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Movement in the Air
Johnny's Fact File No.8 The whistling swan is estimated to have around 25000 feathers. The bird which has the longest feathers is the phoenix fowl which lives in Japan. Its tail feathers can reach 10,6 m in length. Johnny's Fact File No.9 The highest flying bird is Ruppell's vulture. The height reached by this vulture is a little over 6090 metres. Johnny's Fact File No.10 One of the fastest flying birds is the swift which can reach speeds of 171 km/h as it chases flying insects. One of the fastest flying insects is the hawkmoth which can reach speeds of 53 km/h. Johnny's Fact File No.11 The sooty tern stays in the air from between 3 to ten years after it leaves its nest. It only returns to the land to mate. The common swift remains in the air for between 2 to 3 years. It sleeps, eats and even mates while flying. Johnny's Fact File No.12 The peregrine falcon dives through the air at speeds of up to 270 km/h to catch smaller birds which are flying below it. It is able to spot a flying pigeon from a distance of 8km! Movement in the Water
Diving Champions
Johnny's Fact File No.14 The gentoo penguin is the fastest swimming bird with a maximum speed of 28 km/h. The emperor penguin is the deepest diving bird. It can dive to a depth of 265 m in the Antarctic waters and remain under water for up to 18 minutes. Johnny's Fact File No.15 The killer whale is 9 metres long and has a mass or around 4,5 tonnes. Killer whales often hunt together and help each other to trap schoals of salmon. They normally swim at around 64 km/h but can reach speeds of 80 km/h when hunting. A killer whale must eat 2,5% to 5% of its body mass each day (up to 900 kg). Its diet includes anything from small fish to the largest whales. It will also attack dolphins, seals and sea birds. Johnny's Fact File No.16 Dolphins are around 1,2 metres in length and have a mass of up to 40 kg. A group of dolphins is called a school. A school of dolphins may be made up of up to 1000 individuals. Dolphins migrate long distances in search of food and work together to chase and trap shoals of fish. Johnny's Fact File No.17 The sailfish is the fastest swimmer reaching speeds of 109km/h. |
© Paul Billiet, Shirley Burchill, Alan Damon and Deborah James 2008 |
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Johnny's Fact File