11
Animals and the environment
Good week Bad week
Pollinators
Insects that help plants reproduce
by carrying pollen between them
make fewer visits to flowers when the
air is polluted. Scientists at Reading
University, in England, recorded 90%
fewer insect visits when the flowers
were surrounded by pollution, such
as fumes from diesel cars.School field trips
Getting out and about helps students
perform better in class, according to a
new study from the US. Researchers
compared young people who went
on a mix of field trips with those who
didn’t. They say trips don’t just
improve grades – they also broaden
students’ understanding of the world.Why do cats hang
their mouths open?LIFESPAN: Around seven years in the wild.HABITAT: Grassy plains, scrubland and forests in
southern Africa.
SIZE: Up to 1.4 metres long.DIET: Meat – they hunt mid-sized mammals such as
antelopes and gazelles.FUN FACT: During a hunt, these fast-running predators
can reach speeds of up to 44 miles per hour.New research has shown that endangered African wild
dogs have a complex queuing system for feeding. After
a successful hunt, the pups are given first priority, before
the dominant adult pair. Other adults come last – even
though they’re more likely to have caught the prey.All cats – from your pets at
home to our big cats at London
Zoo – have a special organ in
the roof of their mouth that
can get more information out
of a deep breath of air than
their nose alone. Holding
the mouth open (called
“flehmening”) can help them
tell if there’s another cat in the
area, if it’s male or female, if a
female is ready to mate, or if a
male wants to move in on their
territory – all from one sniff.Enjoy unlimited visits to ZSL London and Whipsnade Zoos, plus a host of other benefits
with ZSL Membership. Find out more at zsl.org/membership/zsl-membership
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week
of theR
esearchers in the Middle Eastern country of
Jordan are racing to protect coral reefs that
could one day help sea life around the world.
Coral reefs mostly form in warm, shallow
waters. They provide a home to a
huge variety of sea creatures
but they are very sensitive to
temperature changes caused
by warming seas around the
world. This is not only bad for
the corals but can also leave
many species that depend on
them homeless.
However, research in 2017
showed that corals in the Gulf of
Aqaba (part of the Red Sea, between Asia and
Africa) are unusually resistant to temperature
changes. This is thought to be because theirancestors could only reach these isolated
waters by passing through a wide range of
temperatures along the way.
Scientists hope these resilient corals
could reveal the secrets of keeping
other corals alive, or even be
used to repair reefs elsewhere.
However, at the moment
experts are worried about
lots of human development
along the coastline, such
as new buildings and more
people living there. Vulnerable
corals have been transplanted to
other areas to form new reefs, and
a large area of sea was officially turned into a
protected area in 2020. However, researchers
say more must be done.Rescue effort for vital corals
Colourful corals
in the Red Sea.TON
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African
wild dog
The Gulf of
Aqaba coast.
5 March 2022 • The Week Junior
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