Natural Born Artists (Animal Kingdom)

CONTENTS r Architec Chapter 1 – Maste

ts

6

8

10 High rise apartments 12 Drilled homes s er av we er st ma d an 14 Arboreal architects

16 African architects s 18 Above ground bunker

es nc 20 Underground reside

Aquatic structures

Chapter 2 – Singers and da

nce artists

22 Song birds Singing multitudes 24 Audio mimics 26 Born suitors 28 30 Seductive dances 32 Alluring movements 34 Coordinated motion 36

Contents 38

ts ba ro Ac – 40 Chapter 3

42 Born to latch on g in ng ha 44 Champions of

rs me 46 Aerial perfor

st re fo in ra e th of 48 The athletes s ow sh 50 Spectacular s nt Special tale

Chapter 4 –

Fash

ion dictator In a courting s dress 52 Age-appropri ate garb 54 Fans of varie ty 5 6 58 60 a di ae op 62 Small encycl Index

10

Master Ar THE BEGINNING OF THE

MAYFLY’S LIFE

fly’s one-day long t-lived, adult may or sh ence sly ou m fa The three-year exist is preceded by a the on r te el sh r career on earth phs) look fo ym (n ae rv e la e of Th ed section th as a larva. latively fast-pac re g, to in in s am le re ho st ed ly steadi ep, U-shap dig 10-15 cm de ay m ey s Th ct . er se in riv 0 a sz 00 Ti as 4, oreline. As many ass the steep, clay sh er. Until their m et m re ua sq e gl sin d a an on t es en be pres many as 20 tim ed their skin as sh r. ai ey e th , th us in g od ex floatin decayed matter feed on organic,

eng g min rom o f c dth -an ly for ities in p u un The ions f ecomm t r sp era ense c l thei flowl d “ the ; we ca t the ” n ies. e Jun lar eve mayfl e u h c t a t f g o erin

HUMMING MASTER ARCHITEC

D E L L I DR S E M HO HARMFUL WOOD BORERS

ruce trees. Gended enemy of sp ea dr a t it is le et be es defend agains ruce bark The European sp healthy spruce tre as g d in at an , m re a tu re ea ary cr males bo erally, it is a solit dead trees. The ials “picks on” sick or with scent mater ly es on al it , m fe sin e re th re with lu ey y th la le d hi nnels” an the bark w long “mother tu chamber under ating, these bore m e tree which r th te of Af e ). su es tis on (pherom the phloem m fro l ea st els; in this way, ae nn rv la drilling side tu by their eggs. Their it g yin ro st tered their pupa ents, also de ter they have en transports nutri Af . ed et pl m co ction is the bark. the tree’s destru ey bore through th d, he tc ha d an stage d avage are r trees eakened, e c u spr es” re w When beetl and a orms d “pack of nd by st a e ombin ge of this . the c t ta advan the fores take er v o m swar

T

The female of the ge nus Megachile, a lea fcutter bee, constructs astonishing tubular flats near its food so urce, the rose bush.

It builds its nest cham bers, composed of thimble-shaped cells, in tiny, existing holes , creating round and oval pieces from lea ves.

Once it has drawn up the walls, the little bee places a packag e consisting of an eg g, pollen and nectar int o the “room,” and the n seals it before begin ning the next one. Th e careful mother ensu res the future of her descendants with the prepared “lunch,” as she is so exhausted in her labours, that sh e does not survive the ir hatching.

rchitects e on th laced s on l are p a s v e o c e pie dges ith th ound op, w ls. Their e The r and t ifyl id e m l c o o t e s t h bo s of t her by the e id s the oget ept t a. are k saliv e e b ing

11

RESIDENTIAL PARK IN THE SHORE WALL

Along the upper Tisza, the spectacu larly coloured European bee-eaters and sand mar tins nest together in communities of many hundred s or thousands.

Each couple has a flat with a separate entrance, built together by the male and the female. They dig a one to two metre long hole into the high, sandy shoreline and the hen soon lays her eggs into the expanding egg chamber. Sand martins insulate these chambers with plants and feathers, while those of European bee-eater are covered in just branches. The parents take turn s delivering the delicious insects to the chicks that have hatched in the protected nest.

There are some who give up on the ex perience o f an expansiv e view an d are satisfied with a ho their own le of making.

T h ese are not nece ssarily f or their comfort, often, th eir owner only spen s d a smal l part of their life inside, o r they only esta blish a s ecure place to mate.

24

Singers And D COMMON CHAFFINCH

al reperenty songs in the music There are more than tw rposs ffinch, serving variou pu toire of the common cha s iou var g rin du performed es. For example, three are are ers oth ee thr ile riod, wh phases of the mating pe . They learn the beautiger dan in en wh g sun only males er detailed study. Young ful-sounding chords aft d them, un aro g sin y ows as the listen and mimic their fell is “most t song of their father tha and of them all, it is the raccha a in gs m. Each flock sin deeply absorbed” by the ” le. “sty n ow its bird adds teristic dialect, and each

ried their The more va re likely mo e th song, e fath in w they can hen. vours of a

G N SO

S D R I B

NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD

irds blast their The male mockingb and day. They varied songs night voices of other e enjoy weaving th rtoire and rebirds into their repe e stanzas to the peat their favourit Once a piece . point of boredom routine,” it is d an becomes “stale ed on their list. never again includ

hea trac the entical f o e id amctur not stru irds is an of m heir The b g t g r e on d o nerat of s e soun Their y ge h se. x, to t , so the ere el in yr h s mal somew is the s e inter h e ” voic rument ted at t a and e t a loc e trach they “ins h is th ay, f w o whic s at und this tion sec ronchi; two so ging e b in the erat . The s the mo e gen can ame tim ring to ching e s t the les adh e, stre n be c g mus cartila nes, ca y alb a e e r r b il ore m b h e me pidly, t ls. This ks, ic o v a r il r r o t t d s e k mov quic g from only The Europe ing an robin is low issin hey can y clap m one of our song-focuse b is t most why selves gan d songbird is h m s. Contrary its relatives, whic ss the ls. to many of it gives a co e ncert not ju expr their bil mating peri st in the od, but pra ping ctic

European robin

ery blessed ally all year mo long. Evfellows from rning it communicate s to its a clearly visi b aria that th is is his sove le spot with a loud reign territ quiets dow ory. It only n near the end of sum moulting se m er, during ason, when , and at the of Autumn beginning , it switches to a more m melody. elancholy

At the beginning of the mating season, the testosterone levels of males rise; guided by the nervous system, it incites the birds to sing.

Dance Artists

25

THE BLACKBIRDS OF EUROPE

parks In the dense thickets of the forests, of song the , gary Hun of ens gard and g blackbirds can be heard from the sprin r Thei mn. autu of end all the way to the d of pure, reverberating song is compose in le Whi a series of repeating motifs. mid-flight, they emit a characteristic le “dpp” sound. The Eurasian golden orio betray their presence with loud flute s of sounds. The universe of musical note e mor but l urfu colo less blackbirds are pleasing to the ear.

THE DUET OF THE BUSHSHRIKE

EURASIAN SKYLAR

K

sounds skylark song e March sun, th it all he’s of s ys ve ra gi e st e. The mal With the fir at m to ille tim ld. It is ate with his tr above the fie his chosen m of t d ar an he e nd th r grou got to conque rises from the ing loudly, he begins a dive ng he , Si . ly ng en so dd g Su in . es ut in m for long does not stop trills up high anoeuvre. He m t an eg el an ntinues on and lands with for a moment, and even co en ev singing, not the ground.

les The musc ower l e th f o trachea

on Half-mo ld shaped fo

Trachea

Syrinx

sacs Main air

ate Bone pl

Sound es membran

Only the male of mo st songbirds sing, but the bushshrikes of Africa announce their bond wi th beautiful duets. Even though bo th genders have their own solo numb ers, they are able to sing in perfect ha rmony. The joint performance is frequ ently initiated by the male, but he is als o the one to conclude it. At the same time, the production keeps away oth er members of their species that co vet their territory.

the currently livMore than half of e in the order of ing bird species ar ough they have songbirds. Even th y to their respecadapted differentl as a result, they tive habitats, and ried from one anare also greatly va arance and habits other in their appe ve a shared charalike, they still ha their advanced acteristic. This is ty, first and forevoice emitting abili e of breeding, an most in the servic they earn the admi ability with which other members of ration of not just those of human be their species, but ings as well.

ÉS nin ekgeesreskAénsd tD 26

CHOIR OF AMPHIBIANS

ad, k to e rjac e t t , t g h a The n ible fro ads d o e t e d ie th tree bell ean fire- e Europ a in th sing and all frog . choir The American toad’s infl atable voice bladder incr eases the sound le vel. Only ad ult specimens ar e able to cr oak.

When one is talking abo ut seducing the opposite gender, with many frogs, size is not at all everything.

There is a close correlatio n between body size and pitch, which has a decis ive impact over the cou rse of the serenade sung durin g the mating period. The larger the male, the better his chances with the female s, as they consider males with a deeper voice to be more attractive. The more rob ust “troubadours” call the m with a throaty croak, wh ile the smaller, less pleasa ntly voiced males are watch ing nearby and try to cra wl on top of the frogs that hav e been lured to the area.

The th roat p ouch of the s bon w iamang gib orks like a builtin spe aker.

f ation o e gener ely ir t The voic n e is not not whales they do tood – do d n a s unders d r cal cho le air to have vo to exha hey not have resumably, t P e .” h k t a d e p n “s x a ir laryn side use the in g in t ula air circ y to do so. od their b

SINGING GIBBONS

Each of the nine-gibbon spec ised by lifelo ng monogam ies is charactery and strong cohesion. Th family ey joyously groom each day long an other all d have no q ualms abou into a song t launching together. Ea ch species ca ognised from n be rectheir particu lar songs. So mostly com ngs posed of har monic yells, and whistles screams are initiated by the paren then the oth ts, and ers join in as well. The fam nounces its ily ansovereignty over the terr Among them itory. , the Southea st are the loud est, their yells Asian siamangs can be heard tant as 3km . as dis-

tDáannccm eű Arvtéis szte sk 27

EAR-SPLITTING PERFORMANCE

All b with aleen w h l soun ow-fre ales co q m d spec s chara uency (1 municat c e 0 ies, whic teristic -52 Hz) man y h of t away thousan can eve he n d . sing We can s of kil be hear in d o o whal g in the nly tal metres k ab es a out nd h case of umpb blue ack whal es.

whale, thunders largest animal, the blue The voice of the world’s o means that pths of the ocean. This als at 188 decibels in the de ring bass roa Its h the loudest voice. it is the living creature wit ding. lan at e lan op a jet engine aer makes more noise than

ge ran ing is 20 ). r a he tz ns the huma Z (Her r H o 0 f 00 20

Similarly, to drum-rolls, male cicadas use rapidly vibrating drum like tymbals to generate ear-splitting, up to 100 decib els strong sound.

G N I SING S E D U T I T L MU

S K WHAeLwE orld’s longestreanadmate, C A B P M U th gs. To lu rforms ll ONG OF H

THE S mpback whale pe. Only the male sinear the tropics, a e

an b song arias n The hu tions c ia licated s long r p e a t v m u o e in c njoys 0m niqu most ng. It e up to 3 s and u o s n s r m e d r t e t n a fo o is it per ating p deep-t which g. Repe low rhythm, piece, w e n s a day lon its ses ised in compo recogn year it h c a e , so variety

to their ompany it as well. Thanks learned by those who acc even the te rea rec can remember and excellent memory, they es as tim r fou s iate ies. As sound rad most complicated melod nimu com nt elle exc singing enables fast in water than in air, and ng cki cla hs, sig of arias consisting cations. The 30-8000 Hz . km from as far as 30 whistling, can be heard

Few animals can compete with the singing ability of birds; we certainly notice the voices of those that we can hear. This is because there are some that sing in a range that cannot be perceived by the human ear. We know little of how much they enjoy their own performances, but do know that their songs serve rational purposes. A soft baritone voice can capture the heart of a chosen female, and a loud demonstration of family cohesion can be the means of defending territory.

Acrobats

40

DEDICATED OCEAN DWELLERS

Atlantic and Pacific Ocean, Inhabiting the shores of the h vocably tied to its home. Wit the edible blue mussel is irre ng stro er sup and thin the the aid of byssus filaments its leg – it fixes itself even to protein threads produced in adhesive material is comwet rocks and ships’ hulls. Its h resistant fibres, mixed in wit posed of mostly stiff, highly f roo erp wat c’s llus mo The s. soft and flexible component waves from dislodging it from sticky material prevents the its home.

RMS FAN-HEAD WO shade of the rainbow, thFoerbthries-

ing deed filter The plum oted o -f le st a vice of bri covered in is ds li ng anne us, trappi uc m f o r laye which then the prey, h cavthe mout to in slides ity.

FLOATING WITH M

UCUS

in every s in coral. used to Occurring nelids inhabit crag e plumes, an decorativ ato tle-footed re tw th ir l e they fee , only th into y most part n, are visible. When tl n a st kto elers in fe l a ir ate. sp n filter plan o ir e m carb y retract th e of calciu ells and d a m ened, the re a s, which ces of sh their tube ad worms glue pie e urpose.

-h p n Other fa s for this e lv se m e th pebbles to

Re s the ear c lu adh hers s e niq cs a sive bor so ro the ues nd t w f h o gl dev f ge e te mole c u es es, lop ckos hm ad me and he ent for s s nt s a urg ive b of lik ical an e. imp dagle -

The sorbeoco ncha spend s its entire lif aid of a supp e on the surf orting struct ace of the o ure compose self over the cean. With th d of bubble surface and e s and mucus, h an “floating raft it positions ,” it lets the w gs with its shell downw itards. On this aves batter many thousa it to selfnds of kilom etres from th and fro, sometimes whis made much for its e tropics. It d king it dinner. It wai oes not exer ts until the cu Portuguese t itself overrrents bring Man o’ War o a delicious m r another cn vours it. orsel – like a idaria – nea rby, and then it greedily d e-

Acrobats

t the t, bu re e f bed diffe web to their ed on r i e t by th loca pted is wing ave ada cups are ion that o r n h i t n d e s d r o e c e s ti ve ssist pres elati . Suc ky se are a elling r design ce a stic hey are the sur s g t t o w e n r u n f d n o d e e c h ro es uid b ati ree erg Aqu f their t th a div lls that p water. W e groov e, the fl . h i s o e t feet estyle w s, with c dense a etween same tim ot clean if s fo d ent l nger pa times a el gets b e. At the ps the e f v g l i fi e s a s k e i he ously th a h ce, th n ad a and u one st a surf ions as a t contin t n u i c o a fun n and ag i and face ueezed q s ing

CT THE SU

iant f the G arms o hing, e t h e t m f o s ne o ouches n cups t When o s u p octo suctio Pacific on its king ef scles uck t a suc r e x the mu e d eing st n b a t m c o a r a f y it b t d contr n e e t o prev protec fect. T skin is s it , f l to itse s. f mucu layer o

ION

OF F CUPS

ROGS

O T E D N A M CH O T LA ety saf t in s suru o b s g ve a gla tron mo heer os h an s s c , t ko tical e is n wi o gec r enc The on ve adher latch s tiny f a o n t eve s. Its ere to e of i eight n e fac if it w ery o ar a w s. v t d e uld be ty kilo tha n o h an eac s, it w d twe n hair red a d ers hun

sten in al fa es not er in c i n i rath cha et l me ir secr al, but ce is of e k i e li r d rfa s fit ces. Th l mate red su the en ch o k a a c a , e e f c s e i k , r r of g eer su chem t, puc ic hai ctions olute s r s l a p e e h a e fl r o g i e s fin f di irs r r sp en osc . Its pec The inst ev of a s ir feet f micr reds o ure ha o thei een w t o t aga e kind of the ands y hund minia anks et bet rs s h n g n e m u T g a h o n he hai iniso desi e. t y th in m sk. T fac s ca t the red b ches iny di ng sur article own, on the e t n d i t v p a s a t n n r r i o e c ch b g in o dust s foo , it fi e ad adj i k ev wh inatin o the t even puts it t stuc going tes th t term here re, no gecko and ge to get limina d u e ly a struct n the wards wants hich e w t l k i , h a c i a c hen ward m. W ft b the tly shi arity. W ds for a l gen rregu footp i est hes its ct. e pus on eff i s he

ON S

AL F I C E P

41

an Europe g o tree fr

e mat ky hug of th p on A stic beginning o l e v de e At th pads dible ale e riod, ing pe t of the m this soo oo the f due t hat it . It is olution t chos frog e h d t e icat grasp , emphist urely the water c e s in can e y ly b emal tight sen f k. g her r bac bracin g onto he in b clim

E ET

A few animals have very sticky personalities indeed : These champions of adhe sion are famous for their tech niques that have even inspired the chemical industry, for their built-in capture devices, or fo r that matter, for their wall -climbing ability. They are no t kidding around: They fight for “survival� with bomb-proo f glues and specially designed feet.

Ac kro obbaattsĂĄ k ĂŠ inyf d air oate h he thr e t of ale- k-lik ir p nd he o e e the h, ho ed; t t it h t f a t g h f At rs o tou oca g t s oo ge th, re l tron et g leep o sa s l s l s t i n o w e s a e cl ip is t ev hil w o gr es n nch . do bra own d e th ide s up

The hoatzi n is a rather bad fl yer, part icularly w hen its stuffed b eak is also pulling it do prefers to wn. It move around b etween th e branches.

The ar flig e the ass htle s i cl ir tw sted s ho a ad ws; o pa in gr atzin i ul tho thes rs o ippin chic g b ks od e di f w i sa . y pp ng ear in

THE

ĂŠsAc arrotbisattĂĄ sk Grip ping w claw s, th ith its po mon key q e red-fa werful ce uickl swin g y and d spider It us s from bran easily es it ch to for s tail ha bran as a food nging o ch. thir n an . d to d limb, grip

lly efu car t d i n e ly a . Whil with ful s skil e tree fruits u o h t aj et s ugh kink swe aves it , only y The s thro ice of we ranch safel e t u i v j b e, e mo dy ngu s th rea nd a lick ong to l arou has al eg. i l l t a i t n its its whe ping ith grip ing go ther w t o let ed an p grip

E H T F O S T S A N M T GY S E R O F N I A R

eearly n ater n e t n a e h y k o t The sil self t It wers it sleep. ver lo ven to e tail t o n ith its d, n w u n o o r s g ds well a ly hol les, as sesecure ible so e x h e t l f f o and aws of its ved cl ingers the cur third f d n a d con hand.