Incredible Creatures - How Do They Do It? Quiz

Answer: The sperm whale

Haemoglobin is a protein found in red blood cells which has a high affinity for oxygen. The high concentration of haemoglobin in the blood of sperm whales allows lots of oxygen to be stored by the animal any one time. Also, sperm whales have high concentrations of myoglobin, allowing lots of oxygen to be stored in its muscles. Finally, oxygenated blood in the whale can be limited to certain parts of its body, so as to provide more oxygen to the brain and other essential areas.

The sperm whale is also one of the deepest divers in the animal kingdom, reaching deaths of up to 3,000m.

Although the blue whale has similar adaptations to the sperm whale, it can only stay submerged for 30 minutes before surfacing.

Answer: The hyoid bone

More specifically, it is the incomplete ossification of the hyoid bone of the lion, making it less rigid than in some other species. The hyoid bone is a U-shaped bone found in the neck.

The lion's roar is the loudest of all the big cats and is one of the most recognisable sounds in the animal kingdom. It is said that a lion's roar can be heard up to 8km away. This is useful in locating other lions, as well as making a lion's presence and dominance known. The roar is just one of many ways lions communicate - they are able to portray emotion through head rubbing, licking, stances and a variety of facial expressions.

The only other big cats which are capable of roaring are tigers, leopards and jaguars. Some other big cats are known for their own characteristic sounds, such as the chirping of the cheetah.

Answer: The Andean condor

The Andean condor has a larger wingspan and is typically heavier than the Californian condor. With an average wingspan of up to 3.1m, the Andean condor has one of the largest wingspans in the bird kingdom. The largest wingspan belongs to the wandering albatross, reaching up to an impressive 3.5 m.

With such long, broad wings, the condor has been observed in the wild, gliding effortlessly over the Andes. The length of its flight as well as the energy conserved due to lack of wing flapping means that the condor is very well adapted to being a scavenger.

Answer: The spotted hyena

All three cats (caracal, wildcat and cheetah) are only able to eat some of their catch. The caracal strips the meat off of the bones of its catch, leaving the rest of the carcass. The cheetah is only affective in 50% of its hunts, often giving up on a chase if it does not catch its prey within a minute. Also, due to the sheer speed of the cheetah whilst hunting, it often has to rest before feeding, allowing other carnivores an opportunity to steal its catch.

Relative to its size, the jaws of the spotted hyena are some of the strongest in the animal kingdom. This allows it to grind the bones, teeth and claws of animals. Moreover, the spotted hyena is a very successful scavenger, its strong stomach acid allowing it to eat entire carcasses without becoming ill (as the bacteria are killed by stomach acid).

As well as scavenging, the spotted hyena uses its formidable weapons to actively hunt other animals. Although usually targeting young animals, the hyena does not have a particular preference and so will hunt most herbivorous animals which roam the African savannah.

Answer: Whilst relaxed, its claws are clenched

Whilst sleeping, muscles tend to be relaxed. This means that a human could not keep a tight enough grip to support themselves during sleep. However, with bats, this is the opposite - whilst relaxed their claws clench, and they must use muscle action to unclench them.

Another frequently asked question is, "why does a bat's blood does not rush to its head whilst hanging upside-down, as it would with a human?" The reason for this is that bats have valves in their arteries as well as in their veins, ensuring that blood flows in the correct direction. It has also been speculated that because a bat has such little mass its blood is not affected by gravity to the same extent as in heavier animals.

Many say that bats hang upside down "because they can". While this may be true, it is also beneficial to the bat, as dropping from an upside-down position allows gravity to aid the transaction into flight.

Answer: The anaconda

In reality, all snakes are capable of swallowing their prey whole. The two sides of the lower jaw are not attached, allowing the snake to consume prey larger than the diameter of its head. However, the anaconda is the only snake listed which kills its prey via constriction, whereas the others make use of their poisonous bite to paralyse/kill their prey. Also, the incredible size of the anaconda means that the sight of it whilst feeding is perhaps more impressive than any other snake. Using its detachable jaw, the anaconda has been observed swallowing wild boar, big cats and adult deer.

Due to the anaconda not being able to chew its prey, digestion is a long and difficult process. After swallowing a large animal, the anaconda will remain dormant for several days. The great snake will readily regurgitate its food if threatened, as it is very vulnerable during this period of digestion.

The method of killing prey via constriction is often misunderstood - many believing the prey to be crushed to death. However, it has been shown that the snake gradually tightens its grip after every exhalation of its prey, slowly suffocating it.

Answer: Small stiff fibres in the bird's nostrils limit the amount of air flowing past them

If the air was allowed to enter the nostrils freely, the pressure on the brain would be enough to cause the peregrine to lose consciousness. Reducing the air flow during flight also prevents damage to the bird's lungs.

Whilst hunting (which is when such high speeds are achieved), the peregrine falcon depends heavily on sight. It therefore has adapted specialised third eyelids, able to spread tears across its eye, whilst removing dirt.

Peregrines tend to hunt other birds in flight. After choosing its target, the peregrine will position itself above the other bird, before entering a dive called a "stoop" and grasping it with its strong talons.

Answer: Yes

Whereas the muscles responsible for shutting the crocodile's jaws are extremely strong, those which open the jaws are very weak. This has been seen as zoo keepers often can hold the mighty jaws shut with their hands.

The bite of a crocodile has been measured at 5,000 pounds per square inch - greater than the bites of lions, tigers and great white sharks. These strong jaw muscles allow crocodiles to hold onto large prey such as wildebeest. The teeth of meat-eating crocodile's (as opposed to those who mainly consume fish) are conical and are adapted for crushing and tearing, rather than chewing. Crocodile's have been found to swallow small stones, which aid the process of digestion.

The large jaws of the crocodile can also be very gentle. This allows the giant reptiles to carry their young in their mouths.

Answer: The polar bear

The thick layer of fat, as well as providing insulation for the polar bear, reduces its surface area to volume ratio. A small surface area to volume ratio means that less heat is lost via the surface of the skin. Small ears and a small tail also contribute to lowering this ratio.

The large paws allow the weight of the polar bear to be spread more evenly over the soft snow or delicate ice. The pads found on the underside of the bear's paws are also well adapted to provide traction on the ice.

If a polar bear was to fall into the icy water, the consequences would be less severe than for other animals. The polar bear is a strong swimmer and its greasy fur allows it to easily shake off most of the cold water after exiting it.

There are also many myths associated with the polar bear. These include "all polar bears are left-handed" and "polar bears cover their black nose so prey cannot see it whilst hunting." There is no definite evidence for either of these claims.

Answer: The cuttlefish

Whilst many animals possess these pigment filled sacs (known as chromatophores), the cuttlefish can use tiny muscles to regulate the opening and closing of these sacs, allowing them to change colour. There are several coloured pigments and these are found at different levels - the yellow pigment being found nearest the surface of the skin, the red pigment below that and the darker pigments below that. The pigments can be used in conjunction with one another, meaning that the cuttlefish can generate a huge range of colours. Also, protein plates (known as iridophores) can reflect the images of the surrounding environment of the cuttlefish.

Whilst these abilities give the cuttlefish the obvious advantage of camouflaging themselves to avoid being killed and eaten by predators, they also use tremendous colour displays to communicate with each other.