What makes our hands different to other animals? We have an opposable thumb. We have four fingers and a thumb on each hand. We are not the only animals to have this many fingers, and we are not the only animals to have an opposable thumb, but the reach of our thumb sets us apart. […]
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How do millipedes control their legs? Millipedes use a direct-wave gait. That means the legs move from the back to the front in a wave pattern, moving the millipede forwards. Millipedes are invertebrates, which is a cold-blooded animal with no backbone. They have an exoskeleton and they are made of multiple segments. They come from
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Why do insects have an exoskeleton? To stop them drying out, for protection, for support, and to help them sense their surroundings. An exoskeleton is a hard skeleton that covers the body of an insect. Animals that have an internal skeleton, like us, have an endoskeleton. An exoskeleton is made of chitin, which is a
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How strong is armadillo armor? Extremely strong, but not strong enough to stop a bullet. Armadillos are native to the Americas and their name means “little armored ones” in Spanish. They have short legs and very long claws that they use to dig up insects to eat or to burrow. They can run extremely quickly,
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How do mountain goats climb cliffs? Through a combination of their hooves, muscles, and lack of fear. Mountain goats can often be seen climbing cliff faces and even dams. There are two main reasons why they climb. The first is for food. They eat plants, grasses, and alpine vegetation, but they also lick the rocks
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Why can camels go so long without water? They can survive for 15 days without water because they have several adaptations. Camels are renowned for their ability to go long periods of time without drinking any water, which is one reason why they are so well suited to desert life. We can only survive for
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Do any other animals cry? Yes, but only to lubricate their eyes. We have three types of tears. We have tears that lubricate and clean our eyes. These are called basal tears and they are created automatically. Every time you blink, the basal tears are spread across the eye and keep it wet and clear
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How do parrots talk? They can imitate human speech by passing air across the opening of their trachea using an organ called a syrinx. Parrots don’t talk in the wild. And when we say “talk”, they mimic human speech without necessarily understanding what they are saying. Some parrots have been taught to learn the names
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Why can’t all animals be domesticated? There are six criteria needed for an animal to be domesticable. The first animals were domesticated about 15,000 years ago. Early people were hunter-gatherers, but they transitioned to agriculture about 10,000 years ago and most animals we use today were domesticated after that. The first animals to be domesticated
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Why do ostriches have two kneecaps? It (possibly) helps them to run faster. What does a kneecap do? The knee is basically a lever and the kneecap is the pivot point. In humans, the knee is the joint between the femur (thighbone) and the tibia (shinbone). The muscle on the front of the thigh bone
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