and everywhere in between – animals have amazing ways of moving around, eating,
having babies, fighting and protecting themselves. Explore the Animal World, and find
out how each animal’s body is adapted to its own unique way of life.
Above: Animals in motion in the Animal World gallery.
Click on any of the animals below to see a larger picture and find out more.
Moving around
Cheetahs chase gazelles through the long grass. Crabs scuttle sideways across the sand. Moles burrow underground. Some animals climb trees and others move along the sea bed. Animals move around to find food and water, get away from danger or to find a mate. For some, speed is crucial, while for others strength or agility is key.
Animals that live in water have many different ways of moving around, not just swimming. While some power themselves along at tremendous speed, others can simply drift effortlessly with the currents. Some can even walk on water!
Moving through the air, or even getting off the ground, seems impossibly difficult to us. But flying and gliding animals have specially adapted bodies that make it look easy. To move through the air, they need to be as light as possible, with large surface areas to allow them to get airborne. Streamlined bodies and specialised body parts propel them through the air.
Survival
Where do babies come from? The answer depends on what kind of animal you are. It usually begins with a male and a female – but not always. Female Indian stick insects can do it all by themselves!
After that, things vary enormously – from how offspring are made to where they grow, and whether or not they are looked after once they are born. What all animals have in common is the need to make babies. Without them, a species cannot survive.
Just as vital for survival is protection. A spiky body, a hard shell, a venomous sting, pointed tusks - animals have many ways of shielding themselves from predators or attacking other animals. Even those with effective weapons have other ways of scaring off attackers. Rattlesnakes shake their tail rattles to warn off potential predators, and the brightly-coloured skin, feathers or wings of venomous and poisonous animals send warning signals to enemies.
Feeding time
Juicy worms, fresh leaves, a taste of blood or freshly-caught fish. Every animal’s body is adapted to finding, catching, eating and digesting the particular kinds of food that make up its diet.
Above: Lion family.
Plant-eating mammals need broad teeth for grinding and special stomachs to help them digest their food. Animals that only eat meat, such as the lions above, often have sharp pointed teeth to slice through flesh.
All animals need the energy and nutrients food provides. But some animals spend most of their lives finding, eating and digesting food. Why do you think koalas sleep most of the time?
