Who were the Celts? The Celts were a barbarian people speaking an Indo-European language who had established their homeland in a large area of central Europe during the first millennium, or thou-sand years, before Christ. We know little about their early history, although their skill in the use of iron made their influence wide-spread. About 500 BC they began to expand south-wards into Italy and Greece, westwards into Spain and France,...

Why do Giraffes have long necks? Giraffes have long necks so that they can reach the tops of trees and feed on the leaves which grow there. As other animals (which do not have such long necks) feed on the lower parts of the tree, this means that giraffes do not have to compete for the same source of food, and thus there is plenty of food for all. This is...

How do Sloths move about? Sloths are strange, hairy mammals which live in central and South America. Almost the whole of their lives is spent hanging upside down on branches. The hair on their bodies grows from the belly over the sides of the body, and is often tinged with green because of the algae which grows in it. Sloths are very slow-moving creatures but they are very well adapted to...

Which is the Strongest Ape? The strongest, and biggest ape is the gorilla. Adult male gorillas may weigh more than a quarter of a tonne. Gorillas live in the forests of Africa, feeding on the fruit and shoots of trees. If a gorilla wishes to eat the shoot on the branch of a tree, it simply reaches up to the branch it wants, and with its powerful arms pulls the shoot...

Where do Marsupials live? Marsupial mammals are not nearly as wide-spread today as the other mammals — the placental mammals. Marsupials are mostly confined to the continent of Australasia, although a few are also to be found in South America. No one really knows exactly why marsupials are only found in these places, but it seems likely that the parts of the world they are found in became isolated from the...

What are Marsupials?   Marsupials are mammals which have a pouch, like the one on the kangaroo shown below. Before they are born, the voting of most mammals develop in t he mother’s womb and receive nourishment from her body through a complicated system of blood vessels called the placenta. in the womb, the young mammals are also protected. When t hey are finally born, they are quite well developed, although...

What will the cars of the future be like?   Tomorrow’s car for driving in cities may use electricity instead of petrol. It will probably have batteries to store power and will re-charge these from the electricity supply, overnight. Other new ideas are gas-turbine and steam-turbine cars. These work by shooting gas or steam through a turbine like a fan, driving it round.

When did motor cars take over from horses? Two hundred years ago it took two days to go from London to Manchester in a horse-drawn coach. Now it takes three hours in a modern car, over good roads. However, when `horseless carriages’, as cars were called, first appeared many people laughed at them. They said they were too dangerous and would not work. The first motor car on sale to the...