school energy&environment
Animals
When we hear someone talking about animals, we immediately think of the animals we know best and that are evolutively nearer to us, like birds and mammals. Actually the larger part of the animal kingdom is made up of invertebrates, animals without a skeleton, that account for 95% of the living species. Jellyfish, corals, worms, arachnids, crustaceans, molluscs, echinoderms and, among the most numerous species, insects, are all very different from one another and they populate all the environments on land and in the seas. These are mainly small sized animals, with the exception of the giant squid that is the largest living invertebrate, whose tentacles grow up to twenty meters long. Reptiles exist since millions of years, and their ancestors were amphibian, and lived both on land and in the water. Their size, and their structure varies greatly: tortoises, crocodiles, alligators, lizards and snakes are reptiles. From 230 to 65 million years ago, the Earth was dominated by dinosaurs that became extinct at the end of the period. 150 million years ago, birds evolved from the reptiles and they were characterized by their capacity to fly, that enabled them to spread rapidly to all the environments of the planet. Mammals can survive in almost all the environments and can adapt to various climates: to life in the jungle, in the desert, in the polar regions, in the air, in the oceans, underground, on trees, and they move from one environment to another.
In order to live in each environment, mammals have developed different bodies: most of the domestic animals, humans, bats, whales, elephants and beavers, kangaroos, koalas, the duck-billed platypus and bears are mammals!
subjects dealt with in Animals
Animals knowledge
Most of animals, even the simplest ones, have a sexed reproduction, which allows to increase the genetic variability of individuals…
Man and animals
As early as 20,000 years ago, some Primitive men portrayed on rocks, in caves and in the open air the…
Protection of biodiversity
An animal species is seriously threatened with extinction when its population is broken up. Extinction is a natural process that…
Breeding and environment
Have you ever wondered how is produced meat you can find well-packaged and neatly filed on shelves at the supermarket?…
What you can do
Current meat consumption have grown a lot in comparison to the past: FAO has estimated that they have been raising…
special reports
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8 July 2011 / Ecosystems
Who's coming to dinner
A shark in my hamburger Summer is finally here! As usual, we have waited for it all year long and…
31 August 2013 / Life
The Red List of Italian animals
Biodiversity in Italy Italy has a rich biodiversity due to its distinctive geographic, climatic and historical characteristics. In particular, there…
15 March 2008 / Life
Biodiversity
Defining biodiversity Much is said about biodiversity and of the need to protect it. But what is biodiversity? And why…
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27 September 2012 / Life
Over 7 billion people on Earth
World population hits 7 billion Demographers have estimated that on 31 October 2011 world population reached the 7 billion mark,…
29 April 2013 / Ecosystems
Intruders in the Mediterranean
Mare Nostrum The Mediterranean Sea (Mare Nostrum, Latin for “Our Sea”) has always been considered of fundamental importance for the…
16 April 2012 / Life
Bats, The Lords of Darkness
Year of the bat The UNEP Convention on Migratory Species and The Agreement on the Conservation of Populations of European…
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11 June 2012 / Life
Bats, facts and fiction
Legend or fact? In ancient Rome, bats were nailed to the door of the house as a protection from witches…
2 July 2014 / Life
A hoax? No thank you, I prefer to find out myself!
In Italian, bufala: a hoax, also means a female buffalo – and a type of mozzarella cheese is made with…
30 July 2020 / Ecosystems
Holidays, yes! but they must be sustainable!
We have been speaking of sustainable behaviours to apply to our daily life, but what happens when we unplug and…
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4 April 2013 / Life
Carbon (14C) dating method
Radiocarbon dating In 1991, near the border between Austria and Italy, the body of the Similaun man, also known as…
10 February 2014 / Ecosystems
Coral turns pale!
The delicate balance of the coral reef “When looking at a coral reef, we are fascinated by the enormous variety…
15 February 2008 / Life
Looking for DNA
The discovery of DNA More than half a century ago, on 25 April 1953, a short article just 900 words…
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8 July 2011 / Ecosystems
Who's coming to dinner
A shark in my hamburger Summer is finally here! As usual, we have waited for it all year long and…
31 August 2013 / Life
The Red List of Italian animals
Biodiversity in Italy Italy has a rich biodiversity due to its distinctive geographic, climatic and historical characteristics. In particular, there…
-
15 March 2008 / Life
Biodiversity
Defining biodiversity Much is said about biodiversity and of the need to protect it. But what is biodiversity? And why…
27 September 2012 / Life
Over 7 billion people on Earth
World population hits 7 billion Demographers have estimated that on 31 October 2011 world population reached the 7 billion mark,…
-
29 April 2013 / Ecosystems
Intruders in the Mediterranean
Mare Nostrum The Mediterranean Sea (Mare Nostrum, Latin for “Our Sea”) has always been considered of fundamental importance for the…
16 April 2012 / Life
Bats, The Lords of Darkness
Year of the bat The UNEP Convention on Migratory Species and The Agreement on the Conservation of Populations of European…
-
11 June 2012 / Life
Bats, facts and fiction
Legend or fact? In ancient Rome, bats were nailed to the door of the house as a protection from witches…
2 July 2014 / Life
A hoax? No thank you, I prefer to find out myself!
In Italian, bufala: a hoax, also means a female buffalo – and a type of mozzarella cheese is made with…
-
30 July 2020 / Ecosystems
Holidays, yes! but they must be sustainable!
We have been speaking of sustainable behaviours to apply to our daily life, but what happens when we unplug and…
-
8 July 2011 / Ecosystems
Who's coming to dinner
A shark in my hamburger Summer is finally here! As usual, we have waited for it all year long and…
-
31 August 2013 / Life
The Red List of Italian animals
Biodiversity in Italy Italy has a rich biodiversity due to its distinctive geographic, climatic and historical characteristics. In particular, there…
-
15 March 2008 / Life
Biodiversity
Defining biodiversity Much is said about biodiversity and of the need to protect it. But what is biodiversity? And why…
-
27 September 2012 / Life
Over 7 billion people on Earth
World population hits 7 billion Demographers have estimated that on 31 October 2011 world population reached the 7 billion mark,…
-
29 April 2013 / Ecosystems
Intruders in the Mediterranean
Mare Nostrum The Mediterranean Sea (Mare Nostrum, Latin for “Our Sea”) has always been considered of fundamental importance for the…
-
16 April 2012 / Life
Bats, The Lords of Darkness
Year of the bat The UNEP Convention on Migratory Species and The Agreement on the Conservation of Populations of European…
-
11 June 2012 / Life
Bats, facts and fiction
Legend or fact? In ancient Rome, bats were nailed to the door of the house as a protection from witches…
-
2 July 2014 / Life
A hoax? No thank you, I prefer to find out myself!
In Italian, bufala: a hoax, also means a female buffalo – and a type of mozzarella cheese is made with…
-
30 July 2020 / Ecosystems
Holidays, yes! but they must be sustainable!
We have been speaking of sustainable behaviours to apply to our daily life, but what happens when we unplug and…
from the Multimedia section
curiosities
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Ant and fish activities
A small insect like the antilion, digs funnel shaped traps in the sandy ground when it is in the larva…
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Life from space
According to some scientists life has always existed in the Universe just like the Universe...
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Ant and fish activities
A small insect like the antilion, digs funnel shaped traps in the sandy ground when it is in the larva…
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Ant and fish activities
A small insect like the antilion, digs funnel shaped traps in the sandy ground when it is in the larva…