Page 87 - World of Animals - Issue #30

Animal answers

What is a habitat

corridor?

A habitat corridor is a strip of green land providing a
connection between two fragmented patches of habitat. All
too often, development of land means an animal habitat is
split apart. This can be detrimental as large structures and

road networks make it difficult and sometimes dangerous
to move between habitats. Sometimes animals become
isolated in their respective fragments and over time this
can lead to a loss of genetic diversity. In extreme cases a
population may be susceptible to inbreeding or be wiped
out entirely by one disease. There is much work going on
to ensure animals have habitat corridors, including creating In Banff National Park, Canada,
protected areas or installing green bridges to help animals animals are encouraged to cross over
to move freely across their landscape. bridges rather than risk the road

Are owls really wise?
Tortoise Turtle Tortoises have large,
domed shells, whereas
Domed, heavy shell Streamlined, light shell turtle shells are flatter and Owls are among the best hunters their heads to survey the area.

more streamlined in the world. They see and hear To humans, these large eyes and
extremely well at night, fly silently horizon-scanning movements

and o en catch their prey by make them seem brainy. But in

surprise. However, when it comes fact, studies have shown that birds’
Short, sturdy feet Flipper-like legs to overall intelligence it turns out intelligence levels are linked to how
and bent legs and webbed feet owls aren’t as wise as people big their brains are in comparison
Lives on land Lives in water think. Experts have discovered that to their bodies. In this respect, it is
humans tend to equate wisdom or actually corvids (birds in the crow
intelligence with large eyes. Owls’ family) and parrots that come out
eyes are very big relative to their on top. Both have relatively large
head size and they are also fixed, brains, and much more developed

which means they must move cognitive abilities.

How closely related are Owls aren’t as
intelligent as
turtles and tortoises? you’d fi rst think

Tortoises and turtles are both cold- tend to have webbed feet and have an
blooded, shell-covered reptiles from the omnivorous diet, eating fish and jellyfish

Testudines family, which reproduce by as well as vegetation. Turtles also tend
laying eggs. Though closely related, there to be smaller than tortoises and have
are certain key differences between the shorter lifespans.

two. Tortoises live and breed on the land, Terrapins are slightly different to them Q. Can pigeons
eating low-growing shrubs and grasses. both. They typically live in swampy areas
Turtles, on the other hand, spend the near ponds, rivers and lakes, and spend detect cancer?
vast majority of their time in water. They time both in water and on land.
Find out at…
animalanswers.co.uk

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