(DK) I Can’t Believe It! 2

IT CAN’T BE TRUE! 99







Over a lifetime, the average human breathes enough air to fill around 95–100 hot-air balloons. FLAT-HEADED FROG Most frogs breathe through both their lungs and skin, but this rare Bornean flat-headed frog, which grows up to 3 in (7.7 cm) long, has no lungs. It is the only known f











The windpipe is the tube in the chest and throat that carries air in and out of the lungs.







Human lungs





An adult’s lungs take in an average of about 1 pint (0.5 liters) of air in each breath and breathe about 15 times a minute when sitting down.








Tennis court Bar-headed goose 21,670 ft (6,300 m)


Alveoli round sacs called alveoli—enough to cover about half a tennis court. efficient lungs and can cross the Himalayas at altitudes of around there is very little oxygen. Humans
FAST FACTS Lungs The average adult’s lungs contain 300–500 million tiny Himalayan mountain pass 18,000 ft (5,500 m) Bar-headed geese have very 21,670 ft (6,300 m), where cannot live permanently at such extreme heights.












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100


How heavy are



your bones?






Bones are actually very
light—your skeleton The hyoid bone
in the throat is
accounts for only about bones that isn’t
one of the few
15 percent of your joined to another.
total weight.




INSIDE A BONE

An adult
human weighs
more than
six times the
weight of its
skeleton.



Although very strong, bones are
light because they are not solid.
Inside the hard, dense “compact
bone” is “spongy bone,” which
looks like honeycomb (shown
here in this false-colored image). Your feet and
The spaces in the bone are filled hands contain
with jellylike marrow. more than half
of your body’s
bones—27 in
each foot and 26
in each hand.







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FAST FACTS
Babies are born Bone is incredibly
with around 300 strong. A cube of
bones. As they bone measuring
grow up, many ½ in (1 cm)
of the bones— along each side
such as those would be able to
in the skull— 3,821 lb support 3,821 lb
(1,733 kg)
fuse together, (1,733 kg)—the
so most adults weight of an adult
Adult skull Baby skull have 206 bones. male hippo.
Piece of bone


There are
33 vertebrae
(bones) in the
human spine.

























The femur
(thighbone)
is the
heaviest
bone in the
body. The
lightest is
the stapes,
found in
the ear.




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102

FAST FACTS

Large eyes give animals the brightest, Tarsier brain and eye
sharpest vision possible. Tarsiers have relative sizes
some of the largest eyes relative to
their body size. They need them to hunt
for insects in the rain forest at night.
Each of their eyes is as big as
their brain! A human’s eyes are Human brain and eye
proportionally much smaller. relative sizes

What has the




biggest eyes?





The colossal squid, a little-known

species of squid bigger than the
giant squid, has eyes up to
11 in (27 cm) across in the

few individuals measured.


PREHISTORIC VISION









Extinct reptiles called ichthyosaurs Human eyeball
1 in (2.5 cm)
had eyes up to 12 in (30 cm) across
across. Like huge squid species,
some probably hunted in the deep
sea, their big eyes helping them
to see in the dim light. Horse eyeball 1½ in
(4 cm) across




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The lens of the
colossal squid’s eye is
ball-shaped and about
the size of an orange.








What has the




biggest eyes?



























The largest
colossal squid
eye ever studied
was a dead one
that had the same
diameter as
11 human Colossal squid eyeball 11 in (27 cm) across.
eyeballs. (Experts think the colossal squid’s eyes may
Blue whale eyeball grow to 12–16 in (30–40 cm) across—as
6 in (15 cm) across big as a beach ball!)




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104
What has



the biggest elephant’s molar, ideal for
Up to 10 deep ridges line
the top of the African
grinding tree branches.
teeth?




African elephants have the

biggest teeth of all animals.
They have enormous
chewing teeth, which crush

vegetation, and two huge
front teeth called tusks.






VIPERFISH TEETH
The roots sit below
the surface of the
gum. When the
molar first forms,
the roots point
down, but as the Around 65
tooth moves
forward in the human molars
jaw, the roots can fit on top of
slant backward. one elephant
molar.




A viperfish’s teeth are so long they curve
around the outside of its head when it Human molars are on
average ¾ in (2 cm)
closes its mouth. The glassy daggers are from the crown to the root.
perfectly suited for catching fish that live Humans grow only two sets
in the darkest depths of the ocean. of teeth in their lifetime.





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An elephant has four molars (back
teeth) in its jaws at any one time. They FAST FACTS
grow up to 8¼ in (21 cm) long and 2¾ in
(7 cm) wide, and weigh up to 9 lb (4 kg). Tusks are front teeth used for
Although tooth enamel is the hardest defense while fighting, digging,
substance in a body, the teeth still wear lifting, or displaying. Walruses
The crown is the part down and are replaced six times during also use theirs like icepicks to
of a tooth that sits the elephant’s life. haul themselves out of the water.
above the gum.

African elephant tusk 10 ft (3 m)
Narwhal tusk 9 ft (2.7 m)

Walrus tusk 3 ft 4 in (1 m)

Warthog tusk 18 in (45 cm)
Babirusa tusk 12 in (30 cm)


An ancient sharklike fish called
Helicoprion had no teeth in its
upper jaw and a unique set in its
lower jaw—they were arranged
like a spiral saw. No one is sure
how the fish used them. Perhaps
the teeth shredded the flesh of
the fish as it pushed it toward
its throat to swallow it.



Saw teeth
The creases in the root show that a molar is made spiraled
up of a collection of up to 12 separate plates, or out of its
“tooth buds,” that merged together as they grew. mouth
A lion’s back teeth are
around 1¼ in (3 cm) wide.
They are razor-sharp and
work in pairs, like scissors,
to slice through meat. A great white shark
has serrated teeth.
The largest can grow
to 2¾ in (7 cm) from
base to tip.









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106


In the 1800s and early 1900s, people cut tunnels out of giant sequoias to allow carriages or cars to drive through them. These “tunnel trees” were tourist attractions, designed to advertise California’s national parks. No new tunnels are cut today, but some old ones still exist. What is the biggest Cal

















TUNNEL TREES living thing?








Giant sequoias might grow even taller, but their height attracts lightning, which tends to kill off their upper branches.






















Forest ecologist studying the top parts of the tree.








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11 blue whales Lindsey Creek Tree General Sherman



FAST FACTS General Sherman The biggest giant sequoia is called the “General Sherman.” It weighs as much as 11 adult blue whales (190–200 tons/ 170–180 metric tons). Its trunk contains enough wood to build 120 houses. The Lindsey Creek Tree, a coastal redwood, was the largest tree ever k















This giant sequoia is more than 247 ft (75 m) tall—as tall as a 25-story building. This famous giant sequoia is called the “President.” Sometimes giant sequoias grow even faster during —this one is 3,200 old age years old and still growing. However, giant sequoias are not the tallest trees— coast







Forest ecologist climbing tree. Giant sequoia bark it does not burn. Forest ecologist holding climbing rope.




























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How big is the



biggest animal?





The largest animal on the planet is the blue
whale, measuring 100 ft (30 m). It is the biggest

animal that has ever lived, including the dinosaurs.



















Tail flukes up to 25 ft
(7.6 m) across can power
the blue whale at speeds
of 30 mph (50 kph).


FAST FACTS
188 dB
Blue whales make
a noise louder than a
jet aircraft taking off. 140 dB
Whales produce
very low frequency
sounds at a level of
188 decibels; these
A blue whale is longer than a basketball can be heard from
court and weighs up to 200 tons (180 thousands of
tonnes)—the same as 15 school buses. miles away.





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How big is the FILTER FEEDING



biggest animal? A blue whale can eat around
4 tons (3.5 metric tons) of krill
(tiny sea creatures) a day. Taking
100-ton (90-metric-ton) gulps of
water, the whale then filters the
water out through baleen plates,
The largest animal on the planet is the blue comblike structures that hang
whale, measuring 100 ft (30 m). It is the biggest from its jaw, trapping the krill.

animal that has ever lived, including the dinosaurs.






The blue whale’s Its eyeball is 6 in Its tongue weighs as
heart is the size (15 cm) in diameter.
of a small car. much as an elephant.










A blue
whale is as
long as 17
Its outer ear is the scuba divers
width of a pencil tip.
swimming
in a line.
A blue whale can blow 160 cu ft
(4,500 liters) of air out of its blowholes at
300 mph (480 kph). The spray it produces
reaches a height of 30 ft (9 m)—as tall as
five men standing on each others’ heads.











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110
What was the



biggest dinosaur?





The fossil bones of the largest animal ever to
walk on land were unearthed in 2012. It is a type

of titanosaur that fossil hunters estimate weighed
69 tons (63 metric tons) and was 122 ft (37 m) long.





The dinosaur’s tail may have been
used for support as it reared up on
The its hind legs to reach tree branches.
titanosaur
was as long as
four buses and
weighed as much
as 12 African
elephants.









FAST FACTS

The new titanosaur was the biggest of a Human
family called the sauropods. Even one
of the smallest, Europasaurus, was
20 ft (6 m) long and weighed up Pliosaur
to 1.1 ton (1 metric ton).
Among the biggest
prehistoric beasts living
in the sea were pliosaurs.
The largest of these were
over 50 ft (15 m) long.
Europasaurus Titanosaur




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What was the BEFORE THE DINOSAURS Long before the dinosaurs,



biggest dinosaur? there were no large animals
on land—but there were in
the oceans. Pterygotus, a
giant sea scorpion that lived
400 million years ago, grew
to 7 ft 6 in (2.3 m) long—
bigger than an adult human.

The small head did
not contain heavy jaws
The bones were discovered in Argentina in for chewing food—
2012 and the species was named Patagotitan titanosaurs simply
mayorum. Its bones were not fully grown, so gulped it down.
there could be even bigger dinosaurs out there!











Its long neck meant that the
titanosaur could eat from the
ground or from trees. It had to
eat a lot—a dumpster full of
vegetation every day.




















New titanosaur Double-decker bus
122 ft (37 m) long 31.2 ft (9.5 m) long



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112
What was the



biggest land




predator?




The biggest predator

that ever lived on land was
Spinosaurus, a 56-ft- (17-m-)
long fish-eating dinosaur.
















Spinosaurus was
the longest predatory
dinosaur known. It lived
around 100 million years
ago in North Africa.


A male polar bear
is the biggest land
predator today. It
can grow up to
This adult man 10 ft (3 m) in length
stands about and be 5 ft (1.5 m) tall
5 ft 11 in at the shoulder.
(1.8 m) tall.






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Spinosaurus’s size was
enhanced by long spines
extending up from
its backbone, which Spinosaurus
probably created
a tall crest or “sail.” was more than
five times the
length of a
polar bear.





SABER-TOOTHED CAT














The dinosaur’s
huge tail balanced the Smilodon was the biggest cat to walk the
weight of its head and Earth. At 6 ft 6 in (2 m) long, it was big
forelimbs, allowing it to enough to attack and eat mammoths. The
walk on its hind legs. cat probably wrestled its prey to the ground,
then killed it with its large canine teeth.



FAST FACTS
Mapusaurus Tyrannosaurus rex

Andrewsarchus Giganotosaurus
Siberian tiger


Andrewsarchus, resembling a giant wolf, Since Spinosaurus ate fish, it was not the
was the largest meat-eating mammal that largest meat-eater. That title is contested
ever lived. At about 11 ft (3.4 m), its body by Tyrannosaurus, Giganotosaurus, and
length was almost double that of the Mapusaurus. All of these species may
modern Siberian tiger. have topped 40 ft (12 m) in length.






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114
What was the



largest snake?





Titanoboa was an enormous snake

measuring 48 ft (14.6 m), or longer
than a school bus. It lived around
60 million years ago

in the jungle
swamps of

modern-day
Colombia.









EATING HABITS










Big snakes such as pythons can eat prey
wider than themselves. The snake cannot Snakes breathe
chew, so prey must be swallowed whole. Like the jaws of through a hole called
Digesting food uses so much energy, the today’s snakes, the the glottis. This can
snake is inactive for several days. lower jaw would move to the side so
unhinge, enabling that the reptile can
Titanoboa to breathe as it slowly
swallow large prey. swallows its prey.




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Titanoboa’s coloring is
unknown. The pattern on
this illustration is based
on the anaconda, one of the
biggest snakes alive today.
















The middle of the trunk
was much wider than
the ends of the snake.
At its widest, it was
3 ft (90 cm) in diameter.


The
thickest part
of Titanoboa’s
body was half
the height of
a man.






FAST FACTS
The longest snakes alive today are little
more than half the length of Titanoboa.
Titanoboa weighed more than
1 tonne (1 ton)—as much as a King cobra 18 ft (5.5 m)
small family car and big enough to
tackle giant turtles and crocodiles. Indian python 21 ft (6.4 m)
Experts have argued that it grew
so big because the world was
warmer 60 million years ago, and Green anaconda 29 ft (9 m)
reptiles today are usually bigger
in warmer climates. Reticulated python 33 ft (10 m)





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116






Megalodon’s tail fin provided all the
propulsion the shark needed while
swimming and hunting.















How big




was the

MOSASAUR
biggest




shark?






Megalodon was one of The largest shark that ever
the world’s biggest-ever
hunters, but many other lived was megalodon, which
ocean predators have
grown to monstrous may have grown to 66 ft
lengths. The 49-ft (15-m)
Mosasaurus lived around (20 m) long. It died out more
65 million years ago.
than 1.5 million years ago.





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Megalodon’s dorsal fin
may have been taller
than a man.













Megalodon
may have
grown to be
Some experts think megalodon between 7 and 11
was very similar to today’s times the length
great white shark, but much of an adult
bigger. It may not have been scuba diver.
closely related, however. It
The pectoral fin lived in all the world’s oceans
provided lift, and first appeared around
stopping the shark 17–16 million years ago.
from sinking.
FAST FACTS
Today’s biggest shark is not the great white, Megalodon’s huge teeth are the most
but the whale shark, a gentle giant that feeds common fossil remains of the creature.
on plankton—tiny floating creatures. The great They are the same shape as the teeth
white is the biggest predatory shark—one that of the great white shark, but more than
hunts down individual prey, such as fish. three times the height.


Megalodon Megalodon tooth
52–65 ft 6½ in (17 cm)
(16–20 m) long,
55 tons (50 metric tons)
Great white
Whale shark shark tooth
41ft 6 in (12.65 m) 2 in (5 cm)
long, 23.5 tons
(21.5 metric tons)
Great white shark
20 ft (6.1 m) long,
2 tons (1.9 metric tons)





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118


Pedipalps are not
legs—they are
The spider’s leg long mouthparts.
span is measured
from the tip of the
first leg on one side
to the tip of the fourth The spider’s fangs,
leg on the other. which are ¾ in
(20 mm) long, are
tucked under the
hair-covered upper
mouthparts.


































The Goliath bird-eater is
a species of tarantula and
lives in South America.
It grows big enough to eat
The hairs covering the
spider’s body can cause rashes birds, although it mostly
and swelling on human skin. eats insects, rodents, bats,
This part, the abdomen, has snakes, and lizards. It pounces
hairs that the spider can flick on prey and injects it with
at attackers to defend itself. venom from its fangs.





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GIANT HUNTSMAN SPIDER
Goliaths The longest spider legs are
can grow to thought to belong to the
be bigger than giant huntsman spider of
an adult’s hand Laos, Southeast Asia. Its
and can cover a legs span up to 12 in
dinner plate! (30 cm), although its body
is just 1¾ in (4.6 cm) long.


How big can




spiders grow?





The Goliath
bird-eater rubs The heaviest type of spider is
bristles on its legs to
produce a hissing the goliath bird-eating spider,
sound as a warning
to predators. which can weigh up to 6 oz (175 g).
The biggest one measured had a

leg span of 11 in (28 cm).



FAST FACTS

Darwin’s bark spiders can spin webs up to Most spiders are venomous, and some
80 ft (25 m)—as wide a six-lane highway. Its species have venom deadly enough to kill
silk is highly resistant to breaking and more dozens of mice. Most spiders are harmless
than 10 times tougher than Kevlar (a material to humans, but these three demand respect.
used to make body armor).
Mice killed by 1 millionth
of a gram of venom
Southern black widow 12.5 mice

Mediterranean black widow 37 mice
Brazilian wandering spider 41 mice





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What is the



biggest moth is much

The Atlas

insect? bigger than an
adult human
hand.


There are several

contenders, but the
Atlas moth has the
biggest wings, with

a span of 10 in (25 cm)
and a wing area of

62 sq in (400 sq cm).


GIANT WETA















The giant weta, one of the world’s heaviest
insects, lives in New Zealand. Wetas
gnaw roots and stems in their forest
habitat and have grown to mouselike The fat abdomen
sizes. At 2½ oz (70 g), the largest of the female
are as big as three house mice. contains an
egg factory.




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The Atlas moth of Southeast Asia is the FAST FACTS
biggest insect by wing area. However,
the white witch moth of Central and There are other insects
South America has the widest wingspan, competing for the title of
at about 12 in (31 cm). the biggest insect alive. Here
are some of the contenders.
These narrow antennae tell us this
is a female, which is even larger and The titan beetle Rat
heavier than a male. The male has of South American
bigger, more feathery antennae, and
he uses them to detect pheromones rain forests grows
(scent) released by females. up to 6.5 in Titan beetle
(16.5 cm) long—
as long as than
the body of a rat.
Its jaws can snap
a pencil in half.









The wing tip
looks like a Stick insects can be even
snake’s head, longer. The record-breaking
which possibly Chan’s megastick of Borneo,
frightens Malaysia, is 22½ in (56.7 cm)
would-be long with outstretched legs.
predators. That’s almost twice the width
of this book.


Goliath beetle grub



The triangular
patterns on the
moth’s wings are
thought to help
camouflage.
Some insects have really
large grubs. One of the biggest
and heaviest is that of Africa’s
Goliath beetle. It can grow up
to 5 in (13 cm) long and weighs
3½ oz (100 g).






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Running along the front edge of
Quetzalcoatlus’s wing were the
incredibly long bones of a single
finger, which held the wing open.
The wings of
Quetzalcoatlus
stretched farther
than those of a
Tiger Moth
biplane.
















What had




the longest



wings ever?





The largest flying creature was a pterosaur
called Quetzalcoatlus. It soared over its relatives,

the dinosaurs, 68 million years ago. The largest
had a wingspan of more than 33 ft (10 m).





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FAST FACTS
Here’s how Argentavis lived The great bustard is
Quetzalcoatlus’s 6 million years today’s heaviest flying
wingspan compares ago and at bird and has a wingspan
to some other 23 ft (7 m) of 8 ft 3 in (2.5 m).
giant flyers. across the
wings was
the largest
flying bird ever.
Quetzalcoatlus lived
68–66 million years The wandering
ago and measured albatross has the longest
33 ft (10 m) from wings of any living bird, at
wing tip to wing tip. 11 ft 6 in (3.5 m).

Quetzalcoatlus was very thin and light
in the central body and neck, so, despite its
colossal dimensions, even this 33-ft (10-m)
individual probably weighed less than 550 lb
(250 kg). This is still twice as heavy as an ostrich.














A Tiger Moth has a wingspan of 29 ft (8.9 m).
Originally designed to train military pilots in
the 1930s, it can carry two people. It is still
famous and popular with pilots today.




MONSTER BIRDS


Teratornis (left) was an ancient
bird that was similar to a modern
condor, but bigger and heavier.
Its close relative, Argentavis,
was gigantic and weighed as
much as a person.





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At only 2¼ in (5.5 cm) long, the bee hummingbird can perch on the end of a pencil. The male bee hummingbird has a glossy pink head and throat and is even smaller than the female.



































The bee hummingbird builds a cup-shaped nest about 1 in (2.5 cm) across from bits of cobwebs, bark, and lichen. Nests have been built on single clothes pins. The eggs are the size of peas. Great bustard Chicken Human Ostrich Today’s heaviest bird, the ostrich, can weigh nearly twice as much as an adult perso










FAST FACTS In contrast, the heaviest living bird that can fly is the great bustard. At 46 lb (20.9 kg), it weighs as much as a six-year-old boy. Elephant bird













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nectar every day.
The bee hummingbird is a tiny but busy bird. It hovers by flapping its wings at 80 times a second, with its heart beating at an incredible 1,220 times a minute. To power this activity, the bird must feed every 10–15 minutes. It eats about half its own body weight in sugary













THE SWORD-BILLED HUMMINGBIRD Not all hummingbirds are tiny. Among the largest are sword-billed hummingbirds. Their bills alone measure the same as two entire bee hummingbirds! What is the smallest bird? The bee hummingbird, which lives only in Cuba, is 2¼ in (5.5 cm) long and weighs just 0.06 oz (1.6 g).






















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126
Which bird laid



the biggest egg?





Eggs of the extinct elephant bird were up
to 13 in (34 cm) long. Elephant birds lived in

Madagascar until a few hundred years ago.

Emu
Emu eggs are
unusually dark.
They look
like a huge Hummingbird eggs
avocado, are the smallest bird Rusty tinamou
at 5 in eggs. This one is
(13 cm) from a ruby-throated
high.
A kiwi is 20 times hummingbird.
smaller than an
emu, but its eggs
are almost the Chicken
same size. Hummingbird





Kiwi The most familiar
Quail Cormorant
Tawny owl eggs are laid by
the domestic
King penguin Common sandpiper chicken.
FAST FACTS
Elephant bird eggs are bigger than those 24 in
of most dinosaurs. Even the eggs of (60 cm)
sauropods (the biggest dinosaurs) are
no more than 8 in (20 cm) long. 13 in
Recent digs in China, however, (33 cm)
appear to have turned up giant 8 in
eggs of two-legged dinosaurs (20 cm)
similar to Oviraptor.
Elephant bird Sauropod up to Giant Oviraptor
10 ft (3 m) tall 120 ft (36 m) long 26 ft (8 m) long




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127
Which bird laid Elephant birds had died out by the 18th In terms of
century, but a few of their eggshells still
exist. Most shell remains, however, are
volume, an
found as fragments. Pieces found near
the biggest egg? the sites of ancient cooking fires egg is as big as
elephant bird’s
suggest that people ate the eggs.
200 chicken
eggs or 11
ostrich eggs.
Eggs of the extinct elephant bird were up The shell of the egg
is ¼ in (3.8 mm)
to 13 in (34 cm) long. Elephant birds lived in thick and could bear
the weight of about
Madagascar until a few hundred years ago. 90 bricks (550 lb/248 kg).

Ostrich



The ostrich is the world’s
largest bird, and it lays
the biggest eggs today—
although they are the
smallest in relation to the
size of the mother. They
weigh on average just
over 3 lb (1.4 kg)—more Elephant bird
than 20 chicken eggs.
Chicken





Cetti’s warbler
The most familiar Guillemot
eggs are laid by
the domestic KIWI EGGS
chicken.
Guillemot eggs roll in
circles, so they don’t
fall off cliff ledges, Great auk
where they are laid.


Carrion crow
Kiwis lay the biggest eggs Curlew
in relation to their body size.
One egg can be up to one-fifth Sparrowhawk
of the weight of its mother. Cuckoo Redshank





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128
How far can



a bird fly?



North
The Airbus 320 is a
Korea short-to-medium-range
South airliner. Flying from Alaska, it
would run out of fuel long
Bar-tailed godwits have China Korea Japan before the godwit, and would
been tracked flying 7,258 miles have to land at Wake Island
in the Pacific.
(11,680 km) nonstop from
Alaska to New Zealand on

their yearly migration.
Philippines


FAST FACTS





Earth Moon Indonesia Papua New The Boeing 777-300 is
Arctic terns migrate from the Arctic to the Antarctic Guinea a long-range airliner, but with
368 passengers on board, it
and back every year. Single birds have been tracked flying would not reach New Zealand.
44,000 miles (70,900 km) in this time. In their 30-year It would have to land at
lifetime, they can cover 1.3 million miles (2.1 million km), Norfolk Island, between New
or more than two round trips to the Moon. Zealand and Australia.

Glider 1,870 miles (3,009 km)
Australia
Airliner (Boeing 777 specially adapted for
record attempt) 13,423 miles (21,602 km)
Every year in
March, Pacific
Breitling Orbiter balloon 25,361 miles (40,814 km) bar-tailed
godwits fly north
from New Zealand.
Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer 25,766 miles (41,467 km)
They arrive in Alaska to
An airliner can fly farther than any bird if it is nest in May, after refueling
specially adapted. Above are four human nonstop in China. Scientists know the
flight records involving different kinds of aircraft. return journey to New Zealand
can be direct and nonstop.




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Alaska
Russia Breeding grounds in the Yukon
Delta of Alaska become a
godwit’s home in the
summer, when the
bird brings up
its chicks. A bar-tailed
godwit can,
without landing,
The Airbus 320 is a fly farther
short-to-medium-range than most
airliner. Flying from Alaska, it airliners.
would run out of fuel long
3,527 miles (5,676 km) route goes over
before the godwit, and would
have to land at Wake Island
in the Pacific. The godwit’s curved


Hawaii, extending
the journey.







P a c i f i c O c e a n LIFE ON THE WING



The Boeing 777-300 is 6,583 miles (10,595 km)
a long-range airliner, but with
368 passengers on board, it
would not reach New Zealand.
It would have to land at
Norfolk Island, between New Most swifts rarely land
Zealand and Australia. 7,261 miles (11,686 km) between leaving their
nest for the first time
and building their own
nest 2–4 years later.
They mate, eat, and sleep
how much ground they
cover in that time.


New in flight. It is not known
Zealand After spending 8 days in the air, and
with the fat in its 1-lb (450-g) body
almost used up, the godwit arrives
in its wintering grounds in a river
estuary in New Zealand.




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130
How old is the



oldest tree? 1804 First steam
locomotive
is built



The world’s oldest living tree

started life in around 3050 bce,
making it more than 5,065
years old. The tree is a Great

c.800 ce
Basin bristlecone pine in the Vikings raid
Europe
White Mountains of California. northwest




OLDEST SEED
The oldest
bristlecone
pine has lived
through all of
recorded human
history.


432 bce Parthenon is
completed in Greece

When the world’s oldest tree
While excavating King Herod’s Palace sprouted from its seed, people
at Masada, Israel, in the 1960s, wrote with pictures and symbols,
archeologists found Judean date not letters and words; the wheel
palm seeds that were at least was unknown in most of the world;
2,000 years old. In 2005, one seed and the great civilization of ancient
successfully sprouted and was planted Egypt was only just beginning.
at Kibbutz Ketura. The tree has been
nicknamed “Methuselah,” after the
Biblical man said to be the oldest c.3050 bce
person ever to live. The tree’s
seed sprouts





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IT CAN’T BE TRUE! 131


FAST FACTS
1969 Astronauts
land on the Moon Bristlecone pine
Lifespan 5,000 years

Seagrass Present day
Lifespan 100,000 years

A huge seagrass colony in the
Mediterranean may be 100,000
years old, which would make it
1492 Columbus the oldest known life-form.
reaches the
Americas
1095 Crusades 6 ft 6 in (2 m)
begin


3 ft 4 in
(1 m)




Monday Tuesday
Bamboo can grow more than
3 ft 4 in (1 m) per day—faster
117 ce Height of than any other plant.
220 bce Building Roman Empire
of Great Wall of
China begins










original size
1325 bce after 100 years
Egyptian pharaoh after 200 years
Tutankhamun
is buried Lichens are half-plant, half-fungi
Pyramids at Giza,
c.2500 bce life-forms that grow as patches
Egypt, are built
c.3050 bce on rocks or trees. Some live for
millennia, but they may grow less
The tree’s than 0.004 in (0.1 mm) per year.
seed sprouts



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132
How old are the



oldest animals?





Ocean quahog clams are known to live
for more than 500 years. Scientists think
some sponges may live even longer.



ANCIENT SPONGES Ocean
quahogs can
It is difficult to identify live nearly
the age of a sponge, 6 times longer
but Caribbean giant than Asian
barrel sponges (left) elephants.
have very long lives;
one is believed to be
2,300 years old. Some
Antarctic glass sponges Human
may live for more than 122 years
10,000 years.
Rougheye
rockfish
140–200 years
Most humans don’t
live 122 years, but
there is a verified case
Asian elephant of a woman who did.
86 years
Olm Tuatara
(a cave 111 years
salamander)
100 years
















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Ocean quahog
FAST FACTS clam
507 years
The fingernail-sized
jellyfish Turriptosis
nutricula is known as
Body is the “immortal jellyfish”
broken down
because it can regrow
Medusa its body. The adult, or
(adult) Cyst
(resting medusa, starts its life
stage) cycle all over again as
Polyp
(young) a young polyp. Unless
it is eaten or dies of The number
illness, it can keep of growth rings
doing this. on the shell
shows how
old the clam is.
Aldabra giant tortoise
Aldabra giant tortoise
255 years
255 years
The oldest known
Aldabra giant tortoise’s
age was worked out by
carbon dating the shell.
Bowhead whale
211 years

































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134
What is The fastest sprinters,
running the 100 m in less
than 10 seconds, reach their
top speed usually during
the 60–80 m stretch. If they
the fastest could sustain this top speed
throughout the race, they
would run it in 8.4 seconds.
27 mph
runner? (43 kph)




The cheetah is the

fastest land animal,
but only over short
distances. Horses are

slower, but can run
much farther before

they get tired.



WALKING ON WATER









At its
top speed, a
cheetah would
finish a 100 m
Basilisk lizards can escape from predators sprint in around
by running across the surface of ponds 3 seconds.
and rivers. Running at a speed of around
4 mph (6 kph), they can cover a distance
of 65 ft (20 m) before they start to sink.






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FAST FACTS
A thoroughbred racehorse can
gallop at up to 43 mph (70 kph)
in races of 2 furlongs (0.25 miles/
0.4 km). Running at this speed,
the horse could complete the
100 m sprint in 5.15 seconds.
27 mph The cheetah’s speed comes
from its flexible spine. The cat
(43 kph) hunches its spine at the start of
a stride, bringing its back feet in
front of the forefeet. As the back
feet hit the ground and push off,
its spine extends, giving the
cheetah an extra-long stride.

Snail 0.03 (0.05)
Mouse 8 (13)
Squirrel 13 (21)
Elephant 25 (40)
43 mph Human 27 (43)
Domestic cat 30 (48)
(70 kph) Greyhound 43 (70)
African lion 55 (89)
Pronghorn 62 (100)
Top speed in mph (kph)
The garden snail certainly takes
its time to move around. However,
the domestic cat is quite fast—it
could beat an Olympic sprinter
if it had to make a run for it.





70 mph
(115 kph)







A cheetah can sprint at incredible speeds
to catch its prey, but the chase will only
last for about 30–60 seconds, after which
the cat gets too tired.





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136
What animal



can jump the




farthest?




The snow leopard
GLIDING MAMMALS
of central Asia can
Some animals
do not jump, but leap the farthest in the
can glide for long
distances. For animal kingdom. It can
example, the sugar
glider of Australia, cover more than 50 ft
uses flaps of skin
between its limbs (15 m) in a single jump.
to help it glide from
tree to tree for
165 ft (50 m)
or more.

30 ft (9 m)





9 ft (3 m)
The jerboa’s long 29 ft 4½ in (8.95 m)
back legs help it to
jump more than 25
times its body length.















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IT CAN’T BE TRUE! 137


FAST FACTS
The common flea is the most impressive jumping On a human scale, if a
creature on the planet for its size. Fleas can be 5-ft 11-in (1.8-m) man
only 0.06 in (1.5 mm) long but can leap a distance could jump as far as a
of 13 in (33 cm)—220 times their body length. flea, he would be able
Fleas are parasites and spring onto mammals, to clear more than
sometimes including three soccer fields
humans, to feed laid end to end.
on their blood.











The snow
When it jumps, the red leopard could
kangaroo can reach a easily clear
speed of more than 40 mph
(64 kph) with single leaps seven large
of up to 30 ft (9 m). family cars in
The human one leap.
world record for
men’s long jump Snow leopards
was set by US live in mountain
athlete Mike habitats, where
Powell in 1991. 50 ft (15 m)
30 ft (9 m) they leap to catch
their prey of wild
sheep and goats.




29 ft 4½ in (8.95 m)



















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138
What is the




fastest flyer?




In level flight, a white-throated needletail
is the fastest bird in the air. It has a top

speed of 105 mph (170 kph).







The white-throated
needletail is a species of
swift. These birds spend
most of their time high in the
sky hunting for insects, and they
rarely land. Needletails travel long
distances, breeding in Siberia,
China, and Japan, then
migrating south to countries
such as Australia.







DIVING SPEEDS

The peregrine falcon has the
fastest dive of any bird. It flies up
high, looking for prey. When it
spots a duck or a pigeon, it folds
its wings and drops into a steep
dive at speeds some estimate at
more than 185 mph (300 kph).
At the last minute, it stretches
out its talons to snatch its victim.







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FAST FACTS

Although they walk with a slow waddle, ducks and Birds are the fastest fliers, but among
shorebirds are the fastest flying birds, other than other animals, free-tailed bats are the
swifts, that have been measured accurately. The quickest. Dragonflies are among the
great snipe has the fastest recorded migration. speediest insects.

Common swift Mexican free-tailed bat
69 mph (111 kph) 40 mph (64 kph)
Great snipe (a shorebird) Flying fish
60 mph (97 kph) 37 mph (60 kph)
Eider duck Dragonfly
47 mph (76 kph) 30 mph (50 kph)







Long, curved
wings slip easily
A white- through the air.
throated
needletail flies
fast enough to
keep up with a
high-speed
train.




This high-speed train
has a maximum speed
of 125 mph (200 kph),
but on a scheduled
passenger trip, it
averages about 106 mph
(171 kph), including stops.
















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140
What is



the fastest




swimmer?




The speediest swimmer, the

sailfish, could travel the
length of an Olympic
swimming pool in

1.6 seconds—around
13 times faster than

the human record holder.




FAST FACTS

Sailfish Dall’s porpoise
68 mph (110 kph) 35 mph (56 kph)
Striped marlin California sea lion
50 mph (80 kph) 25 mph (40 kph)
Blue-fin tuna Octopus
44 mph (71 kph) 25 mph (40 kph)
Blue shark Gentoo penguin
43 mph (69 kph) 22 mph (36 kph)
Swordfish Leatherback turtle
40 mph (64 kph) 21.5 mph (35 kph)
The fastest swimmers are all fish. Some other sea animals swim fast.
At the top is the sailfish, which is an However, all are slower than the top five
amazing 18.5 mph (30 kph) quicker fastest fish, which have perfectly streamlined
than its nearest rival, the striped marlin. bodies with powerful muscles built for speed.





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LONG-DISTANCE SWIMMERS




5.3 mph
(8.6 kph)


An Olympic swimmer
can keep up his top
sprint speed for only
one length of the pool
(164 ft/50 m). Polar bears can swim very long distances.
Scientists tracked one bear over a 420-mile
(675-km) journey. It took nearly 10 days,
and the bear didn’t stop to eat or sleep.

67 mph

(108 kph)

The fastest personal
watercraft can zoom A sailfish
across the water at about speeds through
12.5 times the speed of the water at
Olympic swimmer. 68 mph (110 kph),
faster than a
personal
watercraft.
68 mph

(110 kph)





A sailfish is a
predator of the open
ocean. It uses its speed
and large dorsal fin to herd
a shoal of fish into a ball. It then
slashes its prey with its long bill.








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142

The recently retired Boeing 747 was
one of just a few double-decker airliners,
another being the Airbus 380.







572 mph

Although no longer flown by US airlines, the (920 kph)
Boeing 747 is typical of today’s large jet airliners,
which fly passengers at an average speed of 545
mph (877 kph) to a top speed of 572 mph (920 kph).

The Concorde was the fastest-
ever passenger jet. It was
capable of flying from New York
to London in less than 3 hours.







1,354 mph

(2,179 kph)
How fast is the



fastest aircraft?





The X-15 was the fastest manned
airplane ever to fly. Its record speed of
4,520 mph (7,274 kph) was set in 1967

and has never been beaten.







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FAST FACTS

Flyer 4,520 mph (7,274 kph)
X-15—fastest manned aircraft
30 mph
(48 kph) 2,600 mph (4,184 kph)
Mallard duck SpaceShipTwo—fastest passenger spaceplane
65 mph (105 kph) 2,193 mph (3,529 kph)
SR–71 Blackbird—fastest jet aircraft
The first aircraft to fly, the 700 mph (1,126 kph) The fastest aircraft
Wright brothers’ Flyer, reached Cessna Citation X—fastest passenger jet fly to the edge of
a top speed of 30 mph (48 kph). space. Tourists may
This is less than half the speed 249 mph (400 kph) soon travel there
of a mallard duck, which flies Westland Lynx—fastest helicopter in supersonic
at 65 mph (105 kph). space planes.




HTV-2








Bullet speeds vary,
The X-15 but a bullet from an
flew at nearly M16 rifle is quicker
eight times than the fastest
the speed of a fighter jets.
Boeing 747. In 2011, an experimental plane,
the unmanned HTV-2, reached a
2,125 mph speed of 13,000 mph (21,000 kph)—
fast enough to travel from London
(3,420 kph) to Sydney, Australia, in under an hour.








4,520 mph
The X-15 couldn’t take off like an ordinary plane. The
experimental aircraft was carried by a bomber to its cruising (7,274 kph)
altitude. Only then did the X-15 fire up its rocket engines.




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144


The LZ-130 Graf Zeppelin II could carry up What was the
to 72 passengers, plus a 40-man crew. With a
top speed of 81 mph (131 kph), it had a range The biggest
of 10,250 miles (16,500 km). The airship was Zeppelins were
filled with lighter-than-air gas and built to 3 times longer
carry passengers across the Atlantic. and 6 times biggest aircraft?
wider than a
Jumbo Jet.



























AIRBUS BELUGA









The Airbus Beluga is designed The control gondola
to carry large or awkwardly contained separate
shaped cargo. This includes control and observation
the parts for Airbus airliners, rooms, plus a central
which are made in four navigation area.
different countries and Huge windows, which
then airlifted for assembly. could be opened during
flights, ran the length of
the passenger decks.




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IT CAN’T BE TRUE! 145
What was the



biggest aircraft?





At 804 ft (245 m) long,

the Zeppelin airships
Graf Zeppelin II and
Hindenburg, built in

Germany in the 1930s,
were the largest aircraft

The Boeing 747-400D, ever to take to the skies.
launched in 1991, can
carry up to 600 passengers,
compared to the 72-person
capacity of Graf Zeppelin II.
FAST FACTS

Airbus A380
238.6 ft 8 in (72.72 m)
Each of the four
engine cars were
manned by a
mechanic at all
times during flights. Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental
250 ft 3 in (76.25 m)



Antonov An-225
275 ft 8 in (84 m)



The Antonov An-225 is the world’s longest
airplane—longer than the Airbus 380 and the
Boeing 747. Designed to carry Buran, the
Russian Space Shuttle, on its back, it now
finds work transporting outsized cargo items.






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146
How fast is



the fastest




watercraft?




A record of 318 mph

(511 kph) was set by a
speedboat, the Spirit of Australia
The Spirit
of Australia, in 1978. is five times
faster than
It has yet to be broken. Hydroptère.



FAST FACTS
Sometimes you can go almost as fast
Under each side float of
on a board as you can on a boat. The Hydroptère is a foil, or wing.
kitesurfing record of 64 mph (103 kph) Once the boat is at a certain
is close behind the fastest sailing speed, the foils lift it so that it
craft, Sailrocket 2, and is faster than almost flies above the water.
Hydroptére’s 59 mph (95 kph). The
fastest windsurfer is almost as fast.
The personal watercraft,
or water scooter, is one
of the fastest vehicles on
water. Its small size, fast
Windsurfer speed, and ease of use
61.3 mph (99 kph) make it ideal for
use by police,
lifeguards, and
fun seekers.
Kitesurfer
64 mph (103 kph)


Vestas Sailrocket 2
67 mph (108 kph)
75 mph (120 kph)





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Hydroptère was one
of the fastest sailing
vessels ever made.
The boat was built for
speed and its crew
aimed to break
sailing world
speed records.






























59 mph (95 kph)





The Spirit
of Australia
was a jet-
powered
speed boat
driven by
Australian



Ken Warby. 318 mph (511 kph)




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148



FAST FACTS
Harmony of the Seas The longest supertanker ever was the Knock
1,187 ft (362 m)
Knock Nevis Nevis, which was broken up in 2010. No longer in
1,504 ft (458 m) use, the USS Enterprise was the longest naval ship
USS Enterprise (aircraft carrier) in the world, but was still shorter than the largest
1,123 ft (342 m)
Statue Azzam cruise ship, the Harmony of the Seas. The Harmony
of Liberty 590 ft (180 m) is nearly as tall as the Statue of Liberty, and twice
305 ft the length of the Azzam, the largest private yacht.
(93 m)







How big is a




supertanker?







The
TI Oceania is
the same length
as 29 yellow
school buses
placed end
to end.










The Oceania and its three sister ships are among the
largest ever oil tankers to have double hulls—the
bottom and sides of the ship have two watertight
walls to prevent oil spills in the event of an accident.




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