ILLUSTRATED

ENCYCLOPEDIA

ANIM

ALS

ISBN 978 1 7418 3764 8

9 781901 323511

Camouflage The meansby which an animalcan escape thenotice of predators orprey by using the colours orpatterns of its body to blendinto its surroundings.

Carnivore An animal thatfeeds on other animals.

Carrion The remains of dead animals.

Cold-blooded Animals that are cold-blooded are only ever the sametemperature as their surroundings. `They depend on heat from the sun inorder to have enough warmth andenergy to move about.

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Arboreal animals Animals that live in thebranches of trees.

Amphibians A class of cold-blooded,vertebrate animals that return to water tobreed. The young are aquatic and breatheusing gills. Most adults develop lungs.

Aquatic An animal that spends much of itslife in water.

Birds Warm-blooded, vertebrate animalswith four limbs, the front two of whichare adapted into wings. Birds have atoothless beak and a covering of feathers.

Browsers Animals that feed on leaves andtwigs from trees and bushes.

Fish Cold-blooded,vertebrate animals thatlive in water and breatheusing gills. There are two main groups: cartilaginous fish, such as sharksand rays; and bony fish.

Herbivore An animal that feeds only on plant material.

Hibernation The process whereby someanimals spend the winter in a state ofreduced activity. Breathing and other bodysystems slow down, conserving energy.Animals such as dormice and some frogs,snakes and tortoises hibernate.

Grazer An animals that feeds on grasses.

Invertebrates Animals without backbones. They include insects, arachnids, myriapods, worms, crustaceans, echinoderms, molluscs,sponges, cnidarians and comb jellies.

Mammals A class of vertebrate, warm-blooded animals that mostly give birth tolive young and feed them with milk. Most mammals have four limbs and acovering of fur, although sea mammals,such as seals, whales and dolphins, havelittle or no hair and some have lost theirback two limbs.

Migration The movement of a group ofanimals from one place to another at acertain time of the year, to breed or feed.

Nocturnal Active during the night andinactive during the day.

Omnivore An animal that eats both plantsand other animals.

Predator An animal that obtains its food by hunting and killingother animals.

Prey An animal that is killed andeaten by predators.

Reptiles A class of cold-bloodedvertebrate animals with scaly skin.Reptiles include snakes, lizards, turtlesand crocodiles. Most reptiles lay eggs butsome give birth to live young.

Scavengers Animals that feed on theremains of food killed or collected byother animals.

Species A group of animals that aresimilar in body structure. Animals of thesame species are able to breed togetherand produce young that can also breed.

Vertebrates Animals with backbones.Mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibiansand fish are all vertebrates. Vertebratesare also known by their scientificphylum, chordates.

Warm-blooded Warm-blooded animalsmaintain their internal temperatureindependently of their surroundings. They do this by “burning” fuel (food) for energy.

Mammary gland An organ found onfemale mammals. It producesnutritious milk for their young afterthey are born. As the young suckle (feedon milk) they grow larger and stronger,without wasting energy searching fortheir own food. Red comb jelly: comb jellies are a phylum of animal.

6 7

Living things are organized into groups ofincreasing size, which show how closelyrelated they are to one another. Here wesee how they apply to the lion:

SPECIES: The smallest grouping of animals.All lions have the same unique bodystructure and can breed together.

GENUS: A group of very similar species. Thegenus Panthera contains four species: thelion, the tiger, the jaguar and the leopard.

FAMILY: The genus Panthera belongs to thecat family. All cats have similar bodies andfeed only on meat. However, they vary insize, habitat and hunting behaviour.

ORDER: The cat family belongs to thecarnivore order. All carnivores have strongjaws and sharp teeth and most are hunters.

CLASS: The carnivore order belongs to themammal class. All mammals are warm-blooded and suckle their young on milk.

PHYLUM: Mammals belong to a largergroup called the chordates, which includesall vertebrate animals.

KINGDOM: The chordate phylum is one ofover 30 phyla in the animal kingdom, towhich all animals belong.

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Earthworm, asegmented worm

Dolphin (right), anaquatic mammal

Starfish anechinoderm

Willow warbler,a bird (left)

Japanese pygmyangelfish (above)

Millipede (right),a myriapod

Lobster, a crustacean

Frog, anamphibian

Ladybird (right),an insect

Octopus (below),a mollusc

Chameleon (below), a reptile

A SELECTION OF ANIMALCLASSES AND PHYLA

Jellyfish, acnidarian

Bird-eating spider,an arachnid

An animal is a living thing that cansense its surroundings and moveindependently around its

environment. It has a body made of manymicroscopic cells and gets its energy andnutrients by eating other living things,such as plants, fungus, bacteria or otheranimals. There are more animal species inthe world than any other type of livingthing. Around two million are known tous, though scientists estimate there are upto 30 million species yet to be discovered.

! Covers 12 major subject areas of zoology

! More than 250 keywords alphabetically listedand clearly explained

! Fact panels with extra information

! About 100 detailed illustrations

! Comprehensive index

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AANNIIMMAALLSSFirst published in 2012 by Orpheus Books Ltd.,

6 Church Green, Witney, Oxfordshire, OX28 4AW, Englandwww.orpheusbooks.com

Copyright ©2012 Orpheus Books Ltd.

Created and produced by Nicholas Harris, Sarah Hartley, Katie Sexton, Ruth Symons and Erica Williams, Orpheus Books Ltd.

Text Ruth Symons

Illustrated by Susanna Addario, Mike Atkinson, Graham Austin, Andrew Beckett,Martin Camm, Robin Carter, Stuart Carter, Jim Channell, Ferruccio Cucchiarini,

Peter Dennis, Fiammetta Dogi, Malcolm Ellis, Elisabetta Ferrero, Giuliano Fornari,Sauro Giampaio, Andrea Ricciardi di Gaudesi, Ray Grinaway, Philip Hood,

Ian Jackson, Mike Lowe, Simon Mendez, Steve Noon, Nicki Palin, Bryan Poole,Alessandro Rabatti, Eric Robson, Claudia Saraceni, Peter David Scott, Ivan Stalio,

Colin Woolf and David Wright

Consultant Chris Jarvis, Oxford University Museum of Natural History

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrievalsystem, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,

photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission ofthe copyright owner.

ISBN 978 1 7418 3764 8

Printed and bound in Singapore

Photograph on page 9: Copyright ©2010 WitRUsed under licence from Shutterstock.com

Photograph on page 14: Copyright ©2010 PakhnyushchaUsed under licence from Shutterstock.com

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AABBOOUUTT TTHHIISS BBOOOOKK

Each double page contains a brief introduction,explaining the general subject, followed by key

words arranged in alphabetical order. To look up aspecific word, turn to the index at the back of thisbook: this will tell you which page to go to. If you want tolearn more about a subject, take a look at the factfile, or followthe arrows to read related entries.

Virginia opossum The onlymarsupial found in North

America and the largest opossum,growing up to 1 m long. It is often foundnear towns, rummaging for food in bins.

Wallaby A small, stocky marsupial.Wallabies have thicker fur than theirrelatives the kangaroos, and live in a widervariety of habitats, including rocky terrain,grassland and forests.

Wombat An Australian marsupial with ashort tail and legs. Wombats are powerfuldiggers and live in underground burrows.Their pouches are backwards-facing tostop soil from getting inside them.

Platypus A monotreme that lives in rivers,lakes and creeks. It has webbed feet and aduck-like bill, used to probe for wormsand insect larvae in the mud. Males havespurs on their legs that can eject venom,which is strong enough to kill a dog.

Possum A nocturnal, omnivorousmarsupial. Most possums live in trees andhave several young at a time. The femalecarries her young in a pouch for severalmonths, before they crawl out andcling to her back for several more.

Quoll A carnivorousmarsupial, also known as a“native cat”. Quollshave pink nosesand white spotson their backs.Females only develop pouches duringthe mating season.

Shrew opossum A small, shrew-likeopossum from the Andes Mountains.It feeds at night, hunting worms andother invertebrates.

Tasmanian devil The largest carnivorousmarsupial, from the Australian island ofTasmania. It has a stocky body and darkfur with white markings on its chest.It is usually a scavenger but can also killsmall animals.

Honey possum A small, marsupial with along tail and a pointed snout, used toprobe into flowers for nectar and pollen. Itis one of the few nectar-feeding mammals.

Joey A young marsupial. When it is born,it is tiny, blind and hairless. Its limbs are notproperly formed but it crawls through itsmother’s fur to her nipples. After severalmonths, it leaves the pouch, but mayreturn there to sleep for up to a year.

Kangaroo A large marsupial that moves bybounding on its long hind legs. Femaleshave forward-facing pouches where theiryoung develop. Kangaroos live in groups,called “mobs”, on open, grassy plains.

Monotremes and marsupials aremammals that do not give birthto fully developed young.

The young of monotremes are borninside soft-shelled eggs. They hatch aftera few days and the young are suckleduntil they have fully developed.The young of marsupials are born at avery early stage, and then continue todevelop while clinging to their mother’sbody inside a pouch. Monotremes arefound only in Australia and thesurrounding islands. Most marsupialslive in Australia, except for theopossums, which are native to America.

Dasyurids An order of small, carnivorousmarsupials, that includes quolls, dunnarts,numbats and Tasmanian devils.

Diprotodonts An order of marsupials thatincludes kangaroos, wallabies, possums,koalas and wombats. They have largeincisors in their lower jaw and the secondand third toes of their hind feet are joinedtogether. They are mostly herbivorous.

Dunnart A small, mouse-like marsupialwith long back feet and a long tail.

Echidna A monotreme, also known as thespiny anteater. It has a long, thin snoutand powerful claws for digging. Its body iscovered in fur and sharp spines. Echidnasfeed on ants or worms, crushing thembetween their tongues and the roofs of

their mouths. They have a pouch thatholds their young.

Koala

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Bandicoot A small, rat-like marsupial witha long snout and long, strong claws fordigging. It carries its young in abackwards-facing pouch.

Cuscus A possum with monkey-likefeatures. It is an agile tree-dweller.Females have pouches, usedto carry their young, oneborn at a time.

Koala A marsupial that lives in trees,feeding on eucalyptus leaves and shoots.It has a large nose and ears. Koalas usetheir grasping hands to cling on to treetrunks and to their mothers’ backs. Koalas spend three-quarters of their daysleeping, stirring only as dusk falls.

Marsupial mole A marsupial that closelyresembles true moles ( 23) in appearanceand behaviour. Marsupial moles tunnelunderground, hunting for insects andworms. Females have backwards-facingpouches and only two nipples, meaningthey can only have two young at a time.

Numbat A marsupial also known as thebanded anteater. It has stripes on its back,dark markings around its eyes and a bushytail. It feeds almost entirely on termites.

Opossum An American marsupial, with along snout, large canine teeth and a long,hairless tail. Opossums are often calledpossums, but belong to a separate familyto the “true” Australian marsupials. Most species live in trees, are omnivorousand have pouches. When threatened, theymay pretend to be dead or “play possum”.

Platypus

A newborn kangaroo joey suckling

Tree kangaroo A tree-dwelling marsupial, that lives in rainforests. Unlike its relative, the kangaroo, it doesnot have elongated hind legs.

An echidna (below) and itssoft-shelled egg (right)

A Victoria opossum with young

Two female kangarooswith their joeys.

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A wombat

! For millions of years, Australia wasisolated from the rest of the world. Onother continents marsupials lost out incompetition for food with placentals(mammals whose young develop inside themother’s womb). With the exception of theopossums, they died out, but in Australia,they had no placental rivals, so they thrived.

! The smallest marsupial is the long-tailedplanigale, with a body length of 0.6 cm andtail length of around 5 cm.

! The largest marsupial is the redkangaroo. Largemales cangrow up to 2 m tall.

INTRODUCTIONThis explains thegeneral subjectand provides somebasic knowledge.

KEY WORDS AND ENTRIESKey words are arranged alphabeticallyacross each double page. Each entryprovides a short explanation of whatthe key word means.

PAGE NUMBERPage numbersare easy to findat the side ofthe page.

BOLD WORDSThese highlightuseful words thatdo not have theirown entry.

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BBIIRRDDSS 1144

BBIIRRDD FFAAMMIILLIIEESS 1166

PPEERRCCHHIINNGG BBIIRRDDSS 1188

MMAARRSSUUPPIIAALLSS &&MMOONNOOTTRREEMMEESS 2200

CCOONNTTEENNTTSS

ARROWS These arrows show you where to look up otherwords mentioned in the entry. For example, ( 26) tells you to go forward to page 26 and ( 6) tells you to turn back to page 6.

FACTFILEThe factfile provides extrainformation on the subject. Factsare presented in easy to readbullet points.

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PPRRIIMMAATTEESS 2244

UUNNGGUULLAATTEESS 2266

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IINNDDEEXX 3300

Camouflage The meansby which an animalcan escape thenotice of predators orprey by using the colours orpatterns of its body to blendinto its surroundings.

Carnivore An animal thatfeeds on other animals.

Carrion The remains of dead animals.

Cold-blooded Animals that are cold-blooded are only ever the sametemperature as their surroundings. `They depend on heat from the sun inorder to have enough warmth and energy to move about.

AANNIIMMAALLKKIINNGGDDOOMM

Arboreal animals Animals that live in thebranches of trees.

Amphibians A class of cold-blooded,vertebrate animals that return to water tobreed. The young are aquatic and breatheusing gills. Most adults develop lungs.

Aquatic An animal that spends much of itslife in water.

Birds Warm-blooded, vertebrate animalswith four limbs, the front two of whichare adapted into wings. Birds have atoothless beak and a covering of feathers.

Browsers Animals that feed on leaves andtwigs from trees and bushes.

Fish Cold-blooded,vertebrate animals thatlive in water and breatheusing gills. There are two main groups: cartilaginous fish, such as sharksand rays; and bony fish.

Herbivore An animal that feeds only on plant material.

Hibernation The process whereby someanimals spend the winter in a state ofreduced activity. Breathing and other bodysystems slow down, conserving energy.Animals such as dormice and some frogs,snakes and tortoises hibernate.

Grazer An animals that feeds on grasses.

Invertebrates Animals without backbones. They include insects, arachnids, myriapods, worms, crustaceans, echinoderms, molluscs,sponges, cnidarians and comb jellies.

Mammals A class of vertebrate, warm-blooded animals that mostly give birth tolive young and feed them with milk. Most mammals have four limbs and acovering of fur, although sea mammals,such as seals, whales and dolphins, havelittle or no hair and some have lost theirback two limbs.

Migration The movement of a group ofanimals from one place to another at acertain time of the year, to breed or feed.

Nocturnal Active during the night andinactive during the day.

Omnivore An animal that eats both plantsand other animals.

Predator An animal that obtains its food by hunting and killingother animals.

Prey An animal that is killed andeaten by predators.

Reptiles A class of cold-bloodedvertebrate animals with scaly skin.Reptiles include snakes, lizards, turtlesand crocodiles. Most reptiles lay eggs butsome give birth to live young.

Scavengers Animals that feed on theremains of food killed or collected byother animals.

Species A group of animals that aresimilar in body structure. Animals of thesame species are able to breed togetherand produce young that can also breed.

Vertebrates Animals with backbones.Mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibiansand fish are all vertebrates. Vertebratesare also known by their scientificphylum, chordates.

Warm-blooded Warm-blooded animalsmaintain their internal temperatureindependently of their surroundings. They do this by “burning” fuel (food) for energy.

Mammary gland An organ found onfemale mammals. It producesnutritious milk for their young afterthey are born. As the young suckle (feedon milk) they grow larger and stronger,without wasting energy searching fortheir own food. Red comb jelly: comb jellies are a phylum of animal.

7

Living things are organized into groups ofincreasing size, which show how closelyrelated they are to one another. Here wesee how they apply to the lion:

SPECIES: The smallest grouping of animals.All lions have the same unique bodystructure and can breed together.

GENUS: A group of very similar species. Thegenus Panthera contains four species: thelion, the tiger, the jaguar and the leopard.

FAMILY: The genus Panthera belongs to thecat family. All cats have similar bodies andfeed only on meat. However, they vary insize, habitat and hunting behaviour.

ORDER: The cat family belongs to thecarnivore order. All carnivores have strongjaws and sharp teeth and most are hunters.

CLASS: The carnivore order belongs to themammal class. All mammals are warm-blooded and suckle their young on milk.

PHYLUM: Mammals belong to a largergroup called the chordates, which includesall vertebrate animals.

KINGDOM: The chordate phylum is one ofover 30 phyla in the animal kingdom, towhich all animals belong.

AANNIIMMAALLCCLLAASSSSIIFFIICCAATTIIOONN

Earthworm, asegmented worm

Dolphin (right), anaquatic mammal

Starfish anechinoderm

Willow warbler,a bird (left)

Japanese pygmyangelfish (above)

Millipede (right),a myriapod

Lobster, a crustacean

Frog, anamphibian

Ladybird (right),an insect

Octopus (below),a mollusc

Chameleon (below), a reptile

A SELECTION OF ANIMALCLASSES AND PHYLA

Jellyfish, acnidarian

Bird-eating spider,an arachnid

An animal is a living thing that cansense its surroundings and moveindependently around its

environment. It has a body made of manymicroscopic cells and gets its energy andnutrients by eating other living things,such as plants, fungus, bacteria or otheranimals. There are more animal species inthe world than any other type of livingthing. Around two million are known tous, though scientists estimate there are upto 30 million species yet to be discovered.

6

Bluesalamander

Caecilian A long, snake-like amphibianwith no limbs. Caecilians have small,almost sightless, eyes and liveunderground in tropical regions.

Congo eel A North American salamanderwith a long thin body and four tiny,useless legs. It lives at the bottom ofstreams, feeding on frogs,fish and snakes.

Japanese giant salamanderThe world’s largest amphibian.

It can grow to lengths of up to 1.5 m. It lives in streams where water supportsthe great weight of its body. It sucks up fishand worms with its large, gaping mouth.

Larva The young of an animal before it goes through metamorphosis. Larvae lookvery di!erent to adults of the same species. For example, the larvae of manyamphibians have gills or tails, which are lost when they become adults.

Metamorphosis The process wherebysome animals change their bodies andbehaviour between the young (larval) andadult states of their life.

Midwife toad A dull-coloured toad fromEurope and North Africa. The male wrapsthe female’s eggs around his legs toprotect them until they are ready to hatch.

Amphibians are a class of cold-blooded, carnivorous animals thatincludes frogs, toads, salamanders

and caecilians. The word amphibian means“double life”. Most amphibians spend thefirst part of their lives underwater,breathing through gills. Their adult livesare spent on land, breathing throughlungs. They return to the water to lay eggs.Most adults can also breathe through theirskin. They have to stay moist to do this, sothey live in damp, cool conditions. Manyspecies can produce poisonous substancesfrom their skins. Bright markings warnpredators that they taste bad.

AAMMPPHHIIBBIIAANNSS FF AA CC TT FF II LL EEFlying frog A frog with large, webbed feetthat help it glide between trees. Somespecies can glide more than 15 m.

Frog A short, tail-less amphibian with longhind legs and smooth skin. Frogs live onland, in trees or in fresh water. They canmake huge leaps and swim quickly.

Gills The breathing organs of watercreatures. As water passes in through themouth and out over the gills, oxygen isfiltered out by blood vessels. Amphibianlarvae have flap-like, external gills.

An adult male great crested newt

Fire-bellied toad

Darwin’s frog A small South Americanfrog with a pointed snout. It stores itseggs in a sac of skin in its throat until theymature and jump out as miniature adults .

Fire-bellied toad An Asian toad with abrightly coloured belly. If threatened, ittwists to show its belly as a warning that ittastes bad. This action, called the unkenreflex, is also used by some salamanders.

Fire salamander A European salamanderwith black and yellow markings. It lives incool forests or mountainous regions.

Mole salamander A thick-bodied, colourfulNorth American salamander with colourfulmarkings. Adults live in burrows, returningto the water only to lay their eggs.

Mudpuppy An aquatic North Americansalamander that keeps its gills as an adult.Mudpuppies are also known as waterdogsbecause adults have a “barking” call.

Newt A type of salamander with a long,flattened tail. Many species are brightly-coloured to warn that they are toxic.

Olm A large, aquatic salamander that livesin European caves. It has pale skin, blindeyes and flap-like, external gills.

The tadpoles come to the surface andtheir front limbs appear (above). They lose their tails,their eyes grow bigger and their mouths becomewider. They are now adult frogs (right).

A tree frog (top) and a Surinam toad (above),which carries its eggs on its back until they hatch.

Axolotl An aquatic salamander fromMexico. As an adult it retains many larvalfeatures, such as its feathery gills, but itcan still reproduce.

Bullfrog A large frog from North America.It grows up to 20 cm long and eats almostanything, including birds and mice. It isknown for its booming mating call.

Flying frog

Poison-arrow frog A frog from therainforests of Central and SouthAmerica that secretes a powerfulpoison. This is used by rainforestpeople to coat the tips of theirdarts and arrows for hunting.

Salamander An amphibian with along body and tail. Some salamanders are fully aquatic,while others live on land and return to the water only to lay their eggs.

Siren An aquatic salamander with smallfront legs and no back legs.

Spawn The jelly-like eggs of aquaticanimals, such as frogs and toads. Manyfrogs and toads leave their eggs to hatchon their own. Others carry them on theirbacks or in their mouths to protect them.

Tadpole The young of a frog or toad. At first, tadpoles breathe through gills and use their tails to swim. Gradually, theirlegs emerge, they develop lungs andfinally they lose their tails.

Toad A short, tail-less amphibian with a fatbody and lumpy skin. Toads live mostly onland. They have shorter legs than frogs andcrawl or hop rather than leap.

Tree frog A frog that lives and hunts intrees using its sticky toe pads to give it grip.Most species leave the trees to lay theireggs in pools or rivers, but some lay theireggs on leaves overhanging water.

Vocal sac An inflatable bag of skin that malefrogs use to amplify their calls. Calls areused to attract mates or ward o! rivals.

Frogspawn

The tadpoles breathethrough gills and use

their tails to swim.

Tadpoles hatchfrom thefrogspawn

The tadpoles’ legsemerge and theydevelop lungs.

THE LIFE CYCLE OF A FROG

8 9

! Amphibians were the first vertebrates tolive on land more than 360 million yearsago. They evolved from fish that had movedon to the land and developed lungs. Earlyamphibians looked similar to salamanders.

! The smallest amphibian is the Braziliangold frog, which is only 9.8 mm long.

! Many amphibians become more brightlycoloured in their breeding season in order to

attract the attention of a mate.

! Most frogs and toads return to thesame pond or lake every year to breed.

! If in danger, some toads can inflate theirlungs to an abnormal size, so that theyappear larger to their predators.

! In hot climates, some amphibians burrowunderground to avoid the heat of the day

and keep their skin cool.

Japanese giant salamander

A tuatara, the onlyspecies within itsorder of reptiles.

The leatherback turtle has noshell, but a thick, leathery skin

embedded with tiny bony plates.

Tortoise A land-dwelling turtle withstumpy, scaly legs and short toes.Tortoises move slowly, relying on theirshells to protect them from predators.They are mainly plant-eaters. Giant

tortoises can measure over 1 m longand live for around 200 years.

Cryptodira Turtles, also known as “hiddenneck” turtles, that can hide their headsinside their shells. They include mostfreshwater turtles, sea turtlesand all tortoises.

Freshwater turtle A turtle that livesin freshwater ponds, lakes or rivers.Freshwater turtles, sometimes calledterrapins, include soft-shelled turtles,diamondback terrapins, painted turtles,and the aggressive snapping turtles.

Gharial An aquatic reptile also known asthe gavial. It has a long, narrow snout,lined with needle-like teeth and lives inrivers of the Indian subcontinent, feedingonly on fish. It can reach lengths of up to 7 m long and is a very agile swimmer.

Tuatara A lizard-shaped reptile from NewZealand. It is not related to lizards, but isthe only member of an order of reptilesthat lived on Earth even before thedinosaurs. It is green with a crest of skindown its back that can be raised as athreat. The tuatara feeds at night, huntinginsects, worms and small lizards. It maylive for over 120 years.

Plastron The flat,lower part of theshell of a turtle. It isjoined to the animal’sbreastbone and linked to theupper shell by bony bridges at theside of the body.

Pleurodira Turtles, sometimes called“side-necked turtles”, that cannotretract their heads inside their shells.Instead, when threatened, they fold theirnecks sideways to hide their heads undera lip of shell.

Turtles are an order of reptiles thathave hard, protective shells andbeak-like mouths. The turtle

superorder (a grouping larger than anorder), called the chelonians, includesfreshwater turtles, sea turtles and land-dwelling tortoises. Crocodiles and theirrelatives, alligators and gharials, aremeat-eating reptiles that spend much oftheir time in the water. All turtles andcrocodiles lay their eggs on land.

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Alligator A large reptile related tocrocodiles. Alligators have wider snoutsthan other crocodilians. The two mainspecies of alligator are the Americanalligator, which lives in the swamps ofsoutheast North America, and the rareChinese alligator, which lives in theYangtze River valley. Alligators can growup to 6 m long.

Caiman A relative of the alligator fromCentral and South America that hasheavily armoured undersides. Caimans areusually smaller than alligators but theblack caiman can grow up to 5 m long.

! Only large crocodiles and alligators posea threat to humans. The Nile crocodile isresponsible for the most attacks onhumans. It kills hundreds of people everyyear, mostly in poor parts of Africa, wherepeople depend on the river for their watersupply. The saltwater crocodile is just asdangerous but less frequently encountered.

! A 5-m-long crocodile can be almostcompletely hidden in less than 30 cm ofmurky water.

! Reptiles require less food than warm-blooded animals. They can also conserveenergy by keeping cool and staying still.This means that they can survive easily inharsh environments. In extreme conditions,a crocodile can go as long as two yearswithout eating.

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Sea turtle An ocean-dwelling turtle. There are seven species: the flatback,green, hawksbill, Kemp’s ridley, oliveridley, leatherback and loggerheadturtles. Most feed on jellyfish, fish andcrustaceans, except for the herbivorousgreen turtle. Turtles can hold their breathunderwater for over three hours whenasleep. The largest sea turtle is the 3-m-long leatherback turtle.

Crocodile An aquatic, predatory reptilewith a long jaw and bony plates of armouron the top of its body. One pair of teeth inthe lower jaw is always visible even when acrocodile’s mouth is closed. Crocodilesmostly live in tropical rivers, and lakes. The largest species are the Nile crocodileand the saltwater crocodile, both of whichgrow up to 7 m long. They can easily bringdown large prey such as antelope, whichthey ambush at the water’s edge, draggingthem underwater to drown.

Crocodilians The order of reptiles thatincludes crocodiles, alligators, gharials andcaimans. They are aquatic, predatoryreptiles with long jaws and tails, shortlimbs and sharp teeth. Because their eyesand nostrils are on top of their heads, theycan hide with their bodies almostcompletely underwater. Most live in riversand lakes, feeding on a range of prey,including fish, birds and mammals.

A family of crocodiles warming themselves in thesun. This raises their body temperature and givethem energy to move around and hunt.

Giant tortoise

A gharial lurking in amangrove swamp.

Carapace The upper part of the shell of aturtle. It is joined to the animal’s ribs andbackbone and linked to the plastron bybony bridges at the side of the body. Mostturtles have a flat, streamlined carapace,

suited to swimming. Tortoises have anarched carapace, covered with

horny scales.

A crocodile hatching

Matamata(river turtle)

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Lizards and snakes belong to an orderof reptiles called the squamates,meaning “scaled”. Almost all are

carnivores and most lay eggs, but some,such as boas, give birth to live young.Lizards are mostly small reptiles with fourlegs and a tail. Some are burrowinganimals, while many live in trees. Snakeshave long, narrow bodies and tails, but nolimbs. Because they have many bones,strong muscles and flexible joints, theycan slither at speed, burrow or swim. They have loose, hinged jaws that enablethem to swallow large prey whole.

LLIIZZAARRDDSS &&SSNNAAKKEESS

Cobra A venomous snake with a hood ofskin behind its head. Cobras live in Africaand Asia. They have two fangs at the frontof their mouths, used to inject a venomthat paralyzes, then kills their prey. The king cobra is the largest venomoussnake, growing up to 5.5 m long.

Mamba A fast, venomous snake fromAfrica. Mambas can move at up to 20 km/h.The most feared species is the blackmamba, whose venom can kill a human in20 minutes. It has a grey body and blackmouth. The other species are all green.

Monitor lizard A large, carnivorous lizard.Monitor lizards includes the water monitor,crocodile monitor and the 3-m-long,venomous Komodo dragon, the largestlizard in the world. It mostly eats carrionbut can also ambush and kill large prey.

Python A constrictor with a heat-sensitiveorgan on its head, used to find prey. The reticulated python, which grows up to10 m long, is the longest snake in the world.

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Rattlesnake A venomous American viper,with a rattle in its tail. When agitated, itvibrates its tail to make a warning sound.Most species have diamond-patternedmarkings and all give birth to live young.

Sea snake A snake that lives in the ocean.There are around 60 species of sea snake,all of which are venomous. They haveflattened tails to help them swim. Many species are striped.

Flap-necked chameleon

Agamid A lizard with sturdy legs, alsoknown as the dragon lizard. Males areoften brightly-coloured. Agamids includebearded dragons and frilled lizards.

A boa constrictorkilling a coypu.

Constrictor A snake that kills its prey bycoiling around it and su!ocating it. Everytime the prey exhales, the snake tightensits coils, until the victim cannot breathe.Most constrictors are well-camouflaged.

Colubrid A snake with a single row of largescales on its belly. Most, but not all, speciesare non-venomous. Around two-thirds ofall snakes are colubrids. They include gartersnakes, milk snakes and tree snakes.

Gila monster

Coral snake A slender, venomous snakewith red, black, yellow or white stripes.These warn other animals it is dangerous.

Flying lizard A lizard from Southeast Asia,with flaps of skin along its body that act asparachutes, helping it to glide betweentrees. The flaps are supported by ribextensions, which lie flat when not in use.

Gecko A small, thick-bodied lizard. Geckos have hairs on their toes, whichenable them to grip on to smooth surfaces. They are the only lizards that can call to one another.

Gila monster A venomous lizard from thedeserts of North America. It is slow-moving and feeds mainly on eggs. It stores fat deposits in its large tail.

Iguana A herbivorous lizard from thetropics. The green iguana is a tree-dwellinglizard with a crest of spines down its back.The marine iguana is the only sea-dwellingspecies of lizard. Other iguanas includeanoles, basilisks and horned lizards.

Legless lizard A limbless lizard such as aslow worm or glass lizard. The eyelids andear openings of legless lizards distinguishthem from snakes.

Blind snake A small, tropical, burrowingsnake. Blind snakes have tiny eyes and rounded heads for pushing through soil.

Boa A constrictor from Central and SouthAmerica that gives birth to live young. Boasinclude the 4-m-long boa constrictor and theanaconda, which grows up to 8.5 m long.

Chameleon A lizard with a prehensile tail ( 25) and grasping feet. Chameleons havelong, sticky tongues for catching insects andchange colour to match their surroundings.

The Komodo dragon is found onseveral Indonesian islands.

The red-tailed racersnake is a type ofconstrictor.

1 Green anole2 Anaconda3 Green iguana

Whiptail lizard A narrow lizard with a longtail. Whiptail lizards are the Americanequivalent of the wall lizards.

The common gecko fromSoutheast Asia.

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KEY

! Snakes are descended from four-leggedcreatures. Some, such as pythons, have theremains of hind legs in their skeletons.There show as small bumps on their bodies.

! Lizards and snakes collect tastes from theair or ground by flicking out their tongues.

! Snakes shed the outer layer of their skinin one piece, up to six times a year. This replaces old, worn out skin and helps to remove parasites. Most lizards shed theirskin in large flakes.

! Snakeshave noeyelids.Instead, theireyes have a permanent,transparent covering. Cobra

12 13

Shieldtail snake A burrowing snake fromAsia with a large scale at the end of its tail.All shieldtail species are non-venomous.

Skink A small lizard with a long body andshort limbs. Some species have no limbsat all. Many skinks are good burrowers.

Venom A poisonous substance found in the bodies of some animals. Venomoussnakes have venom glands in their heads.Venom is injected through their fangs inorder to kill prey or defend themselves.

Viper A venomous snake with long,hollow fangs that fold back inside itsmouth until it strikes. Pit vipers, such asrattlesnakes, have heat-sensitive organs,used to locate prey. Old world vipers,such as pu! adders, do not.

Wall lizard A lizard from Europe, Asia andAfrica with a slim body, long tail and large

scales on its head and belly. Somespecies give birth to live young.

Talons The sharp claw of an animal suchas a bird of prey. Talons are suited toplucking animals from the ground andcarrying them away.

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Birds are warm-blooded, vertebrateanimals with four limbs, the fronttwo of which are adapted into

wings. They are the only animals that havefeathers. Birds have light, hollow bonesand a toothless beak. Most can fly, but afew cannot. Birds lay hard-shelled eggs,and most species protect their young untilthey leave the nest. Some species migrateto warmer climates during the winter.Most birds feed on insects or plants butsome larger birds are meat-eaters.

BBIIRRDDSS

A chick developing inside an egg, nourished by yolk.

Webbed feet Feet shaped like paddleswith a flap of skin between each toe.Webbed feet help aquatic mammals andbirds to swim more e"ciently.

Wings The feathered front limbs of a bird,controlled by muscles in its chest. Fastflyers, such as ducks, have short, pointedwings which require constant movementin flight. Larger birds, such as eagles, havelong wings, that enable them to glide onair currents. Some smaller birds canrapidly flap their wings to hover in the air.

Vane The flat surface of a feather formedof barbs and barbules linked together.

The macaw uses itspowerful bill to crack

open hard seeds.

Flock A number of birds moving orresting together. Many species of birdflock when migrating. The flock offersthem some protection, as a large group ismore likely to spot predators.

Nest A structure built by a bird or otheranimal in which to lay eggs and take careof its young. Bird nests can be cup-like andmade of mud, grass and twigs; holes intrees; or burrows underground. They areusually sited out of the reach of predators.

Plumage All of the feathers on a bird’sbody. Birds moult their plumage at leastonce a year, usually in a gradual process. The colour of plumage often variesbetween males and females of a species.Males are often brightly-coloured toattract a mate, while females have moremuted colours, for camouflage when theyare brooding.

Fledge To grow feathers. A fledgling is ayoung bird that has just fledged and isready to leave its nest for the first time.

Flight feathers The long, sti! feathers onthe wings and tail of a bird, used to gainheight, steer and control speed whenflying. They are divided into large, outerprimary feathers and smaller secondaryfeathers, on the inside of the wing.

Mallard

The flamingo stands inshallow water with its

head upside down. It uses its bill to filter

out tiny plants andanimals from the water.

The scarlet ibisuses its long,

narrow bill tostab fish.

Vultures have strong,hooked bills for

tearing meat.

Barb A fine projection branching out formthe main stem of a feather. Each barb islined with small hooks called barbulesthat zip separate barbs together.

Bill The hard, outer part of a bird’s mouth,also known as its beak. It is made of light,hollow bone, covered in a horn-like layer.Birds use their bills to feed, preen, fightand build nests. Bill shape depends on thebird’s lifestyle and diet.

Preening The process by which birds cleantheir plumage to remove dirt or parasitesand keep feathers in good condition. Birds use their bill or toes to smooth thebarbs of their feathers. Many species havea preen gland on their tail, which secretesa conditioning, waterproofing oil. This isrubbed into the feathers when preening.

Roost A place where birds (and bats) restand sleep, often in a tree, cave or othersheltered place. Roosting usually takesplace in groups.

Spur A spike on the leg of some male birds, such as pheasants and chickens,used when fighting other males.

FEET SHAPES: Mallards have webbed feet forswimming, while jacanas have long toes to spreadtheir weight out as they walk across lilypads.

Woodpeckers hold on to trees with their strongclaws. Ospreys have spikes on their toes to grip onto slippery fish.

THE FEATHERS ON ABIRD’S WING

Primary flight feathersSecondary flight feathers

Covert feathers

Bird call The sounds that birds use tocommunicate with each other. Calls areshort, simple sounds, used to alert otherbirds to danger or food. Longer, morecomplicated calls are called birdsong. They are used to establish territories andwarn o! intruders, or to attract a mate.

Brooding The process by which birds hatch their eggs, sitting on them toincubate them (keep them warm).However, not all species of bird brood.

Clutch A set of eggs laid by a bird. Clutch sizevaries between species.Some, such as albatrosses,lay one egg, but others,such as partridges, lay up to 30.

Contour feathersThe outermost feathers onthe body, wings and tail ofa bird. In most species,they give the bird asmooth,streamlined shapefor flight, but in some flightless birds they are just for show.

Covert feathers Small contour feathersthat overlap flight feathers on the tail andwing of a bird to give a streamlined finish.

BILL SHAPES:

Crest The tuft of feathers on the head ofsome birds. Some species, such as thecockatoo, can raise and lower their crest

as a form of communication or tomake themselves seem larger

to predators.

Down feathers The soft, flu!yfeathers close to a bird’s skin. These

trap air to keep them warm. They are theoften a newborn bird’s first feathers.

Feathers Feathers enable birds to fly, andkeep them warm and waterproof. They aremade of a substance called keratin, similarto that found in our fingernails. Eachfeather has a central shaft, lined withbarbs. The shaft is attached to the bird’sbody at one end, called the quill.

The macaw lifts its wings upabove its back (1). It then pulls

them downwards and backwards (2)before starting to lift

them again (3). Thismakes it move

upwards and forwards.

A MACAW IN FLIGHT

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Jacana Woodpecker Osprey! Birds have unusually large hearts andlungs. Air sacs keep their lungs inflatedeven as they breathe out. This gives themenergy for flight and helps them breathe athigh altitudes, where there is little oxygen.

! The largest bird in the world is theostrich, which grows to almost 3 m tall.

! The smallest bird in the world is the beehummingbird, which is only 5.7 cm long.

! The muscles thatpower a bird’s wingsare the heaviest partof its body.

! Tailorbirds(right) use plantmaterial or spidersilk to sew leavestogether to formtheir nests.

Eagles build theirnests in trees or

up tall cliffs.

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A golden eagle’s nest,called an eyrie.

Turkey

There are over 10,000 species ofbirds in the world today, dividedinto many different families and

orders, the largest of which is theperching birds and their relatives ( 18).Non-perching birds include theflightless ratites, the flesh-eating birdsof prey, gamefowl, waterfowl, andother water birds, such as penguins,gulls and wading birds.

FF AA CC TT FF II LL EEMallard duck

Rail A bird thatoften lives near ponds,rivers or marshlands. Some species arecamouflaged, but others, such as the coot,have bold markings. There are severalflightless species, and most rails seldom fly.

Ratites An order of flightless birds thatincludes the ostrich, rhea, emu, cassowaryand kiwi. Most are tall, running birds thatlive in open spaces.

Rhea A large flightless bird from SouthAmerica. It has a long neck and legs andshaggy grey plumage.

Seabirds Birds that live in or near the sea.Some species dive into the water to feed.Others skim the surface, scooping up fish.

Stork A wading bird with a long, broad bill. Storks can survive in drier areas thancranes or herons. Some large species, such as the marabou stork, even feed oncarrion ( 6).

Swan A bird with a long neck. Swans arethe largest of the waterfowl. They arestrong fliers and migrate long distances.

Vulture A large bird of prey thatscavenges on carrion ( 6). Its head is bald,to make cleaning easier after feeding.

Waders Long-legged wetland birds, suchas storks and herons, that wade in shallowwater to hunt for fish.

Waterfowl Freshwater birds, such asducks, geese and swans. They swim alongthe surface using their feet, which areusually webbed, as paddles. Waterfowlfeed on fish, invertebrates and plants.

Heron A wading bird with a long neck andlegs and long, thin bill. Herons live byrivers and lakes or in marshes. They standmotionless in the shallows waiting to snapup passing fish. When flying, their neckscurve back in an S-shape. The heron familyincludes the egrets and the bitterns,which have shorter necks.

Ibis A tropical wading bird with a long,curved bill, used to snatch fish or dig forfood in the mud. Its relatives, thespoonbills, have long, spoon-shaped bills.

Jacana A small, colourful wading bird fromthe tropics. It has very long toes, whichspread out its weight as its walks acrossfloating lilypads.

Kiwi A small, flightless bird from NewZealand. It has a long, thin bill and shaggyplumage. It is the only bird with its nostrilsat the tip of its bill. This helps it to smellinsects and worms in the undergrowth.

Ostrich A flightless African bird. At almost 3m tall, it is the world’s largest bird. It is alsothe fastest creature on two legs, running atspeeds of up to 70 km/h. Ostrich eggs arethe largest laid by any bird.

Penguin A flightless bird that lives mostly on cold, southern coastlines. Clumsy onland, in the water, penguins are graceful and fast. To keep warm, they have severallayers of feathers, and a thick layer of fatcalled blubber.

BBIIRRDD FFAAMMIILLIIEESS

Birds of prey Meat-eating birds withsharp, hooked bills and strong talons.They swoop down to snatch their preyfrom the ground. Most species also eatcarrion. They all have excellent long-distance vision.

Bustard A ground-nesting bird thatlives on the plains of Africa,Europe and Asia. It has a heavy,brown body and long legs.

CassowaryA large, black,flightless bird from therainforests of Australasia. It has a hollow, horny ridgeon its head, which may beused to amplify its deep calls.Its middle toe has a sharpclaw, used for slashingat enemies.

The mating dance of ared-crowned crane

Crane A tall wading bird with a long neckand legs. Cranes fly with necks and legsoutstretched. They have elaborate matingrituals and some species mate for life.

Duck A bird that lives in fresh or saltwaterhabitats, feeding in the water and nestingon land. Ducks feed on grasses, waterplants, fish, insects and worms. Some dipupside down to feed, while others dive.Ducks are strong flyers.

Eagle A large bird of prey. Eagles build their nests, called eyries, in trees or upcli!s, returning to the same nest each year.Most eagles feed on mammals or other

birds, except for the fish-eating seaeagles and the snake eagles

which feed on reptiles.

Emu A large, flightlessbird from Australia with a

long neck and legs and dark,shaggy plumage. It is the second largest

bird and runs at speeds of around 50 km/h.

Falcon A fast-flying bird of prey with long,pointed wings. In a vertical dive, or stoop, a peregrine falcon can reach speeds ofover 320 km/h. Some species, such as thekestrel, can hover in the air whilstsearching for prey on the ground.

A brown booby, a type of seabird.

Hawk A medium-sized bird of prey. Hawks include kites, buzzards and harriers.Most species have long tails and roundedwings, which enable them to changedirection quickly when pursuing prey.

A group of flamingos feeding in shallow waters.

! Most ground nesting birds lay eggs thathatch out as fully feathered young.

! Some birds have lost the ability to fly,because of a lack of natural predators (as inthe case of the kiwi), or because they havedeveloped other means of defence (such asthe sharp claws on the feet of the ostrich,emu and cassowary).

! Many eagles can killand carry away largeprey. Harpy eaglesregularly prey onmonkeys or sloths,and can carry preyas heavy asthemselves.

Ostrich

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Flamingo A pink wading bird that uses itsbill to filter shrimp and algae, from thewater. The bird’s pink colour comes frompigments in the shrimp and algae.

Gamefowl An order of birds with heavybodies and short wings. They are ungainlyflyers. Gamefowl include turkeys, chickens,guinea fowl, grouse and partridges. Somespecies are bred by humans for food.

Goose A large bird with a long neck and anotched bill, for pulling up grass. Geeseoften live near water. They are strong flyers.

Goldeneagle

With up to 6000 species, theperching birds, or “passerines”,are the largest family of birds.

They are all land-living birds, with fourtoes, three pointing forward and onebackward. Most feed on seeds or insects,but some eat fruit or nectar. Their youngare born naked, blind and helpless andneed to be cared for by their parents untilthey can leave the nest. Other families oftree-dwelling birds, closely related to thepasserines, are sometimes groupedtogether as “near-passerines”.

(P) = Passerine bird(NP) = Near-passerine bird

PPEERRCCHHIINNGGBBIIRRDDSS

Antbird A small bird from the rainforestsof Central and South America. It followscolumns of marching ants, feeding onthe insects they disturb. (P)

Bee-eater A small bird with brightplumage. It feeds on bees andother insects, smashing their stings onbranches before swallowing them. (NP)

Bird of paradise A bird from the forests ofAustralasia. Males use their

long, colourful plumage toattract a mate. Theyperform elaborate displays

in the trees to show o!their feathers. (P)

Crow A bird with black, glossy feathers.Crows will eat anything, and can kill smallanimals to eat. They are curious birds,known to steal unattended human objectssuch as keys. Crows include ravens, rooks,choughs, jays and magpies. (P)

Cuckoo A bird best known for laying eggsin the nest of other species. The cuckooegg quickly hatches and the cuckoo chickkicks its nestmates out of the nest. (NP)

Dipper A small songbird that lives instreams or lakes. It is the only perching bird with an aquatic lifestyle, swimming inpursuit of insects and fish. (P)

Finch A small songbird with astrong bill, used to break open

seeds. Males are often brightlycoloured. Some species, such as the canary, are popular pets. (P)

Honeyguide The only bird that feeds onbees wax. It also eats bee larvae. (NP)

Hornbill A tropical bird with a bright, hornygrowth on its huge bill. It feeds on fruit andanimals such as snakes. The female builds anest with only a slit for an opening, throughwhich the male feeds her. (NP)

Hummingbird A small, colourful, Americanbird that hovers in front of flowers,drinking nectar with its long bill. It beats itswings up to 80 times per second. (NP)

Kingfisher A small, often colourful bird.Some species live near rivers, diving forfish. Others feed on insects or worms.Kingfishers nest in sandy burrows. (NP)

Hyacinth macaw

Parrot A brightly coloured, tropical birdwith a short, strong bill. Parrots includemacaws, cockatoos and budgerigars. Some can imitate human voices. (NP)

Pigeon A round-bodied, powerful flyer.Smaller species are known as doves. Unlike most birds, pigeons can produce milk for their young, from a gland in their necks. (NP)

A tawny owl swooping down on its prey.

Pipit A small songbird with along tail. Pipits have stronglegs and run around on theground looking for insects. Their relatives,the wagtails, have longer tails, which theycharacteristically bob up and down. (P)

Sandgrouse A sandy coloured, ground-dwelling bird from the deserts of Africaand Asia. Sandgrouse fly great distancesto find water, soaking their feathers, sotheir chicks can drink from them. (NP)

Warbler A small, songbird with a fine,pointed bill. The Old World warblers fromEurope, Africa and Asia are dull in colour.The New World warblers from the Americasare more brightly coloured. (P)

Woodpecker A bird that clings to treetrunks and uses its bill to make holes intrees, from which it extracts insects to eat.It also uses this method to dig nest holes.Two of its toes point forwards and twobackwards, giving it a good grip. A fewspecies feed on the ground. (NP)

Wren A small songbird, with a round bodyand short, erect tail. Wrens have loud,complex songs.

Bird of paradise

Sunbird A small, brightlycoloured songbird fromrainforests of Africa. Sunbirds

use their long bills to feed on nectar.Some species can hover over flowers. (P)

Swallow A small, fast-flying bird, withlong, pointed wings and a long tail.Swallows and their relatives, martins,catch insects as they fly. They migrate,nest and feed in large flocks. (P)

Swift A small, fast-flying bird withlong, pointed wings and a longtail. Swifts can mate, feed andsleep on the wing, and only landto nest. Swifts use their saliva toglue their nests together. (NP)

Thrush A small, plump songbirdthat lays speckled eggs. Its youngoften have spotted plumage. Thethrush family includes robins,bluebirds and nightingales. (P)

Tit A small woodland songbird with ashort bill. Species include the titmice andthe chickadees. (P)

Toucan A bird with a large, brightlycoloured bill, used to break open fruit.Toucans live in the tropics of America.They have short wings and can only flysmall distances, but their strong legs helpthem to climb about in the treetops. (NP)

Trogon A brightly coloured bird from thetropical forests of America. Trogons havevery long tail feathers. Their relatives, thequetzals, have green plumage on theirwings and backs and red chests. (NP)

A magpie, atype ofcrow

Tocotoucan

Pigeon

Kingfisherdiving

Songbirds Perching birds that have extramuscles in their voice boxes. Thesemuscles enable them to produce complexpatterns of notes.

Sparrow A small, brown and greysongbird, that often lives in towns andmay build nests in the eaves of houses. (P)

Hummingbird

Lark A small songbird, withlong wings and dull colouring. Larks arewell known for their tuneful birdsong. (P)

Mockingbird An American songbird thatcan mimic the songs of other birds andeven imitate noises such as a frog croakingor a car alarm. (P)

Nightjar A nocturnal, insect-eating birdwith large eyes and short legs. During theday, it nests on the ground, protected by itscamouflage. Nightjars are related to thefrogmouths, which have wide bills. (NP)

Owl A nocturnal bird that hunts rodents,smaller birds, frogs and insects. Owls haveflat faces and superb eyesight and hearing.Their flexible necks mean they can eventwist their heads to look backwards. (NP)

! Each species of songbird may have alarge number of song variations, withbirds from different areas having their

own “accents”. Young songbirds learnsongs from their parents and other adults.

! Many small perching birds alternatelyflap and then close their wings as they fly, in order to save energy.

! The smallest perching bird is the short-tailed pygmy tyrant, which is 6.5 cm long.

! The largest perching bird is the commonraven, which grows up to 65 cm long.

! Some birds can makeand use tools. Forexample, Caledoniancrows shape twigsinto hooks in order to accesshard to reach food.

Nightjar

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Virginia opossum The onlymarsupial found in North

America and the largest opossum,growing up to 1 m long. It is often foundnear towns, rummaging for food in bins.

Wallaby A small, stocky marsupial.Wallabies have thicker fur than theirrelatives the kangaroos, and live in a widervariety of habitats, including rocky terrain,grassland and forests.

Wombat An Australian marsupial with ashort tail and legs. Wombats are powerfuldiggers and live in underground burrows.Their pouches are backwards-facing tostop soil from getting inside them.

Platypus A monotreme that lives in rivers,lakes and creeks. It has webbed feet and aduck-like bill, used to probe for wormsand insect larvae in the mud. Males havespurs on their legs that can eject venom,which is strong enough to kill a dog.

Possum A nocturnal, omnivorousmarsupial. Most possums live in trees andhave several young at a time. The femalecarries her young in a pouch for severalmonths, before they crawl out andcling to her back for several more.

Quoll A carnivorousmarsupial, also known as a“native cat”. Quollshave pink nosesand white spotson their backs.Females only develop pouches during the mating season.

Shrew opossum A small, shrew-likeopossum from the Andes Mountains. It feeds at night, hunting worms and other invertebrates.

Tasmanian devil The largest carnivorousmarsupial, from the Australian island ofTasmania. It has a stocky body and darkfur with white markings on its chest. It is usually a scavenger but can also killsmall animals.

Honey possum A small, marsupial with along tail and a pointed snout, used toprobe into flowers for nectar and pollen. Itis one of the few nectar-feeding mammals.

Joey A young marsupial. When it is born, it is tiny, blind and hairless. Its limbs are notproperly formed but it crawls through itsmother’s fur to her nipples. After severalmonths, it leaves the pouch, but mayreturn there to sleep for up to a year.

Kangaroo A large marsupial that moves bybounding on its long hind legs. Femaleshave forward-facing pouches where theiryoung develop. Kangaroos live in groups,called “mobs”, on open, grassy plains.

Monotremes and marsupials aremammals that do not give birthto fully developed young.

The young of monotremes are borninside soft-shelled eggs. They hatch aftera few days and the young are suckleduntil they have fully developed. The young of marsupials are born at avery early stage, and then continue todevelop while clinging to their mother’sbody inside a pouch. Monotremes arefound only in Australia and thesurrounding islands. Most marsupials live in Australia, except for the opossums, which are native to America.

Dasyurids An order of small, carnivorousmarsupials, that includes quolls, dunnarts,numbats and Tasmanian devils.

Diprotodonts An order of marsupials thatincludes kangaroos, wallabies, possums,koalas and wombats. They have largeincisors in their lower jaw and the secondand third toes of their hind feet are joinedtogether. They are mostly herbivorous.

Dunnart A small, mouse-like marsupialwith long back feet and a long tail.

Echidna A monotreme, also known as thespiny anteater. It has a long, thin snoutand powerful claws for digging. Its body iscovered in fur and sharp spines. Echidnasfeed on ants or worms, crushing thembetween their tongues and the roofs of

their mouths. They have a pouch thatholds their young.

Koala

MMAARRSSUUPPIIAALLSS &&MMOONNOOTTRREEMMEESS

Bandicoot A small, rat-like marsupial witha long snout and long, strong claws fordigging. It carries its young in abackwards-facing pouch.

Cuscus A possum with monkey-likefeatures. It is an agile tree-dweller.Females have pouches, usedto carry their young, oneborn at a time.

Koala A marsupial that lives in trees,feeding on eucalyptus leaves and shoots.It has a large nose and ears. Koalas usetheir grasping hands to cling on to treetrunks and to their mothers’ backs. Koalas spend three-quarters of their daysleeping, stirring only as dusk falls.

Marsupial mole A marsupial that closelyresembles true moles ( 23) in appearanceand behaviour. Marsupial moles tunnelunderground, hunting for insects andworms. Females have backwards-facingpouches and only two nipples, meaningthey can only have two young at a time.

Numbat A marsupial also known as thebanded anteater. It has stripes on its back,dark markings around its eyes and a bushytail. It feeds almost entirely on termites.

Opossum An American marsupial, with along snout, large canine teeth and a long,hairless tail. Opossums are often calledpossums, but belong to a separate familyto the “true” Australian marsupials. Most species live in trees, are omnivorousand have pouches. When threatened, theymay pretend to be dead or “play possum”.

Platypus

A newborn kangaroo joey suckling

Tree kangaroo A tree-dwelling marsupial, that lives in rainforests. Unlike its relative, the kangaroo, it doesnot have elongated hind legs.

An echidna (below) and itssoft-shelled egg (right)

A Victoria opossum with young

Two female kangarooswith their joeys.

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FF AA CC TT FF II LL EE

A wombat

! For millions of years, Australia wasisolated from the rest of the world. Onother continents marsupials lost out incompetition for food with placentals(mammals whose young develop inside themother’s womb). With the exception of theopossums, they died out, but in Australia,they had no placental rivals, so they thrived.

! The smallest marsupial is the long-tailedplanigale, with a body length of 0.6 cm andtail length of around 5 cm.

! The largest marsupial is the redkangaroo. Largemales cangrow up to 2 m tall.

A chipmunk, atype of squirrel

Rat A rodent with a long, thin tail. The black rat and brown rat, originallyfrom Asia, were accidentally transportedaround the globe by early travellers.

Shrew A small insectivore with a long tailand snout. Some are venomous ( 13), usingtheir bite to stun large prey such as frogs.Shrews have the highest brain to body sizeratio of any animal, including humans.

Sloth A nocturnal rainforest xenarthran. It has long legs, a flat face and long, curvedclaws. Sloths hang upside down from trees,feeding on leaves.

Lemming A small rodent that lives andmigrates in large groups. Lemmings live inburrows close to the surface of the ground.

Mouse A small rodent with a long hairlesstail. Mice feed mostly on grains, seeds andother plant material. The most commonspecies is the house mouse, which lives inareas inhabited by people.

Mole A small, burrowing insectivore withclawed, shovel-like paws and small eyes.Moles tunnel underground in search ofworms and other invertebrates to eat.

Bat A nocturnal, flying mammal withwings made of skin stretchedbetween its front and rear limbs.Some bats feed on fruit or nectar, butmost species feed on insects or otheranimals. They use echo-location to findtheir prey, making high-pitched calls andlistening to their echoes in order to build apicture of their surroundings in the dark.

Beaver A large, semi-aquatic rodent withwebbed hind feet and a broad flat tail.Beavers use their sharp teeth to fell trees,with which they build their homes, calledlodges, in the centre of lakes.

Capybara The largest rodent, at 1.3 mlong. It lives in South America and can diveinto rivers to escape from predators.

Chinchilla A long-haired, grey rodent fromthe Andes Mountains. It has a bushy tailand large ears.

Coypu A large, semi-aquatic rodent nativeto South America. It resembles a beaverbut has a thin tail like a rat’s.

Dormouse A small, mouse-like rodent witha furry tail. Species from colder climatesmay hibernate for over six months a year.

Rodents are the largest order ofmammals. They all have a set ofgrinding teeth and two pairs of

long, sharp front teeth for gnawing.Rodents feed mainly on plant materialbut some may also eat insects or smallanimals. They have many young at onceand their teeth grow throughout theirlives. Insectivores are a loose grouping ofmammals that feed on insects, wormsand other tiny creatures. They are mostlynocturnal and include xenarthrans, bats,shrews and hedgehogs among others.

Aardvark A nocturnal, burrowing xenarthran with strong claws, for breakingopen ant and termite nests, and a longsticky tongue, for licking up insects. It livesin hot, dry regions of Africa.

Anteater A xenarthran from Central andSouth America, with a long snout and bushytail. It breaks open insect mounds and lapsup insects with its long, sticky tongue.

Armadillo A xenarthran whose body isprotected by a covering of bony plates. Only its belly is soft. Some species protectthis by curling into a ball.

Guinea pig A widely domesticated rodentfrom the Andes Mountains. It belongs tothe cavy family, alongside the capybaraand the hare-like mara.

Hamster A small burrowing rodent with notail. It has large cheek pouches, which itstu!s with food to take back to its burrow.

Hare A lagomorph with long ears and legs.Hares are larger than rabbits and theiryoung are born fully developed. They live in open grassland and use their long legs to run away from predators.

Hedgehog A nocturnal insectivore with apointed snout and spines on its back. If threatened, it rolls into a protective ball.

Jerboa A burrowing, mouse-like rodent from the deserts of Asia and North Africa. It bounds about on its long hind legs, rarely using its short front legs.

Lagomorphs An order of herbivorous,rodent-like mammals with four pairs offront teeth, one pair behind the other. They includes rabbits, hares and pikas.

The pangolin’s thick scalescover almost all of its body.

FF AA CC TT FF II LL EEPangolin A tropical, nocturnal insectivore,covered in thick, bony scales. If threatened,it curls into a ball. Pangolins feed on antsand termites. Some species are tree-dwellers, while others are ground-dwellers.

Pika A small lagomorph with short legs andsmall ears. Pikas live in mountainousregions, sheltering in burrows or crevices.They store food for the winter by piling upgrass, which then dries out in the sun.

Pocket gopher A burrowing rodent fromthe Americas, with large front teeth, usedto pull out roots and loosen the earth as itdigs. It has huge, fur-lined cheek pouches.

Porcupine A large rodent with sharp,hollow spines called quills. If threatened, it runs backwards, ramming quills into itsattacker’s skin. Some species live in trees,while others are ground-dwelling.

Rabbit A long-eared lagomorph that digsburrows, where it sleeps, gives birth andescapes from predators. Rabbits’ young are born blind, hairless and helpless.

RROODDEENNTTSS &&IINNSSEECCTTIIVVOORREESS

Long-eared batGerbil A small, burrowing desert rodent. Its feet and tail are covered in fur toprotect it from sunburn. It mostly movesabout on four legs but can use its long back legs to bound away from danger.

A mole comesto the surface

Solenodon A small, venomous ( 13),shrew-like insectivore found only on theislands of Haiti and Cuba.

Squirrel A rodent with a long, bushy tail.Some, such as ground squirrels live inburrows, but others nest in trees.

Vole A mouse-like rodent, relatedto lemmings. Most species livein woodlands or meadows, butsome live near streams.

! 45-50% of all mammals are rodents.

! An Indian jerboa known as the anteloperat can leap up to 4.5 m in one hop.

! At 2.5 cm long, the pygmy jerboa is thesmallest rodent of all.

! Some insect-eaters, such as moles andshrews, have foul-tasting skin to deterpredators from attacking them.

! Solenodons closely resemble mammalsthat lived during the last years of the age ofthe dinosaurs, around 65 million years ago.

! When their population increases,lemmings disperse to find new territory.Many people falsely believe that theysuicidally jump from cliff tops when theymake this journey. In reality, just afew lemmings die, often if theyare crowded near a cliffedge or try to cross abody of water.

Xenarthrans A superorder of mammals,including anteaters, armadillos andsloths. Their backbones have extra jointsthat strengthen and support theirbodies when they dig. Xenarthrans havefew or no teeth.

The 2-m-long giant anteater

Capybara

2322

Three-toedsloth

The snowshoe haretakes its name fromits fur-covered feet,which help it to runon the snow.

Primates are an order of intelligentmammals with forward-facingeyes and flexible fingers and toes.

Most species are good tree-climbersthat live in forests. Primates are dividedinto lower primates (prosimians), suchas lemurs and lorises, and higherprimates (simians) such as monkeys,apes and humans.

PPRRIIMMAATTEESS

Apes A family of omnivorous simians withlong arms and no tails. The family is dividedinto the lesser apes (gibbons) and greatapes (orang-utans, chimpanzees, gorillasand humans). Great apes are larger andmore intelligent than lesser apes.

Aye-aye A rare, nocturnal lemur with bigears and eyes a long middle finger, used toscrape grubs from under bark. It is huntedby locals, who think it brings bad luck.

Baboon An Old World monkey with largecanine teeth and no fur on its face orbuttocks. It lives in groups called troops,eating anything from plants to gazelles.

FF AA CC TT FF II LL EE

Bush baby An African, tree-dwellingprosimian, named after its wailing cry. It has large eyes and ears and a long tail. It is also known as the galago.

Capuchin A small New World monkey withdark fur and a white face and chest.

Gorilla A large, African, ground-dwellinggreat ape that feeds only on vegetation.Adult males reach heights of around 2 mwhen standing upright, making them thelargest of the primates. Gorillas live ingroups, usually of one male and severalfemales. There are two species of gorilla:the Western and Eastern gorilla.

Howler monkey A large New Worldmonkey with a prehensile tail. It lives inrainforest treetops, feeding mostly onleaves. Howler monkeys have very loudcalls that can be heard over 10 km away.

Lemur A prosimian with a long tail andsoft coat of fur. Lemurs are found only on the island of Madagascar. Most specieslive in the trees. When on the ground,most lemurs move on all fours, but somespecies, such as the indris and sifakas,bound along on their hind legs.

Loris A nocturnal prosimian with darkmarks around its eyes. It moves slowlythrough the treetops of tropical SoutheastAsia, freezing if it senses danger.

Monkeys A family of simians with long tailsand nails instead of claws. Most monkeyslive in trees although some come down tofeed or travel. Most feed on fruit, leaves,insects and other small creatures.

New World monkeys Monkeys that arenative to the Americas. They have widely-spaced nostrils and are the only monkeyswith prehensile tails. Most live in treetops.

Old World monkeys Monkeys thatare native to Africa and Asia.They have closely-positionednostrils and non-prehensile tails.

Orang-utan An Asian great ape with longarms and red hair. Orang-utans swingthrough rainforest treetops, searching forfruit. Males have distinctive wide cheekflaps and sagging throat pouches.

Prehensile Adapted for grasping. SomeNew World monkeys have a prehensile tailthat can be used as an extra limb whenclimbing. They can even hang from theirtails, leaving their hands free to feed.

Proboscis monkey An Old World monkeythat lives in mangrove forests. The malehas a large, trunk-like nose which hangsover his mouth and amplifies his calls.

Prosimians The lower primates: lemurs,lorises, bush babies and tarsiers. They havepointed faces, long tails and smaller brainsthan higher primates. Most are nocturnaland have large eyes to see in the dark.

Simians The higher primates, made up ofmonkeys, apes and humans. They have flatfaces, large brains and good eyesight.

A chimpanzee (below) pushes a twig into a termitenest, then pulls it out, covered with termites to eat.

MONKEYS OF THEAMAZON RAINFOREST

Chimpanzee An African great ape thatfeeds on insects, leaves and sometimessmall monkeys. There are two species: thecommon chimpanzee and the bonobo.Both use sticks and stones as tools.

Colobus A herbivorous Old World monkeywith a long tail, thick fur, and no thumbs.Species range in colour. Some have bushyfur on their faces, backs or tails.

Gibbon An ape with long arms and no tail.Gibbons, also known as lesser apes, live inrainforests of Southeast Asia. They aresmaller and less intelligent than greatapes. Gibbons can swing through thetrees at speeds of more than 55 km/h.

A troop ofbaboons

Aye-aye

A ring-tailed lemurwith its young

Macaque An omnivorous Old Worldmonkey. Some Japanese macaques livein cold regions, where they bathe in hotsprings to keep warm.

Marmoset A very small Old Worldmonkey with tufts of hair around itshead. Unlike most monkeys, it has clawsinstead of nails.

Gorilla

Squirrelmonkeys

White-faced saki

Capuchinmonkey

Howler monkey

Duskytiti

Orang-utan

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Spider monkey A large NewWorld monkey with long legsand a prehensile tail, which helpsit swing through the treetops.

Squirrel monkey A small New Worldmonkey with short fur and a long, heavytail. It lives in large groups, which play,feed and hunt together.

Tarsier A nocturnal prosimian with largeeyes, long fingers and a long thin tail. Itprowls the forests of Southeast Asia insearch of insects. Tarsiers are the onlyentirely carnivorous primates.

Tarsier

! The smallest primate is the Berthe’smouse lemur, which is just 9.2 cm long.

! The great apes all make “nests” tosleep in at night. They tear and bend leafybranches to make a platform in a tree or acushion on the hard ground.

! Chimpanzees are the closest relativesof humans.

! In October 1960,chimpanzees werefirst observedusing tools. Beforethis, it was thoughtthat only humansused tools. Sincethen, all other apespecies have beenobserved using some sort of tool.

Sheep A two-toed ungulate, domesticatedfor its wool and meat. Wild sheep live onmountainsides and have curling horns.

Tapir A three-toed ungulate with a smalltrunk. It lives in the tropical forests ofSouth America and Asia. Young tapirs havestripes or spots, which help them to blendin with the dappled light of the forest floor.

Vicuña A small, wild, South Americanrelative of the camel. Its has a slenderbody, long ears and soft, warm wool.

Zebra An African member of the horsefamily, with black and white stripes. These may be a means of camouflage inlong grass or a way for individuals torecognize each another by their patterns.

! If a horse and a donkey breed, theiro!spring is called a mule, and is sterile,meaning it cannot reproduce.

! Elephants produce low calls that can beheard many kilometres away. Otherelephants “hear” the calls as vibrations inthe soles of their feet. They also place theirtrunks to the ground to detect vibrations.

! Glands on the skin of hippos excrete anoily, pink-coloured liquid that acts likesuncream, protecting their skin from thehot African sun.

! Because of their excellent sense of smell,pigs are sometimes used by humans to findtru"es, a valuable underground mushroom.However, the pigs will often eat the tru"es.

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Ungulates are a group of four-legged mammals with hoovesinstead of claws on their feet.

They evolved to stand and run on the tipof their toes which, over time, developedinto hard hooves, giving them speed toescape from predators. Ungulates arealmost entirely herbivorous and all havelarge, flat teeth for grinding plantmaterial. Ungulates are divided into twomain groups: the odd-toed ungulates andthe even-toed ungulates.

Peccary A pig-like ungulate with two tuskspointing up and two pointing down. It cansnap its tusks together as a warning noise.

Pig A four-toed ungulate with short legs, alarge head and a stocky body. Pigs usetheir snouts to sni! out plants, worms, andsmall animals. Some, such as domesticpigs, wild boars and warthogs, have largecanine teeth, which curve up to form tusks.

Llama A South American relative of thecamel. It is used by humans to carry heavyloads across rough terrain. Its smallerrelative, the alpaca is bred for its wool.

Moose The largest member of the deerfamily. It stands 2 m tall and has massiveantlers. Moose live in the northern forestsof Siberia, Europe and North America.

Okapi A relative of the gira!e with a blackbody and black-and-white striped legs. It lives in the rainforests of Africa.

The stomach of anantelope—a type of ruminant

Male reindeer compete with rivals for females bypushing each other with their antlers.

Cattle Bovids kept by humans for milk andmeat. Domestic cows are descended fromwild aurochs, which are now extinct.

Deer A long-legged, two-toed ungulate.Males have bony antlers that are shed andre-grown each year.

Donkey A small member of the horse family with an erect mane and long ears. Many donkeys are domesticated.

Elephant A large animal with big ears and along, flexible trunk. Elephants are knownas “subungulates” because their nails andcushioned feet are halfway between clawsand hooves. African elephants have largerears and longer tusks than the smallerAsian elephants. African males standaround 4 m tall at the shoulder. They arethe largest land animals in the world.

Gira!e A two-toed African ungulate, with along neck and legs and small, skin-coveredhorns. Measuring over 5 m tall, the gira!eis the tallest land animal. It is able to run atspeeds of over 50 km/h.

Goat A two-toed ungulate with horns, astocky body and an upwards-pointing tail.Many males have beards. Wild goats liveon rocky mountainsides.

Guanaco A small, wild, South Americanrelative of the camel. It has a long neck and legs, small ears and very warm wool.

Hippopotamus A large, four-toed Africanungulate. Hippos live close to rivers andponds. They bathe in cool waters duringthe heat of the day and graze at night.Their eyes, ears and nostrils stick out ofthe water when they bathe.

UUNNGGUULLAATTEESS Zebra

Antelope A fast-running, even-toedungulate with long legs. All males, andsome females, have horns. Antelopesinclude gazelles, impalas and wildebeest.Most species live on the plains of Africa.

Bovids A family of ungulates that includescattle, antelope, sheep and goats. They allhave horns and hooves that are split intotwo toes. Many live in herds.

Camel A two-toed, desert ungulate thatstores fat deposits in humps on its back. Itcan go a long time without food or water.The dromedary camel has one hump on itsback and the Bactrian camel has two.

A herd ofguanacos

Horse An ungulate with a single toe, along tail and a mane of hair on its neck.Horses have excellent eyesight forspotting predators. They can run at topspeed for long distances.

Reindeer A deer from the treeless landsbordering the Arctic Ocean. Both malesand females have large antlers. Reindeer,also known as caribou, feed in herds,grazing on grasses and other small plants.

Rhinoceros A large ungulate, with threetoes on each foot. It feeds mostly ongrass. There are five species ofrhinoceroses: the black and white Africanrhinoceroses and the Indian, Sumatranand Javan rhinoceroses.

Ruminants Ungulates with stomachsdivided into parts where food is brokendown in stages. This helps to extract thenourishment they need fromtheir plant-eating diets. In some species, food is sentback to the mouth to bechewed after the first stageof digestion. Ruminantsinclude camels, gira!es,deer and bovids.

A two weekold giraffewith itsmother.

An African elephantusing its trunk to

squirt waterinto its mouth.

Hippopotamus

Malayan tapir

2726

The word carnivore usuallydescribes animals that feed onmeat, but not all meat-eaters

belong to the carnivore group, nor do allcarnivores eat only meat. Carnivoresinclude cats, dogs and bears as well asweasels, raccoons and mongooses.Most are meat-eaters but others alsofeed on insects and fruit. They aregrouped together because they are alldescended from mammals that hadspecial teeth for cutting through flesh.

CCAARRNNIIVVOORREESS

Badger A nocturnal, omnivorous memberof the weasel family. Badgers have stockybodies and strong paws for burrowing.

Bear A large, heavily-built carnivore. Mostbears live in forests, and smaller speciessuch as the black and sun bear are goodclimbers. Northern species, like the brownbear, spend the winter in caves or densdug under snow. Most bears areomnivores, except for polar bears, whichfeed mostly on seals.

Black panther A leopard or jaguar that iscompletely black.

Cat A predatory carnivore with a long tailand muscular body. The cat family isdivided into big cats, such as lions andtigers, and small cats, such as the ocelot,bobcat and domestic cat. Most kill theirprey with a su!ocating bite to the throat.

! Most cats can only run at top speeds forshort bursts. They lie in wait until their preyapproaches, then sprint after them.

! The musk of some members of theweasel family is collected by humans andused to make perfume.

! The polar bear is the largest landcarnivore, measuring up to 3 m tall.

! An adult lion’s roar can be heard up to 8 km away.

! A leopard can drag prey twice its ownweight into a tree, where it then feeds on it.

! Raccoons can use their hand-like paws toopen latches and even remove bin lids.

FF AA CC TT FF II LL EE

Cheetah A big cat from Africa and Asia witha lean body and spotted markings. It is thefastest land animal, reaching speeds of upto 120 km/h. Its semi-retractable claws giveit grip for running.

Civet A cat-like carnivore from Africa andAsia, with a long body and short legs. Many civets have dark stripes and spots on their backs. They all produce musk.

Coyote A wolf-like grey dog from Centraland North America with a distinctive howl.

Dog A carnivore with strong jaws and longlegs. Dogs live in groups called packs. They can travel great distances in search

of food. They mostly eat meat butalso feed on plant matter.

Fox A small member of the dog familywith a pointed muzzle and bushy tail.Foxes include the red fox, the Arctic foxand the desert fennec fox.

Giant panda A large, black and white bearfrom the mountain forests of China. Its diet is almost entirely made up ofbamboo. Giant pandas are rare becausemuch of their habitat has been destroyed.

Hyena A carnivore from Africa and Asiawith a sloping back and strong jaws, thatcan crush bones. Hyenas are scavengersand hunters. The spotted hyena has aloud call that sounds like human laughter.

Jackal A nocturnal dog from Asia andAfrica. It both hunts and scavenges.

A grizzly bearfishing for salmon

Jaguar A big cat with yellow-brown furand dark spots. It prowls the rainforestsof South America. Unlike other cats, it killsits prey with a fatal bite through the skull.

Leopard A big cat from Africa and parts of Asia. It has yellow fur with blackrosette-like markings. The snow leopardhas white fur, and the clouded leopardhas marbled markings.

A pack of spotted hyenas feeding on a wildebeest.Lion A tawny-coloured big cat from Africaand Asia. Lions live in groups called prides.Males have a shaggy mane of fur.Together, females do most of the hunting.

Lynx A medium-sized wild cat with tuftedears and a short tail. Lynxes live acrossNorth America, Europe and Asia.

Mongoose A small, long-bodied carnivore.Most species are solitary, but some, suchas the meerkat, live in groups. A fewspecies, such as the Indian mongoose, areable to fight and kill venomous snakes.

Musk A foul-smelling liquid produced bymany members of the weasel family, usedto mark territory and deter predators.

Otter A semi-aquatic, fish-eating memberof the weasel family with webbed paws.Most species live near rivers or ponds.

Puma A tawny-coloured big cat that livesacross the Americas. It is also known as thecougar or mountain lion.

Skunk An omnivorous American weaselwith a bushy tail and black and whitemarkings. If threatened, a skunk will turnits back on its attacker and spray strong-smelling musk in its face.

Tiger A big cat from Asia with a tawnycoat and dark stripes that help it to hide intall grass. The largest tiger is the 4-m-longSiberian tiger; the smallest is the Bengaltiger. Tigers are solitary animals. They domost of their hunting at dawn and dusk.'

Weasel A carnivore with a long body andshort legs. The weasel family, also calledthe mustelids, includes weasels, polecats,martens, skunks, otters and badgers.Most species feed on rodents, but somewill also eat worms, fruit and insects.

Wolf A large wild dog with powerful jaws.Wolves live in packs, working together tobring down large prey. Domestic dogs aredescended from wolves.

A cheetah grabs its prey

Weasel

Bengaltiger

Cats’ claws can be drawn in when walking to stopthem from becoming blunted on the ground.

Red fox

Red panda

2928

Raccoon An omnivorous carnivore with along tail, short legs and agile fingers.Raccoons are native to North America.The raccoon family includes raccoons,coatis, kinkajous and ringtails.

Red panda A small, red, raccoon-likecarnivore related to neither raccoons northe giant panda. It lives in the forests ofAsia feeding on fruit and leaves.

IINNDDEEXX

30 31

AAaardvark 22agamid 12alligator,

American 10Chinese 10

alligators 10-11alpaca 27amphibians 6-9anaconda 12-13anole 12-13antbird 18anteater 22-23antelope 10, 26-27apes 24-25armadillo 22-23axolotl 8aye-aye 24

BBbaboon 24-25badger 28-29bandicoot 20barb 14-15barbules 14-15bats 15, 22-23bear,

black 28brown 28grizzly 28polar 28-29sun 28

bears 28-29beaver 22bee-eater 18bills 14-19bird call 14bird of paradise 18-19birds 6-8, 10, 14-19

of prey 15, 16perching 16, 18-19sea 17wading 16-17

birdsong 14, 18boas 12-13

bovids 26-27brooding 14browsers 6bullfrog 8bush baby 24-25bustard 16

CCcaecilian 8caiman 10camels 26-27camouflage 6, 15, 17, 18, 27capuchin 24-25capybara 22-23carapace 10-11carnivores 6-7, 12, 20-21,

25, 28-29carrion 6, 16-17cassowary 16-17cats 7, 28-29cattle 26chameleon 7, 12cheetah 28-29chimpanzees 24-25chinchilla 22civet 28clutch 14cobras 12colobus 24colubrid 12congo eel 8constrictors 12-13coyote 28coypu 22cranes 16crocodile,

Nile 10-11saltwater 10-11

crocodiles 7, 10-11crows 18-19cryptodira 11cuckoo 18cuscus 20

DDdasyurids 20deer 26-27dipper 18diprodonts 20

dogs 28-29donkey 26-27dormouse 6, 22ducks 15, 16-17dunnart 20

EEeagle,

golden 15, 17sea 16snake 16

eagles 15, 16-17echidna 20-21elephants 26-27emu 16-17

FFfalcons 16feathers 6, 14-15, 18

contour 14covert 14down 14flight 14-15

finches 18fish 6-10, 16-18flamingo 14, 16-17fledge 15flock 15foxes 28frog,

Brazilian gold 9Darwin’s 8flying 8poison-arrow 9tree 8-9

frogmouth 18frogs 6-9, 18, 23

GGgamefowl 16gazelle 24, 26gecko 12gerbil 22gharial 10-11gibbon 24gila monster 12

gills 6, 8-9gira!e 26-27goat 26goose 16gorillas 24grazers 6guanaco 26guinea pig 22

HHhamster 22hare 22hawks 16hedgehog 22herbivores 6, 20, 26-27herd 26-27heron 17hibernation 6hippopotamus 26-27honey possum 20honeyguide 18hornbill 18horse 26-27human 23, 24-27hummingbird 15, 28hyenas 28-29

IIJJibis 14, 17iguanas 12-13impala 26insectivores 22-23insects 7, 11, 14, 16-19,

22, 25, 28-29invertebrates 6-7, 17, 21, 23jacana 15, 17jackal 28jaguar 7, 28jerboa 22-23joey 20

KKkangaroo,

red 21tree 21

kangaroos 20-21kingfisher 18-19

kiwi 17koala 20Komodo dragon 12-13

LLlagomorphs 22-23larvae 8-9, 18, 21lemming 23lemurs 24-25leopards 7, 28-29lion 7, 29lizard,

flying 12legless 12monitor 13wall 13whiptail 13

lizards 7, 11, 12-13llama 27loris 24-25lynx 29

MMmacaque 24macaw 14, 18mallard 15, 18mambas 13mammals 6-7, 10, 20-29mammary gland 7marmoset 24marsupial mole 21marsupials 20-21metamorphosis 8mice 8, 23migration 7, 14, 19mockingbird 18mole 21, 22-23mongoose 28-29monkey,

howler 24-25proboscis 25spider 25squirrel 25

monkeys 17, 24-25monotremes 20-21moose 27mudpuppy 9musk 28-29

NNnewts 8-9nightingale 19nightjar 18nocturnal 7, 18, 21,

22-25, 28numbat 20-21

OOokapi 27olm 9omnivores 7, 21, 24, 29opossums 20-21orang-utan 24-25ostrich 15, 16-17otter 29owls 18-19

PPpanda,

giant 28red 28-29

pangolin 22-23panther, black 28parrots 18passerines 18-19peccary 27penguin 16-17pigs 27pigeons 18-19pika 22-23pipit 19plastron 10-11platypus 21pleurodira 11plumage 15, 17, 18-19pocket gopher 23porcupine 23possum 20-21predator 6-7, 10, 26, 28-29preening 15prehensile tail 24-25prey 7, 28primates 24-25prosimians 24-25puma 29pythons 13

QQRRquill 14quoll 20-21rabbit 22-23raccoons 28-29rails 17rats 23ratites 17rattlesnake 13reindeer 27reptiles 7, 10-13rhea 17rhinoceroses 27rodents 18, 22-23roost 15ruminants 27

SSsalamander,

blue 9fire 8Japanese giant 8mole 9

salamanders 8-9sandgrouse 19scavenger 7, 21, 28sheep 26-27shrew 22-23simians 24-25siren 9skink 13skunk 29sloth 17, 22-23 slow worm 12snake,

blind 12coral 12garter 12milk 12sea 13shieldtail 13tree 12

snakes 6-8, 12-13, 18solenodon 23songbirds 18-19sparrow 19spiny anteater 20squirrels 23storks 17

sunbird 19swallow 19swan 17swift 19

TTtadpoles 8-9tapir 27tarsier 25Tasmanian devil 20-21thrushes 19tiger 7, 29tits 19toad,

fire-bellied 8midwife 8Surinam 8

toads 8-9tortoises 6, 10-11toucan 18-19trogon 19tuatara 11turtles 7, 10-11

UUVVungulates 26-27venom 13, 21, 23vertebrates 6-9, 14vicuña 27vipers 13vole 23vulture 14, 17

WWXXZZwallaby 20-21warblers 6, 19warthog 27waterfowl 16-17weasels 28-29wildebeest 26, 29wolf 29wombat 20-21woodpecker 15, 19wren 19xenarthrans 22-23zebra 26-27