Science

Questions for Animal Studies

1. Does it have a backbone?
2. Does it have fur?
3. Does it have wings?
4. What does it's skin feel like?
5. How many feet does it have?
6. What do its feet look like?
7. How many legs does it have?
8. What do the legs look like?
9. What does its body look like?
10. What does it eat?
11. Where does it live?
12. How big is it?
13. What do the babies look like?
14. Is it domesticated or wild?
15. Is it endangered?

From Well Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer

Earthworm
Folk names for the earthworm include "dew worm", "rainworm", "night crawler" and "angleworm" (due to its use as fishing bait). The worm lays eggs that incubate for 60 to 90 days. They hatch and attain full size in about one year. Earthworms have the facility to replace or replicate lost segments, but this ability varies between species and depends on the extent of the damage. Earthworms are seen on the surface after large rain storms flood the soil because, despite needing a moist environment to allow the diffusion of gases across their skin membrane, where the soil becomes saturated they begin to drown. To protect themselves they escape to the surface but if the ground is un-naturally hard they may become stranded and die from exposure. This is why they are seen in places like driveways after a storm. Earthworms travel underground by the means of waves of muscular contractions which alternately shorten and lengthen the body. The whole burrowing process is aided by the secretion of lubricating mucus. Worms can make gurgling noises underground when disturbed as a result of the worm moving through its lubricated tunnels. They also work as biological "pistons' forcing air through the tunnels as they move. Thus earthworm activity aerates and mixes the soil, and is constructive to mineralization and nutrient uptake by vegetation. Certain species of earthworm come to the surface and graze on the higher concentrations of organic matter present there, mixing it with the mineral soil. Because a high level of organic matter mixing is associated with soil fertility. In fact as long ago as 1881 Charles Darwin wrote: It may be doubted whether there are many other animals which have played so important a part in the history of the world, as have these lowly organized creatures. By its burrowing actions, the earthworm is of great value in keeping the soil structure open, creating a multitude of channels which allow the processes of both aeration and drainage to occur. By sliding in their tunnels, earthworms "act as an innumerable army of pistons pumping air in and out of the soils on a 24 hour cycle (more rapidly at night)". Thus the earthworm not only creates passages for air and water to traverse, but is itself a vital component in the living biosystem that is healthy soil. Earthworms form the base of many food chains. They are preyed upon by many species of birds, e.g. starlings, thrushes, gulls, crows, and both European Robins and American Robins. Some snakes feed on them and mammals such as bears, foxes, hedgehogs and moles eat many earthworms as well. Earthworms are also eaten by many invertebrates such as ground beetles and other beetles, snails, slugs. Earthworms have many internal parasites including Protozoa, Platyhelminthes, Nematodes. They are found in many parts of earthworms' bodies. The application of chemical fertilizers, sprays and dusts can have a disastrous effect on earthworm populations. Various species of worms are used in vermiculture, the practice of feeding organic waste to earthworms to decompose (digest) it, a form of composting by the use of worms. Earthworms are sold all over the world. The earthworm market is sizable. In 1980, 370 million worms were exported from Canada, with a Canadian export value of $13 million and an American retail value of $54 million. Earthworms are also sometimes sold as food for human consumption especially in New Zealand.

Gorillas
Gorillas move around by knuckle-walking. Almost all gorillas share the same blood type (B)[8] and, like humans, have individual finger prints. The DNA of gorillas is 97%–98% identical to that of a human. They are the next closest living relatives to humans after the chimpanzee species. Gorillas live in tropical or subtropical forests of Congo, Africa. Although their range covers a small percentage of Africa, gorillas cover a wide range of elevations (from the ocean to the mountains). Adult males are as tall as daddy but can weigh twice as much. Silverbacks are the leaders. They lead a troop of up to 30 gorillas. Silverbacks make all the decisions, mediating conflicts, determining the movements of the group, leading the others to feeding sites and taking responsibility for the safety and well-being of the troop. Younger males called blackbacks may serve as backup protection. When they are 11years old the males leave the troop and go with a group of other males. Baby gorillas stay with their moms for 4 years. Silverbacks take care of orphans. If challenged, a silverback will scream, beat his chest, break branches, bare his teeth, then charge forward. If the group is taken over by a different Silverback he might kill the babies of the dead silverback. Gorillas are herbivores, eating fruits, leaves, and shoots and sometimes eat small insects also. Gorilla spend most of the day eating. Lowland gorillas (those that live at the same level as the ocean) eat fruit. Mountain gorillas (those that live high on the mountain) eat herbs, stems and roots. The mommy has the baby 8½ months in her uterus. She takes care of the baby for 4 years before she has another baby. Gorillas live up to 50 years. Gorilla are endangered. Threats to gorilla survival include habitat destruction and the bushmeat trade.

1. Has backbone
2. Has fur
3. No wings
4. Skin has fur
5. Has 2 feet
6. Feet looks like our feet
7. Has 2 legs
8. Legs look like cylindars
9. Body look like human body
10. Eats fruits, herbs, stems, roots, shoots, insects
11. Lives in Congo, Africa
12. Big as a person
13. Baby looks like an adult
14. Not domesticated
15. Is endangered

Octopus
Octopus live in the ocean especially coral reefs. There are around 300 octopus species. Octopuses have eight arms (not tentacles), usually bearing suction cups. A beak, similar in shape to a parrot's beak, is the only hard part of their body. This helps them to squeeze through narrow slits between underwater rocks, which is very helpful when they are fleeing from other predatory fish. Octopuses live six months to five years. Reproduction is a cause of death: males can only live for a few months after mating, and females die shortly after their eggs hatch.Octopuses have three hearts. Octopuses are highly intelligent, more than any other order of invertebrates. Their short lifespans limit the amount they can learn. Most octopuses eject a thick blackish ink in a large cloud to aid in escaping from predators. The main colouring agent of the ink is melanin, which is the same chemical that gives humans their hair and skin colour. This ink cloud dulls smell, which is particularly useful for evading predators that are dependent on smell for hunting, such as sharks. When under attack, some octopuses can detach their own limbs, in a similar manner to the way lizards detach their tails. The female lays about 200,000 eggs . The female hangs these eggs in strings from the ceiling of her lair. The female cares for the eggs, guarding them against predators, and gently blowing currents of water over them so that they get enough oxygen. The female does not eat during the one-month period spent taking care of the eggs. At around the time the eggs hatch, the mother dies and the young larval octopuses spend a period of time drifting in clouds of plankton, where they feed on copepods, larval crabs and larval starfish until they are ready to sink down to the bottom of the ocean, where the cycle repeats itself. This is a dangerous time for the larval octopuses; as they become part of the plankton cloud they are vulnerable to many plankton eaters. Octopuses have keen eyesight. They do not have color vision. Octopuses also have an excellent sense of touch. An octopus's suction cups are equipped with chemoreceptors so that the octopus can taste what it is touching. The arms contain tension sensors so that the octopus knows whether its arms are stretched out. However, the octopus has a very poor proprioceptive sense. The tension receptors are not sufficient for the octopus brain to determine the position of the octopus's body or arms. The octopus does not possess stereognosis; that is, it does not form a mental image of the overall shape of the object it is handling. The neurological autonomy of the arms means that the octopus has great difficulty learning about the detailed effects of its motions. There is no neurological path for the brain to receive feedback about just how its command was executed by the arms; the only way it knows just what motions were made is by observing the arms visually. Octopuses swim headfirst, with arms trailing behind. Octopuses move about by crawling or swimming. Their main means of slow travel is crawling, with some swimming. Their only means of fast travel is called jet propulsion. The octopus moves in synchronization with the cadence of underwater waves, thus giving the illusion of not moving and, more importantly, not resembling an octopus at all. Octopuses need such defensive strategies since their soft tissue and lack of bone structure make them extremely vulnerable to predators. The North Pacific Giant Octopus is the largest octopus. Adults weigh 33 lb, with an arm span of 14 ft. The Moche people of ancient Peru worshipped the sea and its animals; octopuses were often depicted in their art. The Hawaiʻian creation myth relates that the present cosmos is only the last of a series, having arisen in stages from the wreck of the previous universe. The octopus is the lone survivor of the previous, alien universe.

Slug
Slug is a common non-scientific word which is most often applied to any gastropod mollusk whatsoever that has a very reduced shell, a small internal shell, or no shell at all. A slug-like body is an adaptation which has occurred many times in various groups of snails.The common name "slug" is most often applied to land species, but the word has also been applied to many marine species. The largest group of sea slugs are the nudibranchs, but there are in addition many other groups of sea slug such as the sea butterflies, sea angels, and sea hares. Like snails, most slugs have two pairs of 'feelers' or tentacles on their head; the upper pair being light sensors, while the lower pair provides the sense of smell. Both pairs are retractable and can be regrown if lost. On top of the slug, behind the head, is the saddle-shaped mantle. The mantle also has a hole for respiration. The slug moves by rhythmic muscular action of its foot. Some species hibernate underground during the winter in temperate climates, but in other species, the adults die in the autumn. Slugs' bodies are made up mostly of water. They must generate protective mucus to survive. In drought conditions they hide under fallen logs, rocks, plants, and planters in order to help retain body moisture. Slugs produce two types of mucus: one which is thin and watery, and another which is thick and sticky. The thin mucus is spread out from the centre of the foot to the edges. The thick mucus spreads out from front to back. Mucus is very important to slugs because it helps them move around, and contains fibres which prevent the slug from sliding down vertical surfaces. Mucus also provides protection against predators and helps retain moisture. Slugs lay 30 eggs are laid into a hole in the ground or under the cover of objects such as fallen logs. Many species of slugs play an important role in ecology by eating dead leaves, fungus, and decaying vegetable material. Some slugs are predators. Most slugs will also eat carrion including dead of their own kind. Frogs, toads, snakes, hedgehogs, Salamanders, eastern box turtles, birds and beetles are natural slug predators. Slugs, when attacked, can contract their body, making themselves harder and more compact and thus more difficult for many animals to grasp. The unpleasant taste of the mucus is also a deterrent. A small number of species of slugs feed on fruits and vegetables prior to harvest, making holes in the crop that makes it more vulnerable to rot and disease, and making individual items unsuitable to sell. Slugs are a serious pest to agriculture. Pesticides are used in large-scale agriculture. In a few cases, humans have contracted parasite-induced meningitis from eating raw slugs.

Squid
Squid are cephalopods, distinguished by having a distinct head, bilateral symmetry, a mantle, and arms. The skin of the squid is covered in chromatophores, which enable the squid to change color to suit its surroundings. The underside of the squid is also found to be lighter than the topside, in order to provide camouflage from both prey and predator. Under the body are openings to the mantle cavity, which contains the gills. At the front lies the siphon, which the squid uses for locomotion via precise jet propulsion. This is done by sucking water and quickly expelling it out. The direction of the siphon can be changed in order to suit the direction of travel. Squid have three hearts. The head end of the squid bears 8 arms and 2 tentacles, each containing many suckers along the edge. These tentacles do not grow back if severed. The eyes, found on either side of the head, contain a hard lens. The lens is focused by moving, much like the lens of a camera or telescope, rather than changing shape like a human eye. The majority of squid are no more than 60 cm long, although the giant squid may reach 13 m in length making it the largest invertebrate. It also possesses the largest eyes in the animal kingdom. The giant squid is featured in Jules Verne's Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, in which one attacks Captain Nemo's ship, the Nautilus.

Bryan's Animal ABC Book

A
B
C
D
E Earthworm
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z