AMAZING CREATURES - NASTY NOSES

Some animals have amazing noses, which they use to seek out food. They may smell their prey from a long way off, or use their sensitive noses to detect movements made by their prey.

The AADVARK lives in Africa in the area south of the Sahara Desert. It has a long snout, which it uses to sniff out its food (ants and termites) as it walks along at night. It may walk as far as 30 kilometers in one night, pressing its notes to the ground to pick up their scent. It also listens for any sound of movement made by the termites.

The STAR-NOSED MOLE of North America looks like an ordinary mole except for its nose. 22 fleshy tentacles stick out from the nose and wriggle constantly. They help the mole to feel movements in the ground made by its prey such as worms.

The PROBOSCIS MONKEY is named after a large, wobbly nose or ‘proboscis’ of the male monkey. It is thought that the large nose helps the male to attract a mate. It lives in the swampy mangrove forests of Borneo and wades through the water on its back legs. This makes it very unusual, as most monkeys move around using all four legs.

FOULD FACT! The nose of the male proboscis monkey can be up to 14 centimeters long. It makes the monkey’s warning calls louder.

AMAZING CREATURES - DISEASE CARRIERS

Many animals carry diseases that can be passed on to each other, such as mange in dogs. Some animals carry diseases that, rather scarily, can be passed on to humans too.

DOGS and CATS carry parasites such as tapeworms and roundworms, which live inside them. The eggs of parasites pass out in the feaces of the dog or cat. People can end up with these parasites, too, if they get the eggs in their hands by touching dogs, and then eat without washing their hands. Regularly ‘worming’ or treating your dog or cat kills the worms.

RATS live almost everywhere that people live. They spread many diseases, including food poisoning, typhus and bubonic plague. In the 14^th century, the plague became known as Black Death. It was passed on to humans by infected fleas from the rats. The Black Death may have killed as many as 50 million people in Europe.

PIGEONS are abundant in many towns around the world. The birds can carry a disease that affects their lungs and the lungs of people. Symptoms of the disease are mild in pigeons, but can be serious in humans. People catch the disease by breathing in dust containing specks of the bird’s faeces. Bacteria in the faeces can give a person a fever.

AMAZING CREATURES - ANIMAL STICKERS

Some animals are sticky and others can stick to things using suction. Long, sticky tongues allow some animals to catch their food. Others use suction pads to move around or cling onto branches or rocks.

The BLACK-SPOTTED STICKY FROG lives in the rainforests of South East Asia. At night, it hunts for insects on the forest floor. The frog releases a sticky slime when it is threatened, making it an unpleasant meal for predators.

The NUMBAT or banded anteater lives in the forests of south-west Australia. It uses its nose to track down termite mounds. When it finds one, the numbat pokes its long, sticky tongue into holes in the mound. The termites stick to the tongue and the numbat has a feast.

FACT! The NUMBAT eats about 20,000 termites every day.

The CROWN-OF-THORNS STARFISH lives in warm seas and feeds on coral. Thousands of tiny tube feet underneath its arms help the starfish to move around. The feet have suction cups that allow the starfish to cling onto rocks.

FOUL FACT! The crown-of-thorns starfish is usually about the size of a dinner plate, but can be as big as a car tire.

AMAZING CREATURES - SMELLY ANIMALS

Some animals really stink! However, the smells do have a purpose. A stinky smell can make an animal more attractive to its mate, or it may keep predators at a safe distance.

MOONRATS live in the rainforests and mangrove swamps of Sumatra, Borneo and the Malay Peninsula. They mark their den with a liquid that smells like rotting onions or garlic. The smell warns other moonrats and predators to stay away from their territory.

POLECATS live in woodland areas of Europe, Asia and North Africa. They mark their territories with a foul-smelling liquid, made in glands at the base of the tail. People once used the word ‘polecat’ to describe someone with a character as foul as the polecat’s smell.

The MUSK OX lives in cold regions, in Greenland and northern Canada. Males, called bulls, produce a strong-smelling liquid in glands just under their eyes. To release the smell, the bull rubs its face on trees and bushes. The smell attracts females, who can detect it from a long way off.

FOUL FACT! In the early 1990s, musk oxen were hunted nearly to extinction for their meat and hide. Now, however, they are protected by law.

AMAZING CREATURES - REALLY WILD

The animal world is full of amazing creatures. Some look cute, but the sweetest-looking animals may be very fierce. Creatures that look scary may be gentle and shy. Other animals are very colorful and extraordinary-looking, which helps them to survive in their natural environment.

Animals kill other animals because they need to eat. Sometimes, animals attack people, and we think of this behavior as vicious. All wild animals can be dangerous. If a man enters a bear’s territory, the bear may follow its instincts and attack, just as it would if any other wild animal threatened its territory. Its behavior is not vicious but a natural wild animal behavior.

BEARS will attack if they are surprised, feel threatened or are protecting their territory or CUBS.

WEASELS are fierce predators. They have beautiful fur like a cat, but you cannot stroke them!

Leafy SEA DRAGONS are a type of fish. They are related to sea horses. Their leafy appendages may look strange, but they help sea dragons to hide among floating seaweed.

beauty SCIENCE experiments! (5th and final)

1.     Facial Scrub!

You’ll need: FOR OILY SKIN: 1 tsp skim milk powder, 1 tsp honey, freshly squeezed lemon juice

FOR NORMAL, DRY or MATURE SKIN: 1 tsp full cream or whole milk powder, 1 tsp honey

What to do: mix it all together and use as a mild scrub on your face. Rinse very well.

Face mask!

You’ll need: 1 tbsp honey, 1 egg white, 1 tsp glycerin, ¼ cup flour

What to do: Whisk together the honey, egg white, glycerin and flour. Smooth the mixture all over your face and throat. Leave it on for 10 minutes and rinse it off with warm water.

Facial spritzer!

You’ll need: 1 small cucumber, 1 cup distilled water

What to do: was a small cucumber and blend it with water, strain it into your spritzer bottle and use immediately as possible. Keep it refrigerated and use within 12 hours.

beauty SCIENCE experiments! (4th of 5)

1.     Homemade lip gloss!

You’ll need: ¼ cup beeswax, ¼ cup castor oil, 2 tbsp sesame oil, beet juice, double boiler

What to do: use the top part of the double boiler to melt beeswax. Remove it from the heat and add oils. Add as much beet juice as desired for color and store it in a jar. Transfer a small portion to a purse sized container for use when away from home. You can also add essential oils for added fragrance.

Dry skin remedy!

What to do: beat egg and add oil. Add lemon juice and mix it very well. Apply a little of that mixture on your wrist and refrigerate the rest. If it feels okay an hour later, wash your face and apply the mixture on your face. Leave it on for 15 minutes and rinse well.

Massage therapy!

You’ll need: ½ cup coconut oil, ¼ cup cocoa butter, few drops essential oil

What to do: to make the massage oil, soften the cocoa butter in a double boiler over medium heat. Remove from the heat and blend, adding a few drops of optional essential oils.