Page 43 - World of Animals - Issue #39
P. 43

Wolves howl at
              W   o l v e s ho w l a t
              the full moon
              the full moon
               R
                             f
               Researchers have found
                         h
                    c
                  ar
                          v
                           e
                 e
                         a
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                e
                      e
                               nd
                     h
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               e
                               l
                               d w
                ro l
                            n w
                               i
                                   f
                    k
                         w
                                  o
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                       e
                        t
                          e
                   i
                                   l
              zero links between wild wolf                                                        True or false?
              z
                   n
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                                h
                                 s
                                t
                   i
                           t
                    ou
                      r
                       and
                  v
                             Ear
                 h
                            e
                           h
                  a
                                     ar
                                   u
                                    n
               be
               behaviour and the Earth’s lunar
               p h a s e s , a n d y e t t h i s m y t h h a s
               phases, and yet this myth has
               b e e n a ro u n d f o r c e n t u r i e s .                                        Cockroaches are dirty
               been around for centuries.
                 w
                               c
               Howling helps the pack keep in                                                      False. If a cockroach isn’t resting, it’s
                        p
                   n
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                                    p i
                                k k
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                  l
                  i
                       l
               H
                          h
                           e
                        n t
                              a
                  a
                                      e
               c
               contact when they can’t see one                                                     probably cleaning itself. They don’t
                   c
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               another, and as they are active                                                     spread germs or disease themselves,
                 t
               a
                o
                         s t
                               r
                             y a
                    , a
               n
                    r
                                   t
                   e
               a at night they spend a lot of time                                                 but hairs on their legs pick up nasty
                          e
                      e
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                     h
                                     m
                  g
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                   h
                         p
                       y s
                            d a l
                                o
                                 t o
               t n
                 i
                           n
                                      e
                                    i
               out of each other’s sight. The
               o u t o f e a c h o t h e r ’ s s i g h t . T h e                                   things that can then spread.
                 s
                                     a
                        e
               e
                   n w
                                  r h
                               h
                                     d
                                      s
                         s t
                                    e
                a
                             w t
                     o
                      l
                           ro
                  o
                                 i
               r reason wolves throw their heads
                       v
                                e
                          h
               b a c k a n d h o w l f a c i n g t h e s k y i s                                   Termites destroy houses
               back and howl facing the sky is
                                       r
                      t
                              c
                         a
                                     t
                                 e
                                ar
                               s
                       e
                    e
                   s
                            s
                      h
                 au
                          ou
                                   be
                             t
               because the acoustics are better                                                    True. These colonising insects feast
                                      e
               bec
                             i
                         c
                                     t
                 t w
               h
                                o
                     . I
                           s t
                      t h
                                     a
                                 u
                                      r
               t
                                  n
                             e s
                a
                   a
                        e
                                      r
                                       y
                    y
                          p
                             h
               that way. It helps the sound carry                                                  on wood, which is an abundant
                         l
                                   d c
                      g
                                   e
                            a
                             n
                                    c
                           t
                          s
                          i
                              c
                                     h
                       e
                                 o r
                        r d
                               e t
                                   a
               o
                 r a l
                e
                    o
               v
                     n
               over a longer distance to reach                                                     construction material in North America
                           r
                       o
                        l
               a
               s m
               as many wolf ears as possible..                                                     where termites can be found. You’d be
                                    e
                                    l
                  a
                                  i
                                   b
                                 s
                           s a
                          a
                   n
                                o
                    y w
                        f e
                              s p
                                  s
                                                                                                   safer in a gingerbread house.
                                                                                                   Crows congregate to attack
                                                                                                   False. While crows do come together
                                                                                                   to roost at night, the only place you will
              L e ec h e s  go                                                                     see a choreographed attack is in an
              Leeches go
                                                                                                   Alfred Hitchcock thriller.
              for the jugular
              for the jugular                                                                      Owl heads rotate 360
                          t
               Rather than waiting to drop down on to a                                            False. Owls can rotate the head 180
                                 o
               R
                 t
                a
                  e
                     a
                 h
                          i
                                r
                                     w
                         a
                                         n t
                                           o a
                            g t
                   r t
                                       n o
                                     o
                      n w
                     h
                                  p d
                              o d
                           i
                           n
               juicy vein in the neck, you are much more                                           degrees in each direction which gives
                      n
                                           y a
                          e

                                        . T

                                   r a
                                      k
                                          e
                      d a l
                            h o
               i
                                      l
                 l
                                              e
                                     n
               l likely to find a leech on your ankle. They are                                     the impression that their head is
                               n y
                                  u
                           c
                e
                                             r
                                         h
                                       e
                   o fi
                 y t
                                 o
                           e
               k
               mostly found in shallow freshwater, where                                           spinning all the way around (no need to
               they attach to passing mammals. Unlike                                              call an exorcist).
               ticks, however, leeches are not known to
                  a
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                            d t
                           n
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               p
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                              h
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                                        d
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                      e
                     i
                               e
                                           e
               s
               spread disease and they seal wounds neatly                                          Spiders crawl deep under your
                                             t
                                   a
                   d d
                         e a
                                      u
                                       n
               when left to fall off. The National Health                                          skin to lay their eggs
               Service in the UK uses around 15,000                                                False, thank goodness. Spiders can lay
                e
                 c
                             or
                                            e
                             f
               e
                                e
                                 d
                                           r
                               m
                                             s
                                  i
                                         du
                                      p
                                      r
                                   a
                       h
               l leeches each year for medical procedures                                          eggs inside the ear or nose though, and
                                  c
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                         y
                   s
                         ear
                   e
                  h
                                       oc
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                                 s
                                   y a
                         o
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                         l
                   y s
                         o
                         l
                                          e
                                e
               a as they suck blood painlessly and have                                            b o t fl     i e s c a n l a y e g g s u n d e r h u m a n s k i n
                                      d h
                                e
                                      d h
                                                                                                   botflies can lay eggs under human skin
                               v
                                a
                               v
               n
               a a anaesthetic in their saliva.. .                                                 but try not to think about that if you
                                a
               n
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                                                                                                                          f y
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                                                                                                                            o
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                                                                                                                   o
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                                                                                                              h
                                                                                                               i
                                                                                                    u
                                                                                                                    u
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                                                                                                                  e
                                                                                                          t
                                                                                                               m
                                                                                                      t
                                                                                                     ’
                                                                                                   don
                                                                                                                ar
                                                                                                       w
                                                                                                   don’t want nightmares. .
                                                                                                            g
                                                                                                            i
                                                                                                             h
                                                                                                                   s
              W   o r m s c a n be c  ut i n
                  o
                                      ut i
                           a
                   r
                             n be c
                     m
              Worms can be cut in
                                          n
              W
                       s c
                   f a
                                        k
                             r
                             r
                        d g
                        d g
               half and grow back
                al
                              o
                                     ac
               h h
               half and grow back
                                        k
                                     ac
                      n
                              o
                al
                   f a
                      n
                                w b
                                w b
              T h e s m o o t h s e c t i o n i n t h e m i d d l e o f a w o r m i s
              The smooth section in the middle of a worm is
                     e s
              c
                                      h
              called the saddle, and many school children are
                                     c
                                          h
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                                                                                                     e

                                                                                                    r
                                                                                              r m
                                                                                                  o
                                                                                   ’
                                                                             Y
                                                                               ou
                                            a
                                             n b
                                        r
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                           o
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                                    h
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                                h
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                             n
                        l
                                 a
                d i
                         y
                          g
               t told in the playground that the worm can be cut             You’re never more
                l
               o
                           r
                                                                             than six feet from a rat
                              e
                                            l
                         e
                                           d
               i in half and when it regrows a new saddle will form.   .     than six feet from a rat
               n h
                              g
                     d w
                            t r
                                                  r
                          n i
                                                 o
                                               i
                        h
                                             e w
                                                l f
                                                l
                                                   m
                               r
                                  s a n
                   f a
                                 w
                                         a
                 a
                                      e
                                          d
                                       w s
                    n
                                o
                  l
               O f c o u r s e , c h o p p i n g a w o r m i n h a l f d o e s a b o u t  I In truth, only three per cent of UK residences have rats on the
               Of course, chopping a worm in half does about
                                                                                                          d
                                                                                        h
                                                                                      y t
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                                                                              n t
                                                                                      l
                                                                                                           e
                                                                                                              e
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                                                                                  h
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                                                                                                             c
                                                                                                                        n t
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                                                                                                                     t
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                                                                                                                     a
               h
                       v
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                         l o
                  a
               t the same level of damage as slicing up a human              p r o p e r t y a n d t h e y a r e f o u n d i n o n l y fi     v e p e r c e n t o f s e w e r s .
                                                  n
                                 e a
                           f d
                                     l
                                   s s
                             a
                                g
                               a
                                                 a
                                           p a h
                                               m
                              m
                                      c
                                       n
                                              u
                                      i
                                        g u
                                       i
                                                                             property and they are found in only five per cent of sewers.
               but the worm is able to regenerate some of its
               b u t t h e w o r m i s a b l e t o r e g e n e r a t e s o m e o f i t s  T h e b u i l d i n g s t h a t a r e m o s t a f f e c t e d b y r o d e n t i n v a s i o n a r e
                                                                             The buildings that are most affected by rodent invasion are
                      o
                                             e
               b
               body. As long as the saddle and the 10 segments               agricultural premises. Recent data suggests that in the UK at
                       n
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                                                                                                                      e U
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                                                                                             . R
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               a are left intact, the rest of the body can grow back..                                                            © Thinkstock; Alamy
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                                                                              least, humans outnumber rats six to one. .
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                                                                                                                               43
       042-043_Spookymyths.indd   43                                                                                         12/10/2016   16:30
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