Page 76 - World of Animals - Issue #31

A to Z A to Z
A t
o Z
N N O The extravagant display of a male
An ostentation

of peacocks

peacock’s feathers is not purely a

designed not only to impress a female, but also
to vibrate at low frequencies to communicate
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a
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of
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A nuisance of cats showy affair. The large and colourful feathers are
with other males, possibly to ward them off.
A nuisance of cats generally refers to house
cats only, and anyone who has had a home
full of cats could probably back this up. When of owls P P
talking about wild cats, the collective term is a
destruction. In general, cats are solitary animals,
but domesticated cats do a much better job of
tolerating others than their wild counterparts. A parliament
A nye of pheasants
In mythology and folklore, owls were
A nest of crocodiles seen as a symbol of wisdom and good
fortune. For instance, the Greek goddess
of wisdom, Athena, was associated with a
Q
little owl. Despite this popular belief, owls
A nursery of raccoons do not rank among the higher levels of
bird intelligence.

A quiver of cobras

King cobras live alone in the hot
climate of Asia’s rainforests and tropical
grasslands. Despite their fearsome
reputation, females make for very loving
parents, gently constructing their nests
and fiercely guarding their eggs. When

the female cobra’s eggs hatch, she will
make a quick getaway before the urge to
eat her young overcomes her.
Cobra defence tactics

King cobras are the longest of all
venomous snakes. They are able to raise

the first third of their bodies and slither
forward to attack their prey. When they

feel threatened, their first instinct is to
retreat, but if that’s not possible, they
will resort to rearing up, displaying their

fangs and flaring their hood.
A quarrel of sparrows

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