My Science School

India began its two-year term as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council on January 1, 2021. What is the UNSC? If India is a non permanent member, who are its permanent members? Why has India been stepping up efforts for the reform of the Council? Let's see.

One of the organs of the UN

The UNSC is one of the six main organs of the United Nations. Its objective is to maintain international peace and security. The UNSC has 15 members, of which, five, China, France, Russia, U.K. and the U.S., are permanent members with veto power (power to withhold assent or reject any resolution). The rest are non-permanent members who are elected to serve a two-year term on the Council. The non-permanent members at present are Estonia, India, Ireland, Kenya, Mexico, Niger, Norway, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Tunisia, and Vietnam. As these members do not have veto rights, they are considered powerless. In other words, they cannot assert their view on any issue of international concern.

Empowered to make decisions

Unlike other organs of the UN which can only make recommendations, the Security Council has the power to make decisions, called resolutions, and impose them on member countries. Each member of the Council has one vote. The UNSC may meet whenever there is a threat to peace and security. It first met in January 1946, three months after the United Nations came into existence. Responsible for diplomatically resolving crises and conflicts around the world, the Council can also resort to imposing economic sanctions, travel bans, financial restrictions or authorise the use of force. It seeks to resolve disputes through mediation, special envoys or by sending a UN Mission. It supervises the work of the UN peacekeeping operations.

Criticism against the Council

Although it has been successful in addressing several global issues, it has been criticised for its lack of credibility. It has long been felt that the Security Council in its present form lacks legitimacy, is outdated (reflecting the power centres of 1945) and does not correspond with the changed global realities. It is often said that the Council requires comprehensive reforms to address contemporary challenges, better representation and a strong multilateralism that gives voice to all stakeholders. The exclusive right of the five permanent members of the Council to veto any proposed decision has long been a subject of controversy. Perceived as an undemocratic arrangement, this has been cited as the main reason for UN's inaction on crimes against humanity.

Quick facts

• India is serving its term as a non-permanent member of the powerful 15-nation UN body for the eighth time. It won 184 of the 192 votes cast in the elections in June 2020 for the five non-permanent seats of the UNSC. A member country requires a two-thirds majority of votes in the General Assembly to become a non permanent member. Besides India, Norway, Kenya, Ireland and Mexico were elected non permanent members in June.


• Counter-terrorism is stated to be India's priority during its membership. Besides, getting permanent membership is high on the country's agenda. India will chair the three crucial committees - Taliban and Libya sanctions committees and the Counter Terrorism Committee - of the UNSC during its tenure as a non-permanent member.


• India will be UNSC President in August 2021 and will preside over the Council again for a month in 2022. The presidency of the Council is held for a month by each of the members in turn, as per the alphabetical order of the names of the member countries.

 

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Over the years, GPS has played an important role in getting people to places at the touch of a button. But what is GPS and how is it connected to space?

What is it?

GPS or Global Positioning System is a system of navigation satellites circling Earth that helps people identify where they are and how they can get to some place. GPS is accessible to people as an independent device as well as through features on their smartphone.

How does it work?

The GPS system is made up of three parts - satellites, ground stations and receivers. Thirty-one navigation satellites orbiting Earth are tracked and monitored by ground stations located in different places in the world. These ground stations check if the satellites are where they are supposed to be in orbit so that the signal received from them are accurate.

The receiver, such as the one found on a smartphone or the GPS device in some cars, constantly listens to signals from the navigation satellites. Once it manages to calculate its distance from four or more satellites, the receiver knows exactly where it is placed.

This system can help users determine where they are within a few metres of their actual location. Based on the strength of the receiver, the location's accuracy increases. So, more advanced receivers can be accurate in determining location down to a few inches.

 

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Most of us might like snow and ice, but we must admit that it doesn't make transportation from one place to another easy when it fills up the roads. Do you know which kitchen ingredient helps those involved perform the task of clearing such roads?

De-icing trucks in places where the phenomenon is common spray rod salt on highways, streets and footpaths to melt the ice. Yes, you read that right. Road salt, which is in fact halite or rock salt, is the natural form of table salt. While table salt goes through a purification process, rock salt does not and hence retains impurities, giving it its gray-brown colour.

Freezing point depression

You know that ice forms when the temperature of water reaches 0 degrees Celsius and it is no different with the ice that forms on roads. Rock salt works because it lowers the freezing point of water by a process called freezing point depression.

A 10% salt solution freezes at 6 degrees Celsius and a 20% solution freezes at -16 degrees Celsius. Thus, even a small amount of salt significantly makes it more difficult for the water to freeze.

Brine solution

There is another point to be kept in mind during this process though. For freezing point depression to take place, there should be at least a little bit of water on the roads. It is for this reason that when there is a forecast of snow and ice, trucks pre-treat the roads with brine solution, which is a mixture of water and salt. The pre-treating ensures that a lot of ice isn't formed, which, in turn, implies that a lot of de-icing trucks will not be required.

The technique isn't without its flaws as well. Rock salt has its own limits in terms of the temperatures at which it works. There are also environmental concerns based on impurities that it holds, apart from the sodium and chlorine. These can latch on to the ground where it is sprayed and the groundwater below as well. Rock salt, however, remains the most popular, widely used and affordable de-icers available.

 

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By now, we are pretty aware of what viruses are capable of. It is time, now, to turn the spotlight on bacteria. Bacteria are microscopic organisms that exist in every environment, both inside and outside organisms. They live on our skin, in our guts and in our mouth. They live with us throughout our life. Bacteria has been on the planet for more than 3.5 billion years, making them the oldest known life-form on Earth. They support plant and animal life and are used in industrial and medicinal industries. While most serve a purpose, some are harmful. Bad bacteria can spoil your food and water, making them unsafe. But don't worry, of all the bacteria in the world, less than 1 % will make you sick.

Bacteria can live in extreme conditions and are capable of doing incredible things beneficial to humanity and the planet. Scientists have been uncovering fascinating abilities of bacteria. There are those that have the ability to generate biofuels, to purify water, to break down plastic, transform CO2 into proteins suitable for human consumption and those that can 'ea? CO2 and thereby reduce greenhouse gas effects. Now, scientists have shown how Geobacter bacteria could not only survive exposure to toxic cobalt but also coat themselves with the metal - like the Iron Man putting on the suit. Scientists believe that this superpower could open the door for Geobacter's application in environmental remediation, especially by removing toxic pollutants from the environment. In fact, Geobacter bacteria are capable of much more. Read on to know them.

What are Geobacter?

• Geobacter are a group of gram negative bacteria. They are rod-shaped and possess flagella and pili. Pili is a hair-like appendage found on the surface of many bacteria and archaea.


• They live in low-oxygen environments such as muddy soil, seabeds or along the banks of rivers.


• The first Geobacter species (Geobacter metallireducens) was isolated from the Potomac River, just downstream from Washington D.C. in 1987.


• Consequently, many species of Geobacter bacteria were discovered, with each having interesting properties.


• All Geobacter consume organic waste and give out electrons, generating electric current in the process.

Novel electron transfer capability

All creatures on Earth use electrons (yes, the negatively-charged particles) in a complex chain of chemical reactions to harness energy. Humans (and most other organisms) get the electrons from sugar in the food we eat and pass them onto the oxygen we breathe through our lungs. That flow of electrons is what powers our bodies. This chemical reaction may vary between organisms but they all have to find a source of electrons, and a place to dump them to complete the circuit.

Bacteria do not have lungs, nor do they 'breathe' in the sense we have come to understand. Geobacter bacteria get their electrons from organic matter. They pass these electrons to metals or minerals (instead of oxygen) in the environment, using protruding hair-like wires. For instance, Geobacter metallireducens, which has been studied extensively, get their electrons from organic compounds and pass them onto iron oxides. They also produce a small amount of electricity in the process using their nanowires.

Nanowires are special hair-like electrically conductive appendages that protrude from the cell's surface (They are different from pili). Made of proteins with metal-like conductivity, these wires are 10,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair! Because of these nanowires, Geobacter metallireducens can be attached to an electrode to produce an electric current. The nanowires conduct electricity and could potentially be used as a sustainable electronic material. In fact, scientists see a future of recycled energy, in which such microbes can be used to power devices such as smartphones using waste as their only food source.

Fight against toxic chemicals

• Geobacter bacteria were the first organisms found to oxidise organic compounds to carbon dioxide. They can convert the organic compounds in oil spills into carbon dioxide, or turn soluble radioactive metals such as plutonium and uranium into insoluble forms that are less likely to contaminate groundwater. This property makes these bacteria useful for cleaning up water and soil that are polluted with oil or dean up sites that are contaminated with radioactive metals.


• In a recent study, researchers made Geobacter sulfurreducens interact with cobalt, a valuable metal used in batteries for electric vehicles and alloys for spacecraft. But cobalt is highly toxic to livings things, including humans and most bacteria. The metal could penetrate the cells of living being and ultimately kill them. But Geobacter was able to escape that fate, and how!


• When exposed to cobalt, microscope images showed, the bugs shrouding themselves in the metal and continuing to thrive. The Geobacter bacteria coat themselves with the metal, without letting it penetrate their cells. "They formed cobalt nanoparticles on their surface. They metallize themselves and it's like a shield that protects them. It's like Iron Man when he puts on the suit," said the lead researcher.


• The researchers concluded that the bacteria could eventually be put to work extracting cobalt from discarded lithium-ion batteries for reuse, or to soak it up in the environment. The next steps in the research are to investigate if Geobacter could also soak up other toxic metals, in particular, cadmium.

 

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A box, room, or device (a darkened enclosure) that has a small hole (an aperture, maybe with a lens) through which light from external objects enters to produce an image on an opposite surface is called a camera obscura. Also referred to as pinhole camera at times, the basic optical principles of these have been known for a long time. While the earliest written observations can be dated back to over 2,000 years, the oldest known published drawing of a camera obscura is found in a 1545 book De Radio Astronomica et Geometrica.

The author of this book was a physician by the name Gemma Frisius. Apart from being a practising physician, he was also a mathematician, cartographer, philosopher, astronomer and instrument maker.

Teaches medicine and mathematics

Born Jemma Reinierzoon in Dokkum, Friesland, a town in modern Netherlands, in 1508, he lost his parents at a young age. While Gemma is a Latinised onomatopoeic version of his birth name, Frisius is the toponym for Friesland. Despite the fact that he was born into a poor family and was also orphaned early in his life, he not only earned a medical degree while studying at Leuven (a city in Belgium), but also stayed on to study mathematics and astronomy.

After he had obtained his MD degree in 1536, he practised medicine in the city for the rest of his life. He also remained in the faculty at Leuven’s University and as one of the leading theoretical mathematicians of the time, also taught mathematics.

Triangulation for surveying

Even before he got his MD degree, he had probably made one of his finest contributions. In 1533, Frisius described for the first time using triangulation for map-making. Even though the technique of triangulation (formation of or division into triangles) had been known since antiquity, it was Frisius who proposed to employ it for the purpose of surveying lands.

In this technique, one chooses a base line of known distance and from its endpoints the angles of sight to remote points are measured. Using basic trigonometry, the distance to this point from either endpoint can now be calculated. The two distances measured are then used as base lengths and the process is repeated until the entire area to be surveyed is broken down into a network of triangles. This method proposed by Frisius is still widely used for surveying.

Gemma’s rings

As a cartographer, Frisius built and improved a number of instruments. He had set up his workshop to produce globes and mathematical instruments while he was still a student and went on to create terrestrial and celestial globes that became famous.

He even designed astronomical instruments and one of them, astronomical rings, is also called as Gemma’s rings. Frisius is also credited with a method of determining differences of longitude by transporting an accurate clock or time-pieces.

As an astronomer, Frisius observed natural phenomena with gusto. It was during an annular solar eclipse, which took place on January 24, 1544, that Frisius utilised a camera obscura to study it.

He then described his method of using camera obscura to study the solar eclipse along with an illustration in his 1545 book De Radio Astronomica et Geometrica. This diagram is the first known picture of a camera obscura.

Frisius died in 1555, aged 46, at Leuven. By then, he had left his influence in a number of fields, some of which lasts even now, over 400 years later.

 

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On Wednesday, December 16, 2020, Bayern Munich came from behind to beat Wolfsburg 2-1 in the Bundesliga. Both goals were scored by Bayern's Polish striker Robert Lewandowski, who claimed FIFA's The Best prize for being the year’s top footballer the next day.

The two goals that Lewandowski scored were his 250th and 251st in Bundesliga. That makes him just the third footballer to notch up over 250 Bundesliga goals, and the first non German to achieve the milestone.

Gerd Muller

 

Goals scored: 365 Matches played: 427 Minutes played: 38,157 Minutes per goal: 105 Club(s) played for: Bayern Munich

Country: Germany

Gerd 'Der Bomber Muller broke innumerable records in his Bundesliga career with Bayern. His goals tally is almost a hundred more than his nearest rival. He finished as the top scorer at the end of a season a record five times in the 14 seasons he played. He also holds the record for most goals scored in a single Bundesliga season - 40 in 1971-72.

Klaus Fischer

Goals scored: 268

Matches played: 535

Minutes played: 46,252

Minutes per goal: 173

Club(s) played for: TSV 1860 Mu nich, FC Schalke 04, FC Koln, Vfl Bochum

Country: Germany

Klaus Fischer had a long

Bundesliga career, spending his 19 seasons with four different clubs and scoring goals for all of them. He is among a handful of players to have played more than 500 Bundesliga matches. Even though he scored more than 20 goals in a season six times, he finished as the top-scorer of the league only once in 1975-76.

Robert Lewandowski

Goals scored: 253

Matches played: 333

Minutes played: 26,661

Minutes per goal: 105

Club(s) played for: Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich

Country: Poland

Robert Lewandowski has moved from strength to strength in his Bundesliga career since he started out with Borussia Dortmund in 2010-11. Having moved to Bayern Munich in 2014-15, Lewandowski certainly has more records within his sight in the time to come. Lewandowski has been the highest scoring non-German in the competition for some time now and the Polish forward became the first non-German to go past the 250 Bundesliga goals mark.

After Maximilian Philipp volleyed home in the fifth minute to give Wolfsburg the lead, Lewandowski headed home (top most) the equaliser in first-half stoppage time. He scored the winner (above) five minutes into the second half, following a strong run. The two goals were

Lewandowski's 250th and 251st in Bundesliga, making him just the third to reach the landmark.

 

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JUST PUSH YOURSELF... (SUGGESTION - BROADEN YOUR HORIZON)

To learn a new skill or language or get started on a new hobby. When was the last time you tried doing something new? This is the right time to start doing things you always wanted to do. How about learning to swim? Or begin a new hobby such as quilling or creating scale models of cars using a new software? Allot time for your extracurricular activities and explore new avenues. How about learning Mandarin or creating your own jewellery? You will meet new people and make new friends. Your days will become more interesting and at the end of the year, you will realise you have accomplished something more than what you did last year.

SURPRISE, SURPRISE...

There is no joy like buying a suitable gift for your loved ones on their birthdays. But adding a personal touch to the gifts does make them really special. This year surprise them with a handmade greeting card with a handwritten letter expressing your thoughts, Think out of the box and put your art/craft skills to best use, Talking of letters, have you ever written a letter to your grandparents? You can't imagine how much it could mean to them. They will treasure your letter forever.

BEYOND TALL TALK

We talk a lot about keeping the area clean and green. But when it comes to action, we do little to actually protect our environment. You could take one step at a time. Identify a plant in your school and neighbourhood and start nurturing it. Water it every day and get the help of your elders to know how to take good care of it. Above all, experience the pleasure of seeing it grow. You could soon find yourself becoming a nature lover.

TIME MANAGEMENT

Are you someone who complains about having so much to do in so little time? School, music class, birthday party, hobby, sports, projects and Olympiad preparations...the list goes on. Make a to-do list first thing in the morning or before going to bed. Have an exclusive diary or a planner for this. List out everything you have to do or prepare for and stick to the schedule without fail. Down the line you may even have extra time at hand! This is a habit for a lifetime.

IT'S ALL IN THE FAMILY

Assignments, tests and school work would take up a major portion of your week once your school begins. Unwind and spend some time at least once a week with your family. How does family lunch or dinner sound? Or a picnic? Insist on your parents and your siblings setting aside time for this once a week. Update them on what's happening in school and ask them about their week too. Of course, make sure there are no interruptions keep your television off and all mobile phones on silent.

KNOW YOUR NEIGHBOURHOOD (SUGGESTION- HISTORY SPOTTING)

Historical buildings and monuments are hundreds of years old. They are wonderful places to learn about our past. Spend some time at a monument nearest to your school or home and you are sure to come back with an interesting story about how such a beautiful building was constructed so many years ago or about the people who built them. You might even meet some of them in your history textbook at some point! Think about why such buildings are not constructed anymore.

A LITERARY INTERLUDE

One of the best ways to get your hands on an interesting book is probably visiting your school or local library. Just walk down the aisle and pick a book that interests you. Chances are you might learn about a word that you have never heard of or read about a character that reminds you of your friend. It might even take you to a fascinating imaginary land. Want to take a break from all that reading? Perhaps you could write a story or a poem yourself!

ECO SENSITIVITY

Buy less, waste nothing and recycle more. What can be a better way to start that off than by finishing all the contents of your lunchbox? Switch on your power-saving mode at school and at home. Keep a hawk's eye on every unnecessary fan and light that is switched on. Open the windows and lighten your dustbins. Carry a bag when you leave home instead of bringing back a plastic bag from a shop. Find out about where all the waste that we throw away everyday goes. You'll definitely change your mind!

THE MORE THE MERRIER

You might often be clueless on how to pursue a particular activity or interest all alone. Instead form a group with people who share your interests and ideas. Start your own book club or musical band or drama group or painter's corner at school. Meet up after school hours, discuss what interests you, come up with a play or write a song or paint a thematic poster. A notice on your school board or an announcement in the assembly should help you get started.

V FOR VOLUNTEER

Do your weekends feel like a mundane repeat of your previous weekend and the weekend before that? Get out of the routine and try to engage yourself with a different activity where you can actually put your skills to use. You could volunteer at a local NGO or maybe tutor children from smaller classes with their studies. You could also try volunteering at the local library or help your teacher organise her class schedules or research work during this time.

 

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One of the questions we answer all our school classes is “Read the passage below and answer questions that follow.” This passage is often described as "unseen”.

That is not correct since sensor probably your teacher-has seen it right A more accurate way of describing it is familiar. Can you think of other more appropriate ways of labelling the passage?

Examining the unknown

Answering questions on a passage that you have not read before is an interesting activity

In the tense examination hall, reading a passage gives you a breather. It helps you concentrate, and if you are a regular reader, it gives you a few moments of enjoyment. And if the passage is well-chosen, say, it is a story or about a fun subject it can help you de-stress and make the writing task lighter. Do you enjoy reading these unfamiliar passages?

But then, there is the end task of writing the answers. This is no big Heal since you have the text in front of you!

Still sometimes the questions can be tricky or finding the answer may take time.

First, read

Some students prefer to read the questions before reading the passage. Fine. But a better method would be to read the passage quickly first. This is for a "global" understanding of the passage.

What is it about? Is it just about facts (for example, the description of a city) or about opinions? (for instance, 'digital technology has made us happy people'). What is the main argument in the passage?

Then, read again

Read it a second time. This is called "local" reading. This time absorb the facts and arguments. Where do you find them – in the first, - second or the third paragraph? What are the main points made by the author?

Which are the "yes" statements and which say "no"? (Yes: When the country develops we need more electricity to run our businesses and industries. No: We cannot build power plants endlessly without endangering lives and damaging the environment. Instead we should reduce our power needs and save power for essential services.)

Peruse the questions

Read the questions at the end of the passage carefully. What is asked? Often the options in multiple-choice answers resemble one another. Read carefully, sometimes just a word can make a difference in the answer.

Stay aware!

Watch out for questions like, "Which of the following is opposite to the ideas presented by the author?" OR "Which of these will make climate change worse?" [a] A [b] B & C] [c] All of the above [d] None of the above. Here, the answer will be [a], [b], [C] or [d]. Not A, B, C, D. To find the right answer, read the passage quickly to absorb what is said.

Understanding is key

Sometimes vocabulary questions ask you to find the meaning of the word as used in the passage. Make sure you understand how the word is used in the passage. For example, The company pushed its goods through aggressive marketing. "Pushed" here means "promoted."

Stick to facts

Remember, the questions should be answered with the information in the passage. Your opinion does not count. So stick to what the author says.

 

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Animal Partners

Hungry crocodiles usually try to eat birds that come near them. But one kind of bird can walk among crocodiles safely. In fact, this bird can lay its eggs in crocodile nests!

A bird called the water dikkop eats insects that disturb crocodiles. The bird gets an easy meal and the crocodile becomes more comfortable. So the birds are really helping the crocodiles. Maybe that’s why the crocodiles don’t harm them.

Little fish called wrasses help many other bigger fish. Tiny worms often fasten themselves to a fish and make sores on its body. When this happens, the fish goes to a coral reef where a wrasse lives. The little wrasse hunts all over the fish’s body and eats the worms.

A European fish called a bitterling teams up with certain freshwater clams. The female bitterling lays her eggs in the clam. When the baby fish leave the shell, clam larvae are buried in their skin. After the clam larvae have grown a bit, they leave the fish and sink to the bottom of the pond or river. The clam provides a safe place for the fish to lay its eggs, and the fish helps spread baby clams along the pond bottom.

The water dikkop, the wrasse, and the bitterling all get something from the animals they help. Some get food as a reward for getting rid of annoying pests. Others help each other reproduce.

Warning!

Have you ever wondered what animals is “saying” when they tweet, squeak, mew, or bark?

Sometimes, animals make sounds to find a mate. But other sounds are calls for help or cries of danger. A dolphin that is hurt makes a high whistling noise to get the attention of other dolphins. The other dolphins use their backs and flippers to keep the injured dolphin near the top of the water so it can breathe.

Some animals “talk” without using any sounds. Deer and many other animals mark their territory by rubbing a special scent on trees or bushes. Glands in the faces of some male deer give off a scent that warns other males to stay away.

Other animals communicate by changing their body positions. Whenever two wolves in the same family meet, they use their bodies to show which wolf has a higher rank, or position. The high-ranking wolf stands straight, holds its tail high, and points its ears forwards. A low-ranking wolf crouches, holds its tail between its legs, and flattens its ears.

Song and Dance

Have you ever seen fireflies flashing on a summer night? If so, you’ve seen male fireflies looking for mates. The male firefly flashes his light to attract a female. Animals use all sorts of things—light, colourful feathers, and even food—to attract mates.

The male satin bowerbird of Australia builds a kind of house out of grass and twigs. It decorates the house with bright stones, flowers, and seeds. When a female comes near, the male spreads its wings and “dances”.

Other animals make “songs” to attract mates. Crickets and grasshoppers make a loud sound by rubbing their wings together, or by scraping a leg against a wing. Many frogs and toads blow up a large sac under their chin. This makes their croaking sound extra loud.

Some animals use “perfume” to attract a mate. Female silkworm moths release sweet-scented chemicals to attract males. For some females, food is a gift of love. A male tern catches a fish and offers it to the female. Male nursery-web spiders present the female with a captured fly before mating.

Safety in Numbers

A herd of baboons hunts for food at the edge of a grassy plain in Africa. Each baboon is looking and listening every second. There might be a lion creeping through the grass towards the herd!

If a baboon saw or heard something, it would give a loud grunt. Baboon grunts sound almost like someone yelling “Hah!” Then all the baboons would hurry to climb trees. Because of one baboon’s warning, all the baboons would be safe.

Some animals live together in herds. They are safer that way. An animal by itself may not see or hear the enemy that creeps towards it. But if there are many animals watching, there are many more chances that one animal will see or smell danger and warn the others.

Herds of baboons, zebras, antelopes, and deer run when they sense danger. But sometimes a whole herd of animals will fight an enemy.

Sometimes the safest place to be is in a herd. There is safety in numbers!

Animal Pretenders

Sometimes, in the world of animals, it’s eat or be eaten. To stay safe from predators, some animals hide in clever ways or pretend to be something else.

It’s hard to see a green grasshopper on a leaf, a striped tiger in tall grass, or a brown lizard on the bark of a tree. Their colour makes them hard to see in their habitats. Some insects are also experts at hide-and-seek. Their bodies are shaped like leaves or twigs, or even like bird droppings. These ways of blending into the background are called camouflage. It makes the animals hard to find, so they are safe from predators.

Other animals are actors they trick predators into leaving them alone. When the Australian frilled lizard is frightened, it unfolds a big flap of skin around its neck and opens its mouth wide. The small, harmless lizard suddenly looks big and dangerous. The opossum and the eastern hognose snake lie on their back and “play dead” when they feel threatened.

How well some animals can hide or act often decides whether they will be able to look for food or become food themselves!

Animal Armour

If you saw a pangolin you might say it looked like a pine cone with legs and a long tail.

A pangolin is one of the animals that is protected by armour. It’s covered with scales like those on pine cone, only bigger. When a pangolin is frightened, it rolls itself into ball. Then it tucks its head between its legs and covers its stomach with its tail. Its sharp-edged scales stick up. Not even a tiger would dare to bite through it.

The armadillo is another animal in armour. An armadillo is born with soft skin. But as it grows, its skin becomes covered with small, flat pieces of bone. This bony armour covers much of the armadillo’s body. The armadillo protects itself by rolling up into a hard, bony ball that even a wolf finds hard to bite.

Porcupines, hedgehogs, porcupine fish, and sea urchins wear a sort of armour, too. Their bodies are covered with sharp spines that keep other animals from biting them. These animals can’t run fast or fight well. But wearing armour helps they stay alive.

Amazing Animals

Do you know of a mammal that lays eggs? A bright blue lizard with stubby legs? Or a fish that can walk on land? There are millions of different animals, and some are truly fantastic.

The platypus and the echidna are mammals that seem to be part bird. The platypus looks like it has the body of a beaver and the bill and feet of a duck. The echidna looks like a porcupine with a pointy snout. Female platypuses and echidnas feed their young with milk, like all mammal females, but they also lay eggs, like all female birds.

The bright blue lizard called an ajolote looks like a worm with legs. It uses its two tiny front legs to crawl and dig holes.

The walking fish will drown if it stays underwater too long. It has to come to the top of the water to gulp air. Sometimes it even crawls out of the water. It pulls itself along with its fins.