Why are parrots are so noisy?

The long tail, bright colours, and loud voice of a typical parrot are all adaptations for living in dense forest. The long tail makes a good rudder, for manoeuvring between closely-packed branches. Bright colours enable the birds to find another in the dim light of a tropical forest. The loud voice of the parrot also helps it to keep in touch with other birds, and to give them warning of possible danger.

Which animal lives the longest?

There is a shellfish called the ocean quahog that can live over 200 years old! Tortoises have been known to live for about 150 years and some birds and fishes have reached 80 years or more.

Why do snakes bite?

Dangerous snakes will only bite someone in self-defense or if they are trodden on by accident. Many people are afraid of snakes. But most snakes are harmless. Dangerous snakes have poison at the back of their jaws which passes through their fangs. As the snake bites its enemy it injects the poison.

How do chicks get out of their eggs?

When a chick is ready to hatch, it cracks open the shell of its egg using the egg tooth. The egg tooth is a little point growing from the chick's beak. When the baby bird is inside the egg it feeds on the yolk and grows until it is ready to hatch.

Why are there seven days in a week?

The Hebrew and Christian Bible says that the world was created in six days, and the seventh day was a day of rest. For that reason Jews and Christians long ago arranged their lives according to a seven-day rhythm. Finally, calendars were made with the days in seven columns marking off weeks. Nearly two thousand years ago, Christian beliefs began to spread throughout Europe, along with the seven-day cycle. Later, when Europeans settled in North and South America. the seven-day week went with them. Still later very powerful businesses grew up in Europe and the United States. Business offices were almost always closed on the Sabbath, which was the first day of the week according to the European calendar.

Why do elephants have big ears?

An elephant's big ears help it to keep cool. Some elephants live in Africa where the sun is very hot. To stay cool their bodies need to be able to lose heat. They lose heat from their blood by passing blood through their large ears. They also cool down by flapping their ears to fan themselves.

Which are the oldest plants?

Plants are divided into lower or higher plants according to their evolutionary history. Algae, diatoms, bacteria, mosses and liverworts are the oldest forms of plant still alive today. They are known from fossils 500 million years old. Conifers appeared about 200 million years ago, and soon afterwards the modem ferns evolved. Flowering plants, known as "angiosperms," first grew about 120 million years ago.