Page 103 - One Million Things: Animal Life - The Incredible Visual Guide
P. 103
4 MOBILE HOME 7 BIRD’S NEST
Some animals carry their homes around These temporary homes, built by birds
with them as extra protection from Grebe’s nest during the breeding season, come in
predators. The hermit crab, which has floats on many shapes and sizes. Nests provide
a soft, vulnerable abdomen, borrows a the water a place where eggs can be incubated
home by occupying an empty mollusk and kept warm, as well as shelter for
shell. If danger threatens, it simply young birds. Great crested grebes build
withdraws into the shell. When it grows their nests on water, denying access
too large for its borrowed shell it moves 7 to land-dwelling predators.
into a new, larger one.
8 TERRITORY
5 UNDERGROUND HOME Some animals claim and defend a large
With cylindrical bodies, short fur, home area called a territory. They do this
spadelike front feet, and excellent in order to protect their food, water, and
senses of smell and touch, moles are mates from rivals. This male cheetah is
perfectly adapted for building a marking the boundaries of its territory
network of tunnels around a nest or by spraying a jet of strong-smelling
nests. They regularly patrol their urine on a tree.
tunnels to make repairs and to collect
any juicy insects or worms.
9 TREE HOLE
Whether a tree hole is natural or
6 AIR BUBBLE HOME has been excavated, it may provide
The water spider is the only spider to a home for many species, including
have a permanent watery home. It woodpeckers and squirrels. A female
spins a web underwater, fills the web mountain bluebird builds a nest and
with air, and waits in the resulting air lays her eggs in a tree hole, while the
bubble, darting out to grab passing male guards her.
prey. The spider goes to the surface
occasionally to collect tiny air bubbles
on its hairy body to replenish supplies 10 PLANT HOME FOR ANTS
inside the bubble. 8 Azteca ants are among several species
of ants that have a special relationship
with plants—in their case, Cecropia
trees. The biting ants defend their trees
Male mountain
bluebird emerges from by driving off plant-eating insects and
a tree-hole nest cutting away strangling vines. The tree
provides food for the ants, and they
nest in hollows within its soft tissues.
9
10
Azteca ants
tend their
eggs inside
opened
tree nest
101
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