The AnswerBank Articles

Why does my dog bury his bones

Q. Why does my dog bury his bones A. Favourite items such as bones and toys are probably buried as a means of saving them for later. This particular behaviour is probably ancestral and descends01:00 Mon 23rd Apr 2001

Can male seahorses really become pregnant

Q. Can male seahorses really become pregnant A. Yes, but not in the same way as female mammals do. The female uses something called an ovipositor, an everted egg duct, to insert ripe eggs into01:00 Mon 23rd Apr 2001

Q What happened to the horses in this year's Grand National

A. Red Marauder won the race in appalling conditions a horse named Smarty came second. They were the only ones to finish the race without their jockeys having to remount. Some racing experts later01:00 Fri 13th Apr 2001

Q What is the world's most venomous snake

A. The most venomous snake is the Sea Snake (Hydrophus Belcheri). This snakes' venom is said to be 100 times more powerful than that of any other land or sea snake. The adder is Britain's most01:00 Wed 11th Apr 2001

Where do guinea pigs live in the wild

A. Guinea pigs originate from Central and South America. It was the Incas who first kept them as pets. They still live in the wild in the mountains and grasslands of Central and South America and they01:00 Wed 04th Apr 2001

What s new in the countryside now that it s April

A. Well, spring has sprung, it’s a new month and the government is urging people to return to the countryside as the foot and mouth epidemic shows signs of containment. So The AnswerBank has01:00 Mon 09th Apr 2001

What is a season

A. The year is divided equally into four of them, spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Each season lasts for 3 months and represents changes in temperature, weather and the length of daylight. Q. 01:00 Mon 09th Apr 2001

Why do hares go mad in March

A. March madness is due to the start of the hare's breeding season when this usually inconspicuous animal, the brown hare (Lepus europaeus), suddenly engages in a number of impressive courtship01:00 Mon 09th Apr 2001

What can you tell me about badgers

Now that spring has sprung lets take a look at what the badger is up to at this time of year. Q. Do badgers hibernate A. No, but they do become a lot less active during the winter months. Their01:00 Mon 02nd Apr 2001

Why do locusts swarm

A. Locusts are normally shy, solitary creatures. But in a swarm they become a destructive pest capable of stripping fields of crops in hours. Scientists claim that this dramatic transformation is01:00 Mon 02nd Apr 2001

What s the difference between hair and fur

A. Biologically, they’re actually the same thing. Hair is one of a set of characteristics shared by all mammals. The only real difference is in the pattern of growth: all over if you're a dog01:00 Mon 02nd Apr 2001

What does the human face tell us about our evolution

Henryn recently posted a question asking which part of the human body is the most evolved. To see sabrinah's answer click here. Meanwhile another feature of human evolution is causing a stir in the01:00 Mon 26th Mar 2001

Why are coral reefs in danger

The future of the world's coral reefs is so threatened that the United Nations (UN) is taking drastic action to save them. Q. What is coral A. This question was posted by ATOB2. Click here to01:00 Mon 26th Mar 2001

Why don't penguins' feet freeze

This is an intriguing question posed by Henryn. Read The Answerbank's in depth discussion below or click here to see Homer's answer. Q. What adaptations have penguins made to keep their feet from01:00 Mon 26th Mar 2001

Are humans unique in being able to see things in colour

asks homer A. A few animals, including humans and the other primates, fish, amphibians, and some birds can see colour. But only a small group of primates, including humans, can see the full range of01:00 Mon 19th Mar 2001

Why did Dumbo have big ears

A. A recent study shows that Dumbo's wouldn't have used his big ears just to fly, they were also essential for losing the extra heat from his body that flying would have created and so stopped him01:00 Mon 19th Mar 2001

What does adopting an animal involve

A. Normally you just pay an annual fee, which can either be for a share or a whole animal. It's fun and a lot less labour intensive than looking after an animal yourself and can make a great present.01:00 Mon 19th Mar 2001

Do animals dream

A. Dreams aren't fully understood even in humans, but where experiments have been carried out, the answer seems to be: yes, animals do dream. Q. Why do animals and people dream A. No one knows for01:00 Mon 12th Mar 2001

What is camouflage

A. It's the ability to blend into natural surroundings, employed by many animals to protect them from predators. Q. Why don't predators see through camouflage A. Because of the way they01:00 Mon 12th Mar 2001

Your animals and nature questions and answers

WE may belong to the same kingdom, but the differences between us and other animals has obviously been one of your concerns lately. Homer wanted to know if, unlike humans, other animals were colour01:00 Mon 12th Mar 2001