My Science School

There’s no place like home, and animals are amazing architects. They are creative builders, making all kinds of different houses in which to live or have their young. Safety, shelter, and warmth are all important features of a home, whether high up in the treetops or down on the ground. Nature provides many materials, such as grass, branches, and mud, for animals to build their houses.

Den

Many animals live in dens, including foxes, bears, bobcats and raccoons. Animals that are found in woodlands are likely to live in dens. Some animals use dens only for nesting and rearing young, while others make dens more permanent homes.

Black bears give birth and sleep in their dens. Although they sleep in the dens during the winter months, they are not considered true hibernators and may wake occasionally. A black bear's den can be anything from a cave to a hollow tree or large pile of brush. An example of an animal that uses a more permanent den is the beaver. The well-recognized lodges made in streams out of pieces of wood and muds are dens with underwater entrances.

Web

Some animals make their own materials. Spiders have a special silk-spinning organ in the rear of their body called a spinneret. They weave silk into intricate webs, which are used to trap prey. Female house spiders lay about 250 eggs in a silken sac that is brownish in color and round in shape. There may be more than one sac in the web at a time. A female house spider may produce up to 17 sacs, containing a total of more than 3,760 eggs, in her lifetime. The eggs hatch in about 7-10 days. Adults may live for a year or more.

Lodge

Busy beavers choose watery locations to build a lodge because they are excellent swimmers. Mud and branches are used to make a safe structure with entrances underwater to prevent predators entering. Beavers are known for their natural trait of building dams on rivers and streams, and building their homes in the resulting pond. Beavers also build canals to float building materials that are difficult to haul over land. They use powerful front teeth to cut trees and other plants that they use both for building and for food. In the absence of existing ponds, beavers must construct dams before building their lodges. First they place vertical poles, and then fill between the poles with a crisscross of horizontally placed branches. They fill in the gaps between the branches with a combination of weeds and mud until the dam impounds sufficient water to surround the lodge.

Sett

Badgers dig deep to construct networks of underground chambers and tunnels. These shy creatures merge from their sett at night to feed. Badger colonies often use several setts: a large main sett in the center of a colony's territory and occupied by most of a colony's members—and one or more smaller outlier setts. Outlier setts may have only two or three entrances and may be used by a small number of colony members when nearby food sources are in season or in autumn when the main sett is crowded with the year's young.

Badgers typically retreat to their setts at daybreak and come out at dusk. In cold regions, setts are dug below the level at which the ground freezes, and all members of the clan sleep in the same chamber, possibly to share body heat.

Sometimes setts or parts of setts that are not being used by badgers are occupied by rabbits or foxes.

Drey

What looks like a tangle of sticks in a tree may be a squirrel’s home. Dreys are built with leaves, twigs, and moss. Winter dreys are bigger and thicker to keep the squirrels extra warm. Male and female squirrels may share the same nest for short times during a breeding season, and during cold winter spells squirrels may share a drey to stay warm. However, females nest alone when pregnant. In North America, squirrels produce broods of about three "pups" twice a year. (After leaving the drey, a young squirrel is termed a "juvenile" for its first year of life.) The June broods are sometimes born in dreys, but January broods are usually born and raised in tree cavities, which are much safer. Drey broods are about 40% less likely to survive than tree cavity broods, so long as the cavity entrance hole is no wider than about four inches, which can keep out hungry raccoons.

Nest

Not only birds make nests. Wasps build nests using paper they make by chewing on wood and plants. These strong structures are ideal places to lay eggs and rear young.

Many nest builders provide parental care to their young, while others simply lay their eggs and leave. Brooding (incubating eggs by sitting on them) is common among birds. In general, nest complexity increases in relation to the level of parental care provided. Nest building reinforces social behavior, allowing for larger populations in small spaces to the point of increasing the carrying capacity of an environment. Insects that exhibit the most complex nest building also exhibit the greatest social structure. Among mammals, the naked mole-rat displays a caste structure similar to the social insects while building extensive burrows that house hundreds of individuals.

Mound

Tiny termites use teamwork to build mighty mounds, reaching 10 m (33 ft) high! They are made from termite saliva and dung mixed with soil. Holes in the walls let air enter and cool the mound.

A city of termites requires a lot of food, and the mound has many storage chambers for wood, the insect’s primary food source. Termites also cultivate fungal gardens, located inside the main nest area. Termites eat this fungus which helps them extract nutrients from the wood they consume. Maintaining the fungal gardens takes precise temperature control, and the remarkable architecture of the mound keeps the temperature almost constant.

 

The queen and king reside in the royal chamber. The queen’s sole purpose is to produce new termites to help build and protect the nest. Incredibly, the queen can produce thousands of eggs a day and live for up to 45 years, during which time she will grow to the point where she is unable to move. Workers carry her eggs to a special nursery where they are fed on compost until they turn into adults.

Shell

Imagine carrying your home on your back! Hermit crabs use empty seashells to live inside. When the shell gets too small for the growing crab, it finds a bigger one.

Seashells are commonly found in beach drift, which is natural detritus deposited along strandlines on beaches by the waves and the tides. Shells are very often washed up onto a beach empty and clean, the animal having already died.

Empty seashells are often picked up by beachcombers. However, the majority of seashells which are offered for sale commercially have been collected alive (often in bulk) and then killed and cleaned, specifically for the commercial trade. This type of large-scale exploitation can sometimes have a strong negative impact on local ecosystems, and sometimes can significantly reduce the distribution of rare species.

 

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Tropical fish are generally those fish found in aquatic tropical environments around the world, including both freshwater and saltwater species. Fish keeper soften keeps tropical fish in freshwater and saltwater aquariums. The term "tropical fish" is not a taxonomic group, but rather is a general term for fish found in such environments, particularly those kept in aquariums.

Tropical fish is a term commonly used to refer to fish that is kept in heated aquariums. Freshwater tropical fish are more commonly kept than saltwater tropical fish due to the common availability of fresh water sources, such as tap water, whereas salt water is not commonly available and has to be recreated by using fresh water with sea salt additions. Salt water has to be monitored to maintain the correct salinity because of the effects of evaporation. Freshwater tropical aquariums can be maintained by simply topping up with fresh water. Tropical fish are popular choices for aquariums due to their often bright coloration, which typically derives from both pigmented cells and iridescent cells. Tropical fish may include wild-caught specimens, individuals born in captivity including lines selectively bred for special physical features, such as long fins, or particular colorations, such as albino. Some fish may be hybrids of more than one species.

Many different types of colourful tropical fish live in warm seas, often around coral reefs. The reefs offer a place to live, hide, and search for food.

 

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The arctic hare lives in the harsh environment of the North American tundra. These hares do not hibernate, but survive the dangerous cold with a number of behavioral and physiological adaptations. They sport thick fur and enjoy a low surface area to volume ratio that conserves body heat, most evident in their shortened ears. These hares sometimes dig shelters in snow and huddle together to share warmth.

The habitat of the Arctic hare is generally restricted to treeless areas, north of the tree line in the tundra of Nunavut and the Northwest Territories, and in the treeless barrens in the mountains of Newfoundland and Labrador. Hares survive best in areas without deep snow cover. Vegetation in the form of willows, shrubs, flowering plants and grasses is a requirement. Hares seem to prefer drier areas, avoiding wet meadows on the tundra. 

Food can be scarce in the Arctic, but the hares survive by eating woody plants, mosses, and lichens which they may dig through the snow to find in winter. In other seasons they eat buds, berries, leaves, roots, and bark.

 

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The Sidewinder is a venomous pit viper snake species found in the desertic regions of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. In the US they are found in desert regions of eastern California, southwestern Utah, southern Nevada, and western Arizona, and in Mexico, it's found in western Sonora and eastern Baja California.

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They belong to the genus Crotalus, that of rattlesnakes and 3 subspecies are currently recognized by scientists. They are also known by other common names like the horned rattlesnake, sidewinder rattlesnake or sidewinder rattler. 



The sidewinder inhabits mostly with wind-blown sands, particularly where sand hummocks are topped with vegetation. But they are also found in areas with open terrain which enables their side winding locomotion like open flats, hardpan, and rocky hillsides, and other arid areas usually with creosote bush growth.



Their most common name, sidewinder, comes from the snake's unusual form of locomotion, which enhances traction and makes possible its movement on loose windblown desert sand. 



However this peculiar locomotion is used by the sidewinder on any substrate and as the snake progresses over the loose sand it leaves a J-shaped impression, with the tip pointing in the direction of travel. 



This is a small rattlesnake species, on average adult specimen’s measures between 17 and 30 inches (43 to 76 cm) in length, males are smaller than the females, which is unusual for this type of snakes. 

 

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The blue wildebeest is a member of the antelope family, although its heavy build and disproportionately large forequarters make it look more bovine. Blue wildebeests can reach 8 feet in length, stand 4.5 feet tall at the shoulders and weigh up to 600 pounds. Both males and females grow horns.

Their habitat comprises the grassy plains and open woodlands of central, southern, and eastern Africa, particularly the Serengeti in Tanzania and Kenya. They travel in large herds and are active day and night, grazing constantly.

Their spectacular northward migration in search of greener pastures is dictated by weather patterns, but usually takes place in May or June. It is considered one of the greatest wildlife spectacles on Earth, involving up to 1.5 million wildebeests as well as hundreds of thousands of other animals, including zebra and gazelle.

 

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Brown bears can be found in many habitats, from the fringes of deserts to high mountain forests and ice fields. In Europe, the brown bear is mostly found in mountain woodlands, in Siberia it occurs primarily in forests while in North America they prefer tundra, alpine meadows and coastlines. The species' main requirements are areas with dense cover in which they can shelter by day.

Although mostly solitary, bears sometimes aggregate in large numbers at important food sources and form family foraging groups. In these cases, a dominance hierarchy involving aggression is established. While it is large adult males that are the highest-ranking, the most aggressive individuals are females that have young. The latter two are also the only ones that form social bonds. 

Brown bears are omnivorous, and their diet varies with the season - from grass and shoots in the spring to berries and apples in the summer, nuts and plums in autumn. All year round they eat roots, insects, mammals (including moose and elk in the Canadian Rockies), reptiles, and of course, honey. In Alaska, grizzlies feed on salmon during the summer.

 

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Golden Eagles are one of the largest birds in North America. The wings are broad like a Red-tailed Hawk's, but longer. At distance, the head is relatively small and the tail is long, projecting farther behind than the head sticks out in front.

Adult Golden Eagles are dark brown with a golden sheen on the back of the head and neck. For their first several years of life, young birds have neatly defined white patches at the base of the tail and in the wings.

Usually found alone or in pairs, Golden Eagles typically soar or glide with wings lifted into a slight “V” and the wingtip feathers spread like fingers. They capture prey on or near the ground, locating it by soaring, flying low over the ground, or hunting from a perch.

Golden Eagles favor partially or completely open country, especially around mountains, hills, and cliffs. They use a variety of habitats ranging from arctic to desert, including tundra, shrub lands, grasslands, coniferous forests, farmland, and areas along rivers and streams. Found mostly in the western half of the U.S., they are rare in eastern states.

 

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From baking hot deserts to snow capped mountains, the world is made up of many different habitats. Animals live in the habitat where they are best-suited to the temperature, weather, and food that is found there. Many different types of animal and plant live side by side in most habitats.

Mountain

The snowy peaks and lower slopes of cold mountains are home to a few tough animals. Any land that measures more than 600 m (2,000 ft) in height is called a mountain.

Some mountains form when the big slabs of rock—called tectonic plates—that make up the Earth’s crust crash into each other. Over millions of years, the sheets of rock push up and over one another, creating the mountain. Others form when vents in the Earth’s surface erupt and spew lava out onto the ground. The lava piles up and cools. Over millions of years, the many layers of hard lava become a mountain.

Forest

Forests are essential for life on earth. Three hundred million people worldwide live in forests and 1.6 billion depend on them for their livelihoods. Forests also provide habitat for a vast array of plants and animals, many of which are still undiscovered. They protect our watersheds. They inspire wonder and provide places for recreation. They supply the oxygen we need to survive. They provide the timber for products we use every day.

More animals live in forests than any other habitat on land. The three main forest types are steamy rainforests, cooler temperate rainforests, and cold coniferous forests.

Grassland

Grassland habitats can be found in many places around the world, and in a variety of climates. They are sometimes called other names, such as prairies, savannahs, steppes or pampas, depending on where in the world they are and the sort of climate there. Animals have adapted to the fact that grasslands don’t have many places to hide from predators by making homes in the ground, or by being tall enough to see over high grasses and shrubs.

Hot grasslands that have a rainy season and a dry season are called tropical grasslands. Temperate grasslands have some rain all year, and both hot and cold seasons.

Desert

One of the world’s most difficult habitats to live in the desert, because less than 25 cm (10 in) of rain falls in a year. Temperatures are high in the day and very cold at night. Some deserts are always cold—in fact the biggest desert in the world is Antarctica! Even though it’s covered in snow and ice, it rarely rains or snows in Antarctica, which makes it a desert. Desert animals also have adaptations that help them survive without much water. Kangaroo rats in the Sonoran Desert get water from the seeds they eat. Some carnivores, such as desert foxes, get enough liquid from their prey.

Polar

Polar habitats cover the top and bottom of planet Earth at the North and South Poles. The North Pole is surrounded by the Arctic Ocean. There isn’t any land here, just a group of continually shifting ice sheets. Parts of Canada and Greenland are near the North Pole. The South Pole is located on Antarctica. This area has land, but it’s completely covered with a layer of ice that’s almost three miles thick in some places.

The polar regions of the Arctic and Antarctic are frozen worlds of floating ice caps and howling winds. These extreme places are empty lands with few plants or animals.

Ocean

Oceans are areas of salty water that fill enormous basins on the Earth’s surface. Even though Earth has one continuous body of saltwater, scientists and geographers divide it into five different sections. From biggest to smallest, they are the Pacific, the Atlantic, the Indian, the Antarctic (sometimes called the Southern), and the Arctic Oceans.

Oceans are deep as well as wide. On average an ocean is a little over two miles deep. But about 200 miles southwest of Guam in the Pacific Ocean, the water in the Mariana Trench is almost seven miles deep. That’s the deepest part of the ocean.

The world’s oceans make up two-thirds of our planet’s surface. Scientists think that this huge habitat is home to millions of different types of animal that have yet to be discovered.

Microhabitats

A microhabitat is a habitat on a miniature scale. It can be as tiny as the space under a stone. The smallest difference in temperature or the amount of moisture will make a microhabitat more attractive to one type of animal than another. A seaside rock pool is an example of a microhabitat and is home to lots of living things.

 

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A habitat is the place where an animal or plant can find what it needs to live, including food, water, and shelter. There are all sorts of different habitats around the world. One of the most important habitats is tropical rainforest, because so many different types of animal and plant live in it. Tropical rainforest is mostly found in South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia. Habitats change over time. This may be due to a violent event such as the eruption of a volcano, an earthquake, a tsunami, a wildfire or a change in oceanic currents; or the change may be more gradual over millennia with alterations in the climate, as ice sheets and glaciers advance and retreat, and as different weather patterns bring changes of precipitation and solar radiation. Other changes come as a direct result of human activities; deforestation, the plowing of ancient grasslands, the diversion and damming of rivers, the draining of marshland and the dredging of the seabed. The introduction of alien species can have a devastating effect on native wildlife, through increased predation, through competition for resources or through the introduction of pests and diseases to which the native species have no immunity.

Food

Animals need food to live and grow. All habitats contain plants, which make food from sunlight. Animals either eat plants or other animals, or both plants and animals.

Water

All living things need water. Rain and snow can both be sources of fresh water. In places with little water, the water inside food can help animals survive.

Shelter

Depending on the type of habitat, a shelter can be a tree, burrow, nest, or rock. Animals seek shelter to hide from predators and escape extreme heat or cold.

Orangutans

The rainforests of Borneo and Sumatra in Southeast Asia are the only places where orangutans live. They eat fruit, leaves, and flowers, and drink from rain-soaked leaves. They also build nests in the trees to sleep in.

Rainforest dwellers

Rainforests are bursting with life. The warm, wet weather is perfect for plants, which means plenty of food for animals. Birds nest in the treetops, monkeys swing from the branches, and big predators, such as leopards, stalk the forest floor.

Giant rainforest mantis

One of Australia’s largest mantises, this fierce insect has a big appetite. It feasts on other insects such as butterflies and dragonflies.

Monkey-tailed skink

A skilled climber, the monkey-tailed skink lives in the Solomon Islands, near Australia. It feeds on fruit and leaves, using its flexible tail to cling to branches.

 

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There are more insects on earth than any other group of animals. Over one million different species have been found so far, but there may be as many as 10 million! Their small size and their ability to fly means that insects are found in a wide range of habitats around the world.

Insect body parts

The body of an insect is divides into three parts. The head houses the brain and supports the eyes, feelers, and mouthparts. All insects have six legs on the thorax and many have wings. The abdomen contains the organs for digestion and reproduction.

Common wasp

This insect buzzes around hunting for food. Its black and yellow stripes are a warning that it has a painful sting. In late spring, large wasps can be seen. These are queens who are looking for suitable nest sites. These can be deserted mammal holes, cracks in walls or holes in trees. The nests are made from chewed up wood and wasp saliva which creates a paper-like material. Wasps have a sting to allow them to capture and immobilise their prey (such as aphids, caterpillars, flies and spiders). They may also sting to defend their nest.

Wings

Most wasps have two pairs of wings--one pair of larger front wings and one pair of smaller hind wings. Most female wasps have a stinger that contains venom. As opposed to bees, most wasps do not have much hair on their bodies. Some wasps can land on water and nest near bodies of water, though most are terrestrial. Some wasps are completely black and some, including hornets and the common yellowjacket, have yellow stripes.

Feelers

All insects have two feelers, or antennae, which they use to touch, smell, and taste their surroundings. Antennae are sometimes modified for other purposes, such as mating, brooding, swimming, and even anchoring the arthropod to a substrate. Larval arthropods have antennae that differ from those of the adult. Many crustaceans, for example, have free-swimming larvae that use their antennae for swimming. Antennae can also locate other group members if the insect lives in a group, like the ant. The common ancestor of all arthropods likely had one pair of uniramous (unbranched) antenna-like structures, followed by one or more pairs of biramous (having two major branches) leg-like structures, as seen in some modern crustaceans and fossil trilobites. Except for the chelicerates and proturans, which have none, all non-crustacean arthropods have a single pair of antennae

Eyes

Their two large compound eyes, which have thousands of tiny lenses, mean that insects are excellent at spotting something moving. In addition to their large compound eyes, wasps have several simple eyes known as ocelli, which are typically arranged in a triangle just forward of the vertex of the head. Wasps possess mandibles adapted for biting and cutting, like those of many other insects, such as grasshoppers, but their other mouthparts are formed into a suctorial proboscis, which enables them to drink nectar.

Legs

Insects have three pairs of jointed legs, which they use for walking and gripping. Some insects are also good jumpers.

Mouthparts

Most insects have biting jaws, or mandibles. Behind the jaws are straw-like tubes, which they use to suck up liquid food, such as nectar.

Useful insects

Although some insects are pests, they are important to a lot of living things, particularly flowering plants. They are the main source of food for many animals, and humans find some insects useful, too.

Silk moths

Silkworms spin a silk cocoon around themselves when they are ready to change into the adult moth. People have used this silk to make cloth for more than 5,000 years.

An adult silkworm has a wingspan of 40 to 50 mm (about 2 inches) and has a thick bristly body (the adult female is larger than the adult male). It typically is blond to light brown in colour, with thin dark bands running across the body. The wings are cream-coloured and have dark veins extending out to the margins. Mouthparts in adults are reduced or absent, so in their brief adulthood of two or three days, they do not eat. They cannot fly, either. Males, however, perform a flutter dance, a mating ritual induced by females’ secretion of a pheromone known as bombykol. Females lay about 300 to 500 eggs, which hatch within roughly 7 to 14 days when kept at temperatures of 24 to 29 °C (about 75 to 85 °F).

Bees

Bees are flying insects closely related to wasps and ants, known for their role in pollination and, in the case of the best-known bee species, the western honey bee, for producing honey and beeswax. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the super family Apoidea and are presently considered a clade, called Anthophila. There are over 16,000 known species of bees in seven recognized biological families. They are found on every continent except Antarctica, in every habitat on the planet that contains insect-pollinated flowering plants.

Some species including honey bees, bumblebees, and stingless bees live socially in colonies. Bees are adapted for feeding on nectar and pollen, the former primarily as an energy source and the latter primarily for protein and other nutrients. Most pollen is used as food for larvae. Bee pollination is important both ecologically and commercially. The decline in wild bees has increased the value of pollination by commercially managed hives of honey bees.

Edible insects

Insects as food or edible insects are insect species used for human consumption, e.g., whole or as an ingredient in processed food products such as burger patties, pasta, or snacks. The cultural and biological process of eating insects (by humans as well as animals) is described as entomophagy. Insects are high in protein and 27 per cent of people in the world eat them. Crunchy crickets are a popular snack.

 

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Animals with no backbone are called invertebrates. They are by far the largest group of animals, making up most of the life on Earth. Instead of a bony skeleton, their bodies use other substances for support or protection, such as fluid or shell.

Arachnids

The class Arachnida includes a diverse group of arthropods: spiders, scorpions, ticks, mites, harvestmen, and their cousins. Scientists describe over 100,000 species of arachnids. In North America alone, there are about 8,000 arachnid species. The name Arachnida derives from the Greek aráchn?, which means spider. The vast majority of arachnids are spiders.

Most arachnids are carnivorous, typically preying on insects, and terrestrial, living on land. Their mouthparts often have narrow openings, which restricts them to eating liquefied prey. Arachnids provide an important service, keeping insect populations under control. 

Although technically the word arachnophobia refers to a fear of arachnids, this term is widely used to describe a fear of spiders.

Molluscs

Molluscs have a wide range of body types, but they all have a protective shell. Most molluscs are water-loving creatures, but quite a few are land-based, such as some slugs and snails.

Most molluscs have only one pair of gills, or even only a singular gill. Generally, the gills are rather like feathers in shape, although some species have gills with filaments on only one side. They divide the mantle cavity so water enters near the bottom and exits near the top. Their filaments have three kinds of cilia, one of which drives the water current through the mantle cavity, while the other two help to keep the gills clean. If the osphradia detect noxious chemicals or possibly sediment entering the mantle cavity, the gills' cilia may stop beating until the unwelcome intrusions have ceased. Each gill has an incoming blood vessel connected to the hemocoel and an outgoing one to the heart.

Insects

These small creatures have three pairs of legs and a body divided into three parts. They use two feelers on their head to touch, smell and taste. Many insects also have wings. Adult insects typically move about by walking, flying, or sometimes swimming. As it allows for rapid yet stable movement, many insects adopt a tripedal gait in which they walk with their legs touching the ground in alternating triangles, composed of the front & rear on one side with the middle on the other side. Insects are the only invertebrates to have evolved flight, and all flying insects derive from one common ancestor. Many insects spend at least part of their lives under water, with larval adaptations that include gills, and some adult insects are aquatic and have adaptations for swimming. Some species, such as water striders, are capable of walking on the surface of water. Insects are mostly solitary, but some, such as certain bees, ants and termites, are social and live in large, well-organized colonies. Some insects, such as earwigs, show maternal care, guarding their eggs and young. Insects can communicate with each other in a variety of ways. Male moths can sense the pheromones of female moths over great distances. Other species communicate with sounds: crickets stridulate, or rub their wings together, to attract a mate and repel other males. Lampyrid beetles communicate with light.

Jellyfish

Jellyfish have drifted along on ocean currents for millions of years, even before dinosaurs lived on the Earth. The jellylike creatures pulse along on ocean currents and are abundant in cold and warm ocean water, in deep water, and along coastlines. But despite their name, jellyfish aren't actually fish—they're invertebrates, or animals with no backbones.

Jellyfish have tiny stinging cells in their tentacles to stun or paralyze their prey before they eat them. Inside their bell-shaped body is an opening that is its mouth. They eat and discard waste from this opening.

As jellyfish squirt water from their mouths they are propelled forward. Tentacles hang down from the smooth baglike body and sting their prey.

Jellyfish stings can be painful to humans and sometimes very dangerous. But jellyfish don't purposely attack humans. Most stings occur when people accidentally touch a jellyfish, but if the sting is from a dangerous species, it can be deadly. Jellyfish digest their food very quickly. They wouldn't be able to float if they had to carry a large, undigested meal around.

Crustaceans

Crustaceans are a very diverse group of invertebrate animals which includes active animals such as the crabs, lobsters, shrimp, krill, copepods, amphipods and more sessile creatures like barnacles.

Crustaceans are some of the most important marine life to humans - crabs, lobsters and shrimp are widely fished and consumed around the world. They may also be used in other ways - crustaceans like land hermit crabs may also be used as pets, and marine crustaceans may be used in aquariums.

In addition, crustaceans are very important to other marine life, with krill, shrimp, crabs and other crustaceans serving as prey for marine animals such as whales, pinnipeds, and fish.

Starfish and sea urchins

Starfish are among the principal predators of the intertidal zone. Although several species are found locally, almost all that are seen in the Bartlett Cove area are the five armed mottled starfish, Evasterias. Starfish are echinoderms, related to sea urchins and sea cucumbers. When exposed at low tide a starfish will be inactive, but if it is picked up and turned over, it is frequently possible to see what it has been eating. A starfish feeds on such animals as mussels and snails by everting its stomach or turning it inside out, through its mouth and into the shell of the prey. Digestion takes place outside the starfish’s body.

Sea urchins are sometimes exposed at very low tides in Bartlett Cove. During such tides large numbers of urchins can be seen in the lagoon channel just below the low tide line where they dominate large areas. Sea urchins, relatives of the starfish, are plant eaters and account for the absence of algae from the channel or adjacent areas. Sea urchins play a very important role in the marine environment by determining the amount and type of plants that are present in many areas. Some larger algae can be seen in the quiet waters of the lagoon near the channel. These algae probably survive because sea urchins don’t like the still muddy water outside of the fast-flowing channel.

Sponges

Sponges have unspecialized cells that can transform into other types and that often migrate between the main cell layers and the mesohyl in the process. Sponges do not have nervous, digestive or circulatory systems. Instead, most rely on maintaining a constant water flow through their bodies to obtain food and oxygen and to remove wastes. Sponges were first to branch off the evolutionary tree from the common ancestor of all animals, making them the sister group of all other animals.

Sponges are worldwide in their distribution, living in a wide range of ocean habitats, from the Polar Regions to the tropics. Most live in quiet, clear waters, because sediment stirred up by waves or currents would block their pores, making it difficult for them to feed and breathe. The greatest numbers of sponges are usually found on firm surfaces such as rocks, but some sponges can attach themselves to soft sediment by means of a root-like base.

Worms

Worms have long, soft, segmented bodies. They breathe through their skin, so they have to keep it damp if they live on land. Bristles on their body help them to move around.

Worms may also be called helminths, particularly in medical terminology when referring to parasitic worms, especially the Nematoda (roundworms) and Cestoda(tapeworms) which reside in the intestines of their host. When an animal or human is said to "have worms", it means that it is infested with parasitic worms, typically roundworms or tapeworms. Lungworm is also a common parasitic worm found in various animal species such as fish and cats.

 

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There are about 32,000 types of fish in the world’s oceans, lakes and rivers. They are divided into three groups. Bony fish have a light but strong bone skeleton, and are by far the biggest group. Cartilaginous fish, which include sharks and rays, have a skeleton made of a bendy material called cartilage. Jawless fish only include lampreys.

Teeth

Fish have different types of teeth, depending on their diet. Meat-eating fish have pointed teeth to cut into prey. Piranhas have tiny teeth, but they are razor-sharp. Sheepshead teeth look like just like ours—at least at first glance. They have 2 rows of molars in their lower jaws and 3 rows in their upper jaws. A sheepshead also has incisors at the front of the jaw and grinding teeth in the back of their jaw to expertly pulverize prey. And sheepshead fish steal more than our smiles—they are notorious for stealing bait. A relative of the piranha, pacu teeth are much squarer than their biting brothers. Their human-like chompers are due to their diet—pacu fish are omnivores and prefer to eat vegetables.

Eggs

Fish eggs, also known as roe, are an incredible food rich in micronutrients and Omega-3 fatty acids. And unlike fermented cod liver oil (the other fish-derived food so nutritious it counts as a supplement), they’re actually tasty, either plain or as an ingredient in all kinds of recipes. Nutritionally, fish eggs share one important benefit with fish oil supplements: they’re very high in anti-inflammatory Omega-3 fats. Since roe is a natural source of these fats, it even beats out a supplement for nutritional quality, since there’s much less risk of the fats oxidizing during processing.

Fins

Fins are usually the most distinctive anatomical features of a fish. They are composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body with skin covering them and joining them together, either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as seen in sharks. Apart from the tail or caudal fin, fish fins have no direct connection with the spine and are supported only by muscles. Their principal function is to help the fish swim. Fins located in different places on the fish serve different purposes such as moving forward, turning, keeping an upright position or stopping. Most fish use fins when swimming, flying fish use pectoral fins for gliding, and frogfish use them for crawling.

Gills

Fish gills are organs that allow fish to breathe underwater. Most fish exchange gases like oxygen and carbon dioxide using gills that are protected under gill covers on both sides of the pharynx (throat). Gills are tissues that are like short threads, protein structures called filaments. These filaments have many functions including the transfer of ions and water, as well as the exchange of oxygen, carbon dioxide, acids and ammonia. Each filament contains a capillary network that provides a large surface area for exchanging oxygen and carbon dioxide.

Dorsal fin

A dorsal fin is a fin located on the back of most marine and freshwater vertebrates such as fishes, cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises), and the (extinct) ichthyosaur. Most species have only one dorsal fin, but some have two or three.

Wildlife biologists often use the distinctive nicks and wear patterns which develop on the dorsal fins of large cetaceans to identify individuals in the field.

The bony or cartilaginous bones that support the base of the dorsal fin in fish are called pterygiophores.

Scales

Scales vary enormously in size, shape, structure, and extent, ranging from strong and rigid armour plates in fishes such as shrimpfishes and boxfishes, to microscopic or absent in fishes such as eels and anglerfishes. The morphology of a scale can be used to identify the species of fish it came from.

Most bony fishes are covered with the cycloid scales of salmon and carp, or the ctenoid scales of perch, or the ganoid scales of sturgeons and gars. Cartilaginous fishes (sharks and rays) are covered with placoid scales. Some species are covered instead by scutes, and others have no outer covering on part or all of the skin.

Jawless fish

The first fish did not have jaws, and the only ones alive today are lampreys. These long fish have a cartilage skeleton and a round mouth that has lots of teeth. Most lampreys attach themselves to other fish with their mouth and suck on their blood.

Most scientists agree that the jawless fish are part of the superclass Agnatha. They belong to the phylum Chordata, subphylum Vertebrata. There are two living groups of jawless fish, with about 100 species in total: lampreys and hagfish. Although hagfish belong to the subphylum Vertebrata, they do not technically have vertebrae (though they do have a skull), whereas lampreys do have vertebrae.

 

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Amphibians begin their life in water, where they breathe with gills. Most amphibians then grow a pair of lungs so that they can breathe when they are on land. They mostly have smooth skin, which must stay moist, so amphibians stay close to wet places when out of water.

Toads

Like frogs, toads are amphibians. They differ from most frogs because they have dry skin, warts, crests behind the eyes, and parotoid glands. The parotoid glands produce a poisonous secretion that helps the toad defend itself from predators. This substance, called a bufotoxin, can cause death in small animals and allergic reactions in humans. Toads have other ways to avoid being eaten too. If they’re brown or green in color, they can blend into their surroundings and escape detection. If brightly colored, they warn predators to stay away because they’re poisonous. Toads also puff up their bodies in an attempt to look bigger and inedible if a predator is nearby.

Frogs

Frogs are amphibians that are known for their jumping abilities, croaking sounds, bulging eyes and slimy skin. They live all over the world and are among the most diverse animals in the world, with more than 6,000 species.

Also, frogs have smooth, slimy skin; toads have dry, bumpy skin. The bumps, however, are not warts, and a person cannot get warts from handling a toad, according to the San Diego Zoo. However, toads have glands behind their eyes that can secrete a burning milky toxin.

Salamanders

Salamanders are amphibians that look like a cross between a frog and a lizard. Their bodies are long and slender; their skin is moist and usually smooth; and they have long tails. Salamanders are very diverse; some have four legs; some have two. Also, some have lungs, some have gills, and some have neither — they breathe through their skin.

The salamander’s habitat depends on what type of salamander it is. Newts typically spend most of their time on land, so their skin is dry and bumpy. Sirens have lungs as well as gills and spend most of their time in water. No matter the species, all salamanders need to keep their skin moist and need to have offspring in water, so a nearby water source is critical. 

Caecilians

Caecilians tend to have very small eyes, which are thought only to be able to detect differences between light and dark. In some species, the eyes are completely covered by skin—an adaptation suited to a life spent almost entirely underground. A pair of tiny, chemically-sensitive tentacles on the caecilians’ faces can detect food and possibly help the animals navigate.

Caecilians come in a variety of colors, from grays and blacks to brilliant blues. Some species are two-toned, with purple topsides and pink underbellies. Others boast dozens of vertical stripes, like a coral snake.

Newts

Newts are small semi-aquatic amphibians that look like a cross between a frog and a lizard. Newts possess several interesting characteristics. For example, though they may look cute and harmless, they can be dangerous; toxins secreted through the skin as a defense mechanism could kill a person. Newts also can regrow lost limbs and organs. That ability makes them important subjects in medical studies on regeneration. Also, some newts have flown on space missions.

Axolotl

The axolotl salamander has the rare trait of retaining its larval features throughout its adult life. This condition, called neoteny, means it keeps its tadpole-like dorsal fin, which runs almost the length of its body, and its feathery external gills, which protrude from the back of its wide head.

Axolotls are long-lived, surviving up to 15 years on a diet of mollusks, worms, insect larvae, crustaceans, and some fish. Accustomed to being a top predator in its habitat, this species has begun to suffer from the introduction of large fish into its lake habitat. Natural threats include predatory birds such as herons.

Amphibian facts

1. The Chinese giant salamander is the world’s largest amphibian, reaching 1.8 m (6 ft) in length.


2. Giant salamanders also live the longest, reaching more than 50 years old.


3. The fastest amphibian is the Andean salamander, which has a top speed of 24 kph (15 mph).

 

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All reptiles have dry skin, which is protected by tough scales or horny plates. They are cold-blooded, which means their body temperature matches their surroundings. Most species of reptile eat other animals and lay eggs on land to produce young. Lizards are the most common type of reptile.

Panther chameleon

Chameleons are a special type of lizard with a tail that they use as a fifth limb when they are climbing in trees. Panther chameleons live in Madagascar and eat mostly insects. Color is a prominent feature of the panther, and there is an abundance of beautiful and unique colors being produced. Some will be surprised to learn that despite viral videos and TV paint commercials, the panther chameleon does not change color to instantly match any background it is placed against. Panthers do exhibit color change, though, for a variety of reasons, including a method of communication, to better absorb or reflect radiant heat, and to blend in with natural habitat.

Crocodiles and alligators

The biggest reptiles are crocodiles and alligators. They hunt in lakes, rivers, and coastal areas. Their strong jaws and sharp teeth can kill prey as large as zebras. Crocodiles have a more pointed snout than alligators. With teeth specialized just for spearing, neither family even bothers to chew its food -- they swallow large chunks or the entire animal whole.

As if that weren't scary enough, crocodilians have incredibly powerful senses to detect their prey. Their eyesight above water is top notch, and thanks to vertical pupils that can open up extra wide to let in additional light, they also have keen night vision. And even though you can't see their ears, don't be fooled -- these small slits are sensitive enough to hear offspring calling from inside their eggs. Even their sense of smell is highly developed due to special organs in their snouts.

Snakes

All snakes catch live prey, which they swallow whole. Some snakes, such as cobras, kill their prey by injecting venom into them using their two needle-like teeth, called fangs. About once a month snakes shed their skin, a process called ecdysis that makes room for growth and gets rid of parasites. They rub against a tree branch or other object, and then slither out of their skin head first, leaving it discarded inside-out.

Most snakes lay eggs, but some species—like sea snakes—give live birth to young. Very few snakes pay any attention to their eggs, with the exception of pythons, which incubate their eggs.

Tortoises and turtles

Tortoises live on land and walk quite slowly on all four legs. Turtles spend most of their time in water and have webbed feet or flippers for swimming. The bodies of tortoises and turtles are both shielded by a shell, the upper part of which is called carapace, with the lower portion called a plastron. The carapace and the plastron are attached by a bridge, which means that though the head and limbs of a turtle or tortoise may be withdrawn from the shell, the whole body can never be totally detached from it. These reptiles are generally reclusive and shy in nature.

Other reptiles

Crocodiles and alligators walk on all four legs on land and use their long, powerful tails to swim in water. Snakes have no legs and move by flexing their long body. Tortoises and turtles are the only reptiles with a bony shell, which protects the body like a suit of armour.

Scaly skin

Reptiles have dry, scaly skin. But they don't need moisturizer! Their special covering actually helps them hold in moisture and lets them live in dry places.

Reptile scales are not separate, detachable structures -- like fish scales. Instead, they are connected in a "sheet," which is the outermost layer of skin. Every so often, this layer of skin is shed and replaced. In some reptiles the skin flakes off in chunks. In snakes, the skin is usually shed in one piece.

What about turtles and tortoises? You may not think of their shells as being scaly, but they are! They are complex structures made up of bones and scales that develop from the outer layer of skin. It's natural body armor!

Tail

Some lizards, salamanders and tuatara when caught by the tail will shed part of it in attempting to escape. In many species the detached tail will continue to wriggle, creating a deceptive sense of continued struggle, and distracting the predator's attention from the fleeing prey animal. Depending upon the species, the animal may be able to partially regenerate its tail, typically over a period of weeks or months. Though functional, the new tail section often is shorter and will contain cartilage rather than regenerated vertebrae of bone, and in colour and texture the skin of the regenerated organ generally differs distinctly from its original appearance.

Eye

While birds and most reptiles have a ring of bones around each eye that supports the eyeball (the sclerotic ring), crocodilians lack these bones, just like mammals and snakes.

Some lizards and tuatara contain a third eye used for detecting changes in ambient light conditions, called a parietal eye, located on the top of their head. This eye contains a cornea, lens, and retina like the lateral eyes, but it is simpler in structure. Only two types of neurons are in this eye: photoreceptors and ganglion cells.

Snakes do not possess eyelids. A scale that is actually part of the skin, a spectacle, protects the eyelids. During ecdysis, the spectacle sheds from the eye along with the rest of its skin. Spectacles turn a light blue as it prepares to shed. If the spectacle is not removed during ecdysis, this can lead to eye damage.

In crocodiles, a third transparent eyelid moves sideways across the eye (nictitating membrane). This eyelid protects the otherwise ‘open’ eyes when they submerge and attack under water. The third eyelid also conceals the liquid excretions produced by the crocodilian tear glands. However, if it is out of the water for any length of time, the resulting dryness in its eyes will cause visible tears to be formed. This is possibly why both factual and fictional accounts tell of crocodilians weeping over their prey on a river bank. They cannot focus underwater, meaning other senses are more important when submerged underwater.

Tongue

When a snake's tongue is flicked out into the air, receptors on the tongue pick up minuscule chemical particles, which are perceived as scent. When the tongue is retracted into its sheath, the tips of the tongue fit neatly into the Jacobson's organ, sending the chemical information that has been gathered through the organ and to the brain, where the information is quickly processed and analyzed so that the snake can act promptly on it.

It is believed that the snake's tongue is split so that it knows which direction to move based on the preponderance of chemical particles on one side of its forked tongue in relation to a lesser degree of particles on the other side of the tongue. Think of it as akin to having 3-D glasses for the tongue. The chemical levels are slightly different on the right than the left, but together they make a whole story. This information is subtle, and small animals are fast, so it must be processed as speedily as possible for the snake to catch its dinner.

Toes

Chameleons are dactyl, meaning on each foot the five toes are fused into a group of two and a group of three. These fancy feet allow the chameleon to grab tightly onto narrow branches. Each toe still has a claw.

Common basilisks are also known as the Jesus Lizard because of their ability to run across water surfaces for short distances. They have large hind feet with fringes on the toes which increase the surface area allowing them to “walk on water.” Other desert lizard species use fringed toes to run across shifting sand.

Geckos have bristle-like structures, called setae on the bottom of their feet. These setae allow the lizard to adhere to surfaces without the use of liquids or surface tension. This is why you often see geckos climbing walls and glass.

 

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There are about 10,000 different types of bird living all over the world. They come in all shapes, sizes, and colours. Some are big, such as a heron, with a long bill and large wings. Others are small, but have a very loud song, like a blackbird.

Parrots

Parrots are brightly coloured. A parrot chick is born with only a thin layer of thin, wispy feathers called down. Parrot chicks are blind for the first two weeks of their lives. At three weeks, they start to grow their adult feathers. The chick will not be fully matured for one to four years, depending on its species. Parrots are omnivores, which mean that they can eat both meat and vegetation. Most parrots eat a diet that contains nuts, flowers, fruit, buds, seeds and insects. Seeds are their favorite food. They have strong jaws that allow them to snap open nutshells to get to the seed that's inside.

Kiwis

Kiwis are pear-shaped, flightless birds with long legs and beak. Though they look to be covered in fur, kiwis actually have thin, hair-like feathers. Their closest relatives are the emu, ostrich, cassowary and rhea. Kiwis are found only in New Zealand in forests, scrublands and grasslands. They sleep in burrows, hollow logs or under dense vegetation. Kiwis are typically nocturnal, which means they sleep during the day and are active during the night. Throughout the night, they spend their time foraging for food. Kiwis are omnivores. They munch on worms, grubs, bugs, berries and seeds that they find with their excellent sense of smell. Kiwis are the only birds that have nostrils on the tips of their beaks. Most birds have nostrils closer to their faces. 

Pigeons

Pigeons often live in cities. Pigeons are gentle, plump, small-billed birds with a skin saddle between the bill and forehead. All pigeons strut about with a characteristic bobbing of the head. Because of their long wings and powerful flight muscles, they are strong, swift fliers. Pigeons are monogamous; i.e., they mate for life, and the survivor accepts a new mate only slowly. The female lays two glossy white eggs in a flimsy nest that barely holds them. The female generally incubates the eggs by night, the male by day. The incubation period is 14 to 19 days, but the young are cared for in the nest for another 12 to 18 days.

Ducks

Ducks have webbed feet for swimming. Ducks are smaller than their relatives (swans and geese). Ducks also have shorter necks and wings and a stout body. Ducks keep clean by preening themselves. Ducks do this by putting their heads in funny positions and putting their beaks into their body. Ducks preen themselves very often. Preening also removes parasites, removes scales which cover newly sprouting feathers and also involves the removal of spreading oil over clean feathers. Ducks are found in wetlands, marshes, ponds, rivers, lakes and oceans. This is because ducks love the water. Some species of ducks migrate or travel longs distances every year to breed. Ducks usually travel to warmer areas or where the water does not freeze so that they can rest and raise their young. The distance may be thousands of miles away. Ducks are found everywhere in the world except the Antarctica which is too cold for them.

Hawks

Hawks have excellent eyesight. The red-tailed hawk is the most common hawk in North America. Past observations have indicated that while hawks can easily adapt to any surrounding, hawks prefer a habitat that is open. Hawks usually like to live in places like deserts and fields, likely as it is easier to find prey. As they are able to live anywhere, they can be found in mountainous plains and tropical, moist areas. Hawks have been found in places such as Central America, the West Indies, and Jamaica. A hawk's diet is predictable and includes a variety of smaller animals. Some of these small animals include snakes, lizards, fish, mice, rabbits, squirrels, birds, and any other type of small game that is found on the ground. More specifically, a red-shouldered hawk likes to eat smaller birds like doves and bugs like grasshoppers and crickets.

Gulls

Gulls feed in or near the sea. Adult gulls are mainly gray or white, with variable head markings. In breeding season the head is pure white, black, gray, or brown; it becomes streaked or smudgy in winter. The bill is strong and slightly hooked and in some species shows a spot of colour. Bill and leg colours help to distinguish species, as do wing patterns. Adaptable opportunists, gulls feed on insects, mollusks, and crustaceans on beaches; worms and grubs in plowed fields; fish along shores; and garbage from ships. Some of the larger gulls prey on the eggs and the young of other birds, including their own kind.

Herons

Herons use their long legs to wade in water. The herons are a widespread family with a cosmopolitan distribution. They exist on all continents except Antarctica, and are present in most habitats except the coldest extremes of the Arctic, extremely high mountains, and the driest deserts. Almost all species are associated with water; they are essentially non-swimming water birds that feed on the margins of lakes, rivers, swamps, ponds, and the sea. They are predominantly found in lowland areas, although some species live in alpine areas, and the majority of species occurs in the tropics. The herons and bitterns are carnivorous. The members of this family are mostly associated with wetlands and water, and feed on a variety of live aquatic prey. Their diet includes a wide variety of aquatic animals, including fish, reptiles, amphibians, crustaceans, molluscs, and aquatic insects. Individual species may be generalists or specialize in certain prey types, such as the yellow-crowned night heron, which specializes in crustaceans, particularly crabs.[4] Many species also opportunistically take larger prey, including birds and bird eggs, rodents, and more rarely carrion. Even more rarely, herons eating acorns, peas, and grains have been reported, but most vegetable matter consumed is accidental.

Blackbirds

Blackbirds have a beautiful song. The common blackbird breeds in temperate Eurasia, North Africa, the Canary Islands, and South Asia. It has been introduced to Australia and New Zealand. Populations are sedentary in the south and west of the range, although northern birds migrate south as far as northern Africa and tropical Asia in winter.[8] Urban males are more likely to overwinter in cooler climes than rural males, an adaptation made feasible by the warmer microclimate and relatively abundant food that allow the birds to establish territories and start reproducing earlier in the year. The common blackbird is omnivorous, eating a wide range of insects, earthworms, seeds and berries. It feeds mainly on the ground, running and hopping with a start-stop-start progress. It pulls earthworms from the soil, usually finding them by sight, but sometimes by hearing, and roots through leaf litter for other invertebrates. Small amphibians and lizards are occasionally hunted. This species will also perch in bushes to take berries and collect caterpillars and other active insects. Animal prey predominates, and is particularly important during the breeding season, with windfall apples and berries taken more in the autumn and winter. The nature of the fruit taken depends on what is locally available, and frequently includes exotics in gardens.

Owls

Owls are active at night. Owls hunt mostly small mammals, insects, and other birds, although a few species specialize in hunting fish. They are found in all regions of the Earth except polar ice caps and some remote islands. The beak of the owl is short, curved, and downward-facing, and typically hooked at the tip for gripping and tearing its prey. Once prey is captured, the scissor motion of the top and lower bill is used to tear the tissue and kill. The sharp lower edge of the upper bill works in coordination with the sharp upper edge of the lower bill to deliver this motion. The downward-facing beak allows the owl's field of vision to be clear, as well as directing sound into the ears without deflecting sound waves away from the face.

Penguins

Penguins are good swimmers but cannot fly. The type of food utilized varies with the species, the geographic region, and the time of year. Most of the smaller southern penguins feed primarily upon krill, which attain high densities in the rich, well-oxygenated Antarctic waters. Cephalopods (squid and cuttlefish) and small fishes may form substantial fractions of the food, and in a few, such as the African penguin, fish is the basic element of the diet. The total weight of food consumed by a large penguin colony is prodigious, often exceeding several tons per day.

 

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