DK - WOW! The Visual Encyclopedia of Everything

39 SPINES ▼ Some animals have defensive armour. Others, like this porcupine, bristle with long, sharp spines. This can make them ...

This is the snake’s tail, which it uses as a fake head to deceive its enemies if threatened Much smaller than many pythons, this ...

Scaly, creeping, cold-blooded reptiles can seem sinister – especially venomous snakes and snapping crocodiles. Yet many reptiles ...

Snails, clams, mussels, and even octopuses are all molluscs – soft-bodied animals that often have strong chalky shells. Some liv ...

(^7) Octopus Like the cuttlefish and squid, an octopus is an intelligent animal with excellent eyesight. It uses the strong suck ...

SHELLSThe bodies of some creatures are protected by strong shells. They include all kinds of animals ranging from crabs to armad ...

5 OYSTER SHELL Most oysters have shells that are rough outside, but pearly inside. Grains of sand that find their way into oyste ...

The only animals with feathers, birds are found in all parts of the world. Many have superb flying skills, with strong chest mus ...

Some swifts can keep flying for many months without landing 47 FLAMINGO ▲ Vast wading flocks of flamingos gather tiny animals an ...

48 All female birds lay eggs. The young grow inside the eggs, which are kept warm by their parents. To hatch, they must chip the ...

49 10 11 9 8 (^7) CUCKOO Cuckoos lay single eggs in the nests of other birds, and their colour varies to match the host bird’s e ...

The feature that makes animals so different from other living things is their ability to move. Some do not move much – a sea ane ...

51 (^9) CHEETAH The fastest of all land animals, a cheetah can run at an astonishing 95 km/h (60 mph). It achieves this by flexi ...

Living together TOGETHER 52 The microscopic algae that live in partnership with this coral provide its vivid colour Ants protect ...

53 An impala welcomes the attention of a red-billed oxpecker searching for tasty parasites (^1) CORAL Corals trap prey in their ...

Mammals are warm-blooded creatures that feed their babies on milk until the young are able to eat solid food. Most are furry or ...

55 ◀ TIGER Powerful hunters like the tiger eat other mammals and birds. They have long, dagger-like canine teeth for killing the ...

Animals sleep to save energy, rest their muscles, and allow their brains to process the information that they pick up while awak ...

57 (^17) Koalas eat tough eucalyptus leaves that are hard to digest and provide little energy, so they spend about 15 hours a da ...

58 FROG ▶ The skull of a frog is broad, providing plenty of room for its large eyes and giving it an extremely wide mouth. This ...