Animal Ways
Animal Ways
A harvester ant goes to work every day.
Why do birds sing? Why do ants rush about so busily? Why does a mandrill sometimes seem to yawn when it sees another animal? Are there reasons for what the animals do?
Animals cannot think as people can. But there is nearly always a reason for the things animals do. A bird’s song may be a warning of danger, a threat, or an invitation to a mate. Ants rush about to find food they can bring back to the nest. And the mandrill isn’t yawning—he’s warning the other animal not to come near or he’ll fight!
Animals do things to protect themselves, to find food, or to be more comfortable. And sometimes they even do things just for fun.
Sometimes a mandrill’s yawn means “Keep away!”
Protecting the babies
> African Elephants > > A mother elephant protects her baby by keeping it between her legs. > > If the mother sees an enemy, she lifts her trunk and makes a warning > noise. Snow whirls through…
Sounds that say things
> Red-Winged Blackbird > > When a male bird sings in the springtime he is often telling other > male birds to stay away. Owls hoot. Foxes yap. Crickets chirp. Geese honk. Chipmunks chatter. And…
A long winter nap
In the autumn, a woodchuck curls up into a ball in its underground home and goes to sleep. And it sleeps during the whole winter. The woodchuck’s sleep isn’t like the sleep you have at night. The…
The great mystery
Hundreds of barn swallows sit in rows on telephone wires. Suddenly, with a great twittering, they all rush into the air. Staying close together in a big flock, they fly away. It is late summer and…
