A hermit crab changes its shell when it has grown large enough to need a bigger home. This type of crab has a soft abdomen or tail, which is folded up under the body, but it is not protected by a shell of its own as are most other crabs. Instead, the hermit uses empty snails shells as portable shelters, …

The male bee, or drone, dies when there is no more nectar available from the fields. The reason for this is that, when the workers bees can no longer collect nectar for the hive, the production of honey stops. Deprived of their food the drones rapidly grow weak and are carried from the hive by the workers to die. The …

A cow starts to give milk between the ages of two and two-an-a-half years, after the birth of its first calf. For the first few days the milk is unfit for human consumption and is fed to the calf which is afterwards reared separately. During the milking or lactation period that follows the cow’s yield usually reaches a maximum after …

A chameleon will change color when it senses danger. This remarkable member of the lizard family can change color to match its background or, at least, to become almost unrecognizable. The ranges of colors and patterns of the various species differ widely, but most chameleons can become yellow or cream, green or dark brown. They can also adapt spots either …

A caterpillar starts to become a butterfly as soon as it enters the chrysalis stage, by wrapping itself in a cocoon. During this phase, known as pupation, the insect gradually develops all the butterfly characteristics, including wings. For some butterflies the transformation may be complete in one or two weeks. But others need many months before they are ready to …

William Shakespeare used a similar expression in his play King John: ‘To gild refined gold, to paint the lily… is wasteful and ridiculous excess’. Over the years, the phrase got shortened to just ‘gild the lily’. Gild means to cover with a thin layer of gold. Shakespeare referred to the lily because it’s a pretty flower, and covering it with …

Stags, the red deer of Europe, fight in autumn and winter for possession of the females or does. Most stags are polygamous and collect harems. A stag wishing to add to its harem at the expense of another’s will challenge it s rival to a duel. At other times stags are prone to solitary wandering. But when the breeding season …

Snakes shed their skins when they outgrow them. This happens continually, because snakes keep growing throughout their lives, although more slowly as they get older. The skins are discarded at regular intervals of one to three months, according to the variety of snake. During this process, which is known as sloughing, the old skin is turned back on itself, beginning …

On Tuesdays and in some cases, Saturdays, many people keep fast in honour of Hanuman and give special offerings to him. In times of trouble, it is a common faith among Hindus to chant the name of Hanuman or sing his hymn (“Hanuman Chalisa“) and proclaim “Bajrangbali Ki Jai” – “victory to thy thunderbolt strength”. Once every year – on …

Millions of birds of many different varieties migrate at the end of summer. With unfailing regularity they leave the regions where they were born to fly to warmer climates for the winter. The following spring they return to their breeding grounds. Each year these migratory birds travel as much as 20,000 miles, finding their way back on time with extraordinary …