Cats are the members of a special family which includes tigers, lions and leopards. Cats and the other members of the family are alike in many ways. Their bodies are adapted to hunt and kill. They owe their hunting expertise to their eyes, which are adapted to see in the dark. Their eyes open wide […]
The word ‘amphibian’ is a Greek word that means ‘double life’. Most amphibians live both on land and in water. They begin their life in water with gills and tails. As they grow, they develop lungs and legs for their life on land. The skin of amphibians has no hair or fur. Instead, their skin
Reptiles are cold-blooded animals that have dry skin covered with scales. Most of them spend their time on land; however, some are found living in or around water bodies. All reptiles have lungs, so even those living in water must come to the surface to breathe air. Most reptiles hatch from eggs. Most reptiles are
Newts are amphibians. An amphibian is an animal that is cold-blooded and lives both on land and in water. Frogs are also amphibians. Newts look a lot like frogs, but also like fish. Newts have legs for walking just like frogs, but they also have tails for swimming like fish. Newts are also mistaken for
Dolphins are water mammals. Most dolphins are small in size but belong to whale family. They have white bellies, black backs and their tails look like half moons. They live in large herds and like to follow ships. They feed on squids, crabs, cuttlefish and various types of fish. Dolphins communicate with one another in
A sea elephant is another name of an elephant seal. Sea elephants are called ‘elephants’ because of their inflatable snouts. There are two species of elephant seals: Northern elephant seals and Southern elephant seals. Northern elephant seals live in California and Baja California, preferring to stay in offshore islands. Southern elephant seals are found in
A kangaroo rat is a seed-eating rodent which hops like a kangaroo though it is not related with it. It has a large head, large fur-lined cheek pouches, big hind legs and small front legs. It has a long tail, longer than its body and head. Kangaroo rats live in arid areas that have soft
Snakes have special glands and teeth designed to inject venom into their prey. The venom is a fluid secreted by snakes through their fangs. It is highly modified saliva containing several enzymes that attack the nervous system, blood and other tissues of the prey. Some species spit venom which helps the snake to immobilize and
There are around 135 species of antelope across the world. A gazelle is a kind of an antelope. A gazelle has a graceful body with beautiful upward-sweeping horns of different shapes. They are mostly tan-coloured with a dark side stripe on their face. They move with great speed, hence the phrase ‘as swift as a
There are around 300 species of turtles across the world. Each species possesses different food habits. Turtles are mostly carnivores. The snapping turtles are strictly carnivorous; they feed on ducks, frogs and fish under water. Green sea turtles mostly feed on marine grass and algae. The box turtle, which is a water and land creature,
The first fish appeared around 500 million years ago. In that period, after that, jawless fish came into being. During the Devonian period around 400 million years ago, all the waters of our world had fish of many different types, hence this period is also known as the ‘Age of Fish’. The jawless fish gradually
Lice are blood-sucking creatures. A louse (Singular of lice) is a tiny wingless, parasitic insect with six legs that lives on the human scalp. Its food is human blood. There are over 1000 insects that are known as ‘Lice’, but in general the one that attacks humans is called a louse. A louse spends its
Vultures are very large birds of prey. They belong to the same order of birds as hawks, eagles and falcons. There are around 22 different species of vultures across the world. They are found in the tropics and subtropics. Vultures feed on dead animals. They fly gracefully and glide in the air. They have very
A goldfish is one of the oldest fish to be domesticated. It is also the most commonly kept fish in an aquarium. It is found in eastern Asia and is a small member of the ‘carp’ family. Around 960-1279 AD, during the reign of the Sung dynasty in China, the Chinese started breeding, ‘carp’. The
Sardines are small yellowish-green fish that belong to the herring family. These fish were first caught in huge quantities in Sardinia, hence the name ‘sardine’. Sardines are small, silvery, elongated fishes with a single short dorsal fin, no lateral line, and no scales on the head. They live in dense schools, migrating along the coast