VICUNAS BREATHE EASY IN THE MOUNTAINS

 

Vicuñas live high in the Andes  mountains of South America yet are never short of breath. At about 4,000 m (13,000 ft) above sea level humans would suffer breathlessness, but vicuñas can sprint effortlessly up rocky slopes, and on level ground they can run at nearly 50 km/h (30 mph).

These graceful cinnamon-coloured relatives of camels have normal mammalian lungs, but they have about three times as many red blood cells a litre of blood as humans. Their red cells last twice as long and because these cells contain an unusual form of

the red blood pigment haemoglobin, they are better at collecting oxygen. Altogether, it adds up to an ideal high- altitude breathing system.

HIGH-FLYER MAKES USE OF PANORAMIC VIEW

Soaring above the open plains of Africa, Rüppell's griffon flies higher than any other bird. In 1973, a griffon collided with an aircraft finest flying at more than 11,000 m (36,000 ft) which is high enough to fly over Mt Everest. At these heights, the bird has a vast panoramic view, and it can easily cover more than 150 km (95 miles) a day in search of food. But at altitude even the long-sighted griffon has difficulty picking out tiny details on the ground, so it watches other vultures flying beneath and is quick to follow them if they spot a meal.

To survive at such altitudes the griffon vulture needs some of nature's  finest engineering. Its ultra-efficient lungs allow it to get enough oxygen to ugh to breathe, and its giant wings provide it with lift in the thin air.

GIANT WINGS A griffon vulture's wings can be 2.8 m (9 ft) from tip to tip. This huge wingspan is supported by a lightweight bone structure.

MARMOTS SETTLE IN FOR THE BIG SLEEP

MARMOTS SETTLE IN OR THE BIG SLEEP

IN America, northern Europe, and central Asia, mountain-dwelling marmots spend most of their time pported in hibernation. They sleep for up to nine months each year. By hibernating in winter, animals avoid futile foraging trips when nature's larder is bare. For most animals, this dormant period lasts for three to five months,

Where marmots live, however, winters can be hard and very long Rather than wake up prematurely, they sleep on until May or June, tucked away in long networks of underground burrows. They survive on fat reserves, which make up a fifth of their body weight. When summer finally arrives, marmots have to collect food, raise a family, and fatten up for their next hibernation, all within three months.

SUMMER HARVEST Marmots need to put on weight in summer because food is so scarce during their record. breaking hibernation.

HIGH TECH LOCATION SYSTEM

Animals evolved sonar and radar systems millions of years ago to find their way or to detect objects in their path. They also developed infrared heat sensors and sensors that detect electrical activity in the muscles of their prey.

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PLATYPUS HAS A NOSE FOR ELECTRICAL CURRENTS

The duck-billed platypus uses its snout to detect electricity. This enables it to find its food while it Swims with its eyes, ears, and nostrils tightly closed. The curious aquatic egg-laying mammal lives in the rivers of Australia. Lining its large leathery 'bill are thousands of pore-like openings, each containing sensory cells that, can detect minute electrical currents produced by the moving muscles of its prey, such as the flicking of a shrimp's tail, or the wriggling of a worm. Using its sensitive snout in this way, the platypus can scour the riverbed to satisfy its enormous appetite: it consumes almost its own weight in food each day. With its bill the platypus can sense 

even weaker electrical fields associated with the movement of water over objects in the river, such as logs and rocks, helping it to find its way. 

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OWLS USE FEATHERS AS A LISTENING DEVICE

Owls use their entire face to receive sounds. The heart-shaped disc of tightly packed feathers on a barn owl's face, for example, is designed to collect sounds and then focus them on the owl's ears, which are buried below the feathers on either side of its head. Owls hunt mainly at night and though they have good night vision, they rely on their ability to detect minute sounds to catch their prey (mice, voles, and shrews). The owl can compare the sounds

MIDNIGHT FEAST- A barn owl returns to its nest having located and caught a field mouse in pitch darkness.The owl detected the rustlings of the mouse as it ran through the grass.

 reaching each ear and work out the location of their source. In addition, one ear is slightly higher than the other so the bird can gather both horizontal and vertical information. With this arrangement, it can pinpoint the position of prey accurately in complete darkness. It then swoops down with silent flight,using its sensitivity to the slightest rustle made

by its prey to align its talons to every

 zigzag movement the prey might make. At just the right moment, it grabs its victim and the hunt is over.  

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THE HARPY EAGLE'S SMASH AND GRAB

Swooping down through the treetops, the harpy eagle plucks a monkey from a branch. In a single squeeze of its formidable talons it Crushes the animal to death. The harpv eagle lives in the tropical forests of South and Central America, where it is the top aerial predator. The harpy has shorter wings and a longer tail than many other large eagles, enabling it to manoeuvre through the forest canopy at speeds in excess of 80 km/h (50 mph). Yet its 8 kg (18 lb) body weight makes it one of the world's largest eagles. It slams into its prey with an energy that rivals a bullet from a rifle. Equipped with the most powertulfeet of any knownbird of prey, spanning 25 cm (10 in), and toes Teaturing massive dagger-like talons uP to 4 cm (11/2in) long, the harpy eagie can grab and despatch large mammals with consummate skill.  

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