NationalExpressSpringIssue2017 - 69

N AT U R E

Wild encounters

Seeing animals in their natural habitat is a real delight - pack
your binoculars and learn about these fascinating beasts

Chipmunk

Shetland
pony

WORDS: Jade Harding IMAGES: Getty Images, Shutterstock

Moose

Komodo
dragon

Platypus

WHERE TO FIND THEM?

DID YOU KNOW?

NEW YORK: These little creatures, with their
chubby cheeks and striped fur, can be found
in America and Asia. Tamias, one of three
groups of chipmunk, have set up home in
Prospect Park, New York. You can see them
scurrying up the trees, but it's doubtful you'll
get close to them - they're very quick movers!

A single chipmunk can gather as many
as 165 acorns a day. During hibernation,
instead of storing fat, they stuff their
cheeks with food, which they carry back
to their home to keep for winter. Their
cheeks can stretch to be three times
larger than their head.

SHETLAND ISLANDS: So associated with
their habitat that these ponies were named
after it. Standing no taller than 3.5ft, this hardy
breed has flourished roaming the exposed
moors in Scotland for more than 4,000 years
and their coats can be any colour except for
spotted. They're used for riding and packing.

From the 1840s, Shetland ponies were used
in British coal mines after laws prohibited
women, girls and boys from working in
them. Their size and strength meant they
were perfect for carrying coal through the
underground tunnels - a practice that only
stopped as the pit industry declined.

CANADA: The largest of the deer species is
found in cooler climates, such as the Canadian
forests, mostly because it cannot sweat.
Growing up to 7ft tall and weighing as much
as eight humans, moose are recognisable by
their flattened antlers and drooping noses.

Moose become strong swimmers as early
as two or three days after being born. They
can dive 5.5m to forage for plants at the
bottom of lakes, and are sometimes called
'twig eaters' because their diet consists
mostly of twigs, acorns and branches.

INDONESIA: These predators have lived on
the islands of Indonesia for millions of years.
The largest lizards in the world, with an average
size of 9ft and 200lb, they eat almost anything,
including humans. They don't just use their jaws
to kill, they use their saliva - with 50 strains of
bacteria, their prey can die from blood poisoning.

Females can reproduce without having
sex - the process is called parthenogenesis.
This is when, in lieu of sperm, the eggs
fertilise each other. Komodo dragons are
known to eat younger dragons, so to avoid
being cannibalised, the baby Komodos will
cover themselves in faeces.

AUSTRALIA: When a platypus was brought
over to England from Australia in the 1790s,
scientists couldn't believe its paddle-shaped
tail, waterproof fur, flat bill and webbed
feet were real. These carnivorous mammals
can be spotted swimming in fresh water in
Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria.

The male platypus is one of only a few
mammals able to produce venom. They have
a kidney-shaped venomous gland in the
upper thigh that is connected to a spur on
their back feet, through which the venom is
secreted. Although it isn't life threatening for
humans, it can cause severe swelling and pain.

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