Page 87 - One Million Things: Animal Life - The Incredible Visual Guide

Females constantly
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5
5 BOWERBIRD
Some birds mimic the sounds of
other birds to defend territories and
attract mates. Among the most
talented mimics are the bowerbirds
of Australia and New Guinea. They
learn other bird songs, but also copy
sounds such as cell phone ring
tones, chainsaws, and car alarms.
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touch young elephants,
providing guidance
and protection
8 ELEPHANT
These intelligent animals live in
family units of related females.
Over many years a young elephant
learns both social and survival skills,
such as where to find food and
water, or which paths to follow. It is
taught not just by its mother, but
also by its aunts and cousins.
9 JAPANESE MACAQUE
When researchers left sweet
potatoes on a beach for a group
of these intelligent monkeys, a
female took one into the sea and
washed it to remove sand—a
behavior never seen before. Other
group members copied this learned
behavior, as did their offspring,
so that food washing passed from
generation to generation.
6 FOX CUB Sweet potato is
Play is an enormously important part washed before
of learning in many young mammals, being eaten
such as fox cubs. By “going through
the motions,” they learn through
trial and error how to fine-tune life
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skills such as fighting and catching
food, so that they will be able to
survive and compete as adults.
Butterfly feeds
on nectar
from brightly
colored flower
7 BUTTERFLY
When butterflies emerge from
their pupae (transition stage
between caterpillar and butterfly),
they have an instinctive attraction
to brightly colored flowers that they
will feed on. Butterflies learn by trial
and error which flowers provide
more or sweeter nectar.
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