, their -allareexploredand ‘hele natural talents explained, Beautifully Musrated dagrams ‘detaleverything/romthe taciesofalionatacktotheanatomy ‘ola crocodile, whilehigh impact photography putsyou facet face with ving wonders Paced full ffatsand taklingsome ‘ofthe greatest animal mysteries this bookazine wll show you justhowamazingourcousinsintheanimal kingdomare, GOO6C666AMAZING ANIMALS012 World's fastest animals 016 The planet's smartest animals 020 Deadly venom (024 Animal camouflage 028 The planet's weirdest animals oa er ra 034, 042 043, 043, 044 046 046 047 048 048 049 049 049 050 052, 052 053 053 054, 054 055 055 056 061 062, 062 Sharks! 50 incredible facts, Sharkattacks Tonic immobility ‘swim bladders Schooling fish Cuttlefish Lionfish Pufferfish Anglerfish Stonefish Archerfish Stingrays Seahorses Octopuses Giant squid Squid swimming Mantis shrimp Pistol shrimp, Coconut crabs Barnacles \ Box jellyfish Jellyfish lifecycle Coral reefs Starfish Regeneration, Rock pools Coral reefs 080 081 082 082 082 083 084 085, 086 086 Micro monsters ‘Termites Ants Slugs & snails Tieks Grasshoppers, Moulting Exoskeletons Scorpions Spiders Black widows e Spider webs Tardigrades Water striders Dung beetles Compound eyes Honeybees Beehives Wasp nests Wasp stings Mosquitos Fireflies, Moths Ladybirds Dragonilies Butterfly metamorphosis Giant insects ae096 World's deadtiest reptiles 100 103 104 106 106 106 107 108 108 109 083 eyes Crocodiles Crocodile jaws Death rolls snakes Snake shedding Snake bites Jacobson's organ Rock pythons Amphibian skin Amphibian life cycle Frog leaps Turtles Compound 114 5 & 336 Whale communication Blowhol a) Potarbears Sperm whales Beluga whales Blue whales Killer whales Narwhals Dolphin communication Bear fishing Polar bears Primates Prehensile tails Beaver dams Duck-billed platypuses cats cat paws Purring ‘Scent marking Dogs Horse hooves & Cow stomachs Badger setts Bat sonar +5 336 Giant anteaters Bulldog Wolves Big cats Ligers® tigons Hippo jaws Giantpandas Elephants 174 Penguins 1% Chickens eggs Bird respiration Bird wings Flocking Migration Homing pigeons Hummingbirds Lyrebirds Woodpeckers Parrot speech, owls Condors Vultures Golden eagles Penguin swimming Penguins “ 0095) Box jellyfish logs et butterflies World’s fastest animals The swiftest species compete S ‘The planet's smartest animals Intelligence isn'tjust brain size Deadly venom Toxic hunters show their weapons Animal camouflage Meet the masters of disguise ‘The planet's weirdest animals Mb Blerovedandveny adeChameleons oa 016 Chimpanzees ‘ , oa W NSThe arms race of hunter and hunted) is a ferocious battleground, with. different species furiously evolvin; to remain, literally, one step aheat of the competition. We pit these speed demons against each other in the ultimate animal shootout » %, - ’ Accelerating to speeds of omph, the r cheetah is the quickest on four legs! hetahsareoneofthefastestaninalson * ity its physiqu leavingit The Statistics : : habitat lossand predation = persue ea poses = es ee “| Seep ‘manyAtrican eo ozTreat Sexist Hokuna matata Habitat 7 r ‘Seance |“ Smewtaernnain | Sinker, | cane ‘Sowmeramarinsos” | fecnma cafes erste P Morine biologists postuta E flos stability Serna) poor ets ee Capable of swimming for long periods of time at over gomph, and with a recorded top speed of over jomph, the sailfish is the ocean's fastest animal Withatopspeedonparwiththatofachectah, _Aswiththe pregrne{alcon, thesailis’s Uhesalishislightningfastandoneofthemost_ speedisalsoaidedby isabiltytoretractparts aifeuleto-catehshin the wold With ofitsbody,inthisnstanceitsvarious fins Stitlened tapered body andseissarshaped (notably the are dorsal inthatades overatoot ‘audalfn.thesalfchisbulltforspeed-aspeed onto overall height This feature hepsit thatcomescourtesyotarapidandterocius_ reducetheellets ol dragandminimise Aickingofts tll. indeed, duringa chase resitancetoitsmoverents ‘consumefish crostaceansorcephalopods the ssp salsovery exibleand,aswith the sallshil fickitstallbackandtorth hundreds cheetah allowsitto generateinceasedthrist Dftmes usiisingthepowerfulmusleswhich thraughtherapidcurvesitbend torso ina rundown tscompressed body. \whlleswimming. EeLsioht ee coco é Snomece 2. Streamline ‘Tho wnge arbre ight ino ton ‘Surnmonds hr ota pued ny ‘Stand nse eaters “beast Here’sa the list ofthe most super-fast critters on the planet Salih mph oh Seeacndetoe Noni somph ap) vio “aeons Ste tg tcannte nny “empn) See a iw Blucshruna——__amohokohy ‘Srwntcbonen testa Siratnclodeasy rey ate Petersen Tiperbeele snp @4kp0) SE Cockroach Sampak) Perezrinefalcon aoomph(zakph) Spinetalledswift oGnph 7p) Pagid opm) P - 4 Checkcout the fur stoges 0 Spurwingedgpose sbmehiwakon) | ATU Ta SSC oon a Pepin foeluundertines to a SSR a aa feoch anomph when diving in saa ee falconis just epically quick teach svn diving Myouthoughihecheeahwastast, thy themseesarealiborne. generate taro power pethmst Cheetah mph tsa henthinkaganThepererine Secondly fsanatony-aswihthe _whenbullingspeed Pure the Pronghomantelope — s7mphi95iph) — jsiconblowsitstopspeedoutofthe _cheetah’s-hasbeenfinelyhonedto _peregrine’s wingshave evolved tobe Springiak Sometkh) — tertyorersanphuCapableo!—maximieespeetevavingover —_tncedby ple, wih sie Bvewidedeest mph EOD —tungamonumerialzoomph__mllonsoyearsintoUeswifiend andunslated eaters wth haps en -asmph t7akph) duringastoop dive}, thefalconhas _efficientkilleritis today. Forexample, _streamliningand reducingatr thehigettopepeedofenganinal —epereginesledl-whlchle restanceagaicanty Spinyialediguana amphfdkph) oncarh lactdattsbreasbone-is Unie thechewtah, howe acknamba amph(skphy ——‘Thepeasinesspeedincaosedby —ignfrotylaerthanaverge argu thepeerine holst Inatesuocofgamtydvinguponts andagremernunberoatachte. whiletavingtnesameenlarged reyfromgrestelgnerenmen wingtoisbody Tsaliwsitto _‘heattand lungs theperepine does Bolt 28mph 100m in958seconds Me Sailfish 68mph Finishing timein3.28seconds Cheetah 7imph Finishingtimein3.15seconds Peregrine falcon 200mph Finishingtimein:.12seconds Tiger beetle 720mph Finishing timeinoz: secondsThe Statistics Fomine | enacts Was 180093r= oie oe cr How muscles work - the contraction cycle fieeeemeatenrat en tt: MRM Me eet at oe ‘Attachment ) Sarma ear 3. Detachment [eegdettunay,s } 1 f notsutfer damage rom oxygen teprivationat the lose ofsstoop. ‘Thisisparly duet ravitys bbeneficalaiingeneratingitskilh speed butalso duetotheperegrine’s ably toabsorbaxygenthroughits edmscefnes, of whichithas ‘many, Thisallowsittokeep asteody ‘oxygen low ataltimesand means ‘hat consequently doesnatneed torest postal redueingits ulnerabity to scavengers eee ae es Perea res /irerneraig ‘The fastest human alive, Usain Bolt broke the world 100-metre record with a staggeringly quick time of 958 seconds ‘ne ofthe mostsucestl speciesofanimalonthe planet Homosapiens have evived over thelast20.00years nt reatures wth formidable physical abil. Currenty,the fastest human sUsain Bot, 2 Jamaican-bornsprnter who bas won the wold ioo-and 200-metre gold medals Bolt epitomises the esl humananstomyneededta ‘roducesuch highspeeds:atal heigh(95m) bafaneed weight (e3slg)and ong, power ruseleswithanexeelient metabolism -musclescannot ule enery-rich fuels such asglucose,nstad they must ‘omnerttino ATPfadenosine tniphosphatelwiththeamount ofATPamusce produces ‘irety correlatingtothe amountof poweritean generat.animals Think your brain separates you from the beasts? The gap is not as wide as you might think... Humansareintligentanimals. Weaten'tthe strongest norte rgest nor thelongest Wed, butwe latter ourselves thatwearethe cloverest. Infact tis socenraltooursenseof superiority that weatsume intelligence automaticaly Improves thesurvival chances any animal. BU, in ct, therelsno good evidencefor thls, brain isavery expensive organo growand maintain~20%ofthetood we fatevery ay isusedustto keep our brainalve anc Complex bainstakea longtime to Bll with data before they become useful Bacteria, plants and ung! have shown vast mse erty andreocieesurcesshans ‘withourany int Tigh itlligence oes ferone mpotantadvantage: fexiblity. Animals with simpenervoussystemsmaybe extremely goodat what they do, bu ther behavioral repertoire shard-coded withinanarrangement of neurons thatisfxedat birth. New behaviours can omlyemengeasa resultofthepainfliyslow processes ofmutaonand hatual selection, An intelligent animalisan improvise. Newstrateglest deal with changing ondlons or newly conquered tertoriescan emergeasrequred and ‘uecesfultechniques ean spread through amily group or trbeby observation and imiation ver days or week, erations fr new genes to spread. ‘Mostmammalsareborwithbralns thatarealready ‘Abaftheirfinaladulwelght Butoallow oom fornew behaviours, nteligentanimalsmustbeginifewith brains thatarestll partially undeveloped. Newborn chimpanzees’ brainsaresq oftheir adult weight wth dolphinsits4as8band elephants33%,Sothe elephants theanimal that learns most thrughout if after Raman, ‘whoarebornwith staat of heir adulbrain mass, Inthe Hitchhikers Gide T The Galxy,Daugis Adams \wrtethat"Manhadalvaysassumed tht he was more Inteligenthandoiphinsbecausehe hadachiewedso ruch=the whee, New York, watsandso on—whilleal the Aofphins had ever done war muckabout nthe water having ous1. Clever Hans, eR) = 3.Washoe Taearnmoreabost theres sndrehabitation eth anesenatonkey Witt ‘wr mane er OPUS i good time. Butconversely, the dlphinsalways believed that they were far moreintaligentthan man for presey the ‘samereasons” Ths neat illustratesthe problem of studying animal nteligence; wetend tomeasureitby howcloselyan ‘animals behaviourresembesurown, Weare regarions, ‘ompeitivebulders, so relatvey solitary, peaceful antials thatdon'tmake anything kewelesand gant pandas, et etetgrniescants 97 the most deadly residents of the world’s oceans ‘Thepistolshrimpapprehends uspreybysnappingshut the largerofitstwo clawsat lightningspeed,creatinga soniewave that canstun orevenil small fsh-Thesnappingofthe daw ceatesa shoek wave thar emits aéomph feof water, ‘behind which sa bubble of low pressure ‘which then collapee. talltakes place very quickly, butwhen. thebubbleimplodes and the temperature Insiderises dramatically, avery oud LEP: Wie Be ak LQuickonthedaw 5 | 10 dow ut crt scoaon A sound is produced, anda tiny sparkot Tights emited. The sudden temperature ‘Hse—to4,500°, almostashotastheSun “isproducedby the rapid drop in pressureatthepointof collapse. The substance then rapidly vaporiseswithin thebubble ‘Thebubble'scollapsealsocausesa pa “? spakoilightaledsonduminescence + 2 Kile like (lahtemitedfromabubbleexcted’y 4. epranehsrongemenie ee ltasound waves buttssobriet snot : ‘hechek tern mateo fever vistbletothenaked eye ae WRICoconut crabs Arogue that climbs trees and steals land crabs’ burrows, yetstill faces extinction Anenormouespecimen, weihing upto ska with body length ofypio goomandalegspano! ‘91cm, the Birgu ltr sthe word's largecttorrestalarthropod. Despiteanarray ofmisleading names, tisnota rab. However, ‘wellreertoitasthe coconuterab— sonamedduetoitsabilytoclim palmtreesandbreakinto coconuts ‘ithitspincersjorchelae ‘The coconut rab which can ive forupto30years, mainly inhabits ‘theforested coastal areas ofthe islands of he South Paiicand Indian Oceans, Amostly nocturnal ‘crustacean, ithides during the day Inunderground burrows ‘Although coconutcrabsmateon 05a dryland assoonastheeggsare roady toate thofemalereeases themintthe ocean. Oneehatched, theyoungwilisttheoces orn searchatashell before comingback todryland.Onceashore,thecoconut ‘rab permanentyadapstolifeon theland-somuchso that woul Arowninwaterbecouse thas ‘developedbranchistgal lungs and special gilsmoresuitedtotalang ‘ygentromtheairthan from water. ‘Thefaetthat the coconuterab spawnsatsea sthe mainzeason forits widespread distributions nts arr the larvaelar ae, Stil the coconuterabremainsan endangered speciesbecause Its. tonsldereda deleacyandis collected asfood, How do barnacles work? How do these crustaceans survive in the same spot for nearly all their lives? Abarnactestatsoutife fsesmalllawadriting frounduntilisready to ‘mowe nt adulthood thispoint thetarnacleresignsitself toalileotimmobity byataching 'setoarocka boat orsome ether largeobjectizeawhale. tvailthen liveoutits daysin hesamespot feedingon particles thatfloat pastin ‘hewatersuehasplankton. The baad sasuspension feeder: hati, ruses its wispy halrike lantennaetocatchand fer parties thatfloatbyin the water Thisprocess ‘soften ood rceaningthe water. “Anadulebarnaclewillstayinthe same laceforthewholeofisthreeto fiveyearlifespan.Thisisdvetothe verystrongcementicusestofesten 'setoan object Inthelong thin Dedunclesectionofthebarnade body isacement gland thatproduces this ncredibiyadhesivesubstance The goose Asyoucan imagine beingstuckin thesameposiin orthetr entire lives meansthat barnacles don get ‘ut much, Eachrmstthereforemate ‘eithits nearest neighbour Despite beingahermaphrodiespecies {which meanstheyhaveboth male and femalereproductive organs) barnacesstil haveto reproduce vwitheach other Sohowexaety do ‘hey getaround he lsue of being fixedtothespor? Well theyare endowed with incredibly longand stretchy penises barnacle we cn inThe most venomous —__xiellyfish anatomy creature on Earth = 225" Over 5,500 deaths have been recorded — Stooge due to box jellyfish stings since 1954, farehoce but why is it so deadly to humans? cae The box ellyfish is 30 ‘due to the toxins attacking skin cells. | ty hmedéuetotshoxor —““Verytawcraturersichasson 2; Asthvated j bollikeshapethastour — trle-vwhchaet Glstinetsidesandean_jellyfish-areseeminglyimmuneto haveuptosstentacles.eachoneof __thevenom, butmostcreauresteact_ | sltsosnoed thesestretchinguptothreemetres _inthesamewayas humans. ————) longi thousandsofstingingcels, called nematocyts,oneachone. The primary purposefor hese ematoejtststonandparaye | ‘As Tentacle hire ensuring mages toisuioloedothecrentres aa {heaters Whesthewenom ‘sone tries theblooeteamlthestng ik = ‘imal asic trpesthe ners i somo ‘systemand heart, paralysingthem. In i i ae homanscireacarest en cere Nile k andtheindwualwilliebere : they teceveata. vento eaten } Surevethe stings mse ceoringis ac ! icraerenematocshavetaches a ie How i awemtngngcliseaiedenidoytse thence. use hurting ndsel-eenceEacelftuesa aon pedstingng rescaledD> ‘Thesecrettounderstandinghow coralreefsworkisthatthey Alourishin tropical watersthat contain hardly any ood. They areoften deere asthe ainforestsothe ‘soasesinasaltreterdeser Warm water Goeenzsnlvenutrientsyerywelleoi ‘oes tsupportthe soup of panto that < fexistsincolder waters, But thismesnsthat {he woterisalsovery clear whichmalesit - ao! ‘deal for photosynthesis By striking upa idox: symbioticallegiance with photosynthetic ' ooxanthella bacteria, thecoralscan harness thesunlight to providethem it mostoftheir fod, whileatthesametime fetainingthelranimalabiitytocapture ‘smal preyand gather essential trogen. ‘Thelimestone skeleton thatcorale producetoproectthemselvesalso ‘ramatically fects the ocean environment. Teabsorbrand dellcts wave energy, creating sheltered lagoons nits leeand provides ‘nnomerabecevicesandattachment points ‘ecosystem ith each species contibutingo thestabiltyofthewole.Alehelp cement ‘thereettogether seaurchinskeep thealgae ‘under contr malussstopthesea urchins fromoverrazing.andsoon ‘Over geoogical cimescales,coralrets level This prevents the ecosystem from simply drowning"intheinereaing gloom fand makes coaleefssome othe most ong lived biological structures onthe planet Somecoralatolsare milion years oldFae Doar shore Severtgwrepyony goby Yelowfingcafsh —_ Cromotthors Gant trton 5 Soa ao See, eee bi yemes om a eee mone Types of coral reef 1 Volcano | 2.Fringing reef | 3, Rising sea | 4, Baier reef | 5. Atoll oe Fiene ife! ohane (Beshrine andthe lel twenty | leary Bear | ai sh om, rae | eet | eee ease eee vee mace |See | is eee | ee | Sars |Semeee, | Sere [init | Somes | Some What’s inside coral? — Coralooksandbehavestatherlikea plant bunitisacruallyacolonyotanimals related 8,Roughsurface 1. Tentacles ae toseaanemanes called polyps. Each polyp Galseleons re ieadeacarte pao arson anchors sell totheexstingree/and balds feels vy Teese 3¢ acalcium carbonate skeeton to protect srt ethan body. Successive generations ofpolyps a bulldonthedeadsteletonsofthe one beforeastheree! grow. Bs zomantetse t = , iescoean 2. Nematocysts eomcneaea Sroparton dat coueory nce anten meter Motconrehemaphrdte (y Ztvingssue = ‘Theyteproduceby broadcast (crcl ce pbs recom ‘mown cewteette I Serta atom 5: Skeleton a oer ieononte es eran re scien eee 4, Basal plate eS successful fertilisation. oe eae. and the lower section na nae ae reer rare Terese + } xe a perce Cert ere] eeIt'sa big one down under... pore Chir strntes Poe errr is ea Sonah caceea aoe aains donot improve ‘months, th coral will atpan Fant life of of the coral reef Coral reefs support an amazing array of animals and creatures Coralreetscoverustone per ent boftheccean’ssufacearea, but theyaccountfor25 per centofits biodiversity, Compared tothe placidand agely empty deep watersaround ‘acorlreetboilswith life Aswellas 8000 speciesoffish,coralretsarehometo sponges crustaceans starfish, turtles and Seasnales. Some ike the crawn-of thoes eastar, atthe coral directly but most ret creaturesareactive predators. This, coupled Wwithsuenatightly knit environment, leads to frantic eu throatexistence. Reef fish, kethe queenangelish, are adaptedtofiinto tiny eevicesandare often highly Matened, using thelr pectoral nso paddle around nshortspurts, rather than the energy-efficient cruising af open water Fshlike tna, Because ofthe enclosed natureofa yet, swimmingspeed sessofa ‘consideration than close ange defences, Reeffsh are often brightly eolouredand this, nay bea camoutlage themselves against the equally brighteorals orto confuse redatorswith alse eyespots, suchas those ‘ofthe oureye butterfiyish. Many fish have poisonous spines o make themselvesless Appetsing.Gobies have eyesthateanswivel Independently likes chameleon, rolethem, scan or predator. Where do coral reefs grow? Belloc Rarertet Therearetireemainkindsofcoral _Theerauccralinealgae dont Plante Thelamilarseeweeds or’ loki plants they sppearasredor Inacralgalare ound inthe pinksplashesopainecatingthe Sballowest waters. wuallyontbetop SutaceofecoalThesethinshets Dp vinsteTuinesresne"” cipanctehowcaerented th b tlamentsthatformcarpetsusually clcumcarbonate ust ke the coal lesethanonecentimetre high. Theyfaourtheosterlacatarest, Theseareanimportatiood | wherethewaveactonis most sourceforvetierivores because aggesiveandare portant thaygrowvery culty ‘ementingtherettgeter ba ay[ESE sosces 1,800 anacsr9.4 in (24cm) oewesr 6,000 SBE ones 3D YES weavisest 111bs (kg) rastest2.5 feet p/min TRUMAN Asensspercomonwiatispendent artnsics/ fet rhe fhicuseverale Starfish anato ee Discover the inner workings of these 7 we hed ia tras carnivorous creatures called aan echinoderms, which means ‘spiny skin’ jpleyof the competition, were aristocrat Tube feet nite aster ty Nese pe eons ome Macoporte, As SS Somer. See coaineereeieearees ‘pcceshoveuptoaO.Waterenethebady, nyt tora ope =e Eeeccenre outed regen rcs, ater lows tothe ibe ee lowing er Tocxtena When he outa dest et ek Heretic hese pris ‘Singin omone sd anor Ree How do animals Saat eat regenerate limbs? Learn how some creatures peat so havea natural ability to : regrow certain body parts COneofnaturesmostintiquingbolgical miradesisthe amazingabiity regrow damaged severed body pats Animals includingsessars salamanders planarians (tarwer ogres, of body pat egeneratin, ranging togveneyesandnteralorgans. ‘Theprocessall starts wth theclevercllswe humanshavewhen ‘wel growinginthe wombs: namely stem cells, Embryonicstem cells arethose that donotyethavea specialty~thats they can potentially became any cell suchasbone muscleornervetissue ‘Creatures that can regenerate new body partsremdel themselves tothe oiginalphysia form yreactvatingthecelsnear the ‘woundslteandinseactingthem behave ike stem cells Some animalscan etainbundlesofthese embryonestercellsinthett bodies, which inthe event famputation -migratetoand proliferate around the wound ere they geo work ebuldingthemissing or damaged body pat ustastfitwereagrowing foetus, ‘vabsandsome fisharealleapable varying imbstovailanden 61XXXXXXXXXXAXXXXXAXXXXXXKKXKX Life in a rock poo Rock pools may only be small | | bodies of water, but they are rs iste Tesemabbie mstanniesnees full of marine life om mea ae Rack pool ae coastline ecosystems foundintheinertsat 3 Eoneufnany beaches round te world. They are post ‘water found onocky shores wherewaterfilscrevasses ‘ring high tide andthe waterremains therein pools at ow tide These poolscan bevariousshapes, sizes and depthsandare found both highand won the shore Rock poosare teeming wth lantandanimallifeanditisthe interaction bberrenallof these andtheiradaptationtothiseneironmentthat makes ‘each poolan ecosystem ofits own, Te plants within these rek pools perform the crucial proces of photosynthesis whieh notonly Keeps them Blivebutalsoprodutes oxygen needed forthe other fe formsIving longsidechem, The deeper poolscan provide hames fr thoseanimals hated tobe constanly submerge. Fragile organismssuchassea slugs and pillow weed aM alsotake advantage ofthe shelter rom the waves offered within chese a pools. Animals that don" needta be constantly eoweredin water can bftenbe ound higher up thepools Manyusethecracksintherodks asshelterandareableto store enough water within themselves, urvivebetweentides, Conditions within te poolscan bevariedas they are fected the incomingandoutgpingtidesaswellas, {helrpostion onshore. Thsehighontheshoreare replenished leseoftenandasa resultcan provide much tougherenvitonmentswhilethasecloretothe se cansometimesremainoaly submerged. 10 pe Derwren these extremes, poolsareuncovered i = andsubmergedwith the rce-dally ides. Hidden dangers Rock pools can be harsh ving environments with constant changes in temperatureandeallniy,andrainaddingtreshwatertothesaltwater, Sagcimarmtme ts wo et zone canalsobe difiultasduringlow tie ey ae exposed tothe ‘lementsandsaltspray. Small pools mayalsonot prove enough ates ‘oygen forlargerfsh, Rees 062vase) cya lees) faery Beadlet anemones Dotan we ee out ey meshed ara eda Kelp ‘oan aie “boss te eared, ‘dotnet crn ‘ton sna et on eck po ‘corey can bay omer a Sondre ‘Worm pipefish ‘tani, boon and were scan age ela pote ae sseandot ‘Scoucda rotate rom rar ‘Theconstanttital changesafeetboth tempertureand salinity withinthe pols hallow poolsevaporate ith Girect sunlight, creasing salinity inthe remaining water. However when rainfalls ttops them up with resh water, Joweringthesalinity Higher poolsaremostafecedas| theyarerefreshed lessoften. “Temperature\salso ally varied when thetidelsout, withairtemperaureandsunlightthemain contributing ‘actors. Although direesunlight increases temperature, therocksurroundingthe wate stopsitfom gettingtoo hot Avariationofs0isusuallythe maximum dally fluctuation Both temperatureandsalinity within pools areaffected by thesizeandehape ofthe pools, withthe Smallershalower pools’ conditions more quickly altered 063SPIDERS & SECTS 066 070 on o72 072 on 074, 076 078 80 081 82 Micro monsters Life under the microscope Termites industrial-scale butlders Ants Class-based colonies Slugs & snails Slimy garden munchers ‘Tieks Tiny bloodsuckers Grasshoppers ‘The jumpers in the fields ‘Moulting Sloughing off the old life Exoskeletons Armour-plated animal e Scorpions ingot the stingers oe poe ieee mamas || acaen Water striders ight on their feet, ° gee SF 083 084 085 086 086 087 087 087 088 089 089 Dung beetles One person's waste. Compound eyes The ultimate wide-angle lens Honeybees Dancing harvesters Beehives The honey maker as Sayan Ele Martine Alarming tails Mosquitos Determined bloodsuckers Fireflies Lamp-swinging beetles Moths The light’s fantastic ¢ Ladybirds Red-caped heroes Dragonilies Complete six-way propulsion Butterfly metamorphosis The hungry caterpillar Giant insects The world’s biggest bugs Fi rtCompound eyes 080 Black widowses) 8) a= pM eal y= Largely invisfble to all but the most powerful microscopes, a menagerie of micro monsters live all about us= inour Pontcmototts Cet tae ons tints totteey ices ies Cd ; ~fowls FACTS MICRO MONSTERS VERE si “This is the reality of the unseen world 4 operating all around us, a massive! multitude of micro beasties feeding off carbon in all its forms” Mies, ic, sverish and termites -butasmal selecionofthe ‘mlcroscopiccreatures Iivinginyourhomeand,fyoureferto bathtime aan annual event ones aswell Thisisthereality ofthe ‘unseen word operating around ‘os amassivemultitade ofmicro| Deastesfeedingoffcarboninallits forms, bethata humanhaia piece ofcheeseInsideyourskirting board ‘oroneach other tisacutshroat ‘worldofllnt unseen organisms ‘thathave inhabited our planet for ‘overheat ool years Well, ‘considering theyhavebeenaliveso Jong, maybeitiswewho inhabit ther planet asnotonlyhavethey cexistedfarlongerthanmodern | Jnumans,buttheyaremore ‘numeraustoo,withthelr species ‘numberinghundredsofthousands and thet diversityunpaalieed However now with theusageot powerlulscanningetecton Imleroscopes SEM) sclentstsare prising open the doorsto his unseen ‘worldandwatchingas eastsakinto thecreaionsolthemost fevered reamstakeforminthesrmiions, ‘marchingoverawordthathas Jongsincebeen theirhome, nein ‘whichtheyhaveadaptedandevoived furiously andeficent to explo. Indeed, thelr appearance grotesque ‘byhumanstandards-actually, Detraystheirsuccessas species: ‘minimal, streamlined, sense- orientatedandabovealefficiet it ‘ssecondarytofunktion andes usavaunblensightino the evelopmentand evolution ofearbon- ‘based lifeforms.Aterall whatuseis itloking prety ifyou cannot defend yourseltfompredatrs, scavenge food, andliveinthemost demanding fenvironment? Sostrapyourslfinaswegiveyoua ‘ourofsameofthe morecommon ‘mleromonstersivinginyour awn home aswhilethey arent forthe squesmish,theyare ascinatingand Intriguing forms nonethelss ‘which ellusmachabout organisms land evolution. ee See] ‘ehcp elajoe gana Ecimsomcrtly soma ‘Serb ‘Sieh Suction smovaucaiegcratne ene One of the oldest forms of micro monster inhabiting your house, the mite is among the most diverse and successful invertebrates on Earth {8a0ospeceshaveatendy been identified andscientits Destuntethat this igure one percent ofthetral furberolmiteson Earth Teyaresuon ort Guableand most nportanty-highyadapableto chang evling guy expat he diferent environments presented them ver alin of years. in tacthey have provedsogoodatadaptingto Earths changhagen/fonment thatrkes-ormoteeccrtey thers cassAcar“havelvedoneathsicethe catty Devon period 359 millon years 990 haitng thewarmentandcldestclmatesandavastartay ong ereatres This evolutionary adapta has grated titesalmastunpaalele iverstyand now withthe scveroftheeleeon mleoscpe hetrnambersand ‘yperarevisbletor terete, Take the commonest mite Dermatophagodes pteronyssinus rm the pyroglyphidaetamly This ‘ariamtomtedvelinnumanresdnoes-incdng ot Probably suggests yourbore-andfesdsentlyon onganicdetritus such asflakesofshedded humanskin, Mlourishinginthestabieenvironmentandona perpetal foodsuppy.Thedlstmitestinyand unseen, withastze ‘froughly 420 mlerometersinlengthands20mletometers inbeight highly reproductiveafemalemitewillay oto rooeggsinthe last ive weeks ofherfe-and impervious toalltemperaturesbetweenotCand 6. Testence, the dustmitelsperect suite for ifeon arthnow with thenumbersof humansand houses in suitablectimateseountyourselfimmunethen youve ‘nAntactica nabundance. Theancestorthat he ‘common dustmteonceshared evolved otakeadvantage ofthese ofmammal especialy those whieh emerged om the oradicibalgroupstoset up permanent residences and did eo extraordinarily quickly or while ‘modern humanshaveonly been around or135,000yea5, {he Acari sub-class of mites has been around for over 400 nlion. Thisefficency and adaptabilty common in ‘many micro monsters as wevallse over the page. 067nea Serene) a See se ea eres nthetar PS ee Perera Peeear eon —- eat bed estiL aL rete ont Rents reeean rata] revoeagys mammals. Saget Seyraeaensy os eggs ose ten oat iterate so oognaicne Liceareanotherspeciesofmicr monsterthatarecloetohome— literalyasnetontyare they found inyourhome bu they iveon humans themselves infact oe cannotexistwithoutahostian bligsteparasite,sotisraretofind ‘hem on non-oganiematter. Most lcwarescavengersby nature, feedingofitheskin,bloodand etrtisfound nandon the host's body andoftendwelin hae There areovers.000 species oflouse {although onlythreearefoundon humansjand heylveexcusivelyon ‘wianandmammalian orders. Headlicellveonindiviual strands ofhuman hair clinging ‘hen with crab-ike mb and measuretwoto three millimetres in length Tofeed,thelice descend owmtothescalpwherethey ‘consimedeadskinanddrincbood ‘aprocessthat mvoesthe use bitngthe scalp, necting itsslivato clottheblood, andthen extracting intots body When reproducing femaleice produce egsthat hey atachtothestandot har thatthey farectingingtowith thetstcky Saliva Thismeansthat when the ess hatches -youngliceare called nymphs-they an move directly fontothesamestrandasthetrparent ‘Sclentstshavedscovered rom analysingDNA eidencefrom ‘modeenhumans' ancestors that ice spread iohumansapproximately 20 years ago fom gos, who Sillsharea suscepti tolle Seed eee Seen Nocturnal, razor-fast, silent: introducing the fastest micro monster your house has ever seen . ‘Another ancient speciesthat has ‘nhabiedearthformilimsatyears, thecommontouseholdsilverich {tepisma sacherinaisatiny but ble insect inthe Thyeanra order. Often found in areas og humicity such asbathrooms-silverishare ‘longed latened insets that ‘measure between 2am inength. ‘They arenot parasitic creatures, 068 unlike mitesandlie consuming ‘matter thatishigh nstarehesand Sugars suchas cotton, paper, carpet syntheicfbricand lather Thelr peed comes courtesy ofstelegsand streamlined physical construction, allowing tem oseutlequieklyand dynamically with minimal residence, ‘Aswithmitesandiicethestlversh \saestheically unpleasant butas ‘with teow micrascopiebrethrenit floes tneedtobeanditisanother nod example evolutionary priory, Despitethemajontyofisvartants Fed with compound eyes, the silvertsh technically doesnt require them indeed, sme varieties have honeatall-astherfinelytunedand largeantennasandtrplearayed cercilargelyrear-nounted appendages usedassensory organs) {ivetexcelient positional awareness, nd thankstoltsmonumentalspeed ‘onsideingitssize esa almost predatoriess species, with only ‘apableof hunting Finally the sSverisheantiveforuptoayear ‘without eating greatly enhancing its ability tosurvive snd reproduceHead Mowat _ cceea els) eed PARASITIC - ft Siar raha recy tatagneine x aa 7 a ae invasion... , Y Where in our homes do these invaders reside? = (2) ne = MN a bE cea tment ural aed Eran mentee etelameverd eae etegesian seta) -_,Sivertish nymph damasingtoyour heathens suchaswood,leatiter and sol In naturethis common behavior ndonethatisinvaluabletothe ecosystem, contibutinggreaty to theetfecsof decomposition and the recyelngofnutrients. However, when eietheweoden beams of human home, this becomes more of aprobiem. Termites albeltina slighty sechedenenaltn eae ioecentarhen ety 5 ecenpenvgite DL herman seston sate tar Mantis Theyareeusoca end re, [ees Daum ete mo conan nee POO Cobniesothindredstomil0No1 gi RU Individuals spltin obrolecsucs Se shepoauctves workers ot Soltere-eachguedbyosvarn ll we exploltarangeoffoodsourcesand taurus fenvironmentsthatasingulartermite epee wouldnotbeabletadoso Further, israel their nestsormoundsare toughened Newent structuresand prove protection ayainsepredarsTennite mounds How does the wood-lovii termite construct its home Termites are cellulose cting Ls nec thatsharemany similares withantsandbees, although, prhapssurprsinly thelr elvestrelativels belleedtobe the ‘cocleroech Thereareabnuraeospeces of termitearound the wor, ivingin baba asvariedastropcalfrestsand the frican savannah throught the Pacificcoast “Thecatinghabtsoftermites malethem very mportantineetsinan econystem By ‘consuming woodenstrucuresand plantife they help convert dead trees into org ‘matter trager new life, However ‘causeproblems, asthey can eatthrough Structural supports in bulldings, eventually Jeadingtotheireslapse. Termites have evolvedto cat woedareely BY Hereyoucansee why theermitescosst 3 7 Building material Q reer p erica fee : , f Soe StructureSWF GMMR Siemens, pierces | gintemgectinem | A tamunnticwind oy Seo (Gees “ae. “SSS ry reac sec, 1300000 rane EVEN The fascinating social structures of the mighty yet minuscule ant species Aes nets hee compete cain so hey hve tebe prety. Terman os pecs ae Radinexiasmesm'") Home sweet home et mes Tayeory iybeestart ithe mney psn ‘helmets a ht rmembor ofthe ancl. The Quen andertandbiy ‘epmpltethe con ng al poorer eee Ant social # Dat Every ant knowsits ) place and thejob of cichonespstas Prygueee ae vital as the next. But . 1 justwhatarethe | {Sheri erolesto | anscaretertegueenand roles ofthe different | jeproduce, andensurethe heryoung, bulldand repair ant classes? | iongevity afthe colony. the nest and forage for food. Ans oF thefamily Formicidae arean interesting MM eciesofinsec, which hawa dstinctandcomplex ‘soca infrastructure. Knownasananteoony ths socal cycles dependent on hierarchy, with the Queenstarting the proceedings ‘Onceamant’ esis succesfully but the Quen, or reproductive male lake upresdence tr nip fight ndshedbervings One orafewmaleantsthen nemiate her Thiscantakeplaceinthe nest wiletatonaryin the air ‘nlowegeatn or the rund hen od ang She then ‘esdesnanexcavatedchamber Hereshe lay her eg merging lave, feeding them rom reguratateliquetod ‘musculature related tothe wings. heen numbers of worker antsarereferradtons antes spavmingtrom east bigger thon mince. This twee. Thesearemuchsmalrthaneubsequent workers, de totneabilty ofthe Qusentaony provide med amount of {ood comparative otha ich raging wokesltr Intl the Queenisrespansiblefornest maintenance delenconcelarvae havereached maturity Queen sony ‘esponsibleforrerodvctonand populating the anon. ow theantworkerstrntafeedand curtain majsty This Sllosthecolnytwexpand inpopultionat Wwellasterry adress “Thisofcorse ales aperiodofseeral years alter whihthe colony produces tts generation sexta who willy on thesame dayallathesametime, enhancing thelrchanceta ‘eetinthe mip ightant cose the jl. Mhereason tahinthistsaleo thatthe deathotthe Queens devesating tiectsona colony ansseldom elacehey andhavea Survival expectancy fonlyseveralmnths iter er demise Qed oi Soldier Drones ror Significantly larger worker antsthatarenamedassuch ‘duet theirlarger heads. and stronger mandibles. Maleants,ordrones ive onlyatew weeksoemanths, andaresolely responsible for Inseminatingyoung queens. onSpiders & insects Slugs and snails 20. Anus The gardener’s least favourite visitors, slugs and snails are quite incredible little slime balls 19. Respiratory pore 23, Shell fetatsnat imetngeise secede | [ Telnet opens ose on te ‘agocaledspreumooa ee Seis icmcatonte sweats, fetasngacanycamaeaganrtt | | murhrialasre scare vege eee aes Sean ens eacem 1.Stomach ‘eves fod tse ised 2. Kid Bina gern er Si rads cn arte ond brane srs They cn 22. Eso Smet Mantle sata Sot gy 4 Heart sayy ro | mcs gens Baa —/ vane. IOP a, Gentes eaeatt Mout eae” eae. Seed aeons Saker oie Sees, Ee Se Science tal dateoe eo Auhoughtheylooivery whileaduitsnalshavecoiedshells andandbreatheusingetheriungs, _eachotheruntilsperm sexchanges aillerensugs snails, bigenough withdraw into, aillsorboth ‘iatheiraispropartonately lage octopuses cystersand Shugsondsnalsbelongtothelage — Gastrpodsarehermaphrodiie, genital. Anotherpecular ats cuttefshareallmaliases groupatmoliscscalledgastopods/whichmeanstheyhavebothmaleand apophallation, whereby onesivg, -Latinforthinshelled'-andettherandmaketheirhomeinavanietyat _femalereproductiveorgans.andcanchewsollthectherspensafter haveacalcum-carbonateexteral _Tocationsfrombackgardenstooceans matewiththemselvesifnopartneris mating, Theapophallated slug sell asmallshellunderthesurface, andeverywhereln-between.Theyare available Duringanelaboratemating maynowonlyeproduceusing!ts Cornoshellatall SugsareshelMess theonlyimolusesthatcanliveondry rfualslugsentwineandscmulae_femalegentali Discover how these little bloodsuckers make a tasty meal of their warm-blooded hosts ‘Ticks are extremely small parasites that fed onthe poten "ich load of ther animals through procescalled “hemaophogy’ As they are arachnids they have eighties, the firstpairofwhich eatresa special sensory pitcalled the Ne’ organ, which can sniff outprey. ter ndinga sultable ; othe unwiting vit using legsand the special sucker pads on its inand gett theblood, thetiek uses its {wo anglke cellerae, and then extends longserrated proboscis called hypostome”. Thehypostomemakes it Gificuteto remove anattachedtckas, ikea fishhook, Covered with backwards-pointing barbs. The tick then sucks up ‘ood untilits body also known as the-diosomay isso blaated sreanttake any more-thiscan take sev ore How to remove a tick veya dc comupeabicantey ‘todo ase etre done Ten, ciicintdacasts Thtwnerenmaqe ee | Sccisslncemneo fo eee G Renowned for their jumping prowess, grasshoppers are a diverse species of insect, Sinilatothelocustandcrike, hearasshoppersaspeciesol insect theorthoperaorder, Inowevertiscm-migrtoryand tendstoexistnisltion fe edoes not swam, meeting up generallyonbto rate ‘Grasshopper anatomy costs ofaong, abdomen emalesareequippedvwithan ‘vipsitororlyingegas shor orelegs powerulhindlegs responsible forts jumping prowess, twoparsofwingsandashort nena tsnerooussytem scontalledhya Senesof ganglia, acoletonofnervecels Tocatedneach part ofthe boy the largest ‘ccrtingin hehe. Informations feta sanglaviatsantenna sensilla ny exterior hasand erlipaled appendages a tear, Sound's detected by pair oftympanal organs, ‘asetofmembranes stretched acrosa frame, land backed byanairsacand sensory neurons (Grasshoppersareherbivoresandtendtocat grasses, plantsand leaves, dssecedby their ‘mandibles. Pod s digested ina series of three futs-thestomodaeum, mesentreronand roctodaeum running tm thetoreofthe Abdomen io therear respectively Foods broken donnbyaselection otsecreted enzymesinclodingamylase, protease, pase land invertase Reprodcton occurs thraugha lengthy ovulation proess(uptoninemoaths, vith eg lay femalestypicallyanetotwo Inches underground Therearecurtently oughly so00speces otgrasshopper recorded oldie, andthey tendtobefound esidinginropial forests, andgrastand planes. moulti skin-shedding glory It's the circle of life in all its undergothe process of outing ‘expandbeyond the constraintsoftheit igi exoskeleton, thicker layer of protection forthe winte,and vice versa for witht, growing esh new ones inher place Wate beds predators until thet feathers have regrow. Camoufaged tone exosieleton The timescale of moulting forasouthern hawker dragonfly isa littleover three hours 073.Why do some critters Pte hant abe} (alco) eh on the outside? Ra "ome ssasuprsedur aninalfromdyngou. The ester ofen ‘of percentoftheanimalson exoskeleton canalsocontainsensory Farthdonthaveabackbone, _hairsorbristles,whilesomeanimalscan Which creatures have exoskeletons? ands percentdon'thaweany secrete various pheromones and bbonesatall'Sohowdoallthesecreatures chemicals ont the surface fthelrshellas suppartand protectthemselves? Well, ameans ofepeling predators. mmanyinvertebrates-andallarthropods _ Thoughan exoskeleton consists of Spider ‘Thediscardedcaticetet “havea protectiveerteralcasingcalled flexible eg ointstoenablethe creatureto anevodeleton Thslterallymeens moveabou once its formed thsarmour bohindatteraspder as ‘miacniensninoion Tt Sanwa facie peipaerrery theanimalssoltelssuesandalso providea Therefore, theanimalwilleventualy cigeetaath eta rigidstrucuretowhichthecreatures_outgrowit Atthispointa process called \} _attenetegsandyoucan even rusclescanattach, tecdsis ormouling, takes place whereby Seethefinehairsonits boy. Insecteroskeletonsaremadeofehitin, —thecreature wil sheds overly tight outer Wwhichtsembeddedintoa kind oftough _skininordertomale way for anew one. proteinmatrx.Chitinisanitrogen-based _ Therearethreemain ¥ypesaf skeletal yaaa biopolymer similar atlesstinfunction, =ystemintheanimal kingdom: tokeratin which ethestuffourhairand exoskeletons(onthe ouside), tendoskeletonsfontheinside,ikehumans) land hydrostatiskeletons,whicharea bt iferenta they haveno real framewore forextrearmour plating ‘butrathermaintainthelrshapety the saftandsqushy. riding ‘roundonthelrmothers backs butte evaskeletons soon harden One unsual rat about the seurpons exoskeleton is ‘Aswellassupportingand protecting the _pressureof uid inthelr bodes. Examples thatitglows fluorescent 5 creature anexosieleionalsocteatesa_ofereatures with hydrostatic skeletons aaa rac 5 watertight barierthatprevents the Includeslugs, wormsand lish, 74ae ae your Pt creer eee or) Semen ens erence na See net poate ioe Arthropod exoskeletons 44...‘ Piutice Allartuopodshavean exsteleton akaculle consisting ban tt azo fftwomalnprotectvelayers: he thin, waterproof outer reise ontarane itn —— Hardened exocuticle Thatch proctielersre merge Corgcted ners ofthe sect bonchmer Pesce aokcons <— Flexible endocuticle <— {piece ad the thicker chitinous procutie just below Gland duct taper oth ghee ent enctcl er Procuticle nie then th SS pyowreten motin chlor mere ts fone erty Basement membrane Epidermal cells tame ceabtgeres Dermal gland ‘Foeraryetsom e Prononapreterepcina rownmtesic Miilipede tubular exoskeleton ‘minerals Tose chemicals Surface oftheoutershellto. deterpredatrsor when milipedes el threatened. Crab Acabibrndpreciepite * east > Carapace. The decorator handy or aisutse ton ait featurestiny hooks onto whic coralattaches, The coconuterabjabove), means, 0 igi ca spenda wholemonth shedding shelland wating forthenewonetabarden etacean exskeletonsare reinforced witheaeiumand ‘made upofplates Hormones thatorignate from helobsters yetellitwhen ts time toshed ieshell Whenacheftoisa lobstritsuter skin wl tarn frombe black to bright red Thisiebecausecerain aw Spiny Aton ~ flower mantis los ‘Amantiswillmoultbetween Sweandtentimes rings etme, and sally will stop growingandsheding ‘onceltsanadult ith uly functioningwings rSpiders & insects The mascot of choice for international supervillains, these sinister stingers are also fearsome hunters Bb Scorponsare arachnids ihe nottru legs butare instead mode eelers. spiders However wheveasspiders Withthevicim firmly raspedinitschtches, the ‘atemainlyambush predators, scorpionarehesitstailovertsborktoinjecta : Tonkngfortheir _powerfulvenom that neapacttesits meal thoranae Caleta he teneyes dependingon thespect eyesight is poorand most searpionsare etenal anya ken Insteadtheyrelyonvibratoncensitivelegs, _chelicerae. These morselsare placed ina small on heir body that can dete the ‘vty under the mouth and digestive juices ar ochoraircurrent.Adesertscorpion _sqblfledup from thegut lke etchup. Alter the jewbratons causedbythefoosteps of etzymeshaveliquidsedthetooditeanbe kanginseet froma mint the stomach, Scorionscan ‘omparingthe timeitta mes their body weightatasingle toreecheachle. thescorpioncantrangulate _sitingandstorethisawayorleane times They thepostionofitstarget When klscloseenough, haveverysiow metabolismsandmany species thescorplon makesa brefdashtosnatchiteprey _ lveloroverten years Itnecessarytheycan {inpowerfulpincers Theseclaws,orchela are’ managevrthjustone or two meas year Finding ‘rereontinent apart ‘Xemroten The aceon on ‘hema reprecentsthe resetsorpion eraty surface vibration can befoueast 076,Head ya [la/a] DEADLY fee Party animals Allscorpionsarefuorescent Thismeens ‘thattheylow'whenshone with ‘ultraviolet light. Thisraterfunkey property isanacidental sie eect the ‘way theirarmour plating sconstrcted. ‘When sorpinsfirssheéthe nevslainunderneath ssottand ‘vulnerable Toharden tu, the protein ‘cainsare eros linked usingother ‘compounds. Thisprocesssealed slerotsatonand sstmilarttheway ‘hatcowhide sturned int eather. 9 scorpons theres inkngeompoundis ‘eta carboline whichisstongly fluorescent. Asaresultscorpons glow rmoreand morebrighty under UVight ‘witheachsuccessive mou 1Y octane ieiaanetan enone How do scorpions glow inultraviolet? ‘Grecpmtstretosren Welt. Sma SernInside the animal behind the most common phobia in Britain Partofthearachnid classof fanimals-whichactualy Incudesseorpios,eksand mites-spidersare cightegged anthropods with woody sections, With Itsabiltytoinject venom into prey, Se ee mobilising them forease ofeatng the spiderhasbecomebothfearedandrevered. ° Chelicerae. 0 Secon Fancy a bite? sider. Thepolsonglandconnecedtoa ‘enomousspiderstangscotains angerous cera tatarerceased Sntoavixm by dang angs ino thevicinrsbody Unis the sper fee Ahretened, hese fangirl {uckedonay sme perpen ave torbesde eect ncding tse epeeraton, cal death ances, etre eae Spier done ym, oreo jingasaresutoitciesthan tenner ee eater ‘uso whch ates the nervous ee ‘Stee a v \ ore.How do spiders breathe? cee eee ate toe tai ge oe pc oa ‘innngthelengh oft boty The natural movers oleae fresno the body where esta thet carbon, Some of the most Glonidelsthendlfwedbackinotheairandiocedoutorthebo’y _‘atorious spiders on tagainty thespiders movements Thebook lings, meanwhile, the planet Consist of ver thin leabike structures filled with blood thatalso ‘exchange orygenand carbon doxie through difuien. Geeta Oviduct (rotviale en agra) Sik gland erent eae 079¢ Spiders & insects ‘Thepolsonoftheblack widowspderistmes fatlesnake' venom. ‘arelybtes humansand ‘athoughpainfal less Thatioohem cause hhumandeth. potereteiory How do these deadly spiders kill their prey? ‘ofthe rap until prey ether fies aninsectistapped inthe web, the the prey witht cheliceae, appendages aboveHow does as construct its Stage 1: Creating a framework. ider web? Learn how arachnids create their spiral orb webs in which to ensnare prey Bulldingaspiderwebleavery complexprocess Rferringtathe stagesbelow,irstthespideratpoint ‘dangles length of sticky silk, ‘which can be arredinthealr until tick toan anchor point, such asa branch see point Bh. Once thesikisattachedtpoint® thespider pullsit creatingthe bridge theese). None thespider fixes asecond strandblve to point Aandspinsthiswiilecrssingthe brig. ‘Thisthread looser than the stan droop below thebridge thread. At pine Bthe spi attachesthisstrandbut doesnt pull tat, Next the sper travels back halfway longthe now anchored lose thread topointCthe web contro thevweightofthe spider bowsthe thread tnfoa Vshape, anal from the bottom athe; the spideratachesa third thread, which isspun as. 7 ‘Stage 2: The orb takes shape thearachniddescendsto another branch anchor pointD) Thisturnsthe shape intoa'?shape And creates another intgral pathway. The spider ‘ontinuesto create more of hese structural ‘Strands until baseframeworklsin place, Withthemainramelinesinpositin, the spider adds radial threads from the centreto ‘wee, These form the nonstick paths upon ‘which the creature cn safely navigateittrap. Nextthespierreatesasilspiralacra radialines rom the inside out Usingthisasa template, epeatsthissage, except this time the ‘threadsare coated in bugcatchingadhesive Nowallthe spider needsto do sposiion tslf atthecentreofltstrapand walt These creatures arevery sensitivetovibrationsand,quickasa flash the spider can expertly traverse ts web to conffontahaplessy entangled victim. 2 Radial thread The science of silk Stasi casero scledtiroba Yoveyerong= in eae eee ratestnatral odotahare Stage 3: The spiral template Stage 4: Setting the trap ‘thesplderbythespinneets, whieh arespecial glands loeatedinthe tip * Frame thread Nonstick spiral thread fofthearachnid'sabdomen. Upon ‘contact withairth liquid instantly hardensto becomea inebutstong sillAsthe material is produced, ‘hespider pullsitinto ong, thin. threads usingitslegs ‘Thereasonthe spider tselfdoes not become cughtin ts own web is ‘that, fst knows which teky strandstoavoidand,secandthe adhesive hardensifthe uniting ‘icimmakesasudden movement, ‘butnocwithhe gente considered ‘mowementsofthespider, 081Cell count Tere rete : Zz 2 = ‘eragrder =. 4 s == ‘Moulting f center ey Si - Tardigr i tomanenna, — Mouthparts irra ceri armani 3 Tees They may be small but are these minibeasts meeeteedonplons, —— $ eAlacamadevert really the toughest creatures on the planet? (eee Tardigradesaretinyaquate doses thatwould mostcertinyillsa thousand meso specesaressiilinetesing.fecmallstwhthacsassrfngtoprotecthe cell a {are underoamm. Desitetheirsquishyand ‘ulnerableappearance, they arevirtually indestructible. Experiments in laboratories Daveshown hatthey can survive pressures ‘of6a00 atmospheres temperatureses ow a5-278Corashighas sand radiation ropstoane per athe bolsm slawsby 3999 percent. ce cat forminabody thisdryandall he chemi reactonsthat might haem them simply happentoo hovaly tobe dangerous. The world’s strongest insect isa on How do water striders walk on water? The aquatic insect that uses water tension to stay on top big fan of waste collection DDungbeetesarerenownedforthelr Incredblestrengthandacute sense smell when collstingtne ungot otheranimals: Most can colet 50 timesthercwn weigh uta lonthophagustaueus beetles can push 1agitimestheirmass makingthem thestrongestinsectinthe word. This stronghindlegs required forthisfeat ‘because theyoftenhaveto fight off rvalstomatewitha mala who ‘waits underground forthe delivery of ‘ungfom her counterpart. Females lay eggs in dungto provide ution and protection or thetrofspring, ‘who feedonthesold waste A Foundin reshwaterponds and stl Dodiesofsatersthewaterstrder, or pondskater isa predatory aquatic Insect that usesthe highly sensitive \waterzepellenthalsonits esto fdetectthevibrationsofan insect fllsinto the pond. Thestrider wil prey. Despite being denser than ‘water aWatersrider doesntsnk: themoleculesinthe wate pul ‘moleculesatthesurfacetogetherso 082 thatthey ocklikea thinelastc ‘membrancof slighty denser molecules The aterstidercanthen ‘ross thesurlacewithoutsinking. Waterstrdershave three palrsat legs, thelrontpalrafwhichareshort and dextrousenoughtocaspilland ‘asap. Themis ‘ntst You over the surface while thera paiat ieraeston tea fterbepingt toot ‘sequivalenttoahuman palingsix double-decker buses fll ofpeope Male dung beetles developed the beetles consume only thefu which they extract bysqueezingthe anditheirskinisrichin {at Bearsgcttentimesas much energy from fishas they do rom berries Throughsummerand cary-autumn they wil eatanoooealriesa day “asmuchastenadule humans-toputon enough weighttolast ‘through thewinter. oN et FrayKings of the Arctic How polar bears hunt and survive Thepolarbearmayseemeuteand muchas.269 pounds, andeangrow toasbigasten_ dependinguponseasonandangle oflight makesfor ‘sdaly butthese mammoth fee(tall whenstandingontheirhindlegs.Thatsa_aperectcombinaton for surprising pee, ‘mammalsofthe Arcticarea massivebody mass whichincludesathieklayerof Otheressentialpatsofthe anatomy, suchasthe hardenedspeces,setouttosurvive Bubbernearlyasinchesthick. Wrapthisupwith _pawsandsnout, helpthem thrive inthese rsh Inthesesubzerotemperatures, _twoadditionalayersoffu,whicheoversallothe conditions. Polar bears pawsarelargecomparedto plungingtoas muchas" Celis, bearsanatomy except theirnoseandoa pads and itsbody size. Measuring inches, they inchide Ursusmarkimusstaysassmigasabug Purewhite thick curved, non retractabeclaw, essential for ‘Thepolar beat of Ursusmartimias~vhich catchinglarge prey aswellastorvacton when ‘meansseabear-havebeenrecordedioweighas _tocreamyyellow/ightbrown n colouration, ‘Marsystplarbeursecenes ‘rpieeeretroma Rossaneab Where can you find the king of the arctic? Found throughoutthe ‘Arctic cre polar bearseanbefoundin fecounties: Denmark Greenland), USA(Alaska), Canada, Norway{Svalbord) and frusia. Estimates gest ‘hatony20.000-25.000, polarbearsremain ‘throughourtne worer 2olar bears enjoy a rela tended lf dying at a ripe ag years old runningonice. nowyweather conditions mpatitseyesight, ‘many succumbing malnutrition. Inadition, the Smallbumps,nownas papilae arealso present and these hep them keep heirrip when ‘manoeuvringslippery ice Uptohalthe length of thebearsoesiscovered witha swimming ‘membrane, whichenablethemto swim ata rateot smiles perhour andthey'reknowntobe competontsvimmersasfaras ok rom shore “Thebearssenseofsmellisextremely acute and becomes the mostimportantsensory or detecting landprey.Abletosmeliasea from over one Jllometreaway under theefeet of snow thisis extremely importanttothisspeces sural as leetehingse ‘elongeae Big dict Tocach poy pot bar wat ‘whichtsnobeterthanthatofnormalhuman being These factorfirmly putUrsusmaicimusat thetopoftne arctfood chain ‘Unfortunately despite chet aeat prowess the polarbear population's dropping que, mainiy ‘duetothe damaging llectsofglobal warming. AS the Earth heats up lager quantitescficeare ‘melting ear inthe yeay,removingthe vital hunting patorms which polarbearsuseto hunt seas. Thishabiat sss preventingpolarbears frombullding uptherequistefatreservestosurvive Intheharsherand leaner pats ofthe yer with the bearetoswim furtherand, ndmassts,dainingenergy that reproduction, body conditioning and general sural “Polar bears can smell a seal from over one kilometre away, under three feet of snow" 5 TOP FACTS eT Beers rer ee oe [Stele ert00pumes he ‘Sader oon ‘ven curate rete a ‘not ogo thet blr dopa tha ot thon thy src obra, They ‘Sater pire date Shem Sarena Land or sea, nothing stops the polar bear 7 Sieeyuen anne ‘ray nd os ane tearm! » ¢ m3XXXXXXXXXXAXXXXKAXXXX ANAK Primatesaremammalswith grasping Jhandsand fet, good visionand large bras or thei body size They vole fnomsquirebtketree dieling animals around million yearsago, justbeforethe ‘inceatrsbecame extinct, Primatesaredivided into lems who only vein Madagascar arises, rsiersand simians Somewhere between 3380470 million yearsag a fewsimians madethe ourney. ftom Afncato South America probably fating on Imprompturaftsofvegtation. From there hey ‘evolved int the New Works Monkeys and they are ‘he niyprimatesnatierorhatcontnent. The smlanslet behind became the Old Word Monkeys “wshohavetaile-and theapes-who don. ‘Thereareapproximataly 2qspecesof primate ma ‘currently own, mostylvinginthemidstof tuopial rainforests Primates arevery successful ‘mammals. ven gnoringtve act tat the dominant specleson Earth fomo sapiens sapimate, this ‘s7oupofanimalshassilspread outwidely across the tropical regions ofthe ver rom thei forests ol Centra Americatothearid Arcam savannah, andftomthe swamps othe ongobasin tothe Ethiopian highlands, whichareamassive S.e00m above sea evel, Primatesaecountforasrmuchas 4opercentolthe fruiceatinganimals by weight ntropical rainforests and thelr references have hada major lmpactonthe evolution of plants there. Bananasand ‘oranges far example, usernonkaysto spread their seedsandothey have evlved shins hatarevery hardto peel unless you have opposable thumbs. Primates livelongerthan other mammals ofthe samestze parly because they are often abet ‘co-operateto defend themselves against predators ‘Theyalso reproduce moreslowy though with infantshugelydependenton ther parents formuch Tanger than mostotheranimals Tel reasonably larg brainstequiretimetofully develop, and of sth knowledgeabout thetrenvirnmentandlts rumernusdangers. ‘Although most primates eat fuitaspartofthelr ‘let, many of tem have speciliseafor other foods aswell Lemurseatleaves,marmosetstrip ree arktoeatthegum underneath and heayeayehas anelongated middle finger owinkle insects outof tres Ikea woodpeckerMouse lomur Mountain ora ‘Male proboscis monkey Lictiseremcs "| Zitmamangaawreas | Biesmaccesee me” Socrcaaeieg Secusuactncamsmty fuuinnatee thirtieth ot ntpics, folie digket feverptteh tems The skeleton of a Primatesshowahigh degree ofspeclalisation and edaptation ‘between diferent species, but even those primates that haveclimbed dawn ram the treesstillshow plenty of evidence tat theirancestorsused toswing ‘overhead, Primaesteletonsare adapted ‘rovide maximum mobility and swinger teachin theirarmsand « Eye sockets forwarelacing “nse RT Reese) patent et yi Cass iy eaMonkey see monkey do Primateshavebinoclar isinand ngersand thumbs {hatcangrpsmallbjecs stn preston, Tiss nigh aleny but ster largebrains tava temo exploreandmanipuatethe swoidaroundthem nmote comple ways chimpanzees ‘oosharpenedtcltopoke Tortermitesandaswespons; sorilascaryavalkingstck {ognuge edepthofthe water asthey cross arejapanese ‘cages asthenia Senuatertoremaveditand Season th sal These ‘hime areninnate ‘heyarepased rom eneratom generation. ‘Most primatessrehighly social wth complicated ower stages and seal Felatonchipsworthy ofany Soap opera Thee Word Speci formmonogamous ‘elatonshigsandtokatter AheyoungtogetherInAca ani onibbons doth (ld Work montaysandarest speshavedominanee Herechlestocstabihone raleinagroup wih mating acesstomoatofthe females, 6 Brushingroceaday epstheseteth| peut Taste the rainbow ‘The complex three dimensional word ofthe forest makes accuratedepth percoption essential Tis requires forward facingeyes andaflatened nose tha wort etinthe way. Por thisteason primates ly much morean thelr vision than they doon theirsens ofsmel Most mammals an seein{ust tw basiccoloursbatprimates have evolved athree-colour vision thatissensiiveto red, greenandblue wavelengths Thisellowsthem to easly distinguish between pean vunnpe frat. Inlew World monkeys, the malesall havetwo-colour vision, which slighty beter for identifying succulent leaves, while most femalessee three colours, so hey ean find rut Mostspectes gather foodco-operatively to get thebestof both world,Wilghespthtc and thumbs Primatesevolvedinthetreesandeven thosespecesthathavesincectimbed downtosolidgroundstilcary the legacy ‘ofhandsandfetthat were desgnedto fripbranches Primates havefve fingers Sndtoesan each fontwith nals rather thancaws anopposablethumbandotten ‘anopporablebigtoeas well Primate Angersare muchTonger than nother ‘mammalsandtendtcurveintards when related, sothetrnatualpostiontsa loosegrip ‘Astellas being goodatayipping primates havelongarms with very rely fotatingshouldersandwrists This makes iteasytoswing ram branch to branch ‘Thislormofmavementisealed brachiaton, Gibbons can brachiteat ‘ssn, wavelingSm ith eachswing siggtis nitginighes:focitine Ooty aS A gripping tai Apartirom theapes, most primateshavetal, but refiensiletailsareuniqueto the New Worid monkeys Prebensilemeans ripping andthe howler, spider and ‘woolly monkeys havea bare padofsknion theend of {hel tailsthat ets them grip foodand small objects. The ‘apuchinmonkeysdon' havethispadandonlyuse thelr tilasasiftharmwen climbing id Word monkeys onlyusetheltalsfr balance ON THE MAP ‘Where to find primates wrChimps will eat almost anything. In fact, they're partial to the odd small tree-dwelling monkey. In order to catch these swifter, more nimble monkeys, the chimps get organised minster es =aiiaon Morethana third ofprimatespeciesarecrtcally endangered ‘orvulnerable, Deforestation aecauntsfora loaf this, mainly ‘hrough orestclearanceforagriclture. But poachingisa significant problem aswel Thesmallerprimatesare captured tosupply the pet trade largeranimal {ortradionalmedicineand for thelr mest. ns es, halfofal the protein eaten's Includes primates. Armed confit in the DemocraticRepublic ‘fon has made poaching much worse because of general lawlessness Primates eproduceruch moresiovathan ‘ther mammalso populations takea longtime to recover. Madagascar atleast species ol primatehavebecome ‘extinctsinoohumansfirssettled theres yearsago, Including lemur larger thanagorilHow do prehens tails grip? Learn about the creatures whose tails work like additional limbs Animal ails performa vast array ofphystea functions, Yi MB) irom worsingasacheetan’s ‘counterbalance when coreringathigh speeds odeliveringa powerful blow in theease ofthe erocodie, oreven communicating emotion, whena pethound wagsitstalAnanimal witha prehensile tal, however, hasa special ability to gripontothings with ts Specialised appendage -usingitasa kind ofextra limb, ‘Among otheranimals, uly prehensle- tailed creaturesinchude species trom the New World order ofprimates, which are nativetorainforestresions in South “Amerie Here, where the branches ofthe tree canopy canbe widely spaced, animals had todevelopasultablemechanismto Beaver dams We explore how these aquaticmammals design and construct their habitats Food fuel: Samer arn tn ge eee Shenk hy sonst ‘Singles br ge oan Stlans Oe! Beaversareaquaticmammalswitha kenatectionorengineering emanstated nthe constriction of ‘helrartical am habitat. This ingenityisone ofnature'sgreatestwonders and hhasbeen happening orwell oer 0 milion yeas. Fundamentally the building damsuitsthe natural instinet ofthisspects. The beaverisan assist them in traversing these large gaps Inthe rainforest over many thousands of years. Splder monkeys, forinstance, use their agile tals for additional balanceand Jocomotion when they're swinging though the treetops ‘Such alli requlted to suspend the ‘entire weghtofacreatureandso the ‘skeleton and muscular stricture of prehensile tailsmustberesistant to both torsionand bending, andeapable of ‘generating higher forces than regular tails ‘Anopossum, for example dangles upside ‘down by tstallwhileusingitshandsto Pick ood. The tipofthetal an cul round branches and trunksand some prehensile tailed mammals even have patches of bare skinorscales~insteadof fur fora non-slip {rip nsurfacessuch as branches. ‘Standing tall Made to last fomeneethone | eames, «irene SZeeareaty, Geemee'— atameneyasrote Sooo Eee fecha pateheaeete fuensstans Sate cents, Some pester acapted swvmmer, thats fail immobile pon land. Thismakes tsusceptibietopredatrssuchas the bear. ‘Teirstrongaquatislllsmake deepwater habitatsfarmoresecurSllledteam= of constructer beavers, usually working inp, can bullda dam ina matter of days. The damitselis ‘constricted roman eclectemixof natural rae ponds where te an “sate hae ‘materials ncludingrocks, wet grass, wood and mud ‘build the superstructure Arminimurn levelof {reletisrequired to keep the danysunderwater ‘entrance from heezingoverin winter AbEave’s ‘Samvnllvarynconstructanddesin, dependent fnwaterspeedsintheriver fthedam isstraiht, thenthe water currentissiow. iescurved, the \watercurrentisfastmoving 29XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXKXXXKXXKX Duck-billed plat Is ita beaver? Is it a duck? Is it e Le y ; a lizard? No, it's something SAP . ne entirely different... . e ‘Theduce bled several months untilitcan both playpusisamember seeandswim independently ofthedassofprimitwe Theplatypuswasbuulkor ‘mammalscalledthe underwateracitesthasa long, ‘monotemes,whichisarareorder streamlined body waterproof, thatindudesplatypusesandjust paddle-tkefeetaswellastrekslor fourspecesofspiny anteater. Monotremesareaviparous, _remalninglelow thesufaceloras Uwhichmeanstheyreproduceby _longaspossible While hunting in layingesgsthat developand _rversand lagoons, the platypus hhatchoutsethe mothe'sbody, _usesits webbed fontletto propel ratherthangivingbirth Tor Ateelthrough thewateranditsrear Baroundtendays,themother __‘feetandiat, beaverishtaltoster. Incubatestheeggaloneiner _Thecreaturecanvemain Durrowbykeepingitwarmina underwater lorseveal minutes pouchbetweenherbodyandher duetothefolisof skin hatform fall Whenthehelpless bind wateightscalsoveritseyes, ears Daby-commoniyknawnasa —_andnostri “hatches iewillbehungry, Another distinguishing feature hilefemaleplatypuses _oftheplatypus isthe fact thatacul forrthave eats tike other maleshavea poisonousspuron ‘mammals,theycanstillsuekle _thehindleg. whicheandelvera thelryoung Milkglandsthatare nastystng. Thespuriswsed tuckedawayinagrooveinidethe duringtusse forterrtory or Pouchonberabdomenproduce matesandindelenceasatst Dosofmustiousmillcthe—predaors,makingthemale femalenursesthepugslefor_platypusavery nasty adversary. a The Statistics Home sweet home Keep out ‘eters spent asa “open trodes ‘pons tga, ‘Sic Bocoget Seaton toneree Only girls allowed | meatus teehee ‘erepgeinaprnatonest espana the wi Me tt) Platypus make thet homesinriverbank burrowswithanopening ust above waterlevelOncethefemalehasmated-usually between |v and November~sheneedsa uit place olayandincubateher epgsaway fromthe males. andsoshetunnels deep int the riverbank ceatnga rfrherseltand her ee ‘Acincervas between the nest andthe riverbank, she creates Diackagesinthetunne: \whichcanbeaslngas 8m -toprevenany rising water rom inundatingher hideaway. The ‘mother lines her nes with sot ee matter,whichshe dagsinbehind herusingher versatile tall BoRlotup parts uses Srnec water kay, soifyoulis the distinguishing features of ‘ur iriendthe platypus youhave amedley of ‘wats uniquetoonlyaewmembersofthe animal kingdom Takethetr webbed fetand rubbery il forinstance both examples ofa dduc’sdistinctveappearance.Orthe Deaverikefurcoweringall buts biland fet. ‘Andhow about those es, which protrude rom theside ofthe body, ving the platypusalizard’s ai? Such borrowed charactersticsmake te platypus one olthe weirdest animals wadding Aaroundthe southeenhemisphere. Many creatures allrolledintoane qultecuriousmammal 4 ae Forseldetence both che ee. crt seresdewslopshorp ‘aleaneusspurson thelr hindlegs. These groves arenotfixedtotheheel: theyareatached toa separate bone that allowsthem greater freedom to move, “However ony che spursofthemalesare venomousand capable op theecymineticiooy vere The duck-bill and electroreception Sinceduck-biledplatypusesare eyesight or hunting mainly erepuscular- thats, ‘andyourberight despite the theyremostyaetiveduringthe fecthey have ery small eyes, they twillghthoursoftheearlymorning do have very een eyesight. andiateevening -youright However theplatypusactually assume theyhave excelent -Keepsitseyesshuthen hunting underwater So tostalkits prey. platypusinsteadusesits highly Senstve bill Although this may resemblethe illofa duck its ‘covered with soft leathery ein that contains approximately 4,00tiny ceptors thateandetetthefaint lectrictelsproducedbysmall, ‘animals buried inthe riverbed Bysweepingits bil from set ‘de the dled plarypuscan Sensethe direction its unch, wich twill hungry digoutothe mud with its spade Ie bil eran platypuses roam aOR oc scccsn paren oe ae fever meniret rs ~ oe Co el Gecieek ae eo iat, eee Sota ceaeee eee ‘connected tothesharp ——t Sagat a See ieee Ree ° =f TES ctherhand, doesn't Metnehevireareheoherntnetile loser widest ene | x= olfatterayear,(atscanpointtheirarsforwards ‘orbackwardsindependently to ‘inpointsounds. The complex fp fokdsand apstetp wih thisas wel bycancllingoutcerain ‘requences of soundand amplllyingothers.catsean hear Frequenciesa whole octave higher than even dows. The tricks, skills and amazing features of the world’s most popular pet } Catsorgnated in theMdlebat descended fromthe Afcan bled) ica they were domesticated sometimeinthe Stone Age probly Broundthe development olagrcukure whengranstresbepan to frtctasand other pesstohumansetemens aint wd take lost no sounds tooneanethe,butamong humana they haves wie repeitfprs hskes mesos These sreall dened Commonkate wih sand rescerch arson thatsrlinga cat stimulates the tomonecrytacninhumans which ele sfeleaxedand hay A onryearohigrvetnyprasharbrenfouneatelehc human orient to {Gye nee arenoroughiysno mill omestere ara theo bk {eneeaass as revelesthathey ral eecende om us females any domestics have ase era eye where thy wae om several ferent howsehldsas wellashuringorthemsevs Thien, cats siliretainmootoftehurtingsklsendinstintsof etrancestors casa que hayangeangtalleentethey eed om estingmes neresngy ey Canalsdrinkesonate at main mana tight teiteyesanopert wh jnstone-sithofteligh hate would needtose by andthe hearing among themostacuteofanymanmal.ntheUK, cats alle miion esa yea Indeed 39pecertofallsparon deatiearedownt fine cul. Eye socket, _ a Tapitum lucidum =a Sa ff Yy7 c. Pupil a ccatscandstnassh toe WZ gg ote Shoes, ~ "coy ore sit pups oh | 132vive up ta 56°C if they have a SEL nll BRASS (How do cats land iresrecaeafahomansan : {heroes ofsalisatines on their ‘moresensitvethan ours.Canip Theself-righting reflex developsat ‘confainthe chemical seven weeks old. In.a3ocm fal, cats, ‘epetalactone which ssimiarto can performa midair 180" turn catpheromonesand eats s ‘etecthisateoncentationsof ee Curl up Deine Jessthanonepartinal Teens P deste Wwe Fecrered j — 2.Tuck *ih I, : and spread H) ) a TASTE Ecko yy) F Almerberothtetine crear iy escorts N y neededtobeeblettaeseet i Z things-Catshave very ough Sy Half twist me tonges brent dn ante cn tesmoameplscippes hee oo inothewate Cxtsaelaese 1S mer inlentandmtcanease Smee stomach ots = TOUCH ‘ Catwhiskershavesenstve nerveendingsthatalow the ‘animaltobutldathree- Aimensionalmap romair tutrentsandcontactith objets Wheaties the Y= wisest oy eset itasietsotattcanpioit | See thebeationattspreyewen——[E when tistoaclosetasee, > Paws a Ptman | ceotearma < Cats are digtigrade, which means they walk padon the wrists provides tals can right Semeetraetimetc” | Sasrouns” | Set reAcat’s pawsare vital to keep the feline alive and kicking. They can help perform many functions from shock absorbing and self- defence to cleaning, killing and climbing Unlike ther creatures suchas humans who walkonthesolsoftherfet catsare figtigradesand walkon thet tiptes. This iatesthemveryagie qu, and gletoo- hence past arr thon poesave five igs oes therearo navelstour tetckpawsarstongertanthetont Sndcanbeter eae ipac when anningand Hmpingforeery dgterelesdighapad, hich Coat thefoa nacional pant mot ‘och pw console fey bes tbelp sb Shoolsandsupportthemainiegtone Tisiced themeaacn paonthenindpavmandthe ‘rewarpalpadonthelorepev wlth pd cach feureresbarpcn Luceumanfingeneil hea row onan andare toseotteratnpracnencsedn dad ete ‘etna sarpertaneteronesta {ee them ry when ctn ether oe peeahy Shesinan road hepan Meo revet hem Ly frowingtologanipaentalyresiinginpaniingcmn — ll ' Eis cuscaniteptber cssnrtbyeang befor < Climbing tghingndet dance Toyconleoe ‘immed nyaetandte teeta srtsngpe wl ep le Shemaown ation Tora ty iSite lets eyo crs “tarcrpowaep ey rch Sect sete hoepe at Digital pads Metatarsal pad ‘Dewclaw a eee Ea eae parchaped andrelates totho = Forelimb Hindlimb ‘than possibly to offer Soretcinea i ‘When acar'spawmusclesarereaxed you won'tsse mach fthe clwsbecausethey are ‘concealed, or retracted, behind theskinand furofthepaw when wallingaroundor azing inthesun. However catsarecapable of ‘extending orprotactingthelrclawsfor ‘ightng climbingand scratching require. ‘Wena adultcatecidestotghten ts dig fexortendon ready for say-acatight-the ‘dawextendsand becomes much morevisible ‘utsdethe distal pad. Once the cat relaxes rusclesagain,theclawwill retractbackto ts normalresting poston. Kittensareless wareoftakingcontroloftheipaw muscles landsomeyoungcatscannotretvactthet ‘awsuntltheyareolder Claw retracted Keratin cuticle Quick mecstaah hand ctse fotencaledtastn, Rrecavethtsood pp) =e > ae Tate pe ‘Whenrelae the Distal phalanx cowispatedupisice [low grows catrardstam theshinan ta, {etpatthelstboneen proche a ‘hetonthedstalphe onde arp Extensor process ‘esi eshptaon <—— Pivot point tpt gta flexor tendon Spear ee stent ligament. caer Imisdesemin tet “ispudtac Apt distur witdso —sctoncusesthe eto ‘evan thc otro mo fotos forward ano eaten revesing thecaMonstrous manicures Polydacyl cats Which pawareyeu? | Hot footing Catona ttn root Consfoonisonpereonioohertaith leaves covered ina whitish down and floater siof fewer Purting explained Whatis the noise a cat makes when breathing? Cate purr both when they inhale and exhale tocreatea constant Sound, The muscles responsible forcreating the purringnoseare ‘helaryngcal muses, which contol the openingand closing space between the vocal ards theplottis Asai pases through {healots the muscles open and closet rapidly toproducethe purring noise. ‘neural osilatorinthetrain ofthe catis responsible for signalling the muscles to ‘ontractand relax, Scientists have shown thatthe fequency range within whicha purrlalls~25 0150 Hett2~Isresponsiblefor Stimulating bone growth and healing. Acat vwillnormally purr when tis happy, seared bor upset which might indicate why acat frequently punts Inaddition, as kitensace born bindand deat, the vibrations afa purr allow newborns o locate their mother Animal territory marking How do animals stop others from invading their living space? Therearechemialsignalsallaroundthe _plantomateorinhabitandmankcertain ‘world that humane canbarely nlc. ‘jects or the round with thet pheromone However, manyanimalsare not only ther animatsarvingat the erry can Sensitivetothese astesandamells,but detect the pheromone by smell Thislts thayarealaoabletosecetetbemarwelL A. themnow theanimal wantssme privacy scent knownasa pheromone!sone such agrsrivefits ving Chemica given ff by animalstoinfuence mae upon. thephyskcalandmentalbchaviourofthers " Theeare many waysenanimalcan Inthesame species Theyarenormally produce pheromones suchas glandson thelr Produced inmlerscoplamounts burthelr odyorlavingexeretonincetainarese. ttc canbe power Pheromone alan animal toalert thers ‘Animalspatrolatertryinvihichthey —_oftheereadiness toed.What makes man’s best friend. aed _Dogs evolved around »,000 yearsagoinchinaand aredescended fromthe Asanvra DNAstades hhaveshown chat 95 per centofthedogsinthe word aredescendesfomthe same thresemales, This probably because thaveancestraldogsshowed aspecatrat {hatmade them mach more uefultohumans, Dogsare better ‘hananyetheranimalatcorectlyrecoansingand interpreting Jhumansoealeues betereven than ou dosestreatvethe chimpanzee and far better thanawol Thisistrucevenwith puppiesasyoungasnine wees, whichshowsthisisan innate bly rather than something earned rom cose associton, Originally dogs werekept exclusively fr ther huntingand elensve value butabout 000 years3go,a mutation emerged thatresultedin miniature dog breeds. Later, breeders began 35 inches 30 inches 25 inches 20 inches 15inches 10 inches Sinches Chihuahua 6 selecting for ute eaturesto create dogsthat ep puppy ‘characteristics inn adulthood, suchas floppy earsand rounder laces. Athesametime, much the pack nstint of many dog breeds was lost. Dogs became pets rather than ust weapons. Dogs shaw more physical varatlonbetweenbreedsthanany iter domesticated animal Genetaly the Teta Lea Apso “andthe Chinese Shih Tzvare closest theancestaldogbut the ‘lost dogs would havebeen sight hounds ike tbl These _aredogsthat track their prey visualyandrely nshortburssof speedo bring them down. They havelongthin heads and ong legs. Later scent hounds emerged withshorterfaesandshart legstokep theirnase lseto the ground. These dogs hunt ‘gameover much age ditancesby ollowinga scettrailand they usetheirsuperiorendurancetoechaustananimal Canine comparison Despite vast ferences in sie all ‘dog share the some anatomical tras ond baton Thepulloghascometo ‘hitamiseBishpit2. Chihuahua LOUDEST 3, German. Shepherd anato! Regardless of breed. shape orsize, ITY Siete tga steers ea Spiga ea en a SaaS nee eee oe es Ce se acres es eee Senet Canam, oe eeaiedianacarn iemecniamsitoala grapes ond macadamia nuts can all be po Tail BP. oP Sienstoad tomas Clever dog! ‘how brightare our legged | peal cintarmiie entinipaeattaenrd ascent sa wena isa oer ee Serene See er Se ee eer ep acmieeeees Se centers ree cir epee eee es urtreeeaee ee ey oe caterer eeronne esigeee eames lentes eters a Internal organs Muscular system Unlike heat family dogsarenotompulorycarmivores, Dogshaves#separatemustlesthatareusedo raise, tit ‘Theiintestineislongenoughtadigestavriderengeo!_androatethe ears, Aswellasbelngused to communicate ‘egetablesandgrainsandplantproteinscan make pa withhumansand other dogs steerable ersallowa dosto largepartotahealthy dit Somehumanfoodsarequlte acuratlyidenify wherea sound iscoming rom quicker lexletodogsthough,Incudingehocolaeandgvapes. andhear oundsfourtimes further away hanwecan, 137What’s inside horse hooves? Discover the structure of a horse’s feet and why fitting horseshoes doesn’t cause pain Horsehowesarethe thik horny everings that protect, theend ofthe horae'slegand also provideshock absorbency. Horse hoovesare made ofa ‘ough proteincalledkeratin-thesame stuffournailsandhairaremade of. The [eratin nahoree'shofislayeredin hhorizontalsheets,inordertoada strengthand minimisetheextentofany ‘damage that could split the hoot Inreparabiyinthe event ofa crack orsesare digitigrade ie they wale ontheitiptoes-and:neretore requirea spongy pad beneath the heelon which ‘owalle Whilethe outer wallofthe hoot Cannon bone: Trecamonorshn boeisa wet bain ‘uct Terre parr support iain perc of share ol wig ‘skin. Gretna polars ‘jan ber these at Ssinsenstive much ike human and ingerails-the nner parts can fel pain. Therefore whenatarierfisa horseshoe ta the hoot they do so by hhammering thenails into only the oster \wallofthe hoo. Horseshoes, whichare ‘often ade ostee these days, offer fidded shockabsorbency as wellas traction onthe ground. Thesecurved ‘etal bands come with betweensirand eightsquarenailholes through which themetal pinscan besotted. One by one, thenailsarehammeredintothe hard, nerve-freeouter wal ofthe hot securely fsteningtheshoe tthe creatures hoot, Eamon ee tt Sane ah — ee aa bg | ‘sce Soom Roto se a Son — “This bone proverts. h fos mae = meas ear V mains, Cea aa cnenet Sheet Monuremras Cen meee S| oe frospenss “Geese “Eoereas =e es 8 How does a cow's stomach work? Acomplex system ofsacsand guts, cows’ stomachs allow seemingly indigestible foods to be broken down cow's stomachisa compartmenta digestive system hatallows normally indigestible produts asses, for sample) tobe broken down repeated ina processof ngeston regurgitation, rechewingandrelngestion. ‘Through thisprocess cows ean decompose the ingested products ‘carbohydrates cellulose andvolatile fatty acs and use them at fuel Decomposition and breakdown sachieved bya seriesof Dacteriaand protezoalving, muluipiyingand dying inside the stomach’ compartments, hese microbes digest brefoundin pasture, hayand silage, generate proteins from nitrogenand synthesise amino acids rom non-protein sources such as ureaand ammonia. The mrobes grant the cow additional energy as when they diethey continueto passthrough the digestivecommpartments, breaking dawn and releasing protein, © Rumen Comittee ‘eigen canal Sos thenumen the st ond leateens comes one ear sor rce othe cnt tral ‘Sraartotator ara wr ‘co oot ‘orto enn an aie ‘mmoles phe ‘sodtrestnadawmpctone tera tePROOF ACAOCADOK RN svered ia whitish dowrvand ch flower Badger setts a Why do badgers create these | caatesone labyrinthine: structures? achat Entrance <2 [eager et ances tn oto aed ‘ground rthebri oles nd re Ts ‘Stonrarabity wine set eros ‘Stic ohn Badgersdwellinasersesof round aid drainabilityinheavyrain.There Underground tunnesané ‘retiree mainuse for dugchambers-the chambers eferredtoasa‘sett, _fistand primary chambers usedor seeping 7 ‘Thesesetstendtobebultover _andralsingcubs, theftssubsidiary chamber ‘multiple tevels whichis airflow) and ieusedformatingandthececondaubsisiary Chambers Links Interlinked withothertunnelsstretching _ chambers usd fo defecation. ‘Seton muita Doctor sere hundreds of metres Sats tend tobe din Intersting badgersetsarealsooten nies ich spc arson oodlndareastatareecfvearaton, commandeered by eranimal. detothe tary ties fandinsandy,easyo-digsols Eachsettcan _sizeand bulld quality, Such inhabitants berpnes, Tara chao aR tendo een hhavemultpleentances howevereachone inchdefoxes-oftentoreiseyaung-rabbits “Stace cade shee meveret nd tendstobefomedinearihbanksonsloped and eres. ‘dsetcaton etter once Bats’ ultrasonic sonar system i ‘ Emitting sound Timing and direction Translating echo We reveal how Chiroptera’s ittiiusousims Tritierasenertce — etmeatecmin atacand SUbersOniGhed ine Hap Dens mi ee ieee tate onary bat a pre o eras ee ‘Snes sng ‘henna seca emmasre eet eee ee ee =e Peers eee eee ~wD ‘But how does this work? Well, bats are inclined to emit } ) } ee ee eee ! See J coe jbr-- Scanning for echoes wth ise nperpetval moon + Bats separately ercelveand process overappingecho dels arrivngasitieastwomicroseconds apart hat t | animpressetwothousandthsofasecond.Thebatsown yy nervussystemsupportthistined-unedeapaity, ‘Moving prey Sourcing insects, Stationary prey Se eee Thetreticsmnegory Ehowriumg auhrmenaons, Salonen wey allowing Chiroptera tokdenttyechoretectingpointson TRebtreteezmednamrey —Eckoesimenzreysachesmaeantoes_ Stoney ser ae sity anoblectthe with ofapen neon papearobjetsas gy twerartigher ch dwt orecanedby efter aftr scott arepicct he pube ‘losetogetherasthree-enthsofamilimere tote Dope igs cst ecoseaby thet Seto heb 139{aitoketpwamandremoniesen Acisto beexpected, th iantanteter,nativetothe savannas Central and South Americ, ithe largest ofitskind Thisbizarelooking mammals designed specifically forfedingonantsand termites, anda number olanatomicaleaturesenable them to fdothiswith reat ski Powerful forearmsandiong, sharp ‘awshep theanteatetotearintoanthilsand termitemounds sotheycaninser thei lng, tapered snoutsto getatthe insects Theyatealwvayscarfulnotto destroy thenesteoastopreserve thefeedingspotoranother mea Wihiletheclawsaremainiy use for braking intoanthil they canalso perform dfensiverole When attacked by thet ‘mainpredatrs, which include large eats ike agua, anteaters ‘havebeenknowntolach outand allthese hunter, While Mo " Giant anteaters They have no teeth, walk on their knuckles and take life at their own pace, so how do they survive? Some ‘spc ng ash Ths eps then anteaters areslowterestral creatures thatwallearoundon theirknucklestoprteethe laws smallerspeces ofanteater atearborealandspenda tof time ntreeslokinglor insets. ‘Theglantanteaterisasoltary ceatureand,asidetrom rmothersand babies they arerarelyfoundin pairsorgroups. Anteatersusually i snglecub whovl hen ide aroundon the mothers back forupto aye cingingon tothe thie, coarse fur Because they ve ona dietofans which haverelatwely limited nutritional valu, the gant anteater does whatitcanto conserve energythasa very low metabolic rateandillslepforuptoxshours every day. They move around thegrasslandsveryslowly-theycannotrun-andeep thelr body temperature lo, sometimesascoolas3a7 degrees Cestusjoas degrees Fabreahtutya\ 8] to Head Peary BITTON ist Salvador el Shouts elds spe frst insects totem The tee ‘oats wry tin png obo Ee armacilo Fe ete) Soest Reema 8S. Eating ants Although they have poor eyesight anteaters havea very keen sense osmellfrsnifingoutinsets which include ants of course, termites grubsandoather smal insets ‘Onceananthilislocatedtheanimalusestsstrong claves ripinto the pre's malingroom toinsertitongsnowt, ‘Because someantscan stingandbite mealtime sa fastand forusafairandtheanteaterhas daptedtechniquestor liekingupantsas quiclyas possible Each eastlastsabouta ‘inte before he anteater movesom tothenext ation Inside theanteaterslongsnoutisan even longer tongue which ean protrude upto Gocm ainiThe tongue iscovered vith sticky saliva produced by extraargeglandsand ‘thousand oftinybackefacngspineslenowmnas form papilla toensnarethebugs. When the snout entersananthill ‘hetongue rapidly icksbackandforthuptoxsotimes per minut, searching fans. Because esnt have teeth, the anteater then crushesthe nsetsagainsttheoofofesmouth \ithitspowertul tongue beforeswallowing. Everyday ananteatercan consume betwen o.000and sp.co02nts wich smecessar fr them to obtain enough ‘utrents. While ants maycontainrelatvely high levels of protein and kw levels ofa thelr nutrtonal valor the gla ‘anteater slow, soinordertoconserve energy they move ‘Sowlyandmaintaina cool body temperature . Meet the family While the giantanteater isterrestrial, other types are known toventure ‘SILKY ANTEATER ‘Asoknownaspyemydwerfor two toedantesters ley anteaters ‘arethesmallestand most hy speciesin thefamily They are ‘arborea which means they spend ‘mostofthertime pinthetrees “Infact theyrerarely evr seen on the round Tohelpthem get aroundinthetreetopsthey have ‘tong pebensiletalsthatcan ‘riponto things they usethem to ‘swinglrombranch obranchand ‘even irom treetotree. They have ‘ch shortersnoutsthantheother speciesand oft golden ur sometimes known by othermames suchas callared or leser anteaters. Tis speciesis sem} arborea which rmeansthey pendtime upinthe ‘eesbutalso come down ora look aroundon the poundnowand ‘then. Again, whenin thetreesa aaThey may be the ancestors of man’s best friend but these social carnivores are totally equipped for life in the wild ‘Wolvesevolved round million years ago, atthe end ofthe Pocene epoch, ‘Therearesy subspecies ofcanislupus ‘buthat includes two thatarent actually wolves. Tha'sbecause about 6o00years ago wild wolves were domesticated by manana eventually became canislupusfamiliais or the dog. In Australia, some dogs eseapedto forma feral subspeces- the lingo “Themodern wolfisttjustan undomesticated og. however. Forthousandsof years, ‘domestication hasacted tchangethe genetis of ‘hewolf asvwellastne dog, Early humanstamed thefrendliestand most empathicmembersofthe ‘wild wolf population, so the ones that were et behind were the moresuspiiousand reclusive Individuals. ater, when wolves were hunted because ofthe threatthey posed to hummansand ua livestock wolves were pushed to ever moreremote Aandforbiddingenvironmentsandthey arevt tougher asaresul. Wolf subspecies are divided into the Northern «and Southern wolves, TheSouthern wolves live in the Middlefastand South Asia andarelighter than ‘heir cousins with smaller brains, eae as landshorter fur The Northern wolves, on the other hand, areadaptedt survive in cold cimatesand liveeimailyin North Americaand northern Russia, Thelargestsubspeciesisthe rey woh {eanislupus opus. Mostof the early studies of wolfsoca structure ‘worebasedoncaptiveanimalsand parksin national pare with artfially abundant food supplies. Thisledresearcherstobelieve that wolves lived inlargepackso's-30animals,withan “lp malein charge. Thealpha malehad priority access tothebreoding femalesand led the hunt, Younger males would ether tryand sneak food and mating opportunities without thealphamale hotcingorwould gradually work their way up the ranksuntl they werestrong enought challenge thealpha forthe op job. We now know that wolves Formic smaller pack inthe wld consistingof close family members and generally hunt inroups ofjustwotosix Thistsanadaptationtothe harsh conditionsinwhich they live because lager packs actually atch es fod per individal thanthe ‘Wiolvesare opportunistic huntersand wlleata wide range ofanimalstrom miceandbirds ohares and deer. Butwhentheygoafterthesesmalland medium sized prey. theyare competing with aot ofother predator, ncludingeaglesynxand, ‘Wolverines. Where wolves excelisin hunting thegeet bisonandcaribou- These animals may weigh woristimesas ‘much asan individual wolfandhave hhomnsanda powerfullack to defond themselves. Huntingthiskind of quarry Isallaboutestaping injury. Theelcs Aightingfoeits ifeand canatford top ceverythingithasintothestrugate the \woll however ion fighting forts Ginnereo must be more careful. One Welk aimed kek may injure him badly ‘enough that he can’thuntand will ‘tarveto death before hls wounds hea ‘Apack can travel g- ilometres (12somiles|ina day, lookingfora herd When they fndone, they dortwaste timestaling, Instead they wl tot straightupand weaveinand out among thee, tyingtospook tinto running, Aherdofeik or caribou s almostimpregnableificstandsits round utonceitstarts running, the Outrunner Dry fur Frost resistant iting power Wolf anatomy aerate i Steven inet Intestine — Deep ribcage cut maton (vmod shot easiest Soa sar ors rs Seaman iSotyocemedvanertragt Seton K tis tho bay eatin aan ae if. ae ra 4 \ Ben Grey wolf Type Mere ees Bi Carne icnowoytenodsote ter wakontptsesheretalne egutndnapsdey okey Awagee spain that Ceruistcisned, ttorhtcaiccne lage olypataioetcoeteagpt Ser (chee! and elegans ie se, mscarsencboayhest Wet 28) Hae ssn cone woescanrunsiongsiéeand weigh up Twhicharethewealestindiiduate, (UBbEpsctiseiea WWoleshavenaprcbier keepingup waning Andean bound trough ceepsnow tore etl than narrow ooed det. ‘hen pounce theyre thesottste ofthe perineum thet teethcanlevea y centimetre tine wound that resis nmassve Bodies: Treebites canbe enough 0 bring dow heathy aut ee Avatertactcsto imp forthe nose “eo aoftarea that leeds profusely Despelthis n about one ata IntenrecltsinaiilsAndwhen trey stesuresil thewohesstlhateto Gefen tne tress om varius ther, Dredatorscuchasbears cryten, Mronernesant aber oles Large frasybenrswritoten lw wal fueksandwatforhem tomate ail Eeforeseatingi insbera,wovessre also ect preyed upony ters twonesusedto becommon throughout mnstofthe United Stes Euapeand Aalabut were entipatedtrmall 3\o Mammals > heavy populares theca 2th . Boundary disputes mt Hungry like the wolf eee ciacae tesamisoneeptontothinkofwovesaspackhuners. Wiles few age is fspormorendviualshavebeeh see mostee smal “Once a herd starts Eris treet oir ; submi € ir Atyplal wal packsasinge reeingarwihhsyearspupean (satarstmteing running, the wolves Iyoung yer betwen anal get Fesniae can run ‘alongside ium sgn pera ing ne era and weigh up which [as wv. ke ore the weakest ‘animalfrom theherd and then runit down andattack rom behind, The A individuals” breeding pairwil monoplise teil belorealowng the thesto feed z toa t re” & x rs \ . ggaigeetcastinetl =e ¢ Canada & Alaska (Grey wolf) > re ‘Ondian wolf) was *"1,000 India Ondian wolf) ws is id 00-600 ~e { te oe 4 (Ethiopian wolf) Saudi Arabia (Indian wolf)f. EVER 4. hs Head back ‘hehe ispctedite sree Long throat Lurene ve etrerbantigh ones ‘Sroshtennathe ret Do wolves really howl at the moon? No, they dont, they howlat each other. Howlingisalongange signal thatalloyswotvestareconnect with the pokey become seperated and towarnolfrvalpacks Howls havea low. fundamental requency of 90-750Hz becuse lw frequencies ary much further, but they also layer thiswith upto harmonicovertonestoexaggertethenumberofwlvesina pack, ne nlf ill nor acvertisinghispresence near the boundary ofhis territory, bata smal groupean keep vasa bay bybiffing that they are more numerous ‘Aswellashouling wolves willbarkasanalarm all growl andenarlwhenataleingavnership ofall anduwhinewhen playingorinvesgatingoneanother How does a howl travel so far? ‘Acear night power Serta eck lrger thn real 2. Dingo Alongwith her husband, Casey, Shelley has run the Northern Lights ‘Wildlife Wolf entre in Golden, British Columbia, for ten years. ‘Thelraim sto debunk the myths surrounding the wolfand show the critical role that these predators play within an ecosystem What are the major threats thatthe wolf aces Inthe word today? td trapped nesta lye ound hese ‘le aetrestdie erin Serta test of hint, hey seal thar haba nd food fource tohimane bth he expansion of toms and re ood berg buit rd 90. ne cena Roky Mout nth Banff Aateral atk area te ruber oecauscf elf mortaty/shanans.cny Five percent de ofratalcauses ow are groups ike yours promoting the concervation ofthe wot? \Wearepremetng wo censaratn by seating thepule rom allsrundthe wel, andinsetna hat lawhg tortopeadestng elves rm th fot Were ako gag ito scars topromete the messoga. 8) ing hardsen experiences with wees |hrkiegies the ule |masbeter understanding ofhow mirepresntd thy are Gnecf the male: pontewe ty ad get core ishow the was ‘stone species (one tha ply tlle ‘mareaning the stutre af an ecosytm a5 wel ssaborndezerspacies Talus one characteristic that makes the wot such a remariable species “here ae far more than one They areexterty soci and ntlzere anima 14s ona the ew neces that eanesmarchurne Ther endurance ard aby tostay ae necro sma me ‘Generally, what do you finds the public perception of wolves whon they First rive at the Norther Lights Contr? urns When thay care tthe Cen, wefan tha that thre as eer na ron vias sttackty aheaty nn habs wo on aura in the teresting he woh theses by the tire ty eos Yates tae oe sc perspec lich is uy te ere Frain, se: wuwertherahswieste.com 145ce are aS Ce ee ee Peters eer teen vent eet Persie turret is ree caste ere se eee mn eee a Pe en rete rey thelr pee. oreo Mien ee rere en ea er ee cect ee eee ee ent eee ey Re eee eee eo te erence at i esta eT ro aforeathinch lone ga ing? ie ean eae Senet re ee eee! er eee peor eater hr een ra Pon Re mene een ren a Cee ee ee ate ee eg noises including chirps, screamsandgrowis.Allofthebigcatsareabletoclim Eeesresteemt te yon eter nent BOO elie rt (uae er ree eran ei ty) reer ere ne peer een) ee ee See pees os ol eee Seen etczal SE Gatien ETO YIN -opard will eat anything fram a dung Meet the cats. aN — Hoss. lene soe SSoomuenneecrtose, gy Ml Sees ae Di corm Aga ovr it ne tld seortba pron Gal Jomo Creston inet Leper st hn (egret be) Seo a ee a aneTopearnivoresare inherently vulnerable species. They requitelarge home ranges and eprodce relatively slowly Lions, leopardsandcheetahsall sulle high infant mortality fromother predators Indeed, upto percent of cheetah cube areas. (Cheetahs alea have very ove fgeneticvariablity possibly ‘duetoanextreme population bottleneck thousands years ago, Jeadingto birth dfectsasa resulkofinbreeding- captive breeding schemes have had verylimited suoess. The Digest threats bigeats, though, arehabitatoss due ‘tohumanexpansionand poaching Although most atshave awe geographic Aistibution, human development has fragmented these ranges Iinopockets each afwhieh ‘aye toosmallforthem to flourish inthe longterm 1730 08:40 sheet 19:00 Seria = = Eso a mE 0600 <> 1630 y mee a Yi t “1930 Fe nae Sete somiatns MEDS pra Peccaree aera a ees W = neared, usThe cougar is the animal with the most folk names. These include catamount, ghost cat, puma, shadow cat, mountain lion, deer tiger, siver lion, devil cat and catawampus. Hunting techniques ‘lgcats generally hunt between sunsetand dawn, Theyareambush predators that ‘move silently through dense undergrowth using their excellent vision and hearing spot theirprey before their prey spots them. Although thy areall incredible sprinters, bigeats lack stamina. cheetah may exhausttselfso badly na 6 second dash that neds haan hour torecoverand most ats wl ge upif they eannotrun down thelr ‘quarryino seconds. Accordingly, they ways attackfrom apposition ofadvantage, leaping rom cover oratree branch, et. Tigers will evenlaynchattacks fromthe ‘Strangulation ‘Themotonimonatactectnige ed byalegeats stotngeattnneceana "ump wn onthesenpe eth owerafws Trae atopy prey tise oafbreat am thechate uickyiasesonsanisness oa ‘another nay oacleetesanersus Tete Lng andocsrnay ears wlusetistetniqueonantope bat tevtsabeforae eyes Neck breaking ‘Metrgstet cate ont ackotan nimalenbteienttroughienes Severingthesine Tisparlssthe ‘cums ra o rages emenous los Lan "ges couaralosetismetod ‘Artery slicing Ine caso te naan acatnay isthe windipea prey andes fleeopentecarudartry Tsien Sghysloner batt geste ‘The paw swipe Unnsanatigersatesosrngthattheyean Lllmerayestneswpe dtp ‘Tigerstparcularhave been sid ‘kal piercing ‘Thejtarhasthesuongest ofan ct ree as powers ren. ‘ection ar Jnrslsueierauigueiashing ‘noe tearinotetheanpanetaean ;verbankcinto the waterand arestrang enough swimmerstotake on crocodiles. How lions hunt Lionesses workasa team to efficiently bringdownlarge| onthesavannah and provide food lor the entire pride 1 Stalking Tene poncho ‘dni oe may Spee Seo srchnasoty 7. Shared kil themaie meri ene (Sine wey (porate ‘tig ony ram ei tact {hey paves tenon ht nae brane. What’s on the menu? uning gare taneratcprofeon Chetahecanaeeraly manages ‘per enue butatger may ony lispreyae time nee 20 ‘Aten onsequetyreynedtobe seo rate mostfesch LUonstileaterastespoudleeatinonectting lege tines ashipsramsspounde atheros eae tatte Squbeiertlyoseatngeneamundredig nena stn! Alera! feta fons ters cugrsandanowletardscangferuptotwo weeks ‘wicca aja. Byeatsereall quseoppetmtc nee Aswelas The aouredpey aio lageterdanals hey wl eat ony es nar pecopsard re pr Marya trpcaly tore ‘Geter wile cotmercsandsmetianauottatend epson, a 2, Sprit attack Fae =a ‘poy itn son pce ce eigen nytt ata tote una 5. Outfielders “aeons ‘epthereLigers and tigons When lions and tigers mate, new species are born gers and igonsaretworesultantspecesthat manate when insand tigers cross breed fa ‘malelionmateswitha tigress thena igerisboer if famaerigermates witha onesthenatigonis born. Both hybndspeciesareextinctinthe wildastheir respective habiatsleadto minimal interaction, however many texamples ofboth species abe found in capeity aro the ‘world inzoos and wiifepaks gers are now the more prevalent of thetwospecses veto ‘he greater probability ofthem ving pastbieth, although during the eary2och Century tis was ot thecase. The ign, swith thetigon, shares characteristic from both parent Species gers enjoy swimmingior example trait whichis associated with igers, however they alsohavespats, ‘haractersticgenecfthelion~andtendtobe bigger deta {imprinted genes, Indeed, the current largest igeinthe world \weighsover goo kilgramsand twice thesizeofits parents Interestingly though, igonstend to suffer from dvs rather than glgantismas they abwaysinheritthe growth !mhibitary genes fromthe lioness mother, cen weighingenly around 20 ilegrams. ‘Unfortunatly duetothehybrid man-made nature ofigers ‘and tigons, growth dsordesand degenerative dseasesare ‘common, asviellasshortened Iiespans.SEY 5Oyrs xu cour 300+ people per year voar 115 decibels tcncrs4im (13ft) win 3 tons Why do these water-dwelling creatures open their mouths so wide? weaponry thelr ted ‘Although hpposeat ng Instead theyuse thei huge bitea crocodile human, or ‘evenasmall boatinhal,Calories from food Theamountofenergyananimal obtains rom food measured in ‘alone. The ollowinginformatonrevealshow mary calriesapanda ‘must consume pr day compared with other creatures. Elephant lane panda Giant pandas. explained The carnivore that thinks WCRVeHclecvett ay ‘Theres thegiancpanda, Soltary, peaceful resting ‘prighton is furry haunches ikea blaleand-ite Bada, [bor carnivore this perplexing member ‘ofthe bea family passesanthe meat ‘course almost entirely choosinginsteadto persistrtunaturesversion ofa celery ‘lee bamboo ‘Ahighl endangeredanimal less than agooeristinthewild-thepandss ‘monotonous (nearly monovorous des partofitsundaing Themutridonalvalueot ‘bamboo s nesligble exacerbated by the fact thatthe panda genetically incapable ofdigestingesivoseTheresultisthat ‘uch ofthepanda’ extremelyhigh-ibre let passes right through t providingonly ‘minimal ealorestoananimalthatcan row uptorgse absinthe ld Sotherethe glantpandasts, orup tors hhoursevery day teavingand grinding aay atpiles ofthis neatly indigestibhe plantsimplyo eke oat enough caloric energytowake up thenext dayanedo'tal Adulthumans| Mouse Fur nds wot ‘unnown youngata time, even though the majority fofbinhsaretwine Suchaslow reproductiveratemakesthe giantpanda population highly susceptible to ouside pressures of which there are many. Habitat lossis the panda'sgreatest ‘threat then poaching Because thelr singular devotion tobamboo pandas rmustve where the plant isabundant ‘Today, the onl sutabiehabitats limited {o20 Isolated sections oountan forest Insouth-western China, allofwhich havethankfully been protected by the Chinese governmentwithlp from ‘conservationist organisations ike the ‘World nie run. fe practalynaess Paws Apsudo tun crated ws hos ovresthikpa¢o n at acca ae Sree ees tindegs areas pect er leieeiee) aa = a ome ne Se Sakis aeocuen Secs ee ees So a eet mS Sse Caso 182Elephants are big in every sense of the word, but also SureHaey sensitive. Here we unpack some of the myths and explain what makes a them so special lephantsarethe largest poeta ou Pe Tarai) Perce ‘themselves rom predators butalimost everythin Seon eee ee x Cee ue ee een A Penner ery Pome nrny y Ce rns Se erty pire ee ett error ct Peer ne Dome) Bere eters cassfiedas pachyderms een at paren ryNostickinthemud Bendy knees Thirsty work The daily grind Dont try to outrun one ‘oisnamtrvagrat | Ziometartrenatsin : Suawsywononterwon | Asicancnbertesineer | Sathapscnetcs ustcwaccemion | Simuneeninatee Soiree SSuacomunece f sokegty cota sce eitieriniohy-cocieft-ushpa: 7 fer tIas iestleskievatons doves QpiCIer fiopktonLsere cristacrat Hair ‘Ath kro sd, “ceo ove sere hot sfohandandbnc ron ota ‘ontelmoe skin eponttne2Son kon Simeeccncwertennmen” corer 155Afrcanelephantshave fenormousears-i.gmetres Serosforanadut Butthoce hhugeapsarent thereto Improve ther hearing: they aeatrconditningunts, Theskincoverngthe ears paperthinandriehiy Supplied with blood vessels, Bywavingthembackand forth, theelephantean dump body heat Elephants have alegeveveda secondary use fortheirearsasathrest display. With hisears futstretched,anelephant appears evenbiger, which right discourage attacks ‘Adanelephantshavesmatler eats beeause they generally live mooolerhabhats, lophants hear vera much lowerrangectsound frequencies than edo, but thisismainlyafuncionof thelrmuchlargersize. Their Senseothearingisveryacute butiistlimted tothe ars, Elephanisalso hear ‘hroughthesolesoftheir fet andithesider fthetrunk Indian elephant ~~ 156 [Elephants haveaighly matnsrehal society ‘Theherd ean extended family group of mothers, daughters sistersandauntswith the oldest female in charge. Maleseavethe herdatanealyageand wanderloneorin temporaryall-male groups jininga herd ‘onlytocompetefor and mate with frnales duingthelrocstruscjee Hetaimembersareallveryawareofthe various amilyrelaionshipsandwilloen renew contact withotherfelatedherdsthat, havespitaway nthepast Nor-broeding females willotenactasnursemaidsto ‘youngcalves and atnightthe als will Surround the calvesto protect tem, Safety in numbers Famaleclophantsareferiefor Justtwe days outfevery four ‘months, When thefemale ‘oestruscycle bens shecallsto fverisethefactandthe males begin competingfor dominance. ‘Thesuinner will matewiththe femaleupto ivetimesaday wiles serie, Elephant testcesareeptinsid thebody, near the kidneys. Te elephants penisisalmostasiongashis {runkandequally manoeuvrable Dbutdesptetis,thenormal ‘ountingpostonanly just allowsthepenistoreaththe ap Covering the downwar facing vagin. Instead of penetratingher the mmalespraysabout halfapintofsemen atthe enteance Hlephants ll estateforaa onths “longer than any otheranimal. When thecalt |sbornitweighsaround isk I willbesuekledby te mother for ‘nother 2amonthsafter tha. Most females only reproduce once every fourtomineyears. Jumirnereos J seatytwoyeas rntbemaling ‘The elephants trunkhas ceroled fromafused nose an "uppelip.Therearetwonostis thatremainseparateallthe ‘wayupthetrunk The Alcan tlephantshavetwofingersike Droecionsontheendotthe ‘tun, whieh can plekberies fromatte. The Asian elephant ‘nly has one projection ands limitedto using itasascoop. Elephants havean excellent senseotsmellandvillaten be seenpointngthelrtrunks aroundio Went thesourceot Ascent Butatthesametime, {he trunkstough enough tobe sed for hoovering up mudand dusttosquirtoverthe ‘lephantsbodyasa protection fromtheSun Elephantsalso suckupwrterthrough their trunkbutirsmoreasyringe thanastraebecasse they awayssquitthewaterinto ‘her moth Before swallowing Acasa ‘dade1. Blue whale oes Tusks ~» Inmost mammals, thelagesttetharethe canines buelephanttusks © arelormed from the second upperincisors. Both maleand female rican p, © ctephantshave usksbt female Alan elephants do not. Thetuske grow throughout the elephant ie atarate fab em per year. Thelarget rican elephant tusks can reach 3m long, One third fhe tsk sersbeded inthe sl Thisootis fullofblood vessels and nervesthatsupply the growing isk Theouter two-thirds isbony dentine covered inalayer ofamineralcalledapatite whic s mainly calium phosphate Thi layerithe ory. African elephants usethelrtussto dgforwaterand root whereae Asan ‘lephanis usethe tusks mainly for dominancedisplays between males rebersied Coneofthemainteasonselephantshave cvolveto beso large istoprotct themselves {rom predators Lions and acasionally hyenas ‘maysuecesfully lla young etephant,fiecan ‘beseparated fom the herd, butan adult elephant svrtallyinulnerabe “Tus, however aretheirgreatest vulnerability Theivoryinthetusls ofa large ‘ivcan malecan be worth mote than 0000 ‘poachersandan estimated 20,200 elephants yearareilgaly kil for tetrwory. Perio Tega culls and one-of ales of ory have rmadeit muchharéertopaicetheillegalvary trade The evolusonary pressure fom oachinglssuch that aonce-raregenetie ‘mutation, which resultsintuskless elephants, Isepreadingrapily. Asmanyastenpercento! Asian elephants in China may now be skies. Where do ‘elephants live? Seana with aes Suma Tatiana gt Dai tens Anelephantis essentially ‘walking high-heeled shoes, becausethe hel bonesare ralsedrightupnsie the oot fandrestona thick pad ofaty carilage-Thiscushionsthe Dbonesandalignsthem more verily sothatthe vast Welghtofthe elephantrests ‘iretly over the ilar ike logs African elephantshave fourtocnailsatthefrontand three onthe indegs Asian clephantshavefveatthefront land fouratthebck Butthese onal areactally just hardened skin patches that arerstatachedtothetoe bones all Buried inside, lephantshavefvetoes on teach foot,Chickens 6 eggs From oocyte toomelette Bird respiration High altitude breathing jira wi Rowing through ar Flock utes erobatcs Migration Th epte quest for food Homing pigeons tal ee compares Hummingbir Hoes Srtrtled fight Tented mimics Woodpeckers Hardy head:bangers Parrot speech Fasvalvers hunters flying birds Vultures Carrion scavengers Golden: Precision striking lunch See ‘The water-loving bités Penguins Tough ttle emperorssoy] aN Parrot speech i ‘XXXXXXXXXXAXXXXXXXXAXKXKKXKX Hen anatomy Even unferilised eggs stillunder thesame inal formation process The debate over which came first - the chicken or the egg -still rages. However, we can tell you howa chick emerges from an egg... Hens layno morethanone ggperdayasthe proces oflayingan eggs governed by the presence bfsunlight Thelackof natural lghtduringtbe ‘winter months mesnsthatevenfewereqasarelaid duringthistimeothe year Humans an, however, ick thickens intolaying despite thelimitedsunlightby adding artical lighe(suchasa ight bulb tthe coop. “Thelayingprocesestarts when ight enteringthe heise activatesaphotosenstve land the pineal land positioned ‘nearby. Once stimulated thisalnd igersa process that leads othe release ofanegg oroceyte from thehens ovary, Aneggcanstilbelnidwhetherornotithas been ertised bya ‘male butonl fertilised eggs can develop into chicks. The orficethrough which the eggeavesthetien'scalledthe ‘vent Though thisholealoformsthe out for wasteb products Heurineand faeces theresa valvecaledthecloaca ‘which separates the oviduct rom the intestine 160Seles acre) to Head THE SCIENCE OF fevsng heptane eerie ered Pee =| Embryo development Ms! Howa fertilised yolk transforms into a chick ‘Thechickstarsoutasastnglecellthatalvdesandformsabullow disconthe surfaceofthe yolk Thisyolsthen eleasedintaspialingovidcttube Asi travels down the ovidutitbuildsupanumberoflayers inchudinga vitelline ‘membrane dretysuroundingthe yolk and twolayersfviscouswhitealbumen divide astructural ibrouslayer Lower nthe ovducttube the egshel ayer ‘develops around the yolk, potetingltand giving it form. When the egsexplled From thebodysobeginsthe ollowng2-~ Guided by stars and driven by genes, birds embark on epic annual journeys Brds dont migrate Becauseot SN bec aiessow wort actuallyllthem, butascarce food supply wil Birdsrmgrateto follow hebug, worms baby rabbis, but the" why” ofmigration is nearyas fascnatingasthe "how ‘Thereare vo shlsthatall migratory birds must possess orientation and navigation, Orentatton'stheabityto determine the direction in hichyoure travelling Birds don'thave compasses (GPS devices, butthey canorientthemseves ‘using the postion ofthe Sun by day andthe sarsatnight Some bird, lke pigeons, can nent themselvesagaintthe Bart's magnetic ‘Asfornavigiton,thereareseveral thoories,butnodefiniiveanswers Some birdsare believedto plo fromone pointto Therearenearlyasmany migration tes aen'o easy The iaieio als inns ae eee er tesco eneusilaaelndnatslie | igrybiisAmostaotes opiate eemeurninangrecevn Oe eta eee eata eset foorianehighomy Obbertrisewnihe | Tttidsar epi te Yellstone atonal Perko hy mizatonroutbylobowingrdrts tot Nem brccnggodsinthe__westeermingsah oh remarkable birdaare those whoare bom late fall tosettie into theirwintering Southern California breeding ground remavabieirsarethsewhoarebor | erteryersauiinnortn i ectasewaulake em ‘etnametalmapimoinedtG-DYA. ere theater an Ser inospabe ever) Buta asses itltcne ae tyway guiding bison migration ote eantopthatofthe nraanyouseesssance |” | NthemeanadeowntoMexko __tnyeretern wie sees fm ee ence egmencansS andSouthAmer.InEurope,many Greenland io Anarctcaalngthe i mostfterfyngdurnathedayio | Sacebnenesttearczand” Aivanandsoumamercencost, aM Siistreyenpomredtoninoniytyat | uteieenneradernistin) afi contig arent : night when theatmosphere is orestabe Which birds go where? Nothereaear so [Amrakon 20k Nortastasateatres — Swsinaon awk 800 164How homing Pigeons navigate The birds that use an internal clock and compass to make it home? -Aboming pigeon s the domesticated variety ofrock pigeon Columbaliva)-The bid hasbeen selectively bred since atlesstthe Middle Ages in order to fenhancetsnatural homingability for ‘both domesticmailservicesand military communications. Inordertonavigate, the pigeon needs wo things:amapanda, compass. The maptellstwhere its now and the compass lets it know which Girectionitneedstofyto male it home. The compassaspect uses the positon of ‘theSun,crass-relerencedwith hetime of ay, determined by the pigeons own biological lock. ithe weathers overcast, homing pigeonsalso havea weak Imagetiesense, picked up bythe {rigeminalnervein thehead ‘Themap, however, s much harder to pinpoint Experiments have variously ‘Shoventhatpigeonsuse loca visual Tandmars, wind lection andthe smells ‘ntheairtoorentthemeelves These caes recombined to forma mental mapthat Improvesasthe iris tainedand can ‘extend forhundreds ofmies from the homelot. © 165= = Flight patterns Hummingbirdanatomy enablesunique fight y Like a cross between bird and insect, the hummingbird can beat its wings up to 80 times every second, but how? Hummingbidsaretiny backwards andevenupsidedawn. _theirunique‘hands whicharelong Aiersthateanfaptheir _‘Thereasontheyeanachievesuch__banesattheendofthe wingseatremeljfast-so exceptionalflghipatersisthatthey _supportthewin t stinfactthattheycan _canrotatethelr wings ina circle ‘exible atthe shoulder but not atthe ers hover Notonlythatthehummingbind creatingpowerntheus well helping the bid beat hem fst ears canaleolly up down, sideways, asthedownetroke Hummingbirdsuse —withoutany bending, Ne aipetrte mae isles FACTS HUMMINGEIROS Variety Deena Siemens aad i sce... 6 ff = «El Sane Hants ait ees S| , a = == ca = Sooscamee Soa Sreortiues | Frosmssepse | coremeay = Sor Sires. | Bear | eo cnt Ses |seess | ssomer The lyrebird’s song | The bird that can replicate the noises it hears - from other birds to chainsaws felling trees Birdsgettheirvocalskllstromthe syrinxandadjustthetension on highly elastic rinxorgan,theequivalentofa vibrating membranes, Therearetwospeces: human'sarynx.Thelyrebird the oem stinjorsasuperlyrebirs,anathe Sica eceetw containsthemestcomplcated__slightlysharer Albers yrebir, both af which syrinxofthesongbi lowing arefoundin Astrea. Maleiyrebirdsbuilda ‘ttomimicalmostan in, ‘mound ofdiethatactsastheramphitheatre foundatthe base ft rounded andthenmimicsongsand man-made nies, byanairsaethatproducestheresonantsound Ike camerashuttersand cha they vwhenalyebirdsings whilemusclesmovethe danceinordertodraw femaleattenton, 166Woodpeckers whack their » heads against wood up to 20 Discover the physiology of timesa second, at1,200 times this bird that enablesit to the force of gravity, without eas mimic human speech suffering concussion, detached retinas or any other symptoms of head injury. But why? Whtleparrotsdoseem to make nolsesthat sound ike words, they do notcrentethe sound nthe sameway that we do Forstarters, birds postess nelthera oicebox nor vocal cords. Instead they hhavea vocal organ called thesyrinx lower dawn, re Shull F Brain thetvost When sirisexpeiaromthe oniedescncatemal oper thier ‘iitonaontane whch fing part's ngrarosthesyrns awierangr of Nccirnmatts Maemctactlats | antmepotctammmceenal polsescanbe ormed, Lcaedat the balm of Tettecyegorseie” —mawerenemay seg ‘Mivcrecksscrsectt thetachenjstbeoretnelungsthesrinxsa SSoowimtyietvnana eames, cramedinie sutras bon srstre whose wale wbat sai passes Sree SS ce throught Parotsuse themuncles around he syrins (atthe base ofthetracheaand the tp of thebronehi)to change theshapeand depth of ‘thespace, producing multitude of different sounds. Changes in resonance come from the ‘variations inair pressure, whichis cntralled by thebireshungs. ‘Westen bes that Win etoatooaa onpiethewendpesers | Slt ocr cate he neat re Syed opart Tee Sregtoned by caecssetanal ores Fomreoeresicakwicn | Spat ert and ‘ws tondent | nce hee Bimorsweestconcanng, | snaccordonanentethe th2000iretsper say | onder seks Iniewchotapragans’ | tno tre Barbed tongue aber rai Benin wodpicher ober arin eas ar nse, ‘— Neck muscles Sumtosdust erence ee Isa tong med ange an seasons pO Asottecondbercery tan heceroe ttm mete ae fhurtineslngwnsome pcs ange stubyionsint —muceittetnchechconratasooas — omeumtieycanmae | br rcatmndecapperrbuc tones mepornepsnd ‘htc inpc ayers det (ra tu hector ania bdund eye soaet ornate ‘trough rete ebay he sho rom, 167How hunt Discover what makes this nocturnal bird of prey sucha superior predator ‘The nt hasevolveda number oftratsthat, makeitamasterfulleyhunter As wells boinga keen errtrial predator, withan intimate knowledge afte loca rain, the ‘wlalsobas numberof physical characteristics that ‘make ta formidable aerial assassin eaturesinchde ppowerfultalons, sharp, hooked beak ferrending sh from bone phish orlacatingan| hominginon prey rom wehavethe ability otell whether asound Gane romtbeleorahy mings ana repositioned onthesidesotheirheads, nls bave iroi-lacingeyes, givingthem binocular vision and depth perception Thishelps them getafixon thie ‘heabiltytoremainslentthataivesan wl fegreatet advantage when hunting 168DID You aN Teed ‘ Seeing is en See pre nemeerte s Se ae eeaee Se oe eee * ‘podegrees ofthis are binocular. Binocular vision (70 degrees) ‘vs hw ome a he best een eid wor To ui crtnt ars hve nO ogres alah ‘in dogs och aera ee Pkonad Dive-bombing owls ‘While owis remain generally utofsight during the day, thereare occasional reports of themexhibtng aggressive behaviour attackingordlve bombinganimalsmany times ‘her size Including domestie dogs and even mans Rather thanattemptingto Mand eatsaid humans, theyareinfact defending heir territory, mates, nestsand/or chicks. by ™ | (ee im yj Robinson Sate Hawk Conservancy Trust sei curator Jimmy runs the What “Hunters of the Sky’ bird of lets? 7 prey isplayattongleat pel 5 atin te doctor ai rt Youcan discover a lotabout pelesitspisout. These pelletsconainthe Indigesibipartsofanowts dit Brdsof prey eatrodents andsmall bids. Howeve usualy fe to eat? ‘nls et varity of leap on lake prey thm. ons othe ‘round. wie sme speces boeeausetheydonthaveteeth eyabeitsandevenfowesen What do om do andeannotehewthelrood, rreocearors aildy? Howare they ‘hey haveto swallow things protected trom predators? Wwhole-thatincudesany fur, What stheowsmost Maas every wel bones. feathers elavsand effective method ortactle carousing the dy teeth. Whieotherbirdshave forhunting downthis kind thenocton onl lroxst aspecalorgancalledacrop, of prey? aHgh eso stabi ste Uhichisusedfrstoringiood — Mayoushavesient ht. ace a ramping eyes fordigestion later ows do nothaveoneat these Tastesd when anol consumesfoodiepassesinto ‘egetotharlaitexhars What are the ows maln Sloweaartopasstvouy natural predators? thomstheredvesthenasaof Oars ofa, themusculargizard called teflaging wg crass ame theventricuis and of ‘eps ha srs ol a ook Ssecondarystomachfullol ——Atwhatagetsayoungow! atone aa sutatorra Smallstones Thestoneshelp oldenough to attempt ts tmgrindup the digestible frst Dose upto their food pehich inches muscle sinandorgans|and tlsolvethefoodso ean passintotheintstines. The leftoverrubbish,whichcant bebrokendown isequeezed bythemuseles ofthegizzard andeompactedntoasott pelletiobeexpeliedrom the bodyaftermany hours The species fly ether at wise reputation? yet rales then oe righ very we bet dos ‘eanthat the eve tseup notte by any means, ‘itarecartany nto ee aewetoledtobotove The envio ot. They aoe ‘nleannoteat again vn How and where doowls andra ete fact he Thepellethasbeen coughed make their nests? itleows Lan namatnisit up orresuraated, Onienectinmenydffret oAthena who wae knoe ae places Bamoutsnestintam the goddecr of wedom ‘renga 169How the condor survives Discover the largest flying bird on the planet today The condor, which llsino the ew Werle woares category ea hugefying reglons ofthe westem Americas. Beingacarnivore, whose diet consists ofthe caresses ofbison an other large mammals, the condor relies ‘ontsabilty to soar ver vast distances with the helpofa huge wingspan and theuseofthermal columns, Thermals aremassesof ising hotairthat help ‘ary this vulture to great heights atspeeds of uptoaBllometres 55 tiles perhotr~sothey canspot Catron across the widest areas Despite being ult for saringover huge distancesat great height the ‘condor doesnt have well: eveloped fight muscles and only really fapsto takeoff. Indeed aftera particulary heavy meala condor may not beable take offatal fora whi, Condors pair or ifeanl do not takenew partners even aftera mate has fled. The condor nests at highalitides toprotecttheegg they only lay ancata tim fom predators, butthe egg sat tisk rom the exteme mounts ‘weather ParensshareInubation flutiesand, oncehatched, the chick wil Deralsedby the parents fortwo year. Both theAndean and Calfornian species ofcondorate endangered, Wile accordingto thelUCN 170 Red Listthe Andean condoris currently rear threatened the Californian condor Isertcally endangered and worsening towing danger ofaccdental ingestion Stlead shot from carcasses thathave been lean let by hunters Avro He span inthe wi Wit Boa se 1290 ingen: 21905) Condor anatomy Bald Iedicepstcon greatest winggpanot Pherae EE | se “ former has white sumage Seacae paiHow vultures eat They may be the ultimate scavengers but do they deserve their reputation as freeloaders? ‘ulturesiivein ecosystems mainly comprising large grazers, That presentsa probe fora carnWorebecauseaaig biécannotake down a ‘spokghullalo Tetrsolution'stolet other animals doitforthem ortowaitfortheiluneh to dieofnatural causes, ‘Thisrequirespatence vulureshavelarge singspans, adapted for soaring in thermal, sotheycanseanahugeareaot fasslandat once, lokingtoradeador dyin beast Vuures do ‘ot stil hunt burifthe eomeacrossa weakened animal they will haven abject totuckinginstaightaway, hhasteningthe demise oftheir mea. Alter they have gored ‘themselves, vultures wil perch slepllyonrocksorintrees, Aigestingand waiting forabigenoughthermaltohep them Taunchaloftonce more. ‘Although the vultures found inthe Old Word andthe New ‘Worl ok quite sini thisis because dheyhave evolved to tackle thesame cvolutionaryniche New World vultures Incudethe condorsand ares genetically ery losely related tothe Olé Workspecies, ulkuresfeed by plunging theirendsinto the body cavities oflargeanimals.Aleatheryhead woul become |impossbiymatted with blood and jules, interfering withthe vulturéSvisionandriskingantnfectionthatcouldleadto Geath. Aside effectotevlvingabald headisthatavulturecan seis necctoreglate tsbody temperature, extendingandé Ihunehingtoadjsetheamount of heat that os throughthe exposedskin Wheretofind vultures \) gl {southern Europe eo. , a Penne Voice Vision utes onthe si ots Wora auresicte ded “owl x tana “nos excise yah ‘ahah ey ring inon ania og sti oes hey canoer ‘ner rem hehe resonates Astron stomac Vulturesestanimals thatmay have died naturally weeksago, ‘Thisputid esh soften soriddledbacteriathatt ‘wouldbelethaltoany fotheranimal Vtures protect themselves ‘againstthisinewo ways Frsthelrstomachacid {salmosttentimesas concentratedas urs. ‘Thiskilsbacteriaand irusessocffectvely thatwultre droppings !aremorehygenicthan thefoodehatthey et "Thetorins that have already been produced bythetimethevalture feadsareabeorbed into theliningofis throat andneutallsed by ‘antibodies inthe Blood. ‘Smell ey because he nent ots Toy on etc 9 crete cat ‘Average span nth wi Weite2 Primary feathers Steer wos margaret tacnee Screen eisai ihe mEagle-eyed hunters Ss Eagle eyesareverylare relative totheir body size: ‘oureyesweresimilarty proportioned they would be thesiz of oranges Theyalsohave éoo00 cone receptors perm onthelr retinas ~fourtimesthe density inhuman eyes. These fartrscombane ove olden sales twoandahalftimesbettr resolving Powserin thee vision, Golden engleshaveo translcentsecond eel calledaniettatingmembane which Binks Sideways Inthelast momentbeforethe eagle trikes, thismembrane clsesto protect the precious eyes m Death from Thegoldeneaglerarelyatacks prey directly romalitud with {2divebomb ot stop. Instead, iewheelsout ofthe ky, ome istanceavayand swoopsin Fromdownandcoseto the aground. Theeaglerelesona Sudden overvelmingattack It iemisjudgestheiniia strike it unlikely fo prevalina chase the sky Golden eagles usethe primary fathers on thet ‘wingtpstoconteathe turbulent vortices fairalong, thetralingedge ofthewings andincrease it Theeagle can Spread stall wide tomerge ‘withthe wingsintoa single ‘dota wing. or folded or maximumspeed,‘Though ungainiyon and, Snead etiaiespenunos physical characteris perfetiorsvimming ‘through water-fortnate assome speciesareknowntobeatseaforupto ‘percentoftheirives, spending ‘dc time nthe waters penguins atyisk rom predator, soswimming tlilsareestental Whilethetlong, ‘streamlined bodies and short egstive {hema clumsy gatwhenwaddlingon land, penguins’ wings havea unique charactrstithatgivesthem surprisingly inwater LP. 2. Body Het pigen inet eseete Rees oases Cpetrshored hops ne sterer esha penmuem fipgers tata the _-oeyhapsthe ——thantewingeal nwa, pmouneahnsle —— pengungie tharbade king rtp St Fer erestofte gcetuly ough thampowsruleos. sheaths toe Sesomyteasoprimes heater, =e 7s a Penguins in motion While penguins’ wingsarenot suitablefor aerial ight = mainly because unlike thedeieate ligheweightbones of other birds, penguin bonesaresoid-they are perfect forsoarngthrough water, with the Gentoo penguin reaching Speeds uptoaamph Rfered 098 Aippers the pengulnsstifwingsact astheperfectnaturalpaddle, What's ‘most intresting, however, isthe recent discover thatas wellasbelng ableto lap ther pers ypand down lke ings, penguinseanalso twist theminacorkerewing mation, ‘Thejpintattachingthe ippertothe body ssimilartothatofauman shoulder, enablingthebitdtobeter tontolitsmovementsandspeed. swimming penguin can rotateone Aipperinonedirecionandtheother Inanother enabligittoturn Instantly ostop suddenly Twisting ‘causes agreatersurfacearegofthe wingeo move over the water, which feneratesa greater thrustingforceso thepenguincanincreaseitsspeed ‘without the need formore flapping. ‘Another techniquethe penguin usesformovingthrough waters 3.Flippers 4,Feathers_ 5. Colouring porpoisng. Wheneveritneedsto breathe, the penguin wil periodically swim lascunderthe water and then useltsfipperstoleap from thewater Inanare.Themomentumof porpoisinghelpspenguins when they need lee quickly from predators ‘Thehumblepenguinisone ofthe planet'sbest-equippedswimmers ‘andthe twisting fipper’ motions turrenilybeingappied by scientists ‘wie areloakngtodeweop abot technology that elptoimprowethe efcencyandperformanceot Underwatervehices ‘psi ring coburn zeta er hepa ee st rm Dresotors intent Wehr wees. not se pee ‘rcnum thigt etalunder odeath ht om ahae A reas eng aw cn penn mete a pth eee reir theca ors answer tbl. \ aerate ro tht Ce catetsmmpucoe 173Xnown forbeingasociablelyaland really rathertough tlecreture, the penguinisaresiient memberotthe Aightless bird club species penguin ane located throughout the southern hemisphere ranging romastarsouthasthe coastofAntaretcaandastarnorthasthe Galapagos stands inthe Paci, Thesmalest specesisthe appropriately named fairy penguln, ‘winch makesitshome nthe coastal watersat Australia, The biggest member ofthe amily, ‘meanwhile istheemperor penguin, whichiives asomewhatmore reacheruslileon the perilous Trower continent of Antarctic ‘When tomesto breeding, most penguin species |theemperorpenguins do things diferent; se" Emperor engin role reversal, ‘opposite carefr usually one orto ongsin nests bultfomstonesand vegetation. Theparents takeltinturnstofeth food and protect the eggs forthe duration ofincubation whicheanbe anything om3e-odays- Then, oncethe chicks bom, parentscontinuetoshare hare duties for-spmonthsdependingon thespeces Baby penguins won't be oinganywhere near theaceanforatound imate, atleast nt thelrdovnyeoatshave been replaced wit ‘nsulatng waterprootfeathers. Thea ‘heeforehaveto ind and etch ood, which they ‘egurgateforthechieks.Therearethree main ‘waysa pengulncanbring food baecloritsyoung, Because they sometimes havetotravel reat dlistancestosourefishand crustaceans the — wa, penguin patentshave developed arather nifty way consuming ood outatseaandstorngit intheistomachsinspecalenymesthat prevent itombeingdigested.ARematvely they can also party digest the ood into sot mush Finally penguin thathavebeen feeding or ‘weeks can ullyigestthefood butthensecretea ruteous i forthetryoune ‘Thepenguinhasanumberofiferent predators including leopardseas, ler whales, Slantpetels sharks and humans amongathers. Large seavenger seabirds calle suas even workinteams swipe untended eggsand Unprotected chicks inthe blinkofaneye. On sleua ill provdea distraction, lurngthe adult penguins aay from theirheplss young, while nother trikes, stealing eggsand newborns Aruna leopardseat Emperor penguin peises Wat 020i5 08) StelpsoL2mct) tached ah parents¥ locomotion Penguinspreferswimmingover yng. Wwhichisjustaswelbecause unlike Airborne birds whose banesarehalow, penguinshave densesteletons; great or diving butnot ying Seana ‘treamhined inthe waterthey maybe but ‘when getingaroundon lanépenguinsare undeniably inelegant. They rpseacross Jandon{ootusinga unique combination of anawlwardsidetosidewaddleanda ‘worfotedjumpfornavigatingrocksand ‘unevensuracesAntarcticpenguinsare Jnownto avelup todo llometres 50 niles) nsearchoffood Despite thershort Jeg they an scurry quite quickly However to saveenersypengulnshavea thitdmethodof travel wheneverthe ‘opportunity arisestheywillsie downhill ontheirbellies using theirwingstosteer and thet feet propel themselves. Thisis Inownastobogzaning. Safety in rumbers Catomtees The big moult CCountershading Scccorahonpoaain Stay Soran engines Jeggiieaing tom Emperor penguin role reversal Emperorpenguins nate tothe barren ploins of Antari, must endure same oftheplanersmostextremeconditionsonacontinent ‘known forts rezing temperatures and relentless highwinds So, how do these hardcore bias breed in such lea conditions? Wel, © emperorsdothingsa bicaifereny "The female wl laya single eggin carly winterandinsteadof ‘akingitintumstolookafterthe eg ike other penguins the male emperrstaysbehindtoincubateiwhilethe female heads aut cross the ee for to meonthstofind ood, Hudalingsesental for these penguins inorder tocvercomethe elements, ncetheemperor ‘ickisbornthe hodaincontinesintheform oeréches- not only ‘okeep warm butalsoas protection against predators Thebabiee come together ina largegroup with theadulisaround he edge Penguin co anatomy Feathers (not shown) ‘owes moet tec Beak ep esac oy Exper catchers permis OC SS mek i th hp ‘nom europa eae ‘doeebocuctayoaow Tatar iegs the fathers Sorie pe wetter swept nam mt ge {comics andra rnd ‘ion womens. Sones tostop the soery ‘samy amg ‘Salt gland Pesmins madre nest Java stestrngeta ‘taping ry underatar Sbodwese tree he pas rman 8 Dera ye seo have ‘rus shaped, ‘tit te on th Pangea age ce et, ‘ihe tomas Soyeprat Boonseth et ore Setback Rote of thd {hopes say buen gh ‘Shape alan Penguin Sarees ee eas lear epeaaeewae anc on ae Es eee ‘Siaypcietaa aan a anon ee fates saeie tiepenga ik See nee So, onpeear ae eee ee cre ‘nna Seis epee Soeninlnoae ee a SSoauemte oo ee Se ee oe Mien todtoeny oe coer eae ee areas corey oe oa 5Exclusive offer for new cf FN OSSThe magazine that feeds minds ill strations uals toreally get e and technology subscribers to... 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