It Can't Be True! Animals! - Unbelievable Facts About Amazing Animals (DK)

GROWING AND BREEDING 151

What animal has a FAST FACTS An Australian A three-toed skink can produce Sandtiger shark pups fight






supersize brood? than 29,000 both eggs and live young in the each other for survival in the
ghost moth
can lay more
womb, using their embryonic
same brood. This is unusual,
teeth to kill and eat their
as most lizards do either one
siblings. Only one – the
eggs in one
or the other.
clutch, dropping
from each litter.
them while in strongest – is born
flight in a scatter-
bomb effect.



Ocean sunfish lay
The ocean millions of eggs, but the
sunfish lays eggs’ tiny size and the
fact that they are
the largest scattered in the sea
number of mean their chances of
Blue sharks have eggs of any survival are low.
some of the largest vertebrate.
litters of any animal,
but predators eat many
of the pups in infancy.





Hawksbill sea turtles
lay more eggs than
any other reptile, but
hatchlings risk their
lives to migrate
from nests in the
sand to the sea.


























Blue shark Hawksbill turtle Ocean sunfish
135 pups per litter 242 eggs per clutch 300 million eggs per spawning





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MASS SPAWNING


Every year, common frogs lay their eggs
in billowing masses of jelly called frogspawn.
Frogs often share breeding sites, producing tens
of thousands of eggs between them. Each black
dot in the jelly is an egg that may grow into a
tadpole. Only a tiny number hatch, as predators
such as fish and insects devour the spawn.
















































































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154

What’s the

SIZE MATTERS


oddest couple?






Males of many species are bigger

than females. In elephant seals

this size difference is massive.


However, in other animals it’s


At 8 cm (3 in) long, the the other way round.
female golden silk spider
can be six times the size
of the tiny male. Females
have evolved to be larger
so they can lay more
The enormous male,
eggs and make strong called the beachmaster, is
webs to catch insects the dominant partnerof
to nourish them. A female up to 50 small females.
elephant seal
is one-fifth
of the male’s
weight.














The tiny females lose
one-third of their body
weight while suckling
their seal pups. They
don’t eat for a month
while nursing.



Southern elephant seals are the largest
species of seal. Males measure up to 5 m
(16 ft) long and can weigh 3,000 kg (6,600 lb).
By contrast, their female partners may be only
3 m (9 ft 10 in) long and weigh just 600 kg
(1,323 lb). The Antarctic waters provide a rich
diet of fish and squid to maintain their blubber.





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GROWING AND BREEDING 155

What’s the FAST FACTS Male Female Life-size





oddest couple? Male viper parrot parrot octopus
male




Female viper Female
octopus


Wagler’s pit vipers show a Eclectus parrots are proof A female blanket octopus
clear difference between the that opposites attract: males weighs 40,000 times more
sexes: males are thin and are vibrant green with yellow than a male, and grows 1.8 m
bright green, while females beaks, while females are (6 ft) long, while the male
are thick, longer, and banded. bright red with black beaks. reaches just 2.5 cm (1 in).




Its trunk-like nose and
massive size have earned this
species the name elephant seal.













































The bulky body, powerful
flippers, and strong teeth
are used in aggressive
fights with other males
for female partners.





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156

Which parent gives



its life for its young?








Proud parents may say they would

do anything for their children, but Spiderlings

eat their
black lace-weaver spiders actually mother alive,

let their offspring eat them alive! sucking the
juices from
her body.



Female black lace-weaver
spiders have a short life
because the spiderlings
eat their mother
three days after
hatching.
African Italian Black lace-
caecilians scorpions weavers


Worm-like amphibian Scorpion mothers carry
caecilian mothers allow hundreds of soft-bodied
new babies to eat their scorplings on their backs,
fatty, nutrient-rich protecting the young with
skin, which regrows. the sting in their tail.






































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GROWING AND BREEDING 157

Which parent gives Across the animal FAMILY FAVOURITE

kingdom, parents adopt
unusual strategies to
its life for its young? give their young a head Female giant pandas often give
birth to twin cubs, born blind
start in life. From mothers
eaten by their children
and hairless. The mother may
to fathers giving birth,
some species go to great choose to raise only one cub. In
captive breeding, the abandoned
lengths to ensure their twin is cared for in an incubator.
families continue for
generations to come.




Jawfish fathers hold the Seahorse fathers hatch eggs laid by Hundreds of Surinam toad eggs
mother’s eggs in their mouth the mother in a pouch on the male’s are embedded in the skin of the
until hatching time, going stomach, using contractions to give mother’s back, later erupting as
without food for up to 10 days. birth to up to 2,000 live young. toadlets. The mother is unharmed.













Yellow-headed Spotted Surinam
jawfish seahorses toads
















































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Sandy






survivor









Herds of Arabian oryx, with their spectacular
horns up to 1.5 m (5 ft) long, were once a familiar sight
throughout the sandy deserts of the Arabian Peninsula.
Sadly, in the 19th and 20th centuries the horns of this
beautiful antelope made a tempting target for hunters.
In 1972, the last Arabian oryx disappeared from the
wild. Just a handful of animals remained in zoos or
were kept in privately owned herds.



Today, more than 1,200 Arabian

oryx thrive in the wild, and about

6,000–7,000 live in captivity.





With the prospect of the Arabian oryx vanishing
forever, an international conservation effort led by
the World Wide Fund for Nature, together with several
zoos, made plans for its rescue. Under this scheme,
called Operation Oryx, the conservationists bred the
antelope in captivity, building up new herds that were
gradually reintroduced into the wild.
The success story continues, as
Arabian oryx are now protected
by law and their numbers
are slowly rising.






C O N S E R VAT I O N
Desert life
The Arabian oryx can survive for
weeks without water. Its broad
hooves allow it to walk on shifting
sands without sinking in. The smaller
BACK · FROM · THE · BRINK
animal seen nearby is a gazelle,
which shares the oryx’s desert home.





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160

Courtship






displays







In search of the perfect

partner, showstopping


male birds parade and

serenade females with


dazzling courtship

displays and songs.














Superb lyrebird
The male of this Australian songbird builds a mound
on which to stand and showcase his spectacular fan
of tail feathers, all the while singing loudly to catch
the attention of a female.







Magnificent frigatebird
The male of this tropical
American seabird inflates
a red pouch on his throat
and emits a shrill trill to
attract a female. The pair
then perform an acrobatic
aerial display together
before mating.
















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GROWING AND BREEDING 161






Greater bird of paradise
The colourful males of this bird of
paradise from New Guinea compete
for females in special displays on
parade grounds known as leks. Up
to 15 males perch on a tree branch,
hopping up and down, lifting their
tail feathers, flapping their wings,
and calling out to attract attention.
The female chooses the one that
puts on the best show.


Temminck’s tragopan
The male of this Chinese
pheasant inflates a brilliant blue
and red bib under its beak and
two fleshy horns on its head,
while bobbing and flapping its
wings. This is a captivating
sight for the female, who has
only dull grey plumage.











































Satin bowerbird
The male satin bowerbird of Australia, with his glossy
blue plumage and violet eyes, spares no effort to attract a
mate. He builds a structure known as a bower out of twigs,
decorating it with blue objects such as feathers and plastic.
He then struts around it to impress the small, green female.





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GETTING A LIFT


Recently hatched baby gharials, a type of
Indian crocodile with a very long, thin snout,
scramble to hitch a ride on their father’s back.
A male gharial, easily recognizable by the hollow
knob that develops on the end of his nose, is
likely to mate with several females, each of
which may lay an average of 50 eggs.









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164




SELF-RENEWING SALAMANDER


Another champion at self-
renewal is the axolotl, a type
of salamander. Not only can
this aquatic animal regrow
its limbs and tail, it can also
renew damaged parts of vital
internal organs, such as the
brain, heart, and lungs.














Starfish Five-armed starfish are the
most common, but some have
10, 20, and even 40 arms.
These animals are also
known as sea stars.















A new
starfish, with
a body and all
its limbs, can
grow from one
severed arm.






When a starfish’s arm
becomes detached,
it may sprout a new
body and new arms.
These budding A starfish’s eyes are
arms will continue located at the tips of
to grow until they its arms. Many of its
reach the same size other organs are also
as the original arm. contained in the arms.





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GROWING AND BREEDING 165


























A starfish’s arm is most likely to be lost
in an attack by a predator, such as a large
fish. Some starfish purposely shed an arm
in an escape bid.


What animal can





grow a new body?







Grow-your-own body parts may be far in the

future for humans, but not for starfish, which


can replace lost arms. Incredibly, a cut-off arm

sometimes grows into a whole new starfish.






FAST FACTS


An arm severed from Severed arm New starfish
a starfish through
injury can sometimes
grow into a completely
new starfish. This can
happen only if vital New growth
pieces of the original
body are still attached
to the arm. 1 Through injury, 2 At the end of the 3 Over time, perhaps up to
this starfish has lost severed arm a new body a year, the arm will regrow
one of its five arms. with tiny arms develops. into a new starfish.






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166

What animal is





a living fossil?






The nautilus of today


shares many features with

its ancestors, prehistoric


nautiloids. It has changed

so little over time that it is


known as a living fossil. 400 million years ago...






















Prehistoric nautiloids,
such as Charactoceras,
had smooth, coiled shells,
much like today’s nautilus.
Dunkleosteus was a
fierce, bony-plated fish
that lived in the late
Devonian period, nearly
400 million years ago.
Stethacanthus was a shark-like
fish with a distinctive dorsal
fin. It died out more than
300 million years ago.


















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GROWING AND BREEDING 167




ENDURING CRAB
Today’s
nautilus has Horseshoe crab fossils have
barely changed been found from 445 million
in almost years ago, revealing that the
half a billion species has remained virtually
years. unchanged since then. This
crab’s tough shell has enabled
it to survive mass extinctions.





The chambered nautilus shows striking physical
similarities to fossil finds from 400 million years
ago – long before the dinosaurs and when almost
all complex animal life lived in the oceans. It is a
relative of squids and octopuses. Together, they
make up a group of molluscs called cephalopods.




Ninety thin tentacles ...and today!
are attached to the
25-cm (10-in) long
body of the nautilus.
The tentacles grab
prey such as crabs,
400 million years ago...
while the horny beak
bites through shells.





The nautilus lives
inside a shell, using
air chambers in the
shell to stay afloat and
jet propulsion to move
through the tropical
waters of the Indian
and Pacific oceans.




Triggerfish swim with
nautiluses today.




















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168

Growing and






breeding facts








ANIMALS GIGANTIC


WITH AMAZING GROWTH GRUB




Goliath beetles from Africa,
▼ Panda the world’s heaviest insects, weigh
Cubs at birth weigh about 100 g (4 oz), around 60 g (2 oz) as adults.
barely one-thousandth of their mother’s Their larvae, almost
weight of 100–115 kg (220–250 lb). too big to hold
in a hand, are
nearly twice as
Red kangaroo heavy, tipping
Baby kangroos, or ”joeys”, are very the scales at up
undeveloped when born and weigh to 100 g (4 oz).
just 1 g ( ⁄3 oz), but they may
1
reach 90 kg (200 lb) when adult.



▶ Blue whale
Calves are big babies, weighing LONG-
up to 2,700 kg (6,000 lb) at
birth, but the adults weigh up TERM
to 150,000 kg (330,000 lb).
LARV A

GOING HUNGRY Golden jewel beetles hold the


record for long development. Some
Not eating for hours makes anyone feel hungry but some have lasted an incredible 51 years
animals can miss meals for years. If food is scarce as larvae before emerging as adults.
or temperatures extreme, their body processes, such as
heart rate, slow down and they live in suspended animation. Adult




Larva



• Olm (a salamander): • African lungfish: • Royal python:
may survive 10 years may survive 5 years may survive 2 years





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GROWING AND BREEDING 169

LONGEST EGG
AITING than humans. This means their babies are well INCUBATION
Many animals have much longer pregnancies

developed, which gives them the best possible
chance of survival in the wild.




• Emperor penguin: 65–75 days
• Alpine salamander:
For all this time the female leaves the male
Unlike most amphibians,
feed at sea. The male eats nothing.
they have live young,
W Pregnancy 2–3 years with their one egg while she goes off to
instead of eggs that might
not hatch in the cold.
MUMS IN
• Wandering albatross:
• Elephant: Pregnancy 77 days Both parents share
22 months The babies rely egg-minding, each taking turns
on their mums a lot but they on the nest for two–three weeks.
can walk soon after birth.
• Northern brown kiwi:
• Giraffe: Pregnancy up to 92 days The male sits
15 months A one-day-old on one or two eggs, which are
calf can run from danger.
huge in proportion to a kiwi’s size.
• Human: Pregnancy
9 months A newborn baby • Octopus: 4.5 years
is helpless and needs a This is the longest known time
mother’s care for years. for an animal to brood eggs.


NOT FUSSY EA TERS



Some animals, known as omnivores, eat a mixed diet that includes both
meat and plant foods. Four are shown here, with their favourite menus.





















• Black bears will eat • Snapping turtles • Raccoons tuck in • Chimpanzees like fruit
grasses, roots, berries, munch worms, snails, to insects, worms, and leaves best, but they
insects, fish, small insects, crustaceans, small animals such as also eat seeds, nuts, and
mammals, and even waterweeds, fruit, mice, fruit, nuts, fish, flowers, plus insects and
human leftovers. frogs, and snakes. frogs, and bird’s eggs. other small animals.





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170



GLOSSARY





The words listed here, which can Clutch Habitat
be found throughout this book, All the eggs produced The natural home

are all used to describe animals at one time by an of an animal.
animal, including birds,
and the world they live in. reptile, and fish. Herbivore

An animal that
Colony eats only plants.
A group of animals that
Abdomen Arthropod live closely together, Invertebrate
In back-boned animals, An animal with a hard such as ants. An animal without
the part of the body that outer skeleton and a backbone, such
contains the digestive jointed legs. This group Conservation as an insect.
and reproductive includes insects, spiders, Protection of wildlife
organs; in arthropods, and crustaceans. and habitats to prevent Iridescent
it is the rear part after damage or loss. Having shimmering
the head and thorax. Blubber colours that appear

Adaptation The layer of fat beneath Crustacean to change when seen
from different angles.
An animal with a
The way in which an the skin of large sea hard outer skeleton,
animal changes its body mammals, including a segmented body, Krill
seals and walruses.
or behaviour to fit in and jointed legs, such Tiny, shrimp-like
with its environment. as a crab or lobster. animals, found in great
Caecilian numbers in the world’s

Amphibian A worm-like, legless Echolocation oceans, that provide food
A back-boned animal amphibian that lives A way of locating for much larger animals,
that can live both on mostly underground. objects in air or water including some whales.
land andin water, such by bouncing sound
as a frog, toad, or newt. Camouflage waves off them. Larva
Patterns and colours The early life stage of
Antennae that protect an animal Evolution an animal between an
The pair of sense by making it hard for The process of change egg and the final adult
organs, or feelers, on enemies to see it. over many generations. form. Larvae (plural)
the heads of insects, include caterpillars
such as flies, and Carnivore Exoskeleton and tadpoles.
crustaceans, such An animal that The hard external
as lobsters and crabs. skeleton of animals Litter
eats only meat.
such as insects, spiders, The group of young
Aquatic and crustaceans. animals that are all
Living almost Carrion born at the same time
entirely in water. The rotting flesh Extinct to the same mother.
of dead animals. No individuals alive.
Arachnid Mammal
One of a group of Cephalopod Fossil An animal, usually with
animals, including One of a group of The preserved remains fur, that creates its own
spiders and scorpions, soft-bodied marine or impressions of a body heat and feeds its
that have a hard outer animals that include prehistoric animal young with milk.
skeleton and eight legs. octopuses and squids. or plant.





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GLOSSARY 171




Marsupial Parasite Primates Spawn
A mammal that An animal that lives A group of mammals The fertilized eggs of
typically carries on or inside another that includes apes, animals such as fish
its young in a belly animal, causing harm monkeys, and humans. and frogs, usually
pouch until they can to the host. laid in masses.
look after themselves. Reptile
Pigment A back-boned animal, Species
Metamorphosis A substance that gives such as a snake, lizard, A group of organisms
The process of changing something its colour. or crocodile, whose body that can breed with
from a juvenile form to warmth depends on each other and
an adult, such as the Plankton the temperature of produce offspring
transformation from Small animals and plants its surroundings. like themselves.
caterpillar to butterfly. that drift in large bodies
of water and are a major Savannah Tentacles
Migration food source for many A large, flat area of Flexible body
Seasonal movement aquatic creatures. grassland with few trees extensions, such as
of animals to and that mostly occurs in those on octopuses
from breeding or Plumage tropical countries. and jellyfish, used for
feeding grounds. A bird’s feathers. grasping and sensing.
Scavenger
Mimicry Predator An animal that feeds Venom
A way of fooling An animal that hunts on the rotting remains A poisonous substance
predators or prey, other animals for food. of dead animals and that is injected through
when an animal has other matter. bites and stings.
evolved to look or Prey
behave like another Semiaquatic Vertebrate
animal that is dangerous An animal that is Living partly in water An animal with
or not good to eat. Some hunted and eaten and partly on land. a backbone.
creatures mimic objects by another.
such as leaves or stones.

Mollusc
An invertebrate animal
with a soft body and
sometimes a protective
shell. Slugs, snails,
clams, and octopuses
are all types of mollusc.


Nectar
Sugary fluid produced by
flowers to attract pollen-
spreading animals.

Nocturnal
Active at night.

Omnivore
An animal that eats
both meat and plants.







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172



INDEX blue-ringed octopuses chimpanzees 32–33,

89
121, 169
Chinese hourglass
blue sharks 151
blue whales 48–49, 147, spiders 124–125
168 cicadas 139
A bald eagles 108–109, boars, wild 136 city habitats 136–137
abdomen 13, 124–125 138 bombardier beetles 12 clams 22, 129
African caecilians 156 bald uakari 78 bones 41, 65, 83, 88 claws 23, 40, 42, 86, 88,
African lungfish 168 banana slugs 110, 111 bonobos 20, 21 135
African wild dogs 102 Barbados threadsnakes bootlace worms 52–53 climate change 129
albatrosses 169 61 bottlenose dolphins 22 climbing animals 63, 66,
algae 129 bar-headed geese 93 bowerbirds 161 126
alligators 42, 112, 121 barrel jellyfish 54–55 bowhead whales 89 coconut crabs 66–67
Alpine choughs 118 basilisk lizards 6–7, 45, boxer crabs 69 cocoons 138
Alpine salamanders 169 139 brains 23, 30, 41, 76, 164 colonies 12, 116–117,
Alpine swifts 30, 44 bats 43, 87, 112, 147 Brazilian free-tailed bats 120
altitudes 92–93, Lander’s horseshoe bat 112 colours 26, 45, 50, 58–59
118–119 40–41 Brazilian pygmy geckos caterpillars 13, 26–27
American alligators 42, beaks 18, 22–23, 38–39, 45 cone snails 89
112, 121 80–81, 155 breath-holding 112 conservation plans 32,
American lobsters 67 bears 45, 62–63, 135, breeding 150–151, 153, 76, 104–105, 126, 158
anemones 69 169 169 corals 122–123, 128–129
anglerfish 130 giant pandas 63, broad-tailed cougars 44
Antarctic krill 24 126–127, 147, 157, hummingbirds courtship 160–161
anteaters 86–87, 88 168 148–149 cows 20, 82–83
antelopes 112, 158–159 bee hummingbirds 48, Burmese pythons 146 coyotes 137
antlers 83, 88 149 burrows 99, 124–125 crab-eating macaques
ants 12–13, 116–117, bees 15, 16–17, 63, butterflies 16–17, 27, 59 136
106–107, 120 106–107 crabs 66–67, 68–69, 167
Arabian oryx 158–159 beetles 12, 45, 90–91, C hermit crabs 51,
archerfish 10–11 99, 168 caecilians 156 114–115
Arctic terns 113 big cats see cats, wild caimans 16–17, 28–29, cranes 93
armadillos 74, 88 bills see beaks 73 crocodiles 42, 72–73,
arms 164–165 binturong 15 Californian sea lions 101 162–163
Asian elephants 48–49, birds 112, 139, 160–161 calls 36–37, 42–43 crows 22–23, 118
75, 169 flight 30, 44, 92–93 camouflage 45, 58, 61, Cuban bee
Atlas moths 138 nests 120–121, 138 68–69, 122, 145 hummingbirds 149
Australian box jellyfish wings 41, 71, 81, 93, caribous 88, 113 Cuvier’s beaked whales
89 148 carnivores 75 112
Australian ghost moths wingspans 76, 92, 138 cassowaries 88 Cuvier’s dwarf caimans
151 birds of paradise 161 caterpillars 13, 26–27 73
Australian pelican black bears 63, 169 catfish 113
80–81 black cutworm moths cats D
axolotls 164 113 pets 78–79, 139, 143 Darwin’s bark spiders
black lace-weaver wild (big) 10, 28–29, 139
B spiders 156 101, 102–103 death’s-head hawk
babies 150–151, black mamba 112 cecropia moths 27 moths 26
156–157, 162–163, 169 blacktip reef sharks 8–9 centipedes 89 decibels 42–43
tadpoles 144–145, blanket octopuses 155 chambered nautiluses decorator crabs 68, 69
153 blood 8–9, 44 167 deer 83, 88
see also eggs blue dragons 58 chameleons 73, 87 defences 12–13, 44
badgers 139 blue morpho butterflies cheetahs 103 claws 23, 40, 42, 86,
bald animals 78–79 27, 59 chihuahuas 142–143 88, 135





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INDEX 173




mimicking 10, 50–51, feet 7, 134–135 giraffe weevils 88 hippopotamuses 48, 94
70–71 webbed 39, 73, glass frog 65 honeybees 15
skunks 14–15 101 gliding animals 45, 93 horned vipers 83
desert habitats 98, 158 fennec foxes 98 goblin sharks 131 horns 82–83, 158
disguises 50–51, 68–69, fighting 83, 94–95, 151 golden eagles 103 horses 107, 143
71, 122–123 fingerprints 20–21 golden jewel beetles horseshoe crabs 167
displays 10, 83 fins 34–35, 48 168 house mice 24
mating 141, 160–161 fish 34–35, 100–101, golden poison frogs 89 howls 36–37
dogs 20, 23, 79, 102, 139 139, 151 golden silk spiders 154 humans 20–21, 42, 75,
body size 142–143 deep-sea 130–131 golden tortoise beetles 98, 100, 113, 147, 169
dolphins 22, 44, 112 hunting 10–11 45 hummingbirds 48, 81,
dragonflies 84–85, 103 fishing animals 80, Goliath beetles 168 148–149
duck-billed platypuses 96–97 Goliath frogs 64 hunters 9, 10–11,
38–39 flight 30, 44, 92–93 Goliath hagfish 56 102–103, 113
Dumbo octopuses 131 mammals 40–41 grasshopper mice 37 hyacinth gliders 84–85
dung beetles 90–91 flounders 50–51 grasshoppers 13 hyacinth macaws 59
dwarf chameleons 73 flukes 48 Great Barrier Reef,
dwarf lanternsharks 53 flying fish 45 Australia 128–129 I
dwarf seahorses 111 flying mammals 40–41 Great Danes 142 icefish 99
footprints 134–135 greater birds of paradise impalas 44
E fossils 166–167 161 inland taipan 61
eagles 103, 108–109, foxes 15, 98, 108–109, greater bulldog bats 43 insects 17, 24, 45, 88,
138 137, 139 great white sharks 9, 74 113, 118
echolocation 40 frigatebirds 44, 160 green anacondas 61 as prey 10–11, 22–23,
eclectus parrots 155 froglets 144, 145 Greenland sharks 111 146, 169
ecotourism 76 frogs 45, 59, 89, 98 green turtles 128 entomologists 117
eels 113, 131 frogspawn 152–153 grey herons 95 nests 120, 121
eggs 117, 150–151, 154, stomachs 64–65 grey partridges 150 Italian scorpions 156
157, 169 tadpoles 144–145 grey wolves 36–37
frogspawn 144, fur 14, 38 growth 142–143, J
152–153 144–145, 164–165, jacanas 135
mammals 39 G 168 jaguars 28–29
electrical impulses 9, Gaboon vipers 60 guinea pigs 79 Japanese giant spider
38–39 Galapagos tortoises Gulf corvinas 43 crabs 67
electric catfish 113 110–111 gulls 137 jawfish 157
electric eels 113 garter snakes 24, 25 jaws 73, 74–75, 86, 106
electric shocks 113 gastric eversion 64–65 H jellyfish 52–53, 54–55,
elephants 45, 75, 134, geckos 45, 75 hagfish 56–57 89
169 geese 93 hairless animals 78–79 jumping animals 11, 44,
elephant seals 112, 113, gender differences hammerhead sharks 9 118
154–155 154–155 handfish 34–35
emperor penguins 99, gentoo penguins 100 harbour porpoises 103 K
112, 169 geometrid moths 70–71 hares 44 kangaroo rats 44
endangered species 32, gharials 162–163 hawksbill sea turtles kangaroos 44, 94, 113,
126 giant anteaters 86–87, 151 137, 168
entomologists 117 88 herbivores 75 keratin 83
exoskeletons 67 giant armadillos 74, 88 hermit crabs 51, kestrels 104–105
exploding ants 12–13 giant clams 129 114–115 killer whales (orcas)
giant oceanic manta rays see also crabs 100–101
F 76–77 herons 95 kiwis 81, 169
falcons 112, 136 giant pandas 63, herring gulls 137 koalas 20, 21, 31
feeding 146–147, 126–127, 147, 157, 168 Himalayan jumping kodiak bears 62
148–149, 168, 169 giraffes 88, 95, 169 spiders 118 komodo dragons 94, 103





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koppie foam mimicking 10, 50–51, oryx 158–159 Q
grasshoppers 13 70–71 ostriches 31, 88 queens (ants) 117
krill 24 mimic octopuses 50–51 otters 22, 136 queleas 24, 25
minerals 17
L miniature horses 143 P R
Lander’s horseshoe bats mites 84–85 Pacific tree frogs 45 rabbits 10, 103, 108
40–41 mole rats 79 pandas 63, 126–127, raccoons 137, 169
larvae 168 moles 46–47 147, 157, 168 raft spiders 96–97
Lavenberg’s gulper eels monkeys 21, 78, 136 paradoxical frogs rats 79
131 moose 83 144–145 rays 76–77, 113,
leafcutter ants 116–117 moths 26–27, 45, 113, parasites 84–85 140–141
leaf-tailed geckos 75 127, 151 parrotfish 56 red and white giant
leatherback turtles 54, geometrid moths parrots 155 flying squirrels 45
100 70–71 partridges 150 red-billed queleas 24, 25
legs 66, 89, 125 mountain habitats pelicans 80–81 red flat bark beetles 99
length (bodies) 48, 118–119 penguins 99, 100, 112, red kangaroos 44, 94,
52–53 mudskippers 34 169 113, 137, 168
lionfish 51, 89 mushroom anemones peppermint stick insects reefs 128–129
lions 102 69 15 regurgitation 64–65
lion’s mane jellyfish 52 peregrine falcons 112, reticulated pythons
little brown bats 147 N 136 60–61
lizards 44, 113, 119, 139 naked mole rats 79 Peruvian Inca Orchids roosts 41
basilisk lizards 6–7, narwhals 75 79 royal pythons 168
45, 139 nautiluses 166–167 pets 139 rufous hummingbirds
lobsters 67 necks 88, 95 pileated woodpeckers 149
locusts 24 nectar 148–149 18–19 Rüppell’s vultures
long-eared jerboas 113 nests 120–121, 138 pincers 66, 67 92–93
long-tailed grass lizards New Caledonian crows poison dart frogs 59
113 22–23 polar bears 62, 135 S
lungfish 168 newts 44 pollination 148 saddleback caterpillars
lyrebirds 160 night (nocturnal) Pompeii worms 98 26
animals 40, 99, 137, Poncho Via 82–83 sailfish 101
M 147 porcupines 89 salamanders 164, 168,
macaques 136 North Island brown porpoises 103 169
macaws 59 kiwis 81, 169 Portuguese man-of-war salmon sharks 9
magnificent frigatebirds noses 20, 47, 86, 155 52 saltwater crocodiles
160 notochords 56 postman caterpillars 13 72–73
malleefowls 138 potter wasps 121 sandtiger sharks 151
mammals 38–39, 40–41, O prairie hares 44 satin bowerbirds 161
78–79 ocean habitats 128–129, predators (hunters) 9, scavengers 93, 107,
mandarinfish 58 130–131 10–11, 102–103, 113 136–137
manta rays 76–77 ocean sunfish 151 pregnancy 121, 169 scents 8–9, 14–15, 45,
marbled electric rays octopuses 89, 101, 131, prehistoric animals 166 71
113 155, 169 primates 20–21, 32 scorpions 156
margays 10 mimic octopuses pronghorns 112 screaming pihas 42
mating 141, 160–161 50–51 puss moths 26 sea anemones 69
Mauritius kestrels olms 168 pygmy chameleons 87 sea fans 122–123
104–105 omnivores 169 pygmy devil rays seahorses 45, 111,
metamorphosis 145 opossums 137 140–141 122–123, 157
mice 24, 37 orangutan crabs 68 pygmy seahorses sea lions 101
migration 25, 92, 113, orangutans 150 22–123 seals 112, 113, 154–155
149, 151 orcas 100–101 pygmy shrews 146 sea otters 22
millipedes 89 Oreophryne frogs 144 pythons 60–61, 146, 168 sea slugs 58






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INDEX 175




sea snakes 51 Chinese hourglass throat pouches 80 blue whales 48–49
sea sponges 111 spiders 124–125 tigers 101 crocodiles 72–73
sea stars 111, 164–165 spikes 13, 27, 89 toad-headed lizards 119 whales 89, 112, 100–101
sea urchins 69, 89 spinner dolphins 44 toads 157 blue whales 48–49,
self-destruction 12–13 sponges 22, 68, 111 tongues 19, 49, 56, 63, 147, 168
sharks 8–9, 53, 74, 151 spotted seahorses 157 86–87 sperm whales 30–31,
deep sea 131 springtails 118 tortoises 110–111 43, 112
speed 101, 111 squids 130 toxins 12–13, 89 whale sharks 74
shells 114–115 squirrels 45 tragopans 161 wild boars 136
shire horses 107, 143 starfish 111, 164–165 trapdoor spiders 125 wild cats see cats, wild
shortfin mako sharks stargazers 113 triggerfish 167 wings 41, 71, 81, 93, 148
101 star-nosed moles 46–47 tube-lipped nectar bats spans 76, 92, 138
shrews 125, 146 stick insects 15 87 wolves 36–37
shrimps 24, 42 stingrays 9, 51 tufted deer 83 wood frogs 98
siphonophores 52 stoats 10 turtles 100, 128, 151, woodpeckers 18–19
Sivickis’ Irukandji stomach 64–65 169 worms 52–53, 56, 98
jellyfish 53 strength 91, 94–95, tusks 75, 94
skin 57, 65, 78 106–107 Y
skinks 151 sugar (nectar) 148–149 U yaks 118
skinny pigs 79 Sumatran orangutans underground habitats yellow-bellied gliders 45
skunks 14–15 150 79, 98, 139 yellow-headed jawfish
sleeping 30–31 sun bears 63 burrows 99, 124–125 157
slime 56–57 superb lyrebirds 160 colonies 12, 116–117, yellow-spotted monitor
sloths 88, 111, 112 Surinam toads 157 120 lizards 139
slugs 58, 111 swarms 24–25 urban habitats 136–137 young 150–151,
smell, sense of 8–9, swifts 30, 44, 112 urchin crabs 69 156–157, 162–163, 169
14–15, 45, 71 swimming animals 97, urine 15 tadpoles 144–145, 153
smooth-coated otters 100–101, 112 see also eggs
136 sword-billed V
snails 89, 110, 111, 139 hummingbirds 81 vampire squids 130
snakes 51, 60–61, 112, sycamore moths 27 velvet worms 56
155 venom 38, 53, 60, 61, 89
garter snakes 24, 25 T vipers 60, 83, 155
pythons 146, 168 tadpoles 144–145, 153 Virginia opossums 137
snapping shrimps 42 tails 38, 48, 57, 113, 144, voices 36–37, 42–43
snapping turtles 169 164 vomit 64–65
sociable weavers 138 talons 18 vultures 92–93
southern cassowaries tardigrades 99
88 tears 17 W
southern elephant seals teeth 56, 74–75 Wagler’s pit vipers 155
154–155 Temminck’s tragopans walking animals 7,
Spanish ribbed newts 161 34–35, 45, 135
44 tenrecs 150 walruses 31
spectacled bears 62 tentacles 50, 52, 56, 167 wandering albatrosses
speed 100–101, termites 87, 138 169
110–111, 112, 113 terns 113, 121 wasps 121
sperm whales 30–31, Texas horned lizards 44 water striders 45
43, 112 Texas longhorns 82–83 weaver ants 106–107,
sphynx cats 78–79 thorn bugs 13 120
spider decorator crabs threadfin butterfly fish webbed feet 39, 73, 101
68 129 webs 132–133, 139, 154
spiders 113, 118, three-toed skinks 151 weevils 88
132–133, 139, 154, 156 three-toed sloths 88 weight 61, 67, 91, 154






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176



ACKNOWLEDGMENTS





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