Built By Animals

Built by Animals introduces us to the creatures who know how to build, and looks at how their techniques have been copied in human construction.

From termite mounds that in relative terms are three times as tall as a skyscraper, to the elaborate nests of social birds and the deadly traps of spiders, the constructions of the animal world can amaze and at times humble our own engineering and technology. But how do creatures with such small brains build these complex structures? What drives them to do it? Which skills are innate and which learned? Here, Mike Hansell looks at the extraordinary structures that animals build - whether homes, traps, or courtship displays - and reveals the biology behind their behaviour. He shows how small-brained animals achieve complex feats in a small-brained way, by repeating many simple actions and using highly evolved self-secreted materials. On the other hand, the building feats or tool use of large-brained animals, such as humans or chimps, require significantly more complex and costly behaviour. We look at wasp's nests, leaf-cutting ants, caddisflies and amoebae, and even the extraordinary bower bird, who seduces his mate with a decorated pile of twigs, baubles, feathers and berries. Hansell explores how animal structures evolved over time, how insect societies emerge, how animals can alter their wider habitat, and even whether some animals have an aesthetic sense.

Explore animal habitats how they engineer their homes in this beautifully illustrated STEM book for kids. Filled with imaginative questions, animal facts, and educational backmatter, If Animals Built Your House is perfect for your elementary classroom or family library. If animals built your house, would you live in it? This unique story alternatives between the narrator telling the reader what kind of house you would live in if an animal built it, and some fun facts about each! Perfect for teachers looking for STEM/STEAM books for kids 5-7, and books that highlight engineering for kids, innovation, and how things work for kids. If a tree squirrel built your house, no one could ever sneak up on you. Your house might look like just a jumble of leaves, but it's really a tightly woven, waterproof ball. No hard walls here—this furry builder used its body like a rolling pin to make a soft, cozy room. Just watch out for that first step out your front door! Animals featured include squirrels, termites, grouper, honeybees, chimpanzees, tree frogs, polar bears, and more! Backmatter Includes: Explore More for Kids: photos of all of the animals in the book, what their homes look like, and why they build them Explore More for Teachers & Parents: read-aloud suggestions, a STEAM design challenge, and more!

From vast termite mounds that outstrip our own skyscrapers, to elaborate birds nests, delicate shells, and deadly spiders' traps, the constructions of the animal world can amaze and at times humble our own engineering and technology. Mike Hansell reveals the biology behind animal architecture - showing how small brains have evolved to produce complex and beautiful structures.

Humans think they invent everything, but the fact is, us animals have invented ways of solving problems, making unbelievable materials, ways of getting around and working out how to survive on our own for millions of years. In this book you will meet the animal inventors who have shared their super inventing powers to make amazing things for humans.

Simple text explains the varied ways in which such animals as beavers, hummingbirds, termites, and bald eagles build their homes.

A children's book that shows how to build 50 simple models of LEGO animals using only standard LEGO parts that every LEGO fan has in their collection. The LEGO Zoo book shows kids of any age how to build 50 simple animal models using only standard LEGO parts that are already likely to be in their collection. You'll learn how to build models of animals like crocodiles, zebras, wolves, lions, flamingos, plus many more. Projects are ordered by increasing difficulty making it easy to jump in without getting in over your head. The animals are so cute and goofy, whether building as a family or solo The LEGO Zoo is sure to deliver a roaring good time!

Christopher Hart, America’s best-selling author of art instruction books, tosses all that aside to make drawing animals truly amazingly easy, by simplifying animal anatomy so that artists can get the poses they really want. What does that animal look like as it moves, bends, twists, jumps, runs? Simplified skeletons and an innovative new approach show how to look at an animal as a strangely built human with an odd posture--allowing the artist to draw animals by identifying with them. Hart’s step-by-step instructions and clear text mean true-to-life results every time, whether the subjects are dogs, cats, horses, deer, lions, tigers, elephants, monkeys, bears, birds, pigs, goats, giraffes, or kangaroos.