LIVING WORLD FASTEST The peregrine
falcon can swoop at a
breathtaking 220 mph
(360 km/h) in unpowered
flight. The fastest creature on
land is the cheetah, and in
water is the sailfish. Both can
reach 70 mph (110 km/h). MOST DEADLY A
single sea wasp jellyfish
has enough venom to kill
60 men. The venom of
cone snails and some fish
is even more toxic.THE INSIDE STORY
Animals come in an
enormous variety of forms.
Yet on the inside, most of
them share certain
features. Aside from the
simplest creatures, all
animals have a body
made up of many cells.
These cells are organized
into tissues. In complex
animals, these tissues form
organs that perform
particular jobs that help
keep the whole body
functioning.Body heat
Mammals and birds are warm-blooded, or
endothermic—they generate their own body
heat using energy from food and can control
their body temperature. Most
other animals are ectothermic,
which means they cannot
control their temperature
naturally. When they want to
warm up they sunbathe, and if
they are too hot they seek shade
to cool down.Solitary or social?
Some animals are solitary: they
hunt, eat, sleep, and live alone
and only seek out other members
of their species to mate and
produce offspring. Other animals
live in pairs or groups, which
increases their chances of survival.
Members of a group may work
together to find food, defend a
territory, rear young, or keep
watch for predators.The bodies of
vertebrates, such
as apes, are
supported by an
internal skeleton
made of bone or
cartilage.
Invertebrates may
have a hard
external skeleton,
a shell, or a soft
body (
p. 110–111).
Bright colors and
patterns can be used to
attract mates...... as a warning that the
animal is foul-tasting
or poisonous...... or as camouflage so
the animal blends in
with its surroundings. BIGGEST KILLER
Female Anopheles
mosquitoes kill more
than a million people
each year by infecting
them with malaria. LONGEST LIFESPAN
A Madagascan radiated tortoise
like this one is known to have lived
at least 188 years. Bowhead whales
may survive even longer, maybe as
long as 250 years. SOLITARY
Pandas live
alone SOCIAL Elephants live in large herdsON THE OUTSIDE
Animals have different body coverings that protect them
from heat and cold, from waterlogging or drying out, and
from all kinds of attack. Birds are the only animals to have
feathers; reptiles and most fish have scales; and mammals are
the only animals to have hair on their bodies.Ectothermic
animals such as
lizards can be seen
basking in the
morning sunlight
in order to warm
their bodies.Animals need oxygen to survive.
Many species that live on land have
lungs to breathe air; those that live
underwater, such as fish, have gills
to filter oxygen from the water.
Aquatic birds and mammals have
lungs and must surface
to breathe air.TELL ME MORE...
LIVING WORLDANIMAL LIFE93
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.