In the picture
Wash ‘n’ go
200 EGGS LAID AT ONCE
100 YEARS AGE THEY CAN LIVE UP TO
This green sea turtle (or Chelonia mydas) is getting a thorough cleaning in the waters off Hawaii. The cute, yellow tang fish are algae eaters, which works out very nicely for the turtles, who are unable to wash their own backs. Green turtles have many predators on land and at sea, including snakes, gulls, sharks, dolphin fish and humans, which is one of the reasons they are protected by the Endangered Species Act in the USA. Female turtles can lay over 200 eggs in one session, but many won’t hatch, while others will be eaten by marauders. Although, the turtles who do manage to live out their full life can make it to the ripe old age of 100.
Weighty matters
8 MILLION ANTS IN ONE COLONY
15 METRES X 5 METRES COLONY SIZE
Leafcutter ants are the only animals, apart from us humans, who grow their own food from living matter. They work together in extremely large colonies – up to eight million ants – and have a sophisticated caste system with ants of different sizes and forms performing different tasks within groups. As well as being well-organised, they are champion weightlifters and are capable of carrying objects 50 times their own body weight.
