Desert species

Bactrian Camel

The wild Bactrian camel is extremely well adapted for the tough desert

climate that it lives in. Thick eyelashes and narrow nostrils that can be

closed tightly against the storms protect the camel from injury from

flying sand. Its two toes are connected and are able to spread widely,

allowing the camel to walk well on sandy ground.

Like other camels, the wild Bactrian camel has a long curved neck, long

legs, a long triangular face and a split upper lip. Camels feed mainly on

shrubs. It has two humps on its back that store fat and this allows them

to go without food for long periods of time.

They are also able to go without water, but this is not stored in the

camels’ humps. Once they find water, camels are able to drink as much as

57 litres at one time to replace the water they have lost. To save water,

camels produce dry faeces (poo!) and little urine (wee!) and can control

how much they sweat.

The coat of the wild Bactrian camel tends to be lighter than some other

camels and is a sandier grey-brown colour. Its coat becomes thicker and

longer in winter when temperatures can fall to -30 degrees Celsius, and

is lost in big chunks as temperatures increase.

Great Desert Skink

The great desert skink is a relatively large and robust (solid or sturdy)

lizard, with a cylinder shaped body, smooth scales and short arms and

leg, like other skinks. The rounded tail, that gets narrower towards the

end, is slightly longer than the head and body, and is where the skink

stores fat to keep it going when there is not much food.

The upper surface of the body varies in colour from bright orange-brown

to dull brown or light grey, while the underside is yellow, cream or grey.

This helps the skink to camouflage against the rock and sand of the

desert.

The great desert skink lives in large, burrow systems which can be up to

metre deep. The burrows may be occupied by family groups of up to

about ten.

The great desert skink feeds on a wide variety of small insects mainly

termites but also cockroaches, beetles, spiders, ants, and sometimes

small lizards. Flowers, leaves and fruits may also be eaten. Skinks usually

search for food in the early evening or at night during the hotter

months, and may hibernate inside the burrow during the cooler months.

Pharaoh Eagle

One of the smaller eagle-owl species, the pharaoh eagle-owl is a bird of

prey with striking, large orange-yellow eyes and mottled feathers. The

head and upperparts are light brown with lots of black and creamy-white

streaks and blotches, while the underparts are pale creamy-white, with

black streaks and fine reddish-brown wavy markings.

The strong, sharp beak is black and hooked, and the head is topped with

small ear tufts. The pharaoh eagle-owl is a nocturnal species so they

sleep in the day and are active at night. They begin hunting for food at

sunset.

The pharaoh eagle-owl is an effective predator, eating almost any small

animal that it can find. During hunting the owl usually sits on a rocky

perch, and uses its very good hearing to detect the movements of prey

before swooping down to grab it. It mainly eats small mammals but

snakes, lizards, birds, beetles and scorpions may also be eaten by this

eagle-owl.

Cactus

Cactus is an American plant family not found naturally in Europe, Africa or

Australia. Cacti owe their success in the desert to their adaptations.

Cacti take advantage of any rare rain that falls by having roots close to

the surface. The water is quickly collected by the roots and stored in

thick, stretchy stems ready for when there is no water available.

The fleshy stems of the barrel cactus are pleated like an accordion.

These pleats also channel water to the base of the plant during rain

showers. When water is not available in the summer, the Cactus continues

to photosynthesise (make its own food) because it has fixed spines

instead of leaves that don’t fall off.

The green stems produce the plant's food, but lose less water than leaves

because of their waxy coating. The many spines shade the stems, keeping

them cool. Many cacti actually grow towards the south so that as little of

their body surface is in the midday sun. Cacti pay a price for these water-

saving adaptations – they grow very slowly.

Sand Cat

One of the smallest cat species in the world, the sand cat (Felis margarita) is well adapted to its arid desert habitat. It is able to get all

of the water it needs from its food.

The sand cat has extremely good hearing due to its large and triangle-

shaped ears. It is able to hear noises from animals both above and below

the surface of the sand.

Its foot pads are covered with thick hair, helping it to move easily over

the sand in its desert environment. The fur also protects the sand cat’s

feet from the hot sand.

The colour of the sand cats fur can be yellowish-brown to grey, with pale

lines on its limbs and several black rings near the black tip of its tail.

These are for camouflage – helping the sand cat to hide from its

predators and its prey. The sand cat hunts at night and on its own as this

makes it more likely to catch something.

Deep Sea Species

Angler Fish

The various names for this fish - anglerfish (Lophius piscatorius),

monkfish, goosefish – are lined to the fact that it has a very unusual

looking fish, as indeed do all 24 members of this family of fishes.

At first glance, it appears to be all head – and a head almost as wide as

the whole fish is long - with the flat body narrows sharply towards the

tail.

The skin is dark, rough and knobbly and has no scales which is unusual

for a fish. Despite how ugly it is, anglerfish are edible and considered

nice to eat, although the tail is usually the only part of the fish

displayed!

Other interesting features of this fish include an enormous, crescent-

shaped mouth on the upper half of the body, and the three long spines

on its head between the eyes; the front spine is modified to act as a

lure, attracting smaller fish (prey) closer to the anglerfish’s mouth so it

can grab them.

Olive Ridley Turtle

The olive ridley turtle is the smallest of the marine turtles. The top of

this turtle’s shell is olive coloured and almost heart-shaped, whilst the

underneath of the shell is a greenish white.

Olive ridleys are known for their remarkable mass nestings, when many

thousands of females arrive on the same beach. Males and females

migrate (move at particular times of the year) from the feeding grounds

to the nesting beaches.The nesting usually happens at night and when

there is a high tide. The females climb up the beach and lay clutches of

eggs - containing between 110 to 120 eggs. These astonishing mass

nestings can involve up to 150,000 females. This overcrowding means

that turtles are often crawling over each other to move up the beach

and may even unearth other nests whilst digging their own.

After around 50 to 60 days, the hatchlings (baby turtles) break out of

their shells and make a dash to the sea. Predators such as jackals and

crabs will feed on turtle eggs, birds attack hatchlings on the beach and

fish wait in the shallows. Therefore it is tough being a baby turtle but

the fact there are so many hatching together increases their chances of

survival.

Adult olive ridleys are carnivorous (meat-eating) and feed on lots of

different organisms including fish and molluscs (shell fish); sometimes

diving up to 150 metres in search of food.

Sea Urchin

The edible or common sea urchin (Echinus esculentus) has a large,

rounded 'shell', which is actually an external skeleton, correctly called a

'test'. This shell is built out of plates that are made of calcium.

It is usually pinkish-red in colour but can sometimes be shades of yellow,

green or purple. The shape of the test varies depending on the depth of

the water. The sea urchins living in shallow water tend to be more flat

than the ones living in deep water. The bristles on the ‘test’ or shell are

covered in many protective reddish spines with lilac coloured tips.

The common sea urchin feeds on seaweeds and invertebrates (no

backbone), moving along the sea floor using its 'tube feet', which stick

out from the spines. The mouth is located centrally on the underside of

the shell, and has a group of 5 specialised plates which act as a jaw.

Sea urchins become able to reproduce at between one and three years

old, and are thought to live for 10 to 16 years.

Giant Squid

The giant squid is one of the world's largest animals. It is known to

reach a length of up to 20 metres! It is one of the largest known

invertebrates (creatures without a back bone) in the world and one of

the largest creatures in the sea. The giant squid is a member of the

same family of creatures as the octopus.

The giant squid's body is composed of a body, eight arms, and two longer

tentacles. The main body, of the squid is around 2 metres long. The

insides of the arms and tentacles are lined with hundreds of suckers, of

different sizes. Each sucker has sharp, rough edges that help the squid

hold on to its prey. The top of the body has two small fins that are used

to help the squid change direction in the water and it is pushed along

really fast by jet propulsion! The squid can move through the water at

high speeds by taking water into its body and then pushing it out again

really hard.

The giant squid has a highly developed brain. They are thought to be

very intelligent, and may be one of the smartest creatures in the ocean.

Their eyes are extremely big. Large eyes are an important adaptation

because they help the squid find food in the darkness of the deep ocean.

Sperm Whale

The sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) is the largest of the toothed

whales, with males growing up to 20 metres in length. The sperm whale

also has the largest brain of any living animal.

Sperm whales have huge square heads that take up almost a third of

their total body length. Unlike other whales, the blowhole of the sperm

whale on the left of its head rather than on the top.

Further down the body towards the tail there is usually a large hump

(bump or lump) on its back, followed by a line of smaller bumps. The dark

brown to bluish-black skin, which is splotched and scratched, is tough

and helps the whale blend in with its environment. The whales have

strong muscular tails, large tail fins and a stream-lined shape to help

them swim large distances without having to sue too much energy.

The huge heads of sperm whales contain a large chamber filled with a

special waxy liquid (spermaceti oil). This wax can be cooled to make it

shrink which helps the whale sink, or heated so that it gets bigger which

helps the whale rise to the surface.

Arctic Species

Arctic Fox

The Arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus) is superbly adapted for life at sub-zero

temperatures. While this species is best known for its pristine, white

winter coat, during the summer, the coat becomes brown on the

upperparts, with light grey or white underpart, and is half as thick.

In addition, to the ‘white’ form of Arctic fox, a ‘blue’ form also occurs,

which in some areas is light brown with a bluish sheen in the winter or

dark brown to black in other areas, but becoming chocolate brown in the

summer.

The dense, woolly coat of this species has the best insulating properties

of all mammals, and helps this species survive at temperatures of -50

degrees Celsius in the wild. Some other adaptations for life in the Arctic

include small, heavily furred ears and a short nose to reduce heat loss,

as well as fur on the soles of the feet, and increased blood flow to the

feet pads to prevent freezing.

Arctic Hare

One of the world’s largest hares, the Arctic hare (Lepus arcticus) has a

distinctive, uniformly white summer coat, aside from the tips of each

ear, which are black. The thick white fur provides both warmth and

camouflage against the Arctic hare’s snowy surroundings. After the

spring moult, the fur of some arctic hares is replaced with a shorter

grey-brown fur.

The female Arctic hare is larger than the male, and also begins to moult

earlier in spring.

The Arctic hare has very thick fur and quite a large, compact body

compared with other hare species. The small size of the ears and other

parts of the body (e.g. feet) helps to reduce heat loss in cold conditions,

while the paws are heavily padded with thick, coarse fur which helps the

Arctic hare to walk on the surface of snow without sinking. The well

adapted claws and incisors (pointed teeth) enable the Arctic hare to dig

through snow and feed on the plants beneath.

Distress calls are made by hare and rabbit species when they are caught

by predators, but all other communication is thought to be done by scent

marking.

Emperor Penguin

Standing over a metre in height and weighing up to 40 kilograms, the

emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) is the undisputed heavyweight

of the penguin world. Slow and dignified, the emperor penguin is a

stunning bird with a blue-grey back that shades into a black tail, and a

characteristically white belly flushed with yellow. Deep yellow ear

patches on either side of the head fade down the neck and the upper

chest, while the remainder of the head and throat is black.

In order to limit heat loss, the emperor penguin’s extremities are

reduced in size, with a small head and bill relative to body size, and

flippers that are proportionately 25 percent smaller than those of other

penguins.

A specially designed circulatory system also provides an efficient way to

keep heat within the body. Furthermore, the scale-like feathers of the

emperor penguin are tightly packed in multiple layers that only the

harshest winds can ruffle, while the feet are strongly clawed for

gripping the ice.

Emperor penguin chicks are mostly silvery grey, with a blackish head and

a well-known white mask around the eyes, cheek and throat.

Arctic Willow

The Arctic willow (Salix arctica) is a low-growing shrub, which grows flat

along the ground and usually grows in matches where the plants are

clumped together. Not all Arctic Willows have the same appearance and

size, with leaf shape and speed of growth known to be very different

depending on exactly where it is growing.

The leaves of the Arctic willow are mainly oval-shaped, and have a

smooth edges and a pointed tip. They are green and glossy on the top and

pale grey-green on the underside. The Arctic willow produces long,

cylindrical (sausage shaped) clusters of flowers, known as ‘catkins’, which

contain either a male or female flower.

The female catkins are hairy and are usually between one and eight

centimetres long. The male catkins are smaller, only growing up to four

centimetres long. Both male and female catkins usually grow from the

sides of the stems.

The stems of the Arctic willow are shiny and not hairy. They can vary in

colour between yellow-brown, grey-brown or red-brown.

Polar Bear

The polar bear (Ursus maritimus) is the largest living land carnivore

(meat eater), with adult males growing up to 2.6 metres in length. The

polar bear, the most well-known of all bears, is immediately recognisable

from the distinctive white colour of its thick fur.

The only unfurred parts of the body are the foot pads and the tip of its

nose, which are black, revealing the dark colour of the skin underneath

its fur.

The neck of the polar bear is longer than in other species of bears, and

the elongated head has small ears. Polar bears have large strong limbs

and huge forepaws which are used as paddles for swimming.

The toes are not webbed, but are excellent for walking on snow as they

bear non-retractable claws which dig into the snow like ice-picks. The

soles of the feet also have small projections and indents which act like

suction cups and help this bear to walk on ice without slipping.

Females are about half the size of males. Polar bear cubs weigh up to 0.7

kilograms at birth. They look similar in appearance to adults, though they

have much thinner fur.

Bactrian Camel

The wild Bactrian camel is extremely well adapted for the tough desert

climate that it lives in. Thick eyelashes and narrow nostrils that can be

closed tightly against the storms protect the camel from injury from

flying sand. Its two toes are connected and are able to spread widely,

allowing the camel to walk well on sandy ground.

Like other camels, the wild Bactrian camel has a long curved neck, long

legs, a long triangular face and a split upper lip. Camels feed mainly on

shrubs. It has two humps on its back that store fat and this allows them

to go without food for long periods of time.

They are also able to go without water, but this is not stored in the

camels’ humps. Once they find water, camels are able to drink as much as

57 litres at one time to replace the water they have lost. To save water,

camels produce dry faeces (poo!) and little urine (wee!) and can control

how much they sweat.

The coat of the wild Bactrian camel tends to be lighter than some other

camels and is a sandier grey-brown colour. Its coat becomes thicker and

longer in winter when temperatures can fall to -30 degrees Celsius, and

is lost in big chunks as temperatures increase.

Great Desert Skink

The great desert skink is a relatively large and robust (solid or sturdy)

lizard, with a cylinder shaped body, smooth scales and short arms and

leg, like other skinks. The rounded tail, that gets narrower towards the

end, is slightly longer than the head and body, and is where the skink

stores fat to keep it going when there is not much food.

The upper surface of the body varies in colour from bright orange-brown

to dull brown or light grey, while the underside is yellow, cream or grey.

This helps the skink to camouflage against the rock and sand of the

desert.

The great desert skink lives in large, burrow systems which can be up to

metre deep. The burrows may be occupied by family groups of up to

about ten.

The great desert skink feeds on a wide variety of small insects mainly

termites but also cockroaches, beetles, spiders, ants, and sometimes

small lizards. Flowers, leaves and fruits may also be eaten. Skinks usually

search for food in the early evening or at night during the hotter

months, and may hibernate inside the burrow during the cooler months.

Pharaoh Eagle

One of the smaller eagle-owl species, the pharaoh eagle-owl is a bird of

prey with striking, large orange-yellow eyes and mottled feathers. The

head and upperparts are light brown with lots of black and creamy-white

streaks and blotches, while the underparts are pale creamy-white, with

black streaks and fine reddish-brown wavy markings.

The strong, sharp beak is black and hooked, and the head is topped with

small ear tufts. The pharaoh eagle-owl is a nocturnal species so they

sleep in the day and are active at night. They begin hunting for food at

sunset.

The pharaoh eagle-owl is an effective predator, eating almost any small

animal that it can find. During hunting the owl usually sits on a rocky

perch, and uses its very good hearing to detect the movements of prey

before swooping down to grab it. It mainly eats small mammals but

snakes, lizards, birds, beetles and scorpions may also be eaten by this

eagle-owl.

Cactus

Cactus is an American plant family not found naturally in Europe, Africa or

Australia. Cacti owe their success in the desert to their adaptations.

Cacti take advantage of any rare rain that falls by having roots close to

the surface. The water is quickly collected by the roots and stored in

thick, stretchy stems ready for when there is no water available.

The fleshy stems of the barrel cactus are pleated like an accordion.

These pleats also channel water to the base of the plant during rain

showers. When water is not available in the summer, the Cactus continues

to photosynthesise (make its own food) because it has fixed spines

instead of leaves that don’t fall off.

The green stems produce the plant's food, but lose less water than leaves

because of their waxy coating. The many spines shade the stems, keeping

them cool. Many cacti actually grow towards the south so that as little of

their body surface is in the midday sun. Cacti pay a price for these water-

saving adaptations – they grow very slowly.

Sand Cat

One of the smallest cat species in the world, the sand cat (Felis margarita) is well adapted to its arid desert habitat. It is able to get all

of the water it needs from its food.

The sand cat has extremely good hearing due to its large and triangle-

shaped ears. It is able to hear noises from animals both above and below

the surface of the sand.

Its foot pads are covered with thick hair, helping it to move easily over

the sand in its desert environment. The fur also protects the sand cat’s

feet from the hot sand.

The colour of the sand cats fur can be yellowish-brown to grey, with pale

lines on its limbs and several black rings near the black tip of its tail.

These are for camouflage – helping the sand cat to hide from its

predators and its prey. The sand cat hunts at night and on its own as this

makes it more likely to catch something.