This edited article about the platypus originally appeared in Look and Learn issue number 705 published on 19 July 1975.

The duck-billed platypus

Australians are often referred to as “diggers” and in the case of the Duck-billed platypus, it is an apt description. The female platypus digs a nursery burrow into the bank of a stream. The tunnel entrance is sometimes below water level. A spacious chamber equipped with an air shaft is lined with leaves from the gum tree and some dried grass. This then is the home of one of the strangest animals in the world.

The scientific name of our odd little digger is Ornithorhynchus from the words Ornis meaning bird and rhynchos meaning snout. But as well as the snout being equipped with a beak or bill, the female lays eggs (usually two in a single annual clutch). These are soft-shelled and about the size of a pigeon’s egg. When hatched, the helpless young are fed on milk secreted from the teetless mammary glands of the mother. After four months underground, the young begin to take on the appearance of the adults and come out from the nursery to see their first daylight. The observer then may get a chance to see how odd these creatures are. A beak like a duck, fur like an otter, tail like a beaver, large webbed feet and all this on top of laying eggs and feeding the young on milk make it a unique animal. The male is very dangerous for he is equipped with poison spurs. On each hind foot is a hollow spike that can be a very dangerous weapon. It is similar to the fang of a snake and can inflict quite a serious wound.

Even at mating time, these amusing-looking creatures show little affection for each other. But they do like company. So after the breeding season is over, they live together coming out at dawn or dusk or during an overcast day. They feed on worms, snails and other small aquatic creatures. But before the full light of day, they return to that Australian bankside home.

This edited article about the wombat originally appeared in Look and Learn issue number 705 published on 19 July 1975.

The wombat

Often referred to as the “Badger” in his native Australia, the common or naked nosed Wombat is a most proficient digger. He sometimes digs a tunnel 100 feet (30 metres) long, leading to the den or inside the chamber where he spends the daylight hours. The usual tunnel is however much shorter, about 15 feet (4.5 metres) long, dug out with the stout claws wielded by study limbs that make him a digging champion.

The amiable Wombat is a vegetarian and comes up at night to feed on grasses and roots and the inner bark of trees. It seems to do him good, for he is very long-lived, and tame Wombats have been kept in captivity for 30 years.

The Wombat is a marsupial which means that the female carries the single offspring in a pouch. The pouch opens backwards to avoid becoming filled with soil while burrowing.

Wombats have been persecuted and are now much reduced in range than in earlier years. Hunters, farmers, and introduced species of animals all have taken a toll. Although they are now restricted to the forested hills of South-East Australia, their future would appear to be fairly secure. The solitary habits of the common Wombat are different from those of his relation, the Hairy Nosed Wombat. This type lives in the dry, grassy plains of the interior and lives in large colonies. The range of the Hairy Nosed Wombat is reducing rapidly but some colonies are protected. So future generations may yet see the Wombat as they come out to feed from their underground dens.

This edited article about desert rats originally appeared in Look and Learn issue number 704 published on 12 July 1975.

The kangaroo rat by L Field Marchant

Whilst Africa and America are separated by the Atlantic Ocean, the hot and sandy regions of each continent appear to be inhabited by the same species of desert rodent. But the high-jumping desert rats of the separated lands are a case of what is technically called “convergent evolution”, which simply means that nature has solved the problem of each rodent in a similar way, even though they have never met.

The Kangaroo Rat is a resident of the North American deserts who spends the hottest parts of the day in a hole burrowed in the sand. In this subterranean chamber, the temperature is almost constant and is 20 degrees cooler than the desert floor above.

Kangaroo Rats are found in fairly large numbers throughout the deserts of the United States and are consequently a much needed source of food for the many predators of the arid regions.

The Kangaroo Rat comes up just before sunset to feed upon the sparse vegetation of the desert floor. Leaping around as quickly as possible in an urgent search, it stuffs its cheeks with food and returns to its burrow many times to unload. Any damp seeds are buried so that they can dehydrate enough to satisfy its needs. The Kangaroo Rat requires very little moisture; in fact it never drinks receiving all the moisture needed from its diet of the desert seeds.

The Jerboa is very similar to the Kangaroo Rat but inhabits the desert lands of Africa and is very often kept as a pet; as is its Asiatic cousin, the Gerbil, another “desert rat” who spends its day underground – naturally.

This edited article about the agamid originally appeared in Look and Learn issue number 704 published on 12 July 1975.

Spiny-tailed agamid (top)

The Sahara Desert is home for this strange-looking lizard which normally stays underground beneath the burning sands, until the outside temperature drops. At dawn or dusk, the Spiny Tailed Agamid comes up to feed on the sparse vegetation of its arid environment. In need of a drink, it supplements its diet with an insect; this provides the Agamid with the moisture needed for survival and which, in the long periods of drought, may be the only source of moisture available as vegetation is dried out by the desert sun.

One of the best ways to stop-up a hole is with a bung and so that is just what happens when a predator chases an Agamid into the entrance to its burrow.

Three feet deep under the desert, the Agamids have a retreat which houses them at a constant temperature much lower than that of the surface. This underground haven is sometimes shared with smaller desert creatures such as scorpions.

Whilst the Agamid’s shaking spiny tail can deter the land-bound predators, it is no defence against birds of prey. When out in the open, the lizard must depend on its cryptic colouration to give it a measure of protection. In a land where a square meal is hard to come by, the Spiny Tailed Agamid is wise to spend the dangerous and uncomfortable hot day underground – naturally.

This edited article about the mole originally appeared in Look and Learn issue number 703 published on 5 July 1975.

The mole has a difficult relationship with the gardener, by Ron Embleton

Unwelcome spoiler of lawns and gardens, this velvet-covered excavator is found throughout England, Wales and Scotland but is absent from Ireland and off-shore islands. Sometimes found in the hills as high up as 2,700 ft. (822 metres), the mole can reverse the popular saying and makes molehills out of mountains!

The mole is specially adapted in many ways for an almost totally underground existence. His seven-inch-long (177 mm.) body is supple and strong and the tapering snout is of tough cartilage equipped with sensitive bristles which seek out earthworms. The real digging tools are the forelegs and large paws armed with powerful claws. His appetite is colossal and he will eat almost any flesh he can obtain. A mole has been known to eat 60 earthworms in a day, an amount equal to its own weight.

The home of the mole is not the familiar mound of earth we see in profusion throughout the countryside; these are his hunting tunnels. A true molehill is often concealed by undergrowth of bushes and is up to 3 ft. (914 mm.) wide and 1 ft. (304 mm.) high. Inside and under this hill, the mole digs a system of runs and a nesting cavity which is lined with leaves and grass. In this nest, the naked and blind babies are born usually in May and their eyes open about twenty-two days later. A litter of young may vary in number from two to seven.

The mole often falls prey to buzzards, owls, badgers and foxes, not to mention irate gardeners, even though he can dig his way out of sight in half a minute to get underground.

This edited article about the badger originally appeared in Look and Learn issue number 703 published on 5 July 1975.

Badgers by R B Davis

The naturalists of bygone days thought the badger to be related to the extinct British bear. The fact is, however, that he is a weasel, even though an old “dog” badger may weigh up to 40 lbs. (16 kilos) and resemble the bear more than his diminutive cousin.

Going home for the badger is going underground to his “sett”, a series of tunnels and galleries where he spends his day. There are usually several exits from the “sett” but the main ones often have well-worn paths leading from them, for the badger home can be occupied for years and may contain many animals.

“Brock” as he is sometimes called, is quite a sociable chap and often pays a call on badger neighbours in other “setts”. In fact he may even stay overnight if daylight breaks before he can get home. Badgers have been known to share their “sett” with a fox who may be seeking temporary lodgings.

The food of the badger is exceedingly varied and includes nuts, roots and berries. He is also partial to a hedgehog or a wasp’s nest when he can find them and he is a good friend to the farmer, for the badger kills and eats many rats. He is quite harmless and will usually try to avoid human beings whenever possible. However, when roused. “Brock” can give a very good account of himself, as weasels and ferrets have found out to their cost.

Badgers are usually born in spring in the underground nursery specially prepared by the female. The young are blind and helpless at birth but as soon as they are able, they start to join their parents on nightly forays for food.

Once persecuted by “sportsmen” and gamekeepers, this beautiful night-time wanderer of our countryside is now afforded some protection under the law. So between dusk and dawn we still have the chance of seeing “Brock” emerging from his home – underground naturally.

This edited article about strange creatures originally appeared in Look and Learn issue number 702 published on 28 June 1975.

Pangolin

In the world of nature, there are many very strange creatures, both in appearance and behaviour. Some have adapted themselves to living in very extraordinary situations. For instance, some exist in the hot water springs in New Zealand, and in pools of oil and in deep caves where no light ever enters and these, in course of time, have become completely blind.

One of the oddest of all mammals is the Pangolin. Looking more like a reptile, with hard scales, instead of hair, it feeds chiefly on ants and termites and has a tongue nearly a foot (304.8000 mm.) long. When alarmed, it rolls up into a ball rather like a hedgehog.

The Kiwi is a native of New Zealand. About the size of a large hen, its wings are only 2 inches (50.800 mm.) long, so it cannot fly. Most birds have a very poor sense of smell, but the kiwi, with nostrils near the tip of its bill, has such a good sense of smell that it tracks its prey, consisting of worms and insects, mainly by smell. Its egg is enormous in relation to its size.

The reptile and amphibian species contain some of the most extraordinary creatures. The Basilisk, about 2 feet long, looks like a miniature dragon and is also remarkable because it can run at a great speed on the surface of water; but when it tires and the pace slackens, it sinks until only its head is above water and it has to swim.

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This edited article about threatened rare species originally appeared in Look and Learn issue number 701 published on 21 June 1975.

Ivory-billed woodpecker

It is a sad fact that 100 species of animals and about 160 varieties of birds have been exterminated by man in recorded history. Most of these have become extinct since the time of Elizabeth I. The Great Auk and the American Passenger Pigeon have been added to this melancholy list in comparatively recent times.

Even now, there are many birds and animals which are in danger of dying out because they are being hunted to the point of extinction or because their habitats are being systematically destroyed.

Whale-hunting is still carried out by some countries, even though their numbers have become so reduced that they may never recover, even if whale-hunting was stopped now.

The Ivory-billed Woodpecker once common in the southern United States and in Cuba, is feared to be nearing extinction, because the forests of great trees where it nested, have been cut down.

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This edited article about longevity in nature originally appeared in Look and Learn issue number 700 published on 14 June 1975.

Giant tortoise

A cone fell from a tree in Nevada, U.S.A. nearly five thousand years ago, took root and began to grow. Today, it has developed into a magnificent bristlecone pine tree and is the oldest thing alive.

Scientists dated it in the early sixties, probably by cutting a core through to the heart of the trunk and counting the rings revealed in this.

When a tree is cut down, the concentric rings across the trunk reveal the age of the tree, each ring representing one year’s growth. One bristlecone pine that had been felled was found to have five thousand rings, showing that it had begun growing at about the time the ancient Egyptians started to build their pyramids.

The surviving bristlecone pine, however, sprouted into life when the pyramids were already desert land marks 4,900 years ago. It is even older than the giant sequoia, known as the California big tree, which has a life span of between 3,500 and 4,000 years.

Compared to these, longevity in the animal kingdom is an insignificant thing. No creature’s average age is longer than that of Man’s. Few people live beyond the age of 110, although the average age is nearer seventy. Man’s closest rival is the tortoise, which holds the record for long life among the vertebrates. A common box tortoise has lived to become 138 and a European pond tortoise more than 120.

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This edited article about nature’s smallest animals and plants originally appeared in Look and Learn issue number 699 published on 7 June 1975.

Pygmy shrews

Our smallest native bird is the Goldcrest, but this is a giant compared with the world’s smallest bird the tiny Bee Humming Bird, found in Cuba and Ecuador. It gets its name because it is no bigger than a large bumble bee.

Its wings beat so fast that they are just a blur when it hovers in front of a tropical flower, its long beak dipping into the nectar in quest of nourishment. The adult females are slightly larger than the males.

Our smallest animal is the Pygmy Shrew, at two and one quarter inches, (57 mm), slightly smaller than the long-tailed Harvest Mouse. Even smaller is the Etruscan Shrew with a body length of only 1 and a half inches (38 mm) and reputed to be the smallest animal in the whole world.

Apart from animals, there are also a great number of microscopic insects. Some of these are so minute that they are scarcely visible to the naked eye.

The Dwarf Beetle, for instance, is small enough to pass through the eye of a small needle. The Small Blue Butterfly, less than 1 and a quarter inches (about 25 mm), across the wings, is the smallest British butterfly.

Unlike most of its kindred, it is only on the wing during the months of May and June.

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