EnviroKids January 2019 Issue

Curiously Cool Animals

The Fastest

The Cheetah is the world's fastest land animal. They can run at speeds of 110km per hour, and can reach this top speed in just 3 seconds! This is thanks to the Cheetah's unique body structure (long legs, a flexible spine, and a long tail). It's body is narrow and lightweight with long slender limbs. Specialised muscles allow for a quick acceleration in this big cat.

All animals are built differently according to what their environment demands of them. A Giraffe for example, has a long , strong neck that allows it to reach the leaves on top of trees that it needs for nourishment. An Elephant on the other hand, has a trunk that it uses to pick up fruit from the ground, drink water, play and communicate. Human beings

Chimpanzees share around 98% of their genes with humans. They can be found in tropical rain forests, and lowland and mountain forests in western and Central Africa. They live in extended family groups of as many as 20-120. As a talkative species, Chimps communicate with one another through a complex system of vocalisations, facial expressions, postures, and gestures. The Smartest as furniture etc. Although we take them for granted, thumbs are one of our defining physical features as humans, and allow us to do hundreds of tasks that other animals cannot perform. have developed thumbs which allow us to operate machinery (including computers and phones), be creati ve (draw and sculpt), and build things such

The Slowest

Three-toed Sloths are the slowest animals in the world, and move 0.24km per hour. This makes them bound to a space they like to call home (rainforests of Central and South America). This mammal is so slow, that algae grows on their fur! Did you know, Three-toed Sloths have extra neck vertebrae that allows them to turn their heads 270 degrees?

The Biggest

Blue Whales are the largest animals on Earth. They measure around 30m long (the largest ever record- ed was 33.5m long) and upwards of 200 tons. Their tongues can weigh as much as an Elephant, while their hearts can weigh the same as a car. Did you know, Blue Whales have calls louder than a jet engine!

Chimp Queen

Do you know who Jane Goodall is? Although she had no formal training or education, Jane spent 40 years living among Chimps, and discovered facts about this species that changed the way we view them today. She observed that Chimps use tools to perform tasks, are meat eaters, and even have their own individual personalities (while some are shy, others are aggressive – just like humans). She also discovered that Chimps express emotions such as joy and sadness.

Human Skull and Brain (above). Chimp Skull and Brain (below).

The Smallest

The Etruscan Shrew is the world’s smallest mammal by mass, weighing only about 1.8g. This little shrew can be found in North Africa and Europe, and is about four centimetres long (excluding its tail). It is a fast creature that eats two times its own body weight per day, feeding mainly on insects.

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