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Designed for speed
Pronghorn antelopes live on the open plains of the western United States. Their lungs and heart are large which enables them to run at a fast, steady speed for long distance. they can keep going at 56 kmph for 6 kilometres.
Air speed record
Swifts fly faster and spend more time in the air than anyother bird. They are easily recognized by their long cu rved wings. The fastest of all is the spine-tailed swift, which lives Asia and can fly at 170 km/hr. Like other swifts it spends at least 9 months of the year on the wing, feeding, resting and even mating in the air. It only lands in the breeding season, when it builds a nest of moss and hairs in the tree holes.
Fastest reptile
Turtles move very slowly on land, but in the water the Pacific leatherback turtle is the fastest reptile of all. It is more streamlined than other turtles and can swim at 35 km/hr.
Father in charge
The stickleback is one of the few fishes that builds a nest. The male, in his red breeding colors, makes a nest of weeds where the female lays her eggs. Then the male stays by the nest to guard the eggs until they hatch.
Lumberjacks at work
Beavers build their home, or lodge, with wood and mud in lakes and rivers. They cut down trees by gnawing thr truncks with their teeth. First the beavers cut the trees into pieces. Then they drag or roll them into the water and build a dam to make a deep pool. They build their lodge in the pool, using sticks and mud. It has entrance underwater, and twigs and bark are stored nearby for food.
Flying for its Life
When the four-winged flying fish is being chased, it shoots out of the water and glides over the top of the waves. It can stay airborne for 1,000 metres, beating the water with its tail whenever it drops down low.
Pouncing Puma
Pumas are very agile. They bound from rock to rock, pounce on their prey and spring up into trees. They can cover 18 metres in a single leap. Most Pumas now live in the western part of America.
Amazing Survival
This water-holding frog lives in the desert. When it rains, the frog absorbs water through its skin. Then it burrows into the sand, where it can stay for over two years until the next rainfall.
A Hot Spot
Most birds sit on their eggs to incubate them, but not this common scrub hen. Instead, it uses the heat from volcanoes to keep its eggs warm. It buries its eggs in the side of a volcano on the pacific island where it lives.
Eggs in the sand
Green turtles lives in the sea but they travel up to 3,000 kilometres to their island breeding grounds. The females crawl up the beach n lay their eggs in a pit in the sand. |
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