The AnswerBank Articles

My grandmother wants to visit Britain and bring her dog with her, does the dog have to be put in quarantine and if so, for how long

A. For nearly one hundred years pet owners entering the UK had to put their animal in quarantine for six months. Q. What’s the situation now A. This all changed recently with the01:00 Mon 08th Apr 2002

Now that spring is here, what should I be looking out for in the countryside

Q. Is it too early to see any insects A. No both the Orange-tip butterfly and oil beetle are busy at this time of year. The Orange-tip butterfly hatches in April, after its long winter. Look out01:00 Mon 08th Apr 2002

Is it possible to tell frogspawn from toad spawn

A. Yes, it's quite obvious once you know how. Frogspawn is laid in clumps whereas toad spawn is laid in strings. Q. Why are the eggs surrounded by jelly A. This clear jelly substance, which01:00 Mon 08th Apr 2002

Given that the Arctic ice sheet is melting why aren t we seeing a corresponding rise in sea levels

A. Although the Arctic ice sheet is melting and breaking up the majority of the ice is still frozen at the moment. But more importantly as the Arctic ice sheet is already in the sea it is displacing01:00 Mon 01st Apr 2002

Which breeds of dog are used for dog sled racing

A. Many northern breeds have been used as sled dogs, notably Alaskan Malamutes and Siberian Huskies. Also Eskimo Dogs, Greenlands, Samoyeds, Norrbottenspets, and Hokkaidokens are all used as sled01:00 Mon 01st Apr 2002

Do birds only sing in spring and summer

A. Although bird song is mainly heard in spring and summer birds actually sing all year round. They use a range of specific notes and calls as a means of contacting other birds, giving a warning and01:00 Mon 01st Apr 2002

Are lichen animal, mineral or vegetable

A. They are actually living creatures drawn from up to three different 'kingdoms'. Q. Kingdoms A. Yes, the natural world, at the broadest level, can be divided into five different groups or01:00 Mon 25th Mar 2002

Which dinosaur was the heaviest

reece1 asked this weighty question recently, thanks to rekstout for this answer. A. Unfortunately the answer isn't as easy as 'what was the tallest dinosaur' or 'what was the longest dinosaur'.01:00 Mon 25th Mar 2002

How big is a beluga sturgeon

A. Rekstout was wondering whether tales of 5 metres length and a tonne in weight were just anglers over exaggerating or if there was any substance to such claims. MistyLady did some web searching to01:00 Mon 25th Mar 2002

My pet rabbit is pregnant, how many bunnies are likely to be born

A. A rabbit usually produces between 3 and 9 bunnies in a litter. When they're born they're blind and helpless. Q. How many litters will she produce a year A. Females may produce several litters01:00 Mon 18th Mar 2002

Is it significant that the majority of the Earth's landmasses are in northern hemisphere

A. No, the earth's surface isn't a solid mass; it's made up of plates. These plates move, taking the continents with them. The official term for this is plate tectonics. Consequently the size,01:00 Mon 18th Mar 2002

Which is the most ferocious, a piranha or a great white shark

A. Probably the piranha. They attack with such ferocity that they strip an animal of its flesh completely within a matter of minutes. The attack, which can involve up to 20,000 fish, some of whom01:00 Mon 18th Mar 2002

What are geysers

A. Geysers are very impressive displays of hydrothermal energy. Rainwater or snowmelt seeps through cracks in the ground and meets up with hot underlying rocks. However, despite reaching boiling01:00 Mon 11th Mar 2002

How long is the gestation circle of a dog

This was asked by ouyangz, thanks to artisan for this answer. A. The length of pregnancy, or gestation period, is 61 to 65 days, the average being 63 days from the first day of breeding. Q. How01:00 Mon 11th Mar 2002

Do cats really always land on their feet

A. No, not always and they can sustain nasty injuries falling from even relatively low heights, just in case you were thinking of testing the theory. However they do have an inbuilt sensory01:00 Mon 11th Mar 2002

Is eating meat rather than fish more environmentally friendly

A. Well, to answer Isaacr's question, the oceans do appear to be badly managed and over fished: there are 20 varieties of fish that conservationists want shoppers to avoid buying because of the01:00 Mon 04th Mar 2002

How bear like are pandas

A. Not very, compared to their more typical cousins like grizzly bears. They have a very different diet and make a different noise. Q. How is their diet different A. They're herbivores, unlike01:00 Mon 04th Mar 2002

Is the rhino s horn made of bone

A. No, it's actually an outcrop of compacted hair, and so, like the hair on our heads, is made of keratin. Q. And the rhino's horn is of no medicinal value A. Absolutely none at all, although01:00 Mon 04th Mar 2002

What is loess

Caves cut into loessdeposits in China A. Loess is the name given to wind-blown, glacial silt deposits. Q. What does 'loess' mean A. Loess - pronounced luss - is German and means 'loose' or01:00 Mon 25th Feb 2002

What makes a rattlesnake rattle

A. As incitatus , who answered sabrinah’s question, stated, the rattle is produced by a series of dried, hollow segments of skin, which, when shaken, make a whirring sound. Q. How is the01:00 Mon 25th Feb 2002