The AnswerBank Articles

Do some animals have bones in their penis

A. Yes they do. The penis bone, os penis, (os is Latin for 'bone'), or baculum, occurs sporadically in the animal kingdom. It is found in insectivores, bats, rodents, carnivores, and pinnipeds, and00:00 Mon 25th Feb 2002

Why do stars twinkle

A. Their famous twinkle is the result of our earth's atmosphere, which, amongst other things, generates turbulence. As the atmosphere broils it bends, or refracts, the light from the star in00:00 Mon 18th Feb 2002

Do fish hear

A. Yes, like all vertebrates fish have sense organs that help them understand their environment, including ears to pick up sounds. Q. Where are their ears A. Fish have an inner ear enclosed in00:00 Mon 18th Feb 2002

Could Tyrannosaurus rex reach his mouth with his arms

A. No, in fact T rex couldn't extend its elbow could not be extended much beyond a 90-degree angle. Q. How long was T rex's arm A. About a metre long, almost the same length as a humans, with00:00 Mon 18th Feb 2002

What s the difference between a German Shepherd dog and an Alsatian

A. Parikrama asked this question recently. As incitatus and ravenhair point out, there is no difference. Q. Why does the same dog have two different names A. Basically the breed originally00:00 Mon 11th Feb 2002

How do trees transport water from their roots to their leaves

A. There are several mechanisms going on here in order for trees, even enormous redwoods that can grow up to 100 metres, to get water from the roots all the way to the top, known as the crown. Q. 00:00 Mon 11th Feb 2002

What s the difference between magma and lava

A. Nothing, they're the same thing. The two different terms are used to distinguish between molten rock that's still beneath the earth's crust: magma, and molten rock that's erupted: lava. Q. How00:00 Mon 11th Feb 2002

Why do some plants flower in winter, how is this advantageous

A. Plants such as dog’s mercury, Mercurialis perennis, which flowers from February to April and the snowdrop, Galanthus nivalis, which flowers from January to March, grow in deciduous woodland.00:00 Mon 04th Feb 2002

The New Year weather has been awful, is there anything worth looking out for in the countryside

A. Most definitely. Just because the rain, gales and cold weather seem inhospitable to us, don't be fooled: nature makes the most of winter weather. Even the most leafless of trees can provide a bit00:00 Mon 04th Feb 2002

Can ducks be housetrained

A. Cherrys is presumably thinking of getting a rather unconventional pet and wants to know how messy it will be. Thanks to rekstout and incitatus for their advice. Here The AnswerBank looks into00:00 Mon 04th Feb 2002

Which are the biggest snakes

A. Betteredit wants to know which 6 species of snake are the biggest. Q. Why is it a problem A. The reason Betteredit might be asking this question is because there's quite a lot of controversy00:00 Mon 28th Jan 2002

Why do eucalyptus trees have flammable leaves

A. There are around 700 species of eucalyptus tree, some of which have leaves that contain a highly flammable oil, although the trees themselves are relatively flame proof. The flammable leaves00:00 Mon 28th Jan 2002

Is there such a thing as a blue moon

A. Yes, in fact there are two definitions of a blue moon. In the first, large amounts of dust, the kind that volcanic eruptions eject into the upper atmosphere causes sunsets to turn green and the00:00 Mon 14th Jan 2002

What is the deadliest living creature known to humans

A. If you're talking about venomous creatures, rather than our own species and microorganisms that pose an invisible deadly threat, then this prize goes to the sea wasp, or marine stinger. Q. I00:00 Mon 14th Jan 2002

How do fish survive in sub zero temperatures

A. They use two mechanisms: notothenioid, to give them their official name, fish can tolerate the presence of ice crystals within their bodies and they have anti freeze in their blood. Q. How do00:00 Mon 14th Jan 2002

Why, of all animals, have scientists used cloned pigs to use for organ transplant for humans

A. The five piglets born on Christmas day are clones produced with the intention of providing suitable organs for transplanting to humans, officially known as xenotransplantation. There are several00:00 Mon 07th Jan 2002

What s the best way to groom my Persian cat

A. Here The AnswerBank tries to straighten things out for Persian cat owners. Q. How often should I groom my Persian cat A. At least every other day, but ideally once a day to keep that long00:00 Mon 07th Jan 2002

What are sea monkeys

A. Well, as you've probably guessed, they're not really monkeys, nor do they normally live in the sea. Sea monkeys are actually crustaceans, called brine shrimp that live in salt lakes, like the one00:00 Mon 07th Jan 2002

How efficient is an elephant s trunk at holding water

A. Very: It can hold up to 15 litres of water, which it can either drink or use to wash itself and keep cool. Q. How does it manage to hold so much water A. An elephant's trunk is very muscely;00:00 Mon 31st Dec 2001

Do leopards store their killed prey in trees

A. Yes they do. As soon as they\ve killed their next meal the leopard drags it up into a tree before any nearby opportunist gets a whiff of it and moves in. Q. How A. They carry the dead animal00:00 Mon 31st Dec 2001