Most animals have skin colour that makes them merge into their surroundings. They become near invisible unless you look very closely. But some reptiles such as the sea-snakes, coral snakes and frogs of Central and South America are brilliantly coloured or have bright bands like deep yellow, orange, pink on their bodies. They are easily visible among the green leaves …

Moths are attracted to lights at night because they mistake them for the light of the moon, which they use as a means of navigation. These other lights confuse the moths and make them lose their sense of direction. In trying to keep the artificial light at the same angle as the moon’s they circle it and come closer. Collectors …

Mosquitoes are attracted to dark colours, not only black, because dark colours absorb heat and lighter colours tend to reflect heat. Since mosquitoes have sophisticated and highly sensitive heat sensors, they tend to be more attracted to victims dressed in darker clothes, where there is more heat.

Many Japanese trees are small because they are dwarfed by the Japanese art of bonsai. This art consists in training and growing dwarf trees as symbols of the Japanese ideals of the immersion of the self in nature. This ideal also finds expression in their poetry, the tea ceremony and flower arranging. The tiny trees express quietness, beauty of shape …

Fascinating hats are worn in Royal enclosures at Ascot and other horse races during Ladies’ Day when women come out in force and the venue turns into a fashion ramp. History shows that popularity of hats and kerchiefs dates back to early 1800s. Outrageous hats, generally made out of a bowl of fruits, were sported by singer/actress Carmen Miranda in …

The word amphibia comes from two Greek words: amphi meaning of both kinds and bios meaning life. Amphibia are a class of vertebrate (back-bones) animals that can live both in water and on land. They are descended from fishes that lived more than 300 million years ago. The first amphibia to crawl out of the water were heavily built, and …

Nerve endings are what makes us feel ticklish. Our feet have the most nerve endings – so they’re the most ticklish of all!

The word ‘crustacean’ comes from the Latin crusta meaning a hard covering shell or crust. Apart from crabs, lobsters and shrimps, there are thousands of different crustaceans. They live in the sea, except for a few species such as the common woodlouse. Crustaceans differ greatly in size and shape. Many of them pass through remarkable changes of form (metamorphoses) before …

A female cat can be in season five times a year. It is only during these periods, which last about five days each, that the cat is fertile. Her mating call is a shrill caterwauling. The domestic cat, as a rule, goes in season for the first time between the ages of seven and twelve months. Her pregnancy generally lasts …

Daily soaps are a take-off from opera shows in South America, which were sponsored by soap manufacturers. They were then known as ‘soap operas’ – these inspired daily television shows, known as ‘daily soaps’ .