(Southwest USA, northern Mexico)
The hot desert sand, combined with a lack of water and hiding places, calls for special survival techniques.
Besides the Gila monster, the only other lizard that is venomous is the beaded lizard.
Gila monsters chew venom into their victims to render them helpless.
The colours yellow and black often signal that an animal carries venom.
The sandfish has all the equipment necessary for living in the desert.
The presence of scorpions, rattlesnakes and female jewel wasps contributes to making the desert a dangerous place to live.
Video: Gila monsters are not exactly quick. So they don’t attack fast-moving prey. An egg moves at about the right speed for this lizard.
Advice: Most Gila monster bites have occurred when the Gila monster was being abused. These lizards are not known for their sense of humour. So don’t tease a Gila.
Next: A Gila monster is a fairly big lizard. But it’s tiny in comparison to the giant Komodo dragon.
(North, Central and South America)
It’s hard to tell which snakes are venomous. Especially when they look so much alike.
Just imagine. One thousand rattlesnakes, all curled up for a long winter’s hibernation.
To each his own. King snakes from Mexico and California find the rattlesnake a tasty meal.
The rattlesnake has long, slender organs for its long, slender body.
With a mouth that can stretch wide, and specialised fangs for pumping venom, the rattlesnake is well equipped.
That buzzing noise is meant as a warning. So if you hear it, look out for a rattlesnake.
Ever find a whole snakeskin? A snake grows out of its skin and leaves it behind. A lizard leaves behind pieces.
Video: Rattlesnakes save their venom for their prey. When two of these snakes decide to fight, they don’t bite, they wrestle. The rattlesnake that forces its opponent’s head to the ground is the winner.
Advice: When a rattlesnake rattles, that means, “You’re too close! Back off!” Heed the snake’s warning, and you’ll part company without getting bitten. Personally, I wish all snakes were as thoughtful as rattlers.
Next: A rattlesnake is only one of many venomous snakes. But what about venomous lizards? There are only two: the beaded lizard and the Gila monster.
(Africa, India, Southeast Asia)
An elephant’s foot is something like ours. Except that it’s standing on big, flat, shock-absorbing toes.
When taking hold of something, an African elephant uses the lips at the end of its trunk, whereas an Indian elephant rolls its trunk around the object.
All elephants have tusks – which are really special teeth. But some tusks are much bigger than others.
So many elephants have been killed for the ivory in their tusks that hunters are now required to have special licences to shoot them.
The oldest female leads her group of females and babies. The males usually drift from family to family.
Elephants do have relatives. But there is actually very little family resemblance.
For centuries, people have captured and trained elephants to do their heavy work.
Elephants take between ten and fifteen years to grow up. When they do, the females stay with the group, but the males leave.
Video 1: It’s very handy to have a hose for a nose! Elephants use their trunks to drink, to shower, to touch each other, and to signal when it’s time to move on.
Video 2: A charging elephant spreads its ears to make itself seem even larger and fiercer than it is. Most charges are bluffs. But unless you’re another elephant, it’s best not to wait around to find out!
Advice: Threatened elephants spread out their ears shortly before they charge. That’s your signal to back off. When they are really serious, they fold back their ears and run straight for you. That’s your signal to RUN! Actually, I would suggest that you retreat if an elephant is even looking intently at you.
Following this in the program is an activity called Animal Audio: Elephants sometimes make sounds so low-pitched that they are impossible for humans to hear. The variety of sounds that animals make is truly amazing. Try your hand at guessing which animals make which sounds.
What's coming tomorrow follows that: If you do a lot of hiking in North America, an important sound to recognise is the buzzing of a rattlesnake.
High tide, low tide. Some creatures can deal with both.
Just about everything in the ocean is somebody’s dinner.
Seaweed. Food and shelter all in one. What more could you ask for?
Coral reefs can only grow where there’s a lot of light.
Living with no light requires special talents. Just look at how dragonfish and viperfish have adapted to their situation!
When you have a special job to do, you need special tools. And catsharks have them, built-in.
Which water areas do you think have the most life? You might be surprised.
Video: This female mantis shrimp keeps a sharp eye – or rather two sharp eyes – out for intruders. If one comes along, she’ll fight to defend her nest and her eggs.
Advice: There is a whole different world beneath the surface of the ocean. It’s fascinating, it’s beautiful… and sometimes it’s a little scary.
Following this in the program is an activity called Super Senses: Many fish can detect tiny vibrations in the water, or the electric impulses of creatures around them. These are two of the super senses that some wild animals have.
Well, this ends the longest chain of screens from Dangerous Creatures. (Super Senses is followed by a game that pops up more appropriately in another chain.) So tomorrow, the elephant begins a brand new one.
Today I finished reading Henry James's The Turn of the Screw. It's one of the most famous ghost stories of all time, so I'm sure I'm going to get quite a bit of flak for this. I didn't like it.
Personally, I'm not a fan of that nineteenth-century prose. That's why, when I studied it for my Leaving Cert, I needed a junior retelling just to make head or tail of Wuthering Heights! It's really something when Shakespeare is actually easier to understand!
The maddening thing is that, with Turn of the Screw, I saw brief glimpses of how impactive this story could have been. The whole idea of the children being led astray and corrupted had a lot of potential. But, again, that old-fashioned text did not convey it effectively to me at all.
So I'm generally not scared by ghost stories anyway, and the way this one was written certainly did nothing to help.
I never thought I'd say this, but I'll probably just stick to the film adaptation, The Innocents.
My rating: 50%.
(Sub-Arctic and Sub-Antarctic seas)
The orca is actually a dolphin.
Orcas lurk in the water to hunt. They sometimes even lunge onto a beach or an ice floe to catch their prey.
Here’s some of what might be served on an orca’s seafood platter: mackerel, squid, dolphins and sea lions.
What a way for a killer whale to send a message! It’s known as “breaching”.
Ichthyosaurs. Here’s an idea of what squids had to avoid during prehistoric times.
As many as fifty orcas live in one pod. They travel and hunt together, bound together for life.
Video: An orca stalks its prey not only at sea, but sometimes on the shore. After catching a seal, an orca may play with it like a cat with a mouse.
Advice: Killer whales (orcas) rarely attack people. So unless you spend a lot of time swimming with salmon, penguins or seals, you’re safe.
Next: Orcas may look like fish, but they’re actually mammals. Isn’t it amazing to think that there are some warm-blooded, air-breathing animals that live their entire lives in the oceans?
(Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Eurasian Arctic coasts)
What a swimmer! The polar bear can swim far and fast. And it’s practically unsinkable.
That wintry cold takes a little getting used to, even for baby polar bears.
Too close to civilisation? Hand-outs and garbage are not good for a bear.
A polar bear waits for dinner to appear at a seal’s air hole.
Always on the lookout for leftovers, the Arctic fox will trail after both wolves and polar bears.
Fancy footwork is needed to navigate the ice floes. But the polar bear is up to it.
Video: The Arctic. A world of ice, snow and bone-chilling water. The environment that would kill a person is only a wintry playground for young polar bears.
Advice: Polar bears can run faster than you can, and they have been known to track their prey for days. But unless you’re planning on exploring the Arctic alone, you’ll never need to outrun a polar bear.
Next: Polar bears can paddle around in icy waters. Another mammal that you might see swimming among the ice floes is the killer whale.
(Africa, India)
In the African savannah, the lioness is the queen of hunters.
Unlike other cats, lions are social. They live in groups called “prides”.
Cats see in the dark. But why do their eyes glow?
In the lion family, mother hunts, but father’s the boss.
One zebra a week keeps a lion happy. But the hunting doesn’t always go that well.
Video: A lioness stalks through the tall grass. African grazing animals are used to the sight. So panic doesn’t set in… until she charges. Although the females made the kill, the whole pride shares the meal.
Advice: Within a pride, lions are used to fighting and wrestling with each other – even the cubs. So never tease a lion cub. It may come after you with its claws out!
Next: Lions are among the bigger predators. But the largest on land are the big bears, like the polar bear.
In a fight between hyenas and lions over food or territory, it’s usually lions one, hyenas zero.
Some animals don’t live in groups because they need to. They seem to enjoy it that way.
When you live in a group, it’s important to know how to communicate.
Creatures don’t always get together just to hunt. Sometimes they have other things in mind.
The relationship between sharks and remoras can be beneficial for both.
When it comes to overcoming prey, there’s strength in numbers.
Pack hunters don’t need to plan their attacks. They instinctively know how to approach their prey.
Video: Lions are the only cooperative hunters in the feline family. The group effort pays off. By hunting as a team, they can bring down prey big enough to feed a whole pride.
Advice: All animals have relationships with other animals, whether they want to or not. For example, my cat and I are always arguing over who really runs the house!
Next: Several wild dogs hunt in packs. But among the cats, the lion is the only cooperative hunter.
(Africa)
The savannah can be a dangerous place if you’re a zebra, a gazelle or a wildebeest.
Strong jaws. Sharp, pointed teeth. Long legs. This is the skeleton of a canine hunter.
When we think of dogs, we don’t usually think of these wild animals.
Each member of a pack of hunting dogs treats the leader with respect.
Cape hunting dogs need to watch out for these other competitors: cheetahs, leopards, lions and spotted hyenas.
Video: Cape hunting dogs live in packs. When hunting, they work together. And in this way, they can bring down animals much larger than themselves.
Advice: If you’re hiking across the African plains and you see a pack of Cape hunting dogs running towards you… they’re probably lost. Just direct them to the nearest herd of zebras.
Next: Cape hunting dogs routinely bring down animals much larger than themselves. This is because they hunt cooperatively, in packs.
(Africa)
The front legs and hooves of the Cape buffalo are very strong. They have to be, to carry all that weight!
As we can see here with buffalo and oxpeckers, some very different creatures can live together quite well.
Asian buffalos love the water. That’s why they’re called water buffalos.
Sharp horns and hooves are the features of the Cape buffalo that deter would-be predators.
Bison. Hunted for food and for sport, these North American animals barely escaped extinction.
Bulls fight to protect their territory; that is a part of nature. But people make bulls fight for entertainment.
Video: An African buffalo pays no attention to an oxpecker cleaning its face. But if a human approaches, the buffalo may decide to charge. It’s best to keep your distance from a herd.
Advice: These are not tame cattle! Cape buffalos have killed people. When you’re on safari, stay in the vehicle.
Next: One predator that a Cape buffalo is likely to meet on the African savannah is the Cape hunting dog.
(Africa, Arabia, India, Southeast Asia)
People “milk” venom from some snakes to make antivenin for counteracting snakebites.
A baby snake can be dangerous too. A tiny cobra is just as venomous as an adult.
What do cobras and cane toads have in common? Venom!
The cobra, like the Australian frilled lizard, uses a trick to scare away enemies.
Snakes have to be on their guard against birds, and other snakes.
Video: Cobras are rather slow snakes. Speedy animals, like large birds and members of the weasel family, can often rush in and bite a cobra before it can bite back.
Advice: When you’re in cobra country, don’t sleepwalk! These snakes hunt at night – often around human dwellings.
Next: Some types of cobras slither around in Africa. In some areas, they have to watch out for the sharp hooves of the Cape buffalo.
(India, Thailand, Indonesia, China, Siberia)
Tigers love water. At a river, they can drink and cool off – and catch their dinner.
A tiger’s coat blends with tall grass and brush. What better way to sneak up on prey?
Unlike lions, tigers prefer to fend for themselves and live alone.
Tiger cubs are born completely dependent on their mother, just like baby kittens.
The female tiger looks after the babies for about two years. Meanwhile, the male is off on his own.
This is no pussycat! The tiger hunts with incredible speed and strength.
Video: Tigers need three things: cover from which to stalk their prey, water, and of course the prey itself.
Advice: Tigers don’t like to attack prey that’s looking at them. If you must go for a hike in tiger country, wear a mask on the back of your head. You may feel silly, but the eyes of the mask might keep a tiger from sneaking up behind you.
Next: Tigers live in Asia. Another dangerous creature that lives there is the cobra.
Lions hunt in a group. It’s all for one and one for all. And it usually works.
With the death adder and the alligator snapping turtle, it’s curiosity that kills their prey.
If you’re a jaguar, speed isn’t enough to catch your prey. You need a camouflage coat, too.
Quite a few animals are great actors. To avoid predators, they play the role of a dangerous creature.
Some creatures have a very simple way of catching prey: they shock them.
If you don’t want to be eaten, sometimes it’s best to play dead.
Some creatures don’t have to work for their dinner. They just sit back and wait for it to stroll by.
Video: If you’re a small frog, it pays to have a trick or two. [See picture] This one not only puffs up to a much larger size, but also has “eyes” on its backside, to confuse an attacker!
Advice: Whether they’re underwater or on land, animals can be very tricky. My cat likes to hide behind the curtain and ambush me as I walk by. I’m certainly glad he’s not a leopard!
Next: Both predators and prey alike use all kinds of tricks and traps. What kind of sneaky things might a tiger do?
(Central and South America, Australia)
Amphibians, like frogs and toads, start life in the water, and then go through many changes.
Toads try to scare away predators by puffing themselves up. The Chilean four-eyed frog even pops up extra eyes!
Frogs are slim and smooth, and have long back legs. Toads, in contrast, are bulky and bumpy, and have short legs.
Tadpoles have to be on the lookout from the minute they’re born. A few lucky amphibians have protective parents.
Toads eat everything. But they taste so bad that few animals eat them.
Most amphibians eat anything they can catch – including each other!
Amphibians, like this toad, are especially sensitive to pollution, because they absorb gases and liquids through their skin.
A toad is fairly slow-moving. But what a fast tongue!
Video: Even if you’re small, you can still be intimidating to would-be predators. You might try these few tips for self-defence: puff up as big as you can, open your mouth wide, and jump right at your attacker. Well done!
Advice: Do not hug, kiss or lick this toad! Its venom could make you very sick. And by the way, that advice goes for any toad!
Next: The cane toad puffs itself up when it feels threatened. And it can also ooze venom from glands in its head. These are just two of the many tricks used by animals for defence.
(Warm coastal waters worldwide, primarily coral reefs)
Spikes are grown by many underwater creatures. Even starfish.
The porcupine fish isn’t the only prickly creature. Ever since the dinosaurs, spikes have protected animals.
Looks aren’t everything! Boxfish, like the porcupine fish, are equipped to take care of themselves.
You can suck in water to make yourself hard to eat. But then, swimming can be difficult.
A plateful of pufferfish might be a delicacy. Or it might just be your last meal!
Video: Most of the time, a porcupine fish is a sleek swimmer. But when it feels threatened, it puffs up into a spiky ball. When the threat disappears, the fish deflates so it can swim again.
Advice: Don’t try to make a porcupine fish into a pet. It won’t thank you. And don’t try to eat a pufferfish, either. That meal could be your last.
Next: If a porcupine fish is attacked by a predator, it puffs itself up. A cane toad also uses this trick.
(Western Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean, Red Sea)
It may look beautiful, but the mandarin fish scares off predators with a sharp dorsal spine, and a nasty taste and smell.
The stonefish may look like a lump of coral, but it’s the most dangerous type of scorpionfish.
Lots of names in the branches of this family! A lionfish can be a zebrafish, can be a scorpionfish.
The lionfish hides a venomous spine in each delicate ray. It’s beautiful, but it can be deadly.
Be careful of hidden spines in the ocean floor!
The lionfish is not alone when it comes to sharp, nasty surprises. Meet the John Dory and the surgeonfish.
Video: Lionfish are called many different things, including firefish, zebrafish and devilfish. Some people call it a turkeyfish, because of the way it spreads its fins.
Advice: Do not walk barefoot in tropical seas where you can’t see the bottom clearly. You may accidentally kick a lionfish, or step on something even worse.
Next: To keep a predator from biting you, you might find it a good idea to wear sharp spines on your back, like a lionfish. Better still, wear spines all over your body and puff up, like a porcupine fish.
(Tropical seas worldwide)
Don’t bite any of these animals! The barracuda, the hammerhead shark and the moray eel often have poisonous flesh.
What knife-like teeth! The teeth of all animals are well suited to the food they eat.
If a diver attracts the interest of a barracuda, what should he do? Keep very, very still.
Divers avoid barracudas. But they also try to stay away from sea snakes, white sharks and fire coral.
Video: Facing a lone barracuda is a frightening experience. But imagine a school of thousands of barracudas! Fortunately, people are not on the barracuda’s menu.
Advice: Don’t wear shiny jewellery when you go into the water. It may look great to other swimmers, but to a barracuda, a flash of metal looks like a swimming fish. And you know what barracudas do to fish!
Next: Fish do not need barracuda teeth to be dangerous. Some defend themselves with venomous spines, like the lionfish.
(South America)
A rainforest is a beautiful place. But you’ve got to watch your step.
Even with their eyes closed, fish can sense what’s going on around them.
Piranhas’ teeth are designed to slice off just one bite. A barracuda’s teeth snag the whole victim.
A lone barracuda is actually more of a threat than an entire school of them!
Video: A single piranha is not much of a threat to a swimming animal. But a hungry school of piranhas, each fish armed with razor-sharp teeth, can quickly reduce a victim to nothing in seconds.
Advice: Piranhas are more likely to attack when water levels are really low and they are concentrated into small areas. So, never go wading in small pools in South America during the dry season, all right?
Next: A piranha is a small fish with big teeth. For a big fish with big teeth, try a barracuda.
(Florida, Africa, Southeast Asia, Australia)
The gavial, a relative of the crocodile from southern Asia, makes a terrifying noise. But its jaws are not strong enough for fighting.
Crocodiles and alligators are perfectly suited to their watery lives.
Waterproof skin, eyes and noses set high on their heads, and powerful tails. Crocodilians are built for the water.
This is a saltwater crocodile. It lives in Southeast Asia and northern Australia. It’s huge, and it’s dangerous!
Can you believe what crocodiles will eat?!
Because hunting them is now illegal in many places, crocodilians are sometimes raised on ranches.
Crocodilians live all over the world.
Video: For a baby crocodile, its mother’s mouth is a place of safety. But the same jaws that gently carry babies can easily crush other animals, like this unfortunate snake.
Advice: If you see a lot of logs floating in the waterhole, don’t dive in! And don’t ever underestimate just how fast a crocodile can move. These reptiles can lunge.
Next: Before wading into a river in Africa, Australia or Asia, you’d better look out for crocodiles. And before wading into a river in South America, you should ask about piranhas.
If you’ve ever seen a small plane in the sky, imagine something that size, but alive. That’s how big some pterosaurs were!
Do you have a cat at home? Well then, say hello to one of its ancestors!
The legs make the difference between reptiles and dinosaurs.
They were a lot bigger then, but Archelon and Ichthyosaurus looked very similar to some of today’s sea-dwellers.
Do you think the African elephant is large? Well, just take a look at this ancient creature, Diplodocus!
For reminders of the ancient past, take a look at bison, wolves and bears.
Does a cockroach give you the creeps? Well, imagine one a hundred times larger!
Did you think that all dinosaurs looked like T-Rex? Well, look at these gentle giants: Triceratops, Kentrosaurus and Tsintaosaurus.
Some say the dinosaurs didn’t die out. Their descendants might be flying around right above our heads.
Video 1: Although plant-eating dinosaurs like Triceratops had armour and spikes for protection, they were probably still attacked by the biggest meat-eaters, like the terrifying Tyrannosaurus Rex.
Video 2: Through the ages, people have had a lot of strange ideas about animals. In movies, we show them as giant monsters that are out to get people. That’s not real life. That’s show business.
Advice: People are relatively big, powerful animals. But it’s a good thing dinosaurs are not around today. We would only be quick mouthful for the many meat-eaters that lived back then!
Next: The dinosaurs are extinct. But a few animals that lived in dinosaur times are still around today. The crocodile is one such animal.
(Tropical, subtropical and temperate seas worldwide)
Twenty thousand teeth in one lifetime! A shark is nothing less than a tooth factory, with rows of replacement teeth always at the ready.
A chainmail suit protects a diver against a shark’s bite, but not from bruises or broken bones.
Clever and careful. The great white shark closes in on its prey with a spiralling pattern.
When you eat fish and chips, you may be eating a type of shark! Sharks provide other types of food, also.
Here, we’re caging people for a change! In this way, sharks and people can both get a good look at each other.
Video: Sharks have lived on earth since dinosaur times, and they haven’t changed much for millions of years. Streamlined, powerful predators, they’re perfectly suited for life in the sea.
Advice: If you see a shark fin surface near you while you’re swimming, don’t panic and start splashing around. Just swim steadily towards the beach, repeating, “Jaws was just a movie. Jaws was just a movie.”
Next: Sharks have been on the earth for hundreds of millions of years. They were among the first prehistoric predators.
(Ocean depths worldwide)
Who eats the squid? Dolphins, orca whales, sea lions and humans, among others.
Squids, octopi and cuttlefish are called “cephalopods”, which means “head-foot” animals.
Squids can change colour and pattern in a flash. They may do it to hide, or to talk to other squids.
Whales eat them, but the giant squid puts up a good fight.
Squid nurseries can be huge. Fertilising and laying eggs is a group activity.
Video: Most squids and cuttlefish are small creatures that would attack only tiny fish. But a few giants have been dredged up from the ocean depths.
Advice: Giant squids are found only in very deep water. If you’re down in a submarine and see one, stay inside. Even if you got out, you wouldn’t have a chance to wrestle with the monster. The water pressure would get you first.
Next: How would you like to run into a giant squid when you’re diving? Or would you prefer a great white shark?
When you’re in the ocean, be careful. Things are not always what they seem. If you don’t believe me, just ask the angel shark!
If you live in the dark, it helps to have a built-in flashlight.
If you’re an uninvited guest in somebody’s territory, you’d better have a little protection.
Barracudas don’t just have razor-sharp teeth: they’re also clever.
When there’s not much food around, it becomes necessary to develop some fairly bizarre features just to catch what there is.
With some creatures, be careful when you give a hand out. You might just be out of a hand!
It can’t be much fun to see a mouth like this coming at you! Meet Mr Mouth, the gulper eel!
Some animals get along well with people. But sometimes, it’s best to keep your distance. Best for you, and for the animal.
Video: Scientists used to think that not much lived in the cold and darkness of the ocean depths. But the more we explore, the more we discover that amazing creatures live down there.
Advice: It may be the same planet, but the ocean depths are definitely a different world than the one above water. Glow-in-the-dark fish, things with giant heads… It’s extremely unusual and very interesting down there.
Next: Who knows how many creatures live in the depths of the ocean? One that scientists suspect might be down there is the giant squid.
It’s hard to believe that a coral reef could have enemies that threaten to destroy it.
Many people don’t realise that a coral reef is actually a collection of living creatures.
Sometimes, things that look really tasty are anything but, like the lettuce slug.
Reef sharks. Fish always need to be on the lookout for these fierce hunters.
If you’re ever wading around a reef, keep an eye out for the stonefish.
Have you ever seen so many colours?
Starfish. Now, here are some surprisingly nimble creatures!
Video: Coral reefs are colourful, mysterious and fragile worlds. We need to protect them now, so that the creatures that inhabit them, as well as ourselves, can continue to enjoy these special places.
Advice: Diving on a coral reef is something similar to visiting another planet. There are animals that look like plants. Even the rocks are alive. And there, we are the aliens.
Next: If you visit a coral reef, you’ll find beauty and some danger. The same is true of the murky ocean depths.
(Southwestern Pacific Ocean)
An octopus’s arms are good for many things. Swimming, walking on rocks, prising open prey… and parachuting.
Like the octopus, clams, cone shells and lettuce slugs are molluscs.
A cloud of ink, a change of colour, and the octopus is hidden from a hungry eel or shark.
Blue spots or stripes really show up in the water – and may be warning, “This creature is venomous!”
The amazing octopus can hide in a narrow crack or crevice, and jet around by shooting water through its body.
The female octopus keeps a close watch over her eggs. But when the babies hatch, they’re on their own.
Video: Imagine having eight arms to swim with. You could spread out and float like a parachute, crawl across the bottom, and grab a crab with arms to spare.
Advice: A blue-ring is only about the size of my hand. If you were that tiny, you’d bite any giant that grabbed you. So feel free to look at a blue-ringed octopus, but don’t touch it.
Next: Where would you find a blue-ringed octopus? Look off the coast of Australia, near a coral reef.
(Tropical seas worldwide)
One sting is usually enough to render a victim paralysed. The man-of-war, and relatives like the sea anemone, are well armed.
They’re closely related. But the jellyfish is a single creature, whereas the man-of-war is an entire colony.
It starts off as a single polyp, and ends up as a colony of thousands of polyps – and a gas-filled sail. This is the man-of-war.
A slimy mucous protects the sea cucumber – and, similarly, the little fish that live with the man-of-war.
Clownfish and sea anemones have an unusual relationship.
Video: A man-of-war is not just one creature: it’s a whole colony. The gas-filled balloon keeps the colony afloat, while the stinging tentacles below keep it fed.
Advice: A man-of-war’s tentacles can sting long after the creature is dead. So don’t touch any part of a man-of-war that you might find on a beach.
Next: A man-of-war looks harmless, but it has a very painful sting. Similarly, a tiny blue-ringed octopus may look like a toy, but it has a deadly bite.
(South America, Mexico, Africa)
Look at the ways flowers attract bees and other animals.
Bees have a lot of enemies all over the world.
Pollinate, pollinate! A bee’s work is never done. Lucky that wasps, butterflies and even bats help out!
Three thousand years ago, the Egyptians domesticated bees.
It’s called the killer bee because it’s more likely to sting than the common honeybee, not because its venom is stronger.
The bee evolved from the wasp about a hundred million years ago, when it gave up hunting. Today, bees live on pollen and nectar.
Video: A bee sting is a painful experience – both for the victim and for the bee, which dies afterwards. Bees usually sting to protect their colony. So bees are most likely to attack if one gets too close to their nest.
Advice: To avoid attracting killer bees – or any bees, for that matter – do not wear perfume, scented lotion or sweet-smelling sunscreens. To a bee, these smell like food!
Next: Killer bees can deliver painful stings. So also can many water creatures, including a Portuguese man-of-war.
(Africa, India, Central and South America, Australia, tropical Asia)
Groups of ants called colonies share work and food.
Ants, bees and wasps all belong to a group called Hymenoptera.
Ants have good reason to fear anteaters. Anteaters have sharp claws and long, sticky tongues.
Thousands of army ants carry their queen in a living nest made of their own bodies, even bridging water.
Some insects live in colonies ruled by a queen. Other females are workers, and will never lay eggs.
Many insects, like wasps and termites, build elaborate nests.
Video: Soldier ants are part of a continuously moving army, of hundreds or even thousands of ants. Any animal that doesn’t move out of their way is quickly reduced to a skeleton by the army’s attack.
Advice: No need to lie awake at night, worrying about army ants. They have fairly short legs, and you can easily outrun them. If they enter your house, take a holiday for a few days – and take your pets with you.
Next: Army ants can be frightening, but they’re easily outrun. However, it’s not as easy to get away from killer bees.
I went to the cinema yesterday, and saw two movies back-to-back.
The first was Life of Pi.
The fact that it won so many Oscars got me curious. And, on my first take at any rate, it's a good movie, but it's not a great movie.
From the premise, I thought it sounded kind of silly. I mean, it's a guy stranded on a lifeboat with a tiger! But it turned out to be a surprisingly thought-provoking and profound spiritual journey. You find yourself going through the same thought process as the main character, and wonder how long you'd last in that situation.
The visual effects are really distracting, though. To its credit, I can see why the special effects Oscar went to this movie – the way they capture animal movements is pretty stunning – but I was still constantly aware that I was looking at CGI. Never once did the animals actually look real.
The shipwreck scene really stands out, though. I mean, good God! Even without 3D, you really feel like you're going through the experience yourself!
Overall, it's a life-affirming and surprisingly cerebral movie that I wouldn't mind experiencing again.
My rating: 75%.
And the second was Wreck-It Ralph.
This one was pretty much what I expected. I knew going in that I wasn't going to see that many famous video game characters, that it's much more Ralph's story. And it's a familiar but still engaging story, with an obvious but still relevant moral about accepting your station in life. You never know when your talents might come in handy.
Some people feel that, once the Vanellope character enters the picture, the movie goes downhill. So I was surprised to find her actually kind of endearing! True, you have to sit through some very immature humour at times, but that just made her seem more like a real child to me. So I don't know how big this crowd is, but I really bought into her and Ralph's relationship.
The only thing I didn't like was the villain. It's something of a twist, and even though it's well set up, it still just came off to me as really weak.
The animation really impressed me, especially the jerky movements for the old-school game characters.
Overall, this is a very entertaining film, and one of very few video game movies that really works.
My rating: 75%.
(North, Central and South America)
It’s hard to hide inside your shell when your head’s too big to fit. So, it might be wiser to attack.
Here’s the turtle. But what’s the mystery underneath that shell?
Is a tortoise the same as a turtle? Is a turtle the same as a terrapin?
In two hundred million years, turtles have not changed much. Except now, we don’t have any as big as the huge Archelon.
The big-headed turtle can easily live up to its name. It can’t pull its head inside its shell.
Shells. Many sizes, many shapes. It all depends on where you live, if you’re a turtle.
Video: The beach can be a dangerous place for sea turtles. The female comes out of the water, and digs a nest in which to lay her eggs. After hatching, the babies run for their lives to the water’s edge.
Advice: Don’t walk barefoot in muddy ponds. A snapper might mistake one of your toes for a fish. It’s not a very good idea to wade anywhere where the bottom is not visible. Who knows what might be down there?
Next: The snapping turtle is famous for its powerful jaws. Army ants earned their reputation for the same reason.
(Southeast United States, China)
Alligators live in North America and China. And their cousins, the caimans, are found in Central and South America.
Tales of Chinese dragons. Were they inspired by dinosaur bones, or by the lizards that are still around today?
Don’t fool for this reptile’s smile!
Crocodile or alligator? It’s difficult to tell which. But in either case, keep your distance!
Baby crocodilians receive tender care from their mothers. Other adults keep an eye on them also.
Other creatures have alligator names. But the Chinese and North American alligators are true relatives.
Reptiles all. These creatures have backbones, scaly skin, and blood that isn’t always warm.
Video: When an anaconda meets a caiman, each might think the other looks like food. It’s jaws against muscle. But only one will be the winner. The other will be dinner.
Advice: Some people think that alligators – not to mention Ninja Turtles – live in sewers. But don’t listen to them! You’re much more likely to come across an alligator in a swamp, or in the water hazard on a Florida golf course. Just don’t get too close to an alligator, and you can both continue to relax.
Next: An alligator has a vicious bite. So does a snapping turtle.
To breathe on land, you need lungs. Underwater, you need gills.
Everything has its proper place and function in a wetland. Even tree roots.
Marshes come in two flavours: freshwater and saltwater.
You can’t imagine what you’ll find in a place like the cypress swamp.
Did you think that water lilies were just for decoration? They’re very important protection for some creatures.
Video 1: Wetlands around the world may not always seem friendly to humans. But they’re a home to all kinds of creatures. If we fill in or drain our marshes and swamps, where would they go?
Video 2: Male frogs inflate their throat pouches to call for mates. But sometimes, filling yourself with air can be risky. A fast current might sweep you downstream.
Advice: If you think that wetlands are good for breeding mosquitoes, you’re right. But they’re also good for breeding fish, birds, frogs and reptiles. If you’re not afraid of getting your feet wet, you’ll find they’re interesting places.
Next: In the southeastern United States, one of the many wetland animals you’ll find is the American alligator.
