NATURE’S ARCHITECTS

Animals, insects, and birds have a world of their own, different and unique from the human world. This colourful

and attractive series delves deep into their world, revealing nature‛s incredible workforce. Discover the amazing

engineering feats of tiny insects and the shrewd strategies for hunt. Learn about nature‛s architects and be entertained

by the showmen of the wild.

Other titles in this series:Nature‛s Doctors

Nature‛s HandymenNature‛s Housekeepers

Nature‛s ShowmenNature‛s Warriors

This book is printed on recycled paper. Getting to know nature‛s little helpers!The Energy and Resources Institute

Ages: 8-12

930 (set of 6 titles)

© The Energy and Resources Institute, 2011

First published in 2011 byThe Energy and Resources Institute

TERI PressDarbari Seth Block, IHC Complex, Lodhi Road, New Delhi 110 003, India

Tel. 2468 2100/4150 4900, Fax: 2468 2144/2468 2145India +91 � Delhi (0)11

Email: teripress@teri.res.in � Website: http://bookstore.teriin.org

ISBN 978-81-7993-258-2ISBN 978-81-7993-356-5 (set of 6 titles)

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,

photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.

All export rights for this book vest exclusively with The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI). Unauthorized export is a violation of terms of sale and is

subject to legal action.

Author: Garima SharmaManaging Editor: Anupama Jauhry

Series Editors: Arshi Ahmad and Rupak GhoshTechnical Review: Soumitri Das

Design: Priyabrata Roy ChowdhuryCover Illustration: Priyabrata Roy Chowdhury, Vijay Nipane, and

Neeraj Riddlan Image Research: Yukti Garg

Pre-press: Vijay Kumar Production Head: T Radhakrishnan

Photo credits: Potter wasp (pages 10–11): Shakir Cave swiftlets’ nest (pages 18–19): Olivier Hebert, melimala.nc

Cave swiftlet bird (page 19): Eddy Lee Kam Pang

Printed and bound in India

This book is printed on recycled paper.

An imprint of The Energy and Resources Institute

The Energy and Resources Institute

A note from Dr R K Pachauri

The world of animals and insects is truly wondrous. If we delve a little deeper, we will be amazed at the similarities between their ways and ours. In fact, at times their industriousness, skill, resourcefulness, and knowledge are awe-inspiring.

This series focuses on the unique world of animals and insects, revealing their incredible habits and amazing skills. Ants that build colonies, worms that produce light, tiny polyps that build huge reefs under water—these are just some of the myriad examples to show that nature never ceases to amaze.

While revealing little-known facts and amazing secrets of the animal world, these books will entertain and enrich young minds. I hope that as they leaf through the pages, readers will also feel inspired to protect the beautiful world brought to life within these covers. More importantly, I look forward to these books making young readers realize that the world of animals is meant to be explored and appreciated rather than destroyed for selfish reasons.

R K PachauriDirector-General, TERIChairman, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

ontentsCBeaver6-7

Corals8-9

10-11 Potter wasp

Stickleback fish 12-13

14-15 Termite

16-17 Trapdoor spider

18-19 Cave swiftlet

20-21

Greater stick- nest rat

22-23 Honey bee

Prairie dog 24-25

26-27Ovenbird

Weaver ant 28-29

Words to remember

30

Name: Beaver

Wonder building: Lodge made with branches and mud

Home: North America and Europe

Beavers are the biggest rodents in North America—they can grow up to four feet in length. They are a type of rodent suited for life in water. Beavers make huge homes in rivers and ponds, using tree branches, stones, and mud.

Eager Beaver

6-7

Beavers like to make their houses, called lodges, in the middle of deep water bodies. They do this by blocking water with mud, stones, tree trunks, and branches. Once a dam-like structure has been formed, beavers start building their lodge. The base, made of stones and mud, is covered with strong tree branches. The branches are placed in such a way that no other animal can enter through them. The mud platforms are built a little higher than the water level, so that they stay dry. Beavers dig tunnels under the water to enter and leave their homes. This way, predators like wolves cannot enter their lodges.

House on water

By building their lodges in deep water, beavers can easily enter and leave their underwater homes in winter, when the water close to the surface freezes.

Safe passage

Beavers build canals connected with the river to carry huge branches of trees

easily to their lodge-building

site.

All in aday’s work

work s

quad

Nature’s

archit

ects

Name: Corals

Wonder building: Limestone structures

Home: Coasts of Australia, India, Africa, and North America

Coral polyps are tiny living beings that build huge, colourful structures called reefs under the sea. Due to their amazing colours, coral reefs are sometimes referred to as the ‘gardens of the ocean’. Coral reefs are usually found in warm, tropical waters, though they also exist in deep and cold waters on a much smaller scale.

marine gardens

work squad nature’s architects

Coral polyps can be as small as the head of a pin or as large as a foot. The polyps produce a fi ne, salt-like material called limestone, which collects around them and forms a strong, hard structure. When thousands of these coral polyps living together produce limestone, they end up making huge colonies. These limestone colonies are formed in various shapes and sizes. As these coral polyps die, new ones attach themselves to the limestone structures left behind. In this way, huge coral colonies are formed over hundreds of years.

Coral Colonies

Coral polyps mostly grow in shallow parts of the sea,

as sunlight can easily reach them

through the shallow waters.

.

The structures built by coral polyps provide home to hundreds of other sea animals like sea anemones, jellyfi shes, sea urchins, sponges, worms, rays, lobsters, and snails. These also take shelter in the crevices and cracks of the limestone colonies.

Stony home

8-9

All in aday’s work

Work Squad : Nature's Architects

Publisher : TERI Press ISBN : 9788179932582 Author : Garima Sharma

Type the URL : http://www.kopykitab.com/product/8489

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