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Flying High
Bumble bees live high up in the mountains in Europe, where they feed on the pollen and nectar of the flowers that grow there. Some insects even fly over the snowy peaks of the Himalayas as they migrate.
A sweet tooth all round
Ants carry the caterpillars of the large blue butterfly into their nest. There, the ants feed on the sweet honeydew produced by the caterpillars, which in return feed on the tiny ant larvae.
Butterfly trees
Some monarch butterflies fly from Canada to Mexico, where they mass together on trees to hibernate for the winter.
Long-distance runner
The African ostrich makes up for not being able to fly by running faster than anyother bird. Its strong thighs and long legs enable it to run at 50 km/hr for as long as half an hour, and it can reach 70 km/hr for a short burst.
Owl alert
When danger threatens, it makes itself look as large and firece as possible, by fluffing out its feathers, spreading its wings and opening its eyes wide.
Mountain giant
The giant panda lives only in bamboo forest in a remote, mountainous corner of China. It spends most of the day on the ground, feeding on bamboo, but it can climb trees. In winter it shelters from the snow in caves and hollow trees.
A tasty dish
The crested porcupine, which lives in Africa and parts of Europe, has often been hunted for its tasty meat. Now it is becoming rare. When the Porcupine meets an enemy it turns its back towards its foe and rattles its long black and white spines.
A prickly mouthful
Pufferfish can fill themselves up with water so that they are too big to swallow. The porcupine fish has spines which stick out when it blows itself up. Its warning color shows up more clearly then, too.
On the edge of extinction
The Sumatran rhinoceros is smaller than other rhino and has two horns. Only about 150 remain, but even these are in serious danger from hunters.
Hungry swarm
Locusts fly in huge swarms to find food. They may travel 5,000 kilometres, eating thousands of tonnes of green plants on the way. Desert locusts in Africa destroys vast areas of crops every year. |
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