Page 61 - One Million Things: Animal Life - The Incredible Visual Guide

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6 FISH
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On both sides of a fish’s backbone there are
muscles that contract (pull) to move the tail
from side to side and push the fish forward.
Fins also stabilize the fish’s body, preventing it
from tipping from side to side or up and down,
and enable it to steer.

7 OCTOPUS
The octopus uses its long tentacles and
suckers to pull itself over the seafloor, but
it can also swim rapidly, just as squid and
cuttlefish do. It takes water into its body
then expels it through a funnel-like siphon.
This creates a jet of water that propels the
octopus through the ocean, head first and
with tentacles trailing.

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8 BLUE TIT
Most birds use their wings to fly. When the
wings are pulled downward and backward,
they push the bird forward. This forces air over
the curved surfaces of the wings, creating the
lift that keeps the bird airborne. Body feathers
give this blue tit a streamlined shape, while the
tail acts as a rudder.

9 9 SNAIL
Slugs and snails have a single, large foot on
which they creep across the ground or along
plants. Muscles in the underside of the foot
contract and relax to create wavelike ripples
that push the snail slowly forward. The foot
also produces slippery slime that makes
creeping easier and protects the snail from
any sharp objects in its path.

10 GIBBON
Found in the tropical rain forests of southeast
Asia, gibbons are apes with long arms and
10 very flexible shoulder and wrist joints. These
features enable them to perform an action
called brachiation. Gibbons hurl themselves
forward, swinging hand over hand from
branch to branch to move with great speed
and skill through the forest canopy.

11 HUMPBACK WHALE
This massive marine mammal swims using
its tail. The tail fin has two horizontal paddles
called flukes, which can be moved up and
down by muscle action to propel the whale
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forward, downward, or upward to the surface
to breathe air. Its broad front limbs or flippers
steer the whale so it can turn.

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