Animal World

Can exceed 30 metres

Built for short bursts of speed

Flying squirrels only glide

Native to eastern Australia

Sound helps it navigate

Males can weigh several tonnes

The other living giraffid

A living monotreme

Native to Australia

About 22 months

Hunts squid using echolocation

Creates wetland habitat

A beaver’s tail works as a rudder, prop, and warning signal.

A lodge can provide shelter and help protect a beaver family from predators and weather.

Many bats emit high-frequency sounds and interpret returning echoes.

Some sea otters use stones as anvils or hammers while floating on their backs.

Beavers, corals, elephants, and termites are often discussed as ecosystem engineers.

Also lays the largest eggs

Large males can exceed 6 metres

Experiences two summers

Mostly nocturnal

Rapid wing motion enables hovering

Different species use strikingly different nest designs, from woven cups to mud domes.

Many weaver species use grasses and strips of plant material to make suspended nests.

Edible-nest swiftlets build nests largely from hardened saliva in caves and buildings.

Torpor lowers body temperature and metabolism for a short period, often overnight.

Their feathers trap air close to the body and help maintain warmth in cold water.

Each stripe pattern is unique

Two pump blood to the gills

Native to Asia

The island is a biodiversity hotspot

Colour also communicates

Native to lakes near Mexico City

Some contain tetrodotoxin

Some termite mounds help manage temperature, moisture, and gases through their structure.

Spider silk is a protein fiber with different properties depending on how the spider uses it.

Many coral polyps together can build reef structures from calcium carbonate.

The repeating hexagons store honey, pollen, and developing bees while using wax efficiently.

Hexagonal cells tile a surface without gaps and provide a strong, efficient structure.

They may use sand grains, twigs, leaves, or small shells depending on the species.

Regeneration varies by species, and some sea stars can rebuild much of their body from a remaining part.

A camel’s hump stores fat, not water, but its body has several adaptations for desert life.

Camouflage can help with hiding, hunting, or avoiding being recognized.

Octopuses use specialized skin cells and muscles to alter their appearance.

Removing a keystone species can change food webs and habitats in cascading ways.

Woodpeckers combine stiff tail feathers with gripping feet and shock-absorbing anatomy.

Hermit crabs move into larger shells as they grow, though some species use other coverings.

Animals migrate for food, breeding, climate, or other changing conditions.

Different generations complete different legs of the annual journey.

For example, pollinators gain food while many flowering plants gain help moving pollen.

Adaptations arise through populations changing over generations, not from an individual deciding to change.

Group living also brings costs such as competition and disease transmission.

A nest, mound, dam, or reef is both shelter and evidence of a wider system.