Ducks can fly with speeds of up to 50
km. (30 mi l es ) per hour . In add i t i on ,
t he y k e ep on c hang i ng d i r e c t i on t o
pr o t e c t thems e l ve s f r om pr edat o r s . When they
need to dive into water, they do it so fast that it
becomes extreme ly di ff i cul t for hunters to hunt
them down.
T he t r unk s o f e l ephan t s c on t a i n 50 , 000
mus c l e s . When needed , the s e mus c l e s cont rac t ,
making it possible for the elephant to push even
the heaviest of loads. The trunk, at the same time,
can perform such del icate tasks as col lecting pea
seeds and cracking them open in the e l ephant ’ s
mouth. The trunk, whi ch i s pract i cal in so many
ways, can also be used as a long finger, a trumpet
or a loudspeaker . The trunk can hold about 4 l itres
(7 pints) of water for dr inking or shower ing the
body.
DUCKS
ELEPHANT’S LONG TRUNKS
76
