Viviparous, oviparous, ovoviviparous... Technical terms to describe the same phenomenon: reproduction! For viviparous mammals it all happens inside the female: fertilisation and gestation. Birds are oviparous, they lay eggs and then sit on them... And what about fish...? Each species has the same desire, to safely pass on the gift of life!
A region to nest, a region to live… So is the life of migratory birds. In one year, Arctic Tern travels 35,000 km. Minute sandpipers, no bigger than robins, direct their flight to South Africa from the icy depths of the tundra! How do birds orient themselves during their trip? How can they find a territory where they go, often, for the first time? When do they have to leave?
Underground, in a pile of earth, between tree roots, from tree trunks to tree tops, and from ocean depths to mountain summits... At every level of nature, animals eat, sleep, reproduce and care for their young. But predators are always at the door! So where do animals hide? Every animal has its refuge and method! Guided by inherited instinct, they have the body shape to do it. Every one of them knows exactly where, when and how to build its shelter.
Carnivores, herbivores, insectivores, omnivores... Each have their own favourite food! Carnivores are equipped to kill. Herbivores each graze in their own way. Seed-eating birds peck at pine cones. As for pandas, they're crazy about a unique dish - bamboo shoots!
Cowboys' spirited companions, solid fieldworkers, the elegant mounts of riding clubs... all horses have a common ancestor: the Hippopotamus Horses are gregarious animals. They need their own ilk to feel safe and play. They don't have "paws" or "maws" or "snouts", but "mouths" and "noses" and "feet". They whinny, and speak, a lot with their ears as it happens: pointed front they're concentrating; folded back watch out they're mad...
In hibernation marmots have a very particular type of sleep. Their heart beats slowly and their body temperature drops to 8 degrees. The hedgehog can survive more than an hour without breathing ... During summer, animals prepare by eating a lot to make their reserves and in building their refuge. Do bears hibernate as well? Not at all! They often wake up, go out from time to time and give birth to her cubs. They are winter animals.
Droppings come in all shapes and sizes and tell us a lot about how animals live. Only through observing a cowpat we know what it has eaten, whether it is in good health, etc. This excellent science book shows us that there is nothing disgusting about droppings!
What's intelligence? A tricky question. It manifests in many forms, in many ways: verbal, emotional, practical, spatial. In animals, the ability to learn or invent a way of adapting to a new situation is one definition of intelligent behaviour. We gauge animals by their capacity to use their memory, a tool, or language. With masterful naturalist illustrations, this is an elegant, carefully documented work.
Did you know that mushrooms are not plants ? no more than animals! They belong to a world called "Fungi". Microscopic or as big as a soccer ball, whith many colors and various shapes, mushrooms are everywhere! But do we really know them? For example, did you know that the foot and the hat are the genital parts of the mushroom? Most of their body, the mycelium, is underground and can extend for miles! To feed and grow, they must go for their food (fruits, wood, dead leaves ...) like animals! Discover the amazing rule of the fungi !
Near the surface, there are large nurseries. Hidden under the sand, there are crustaceans, shells and at shes... In the open sea, there are schools of sardine ready to face predators ! Strange creatures live in deeper waters...
Frames, cloches! Seeds need protection... After winter, a good downpour of rain and some sunshine, little shoots break through the soil... This is the beginning of the life cycle of flowering plants. A note for the layman at the end of the book provides further scientific detail.
Dinosaurs were long thought to be clumsy, lumbering monsters. We thought their tails dragged on the ground and they were covered with scales... We now know that they came in all sizes, were very alert, highly active, and that their tails were raised for balance when they ran. What's more, they had feathers!
An indispensable work to bring our knowledge of dinosaurs up to date!