• The male stickleback builds a nest out of weeds which he glues together with a special substance from his kidneys.
• It gets its name from the sharp spines along its back which it can raise to protect itself from predators.
• The number of spines can vary; most sticklebacks in the UK have three.

• Minnows have an excellent sense of smell and can detect chemical alarm signals released from the skin of another minnow that has been attacked.
• They are often a sign of a healthy river, as they are sensitive to pollution.
• They are very small, usually growing no longer than 10 cm.

• The perch's spiny front dorsal fin is a very effective defence, making it difficult for predators like pike or herons to swallow it.
• They lay their eggs in long, white, ribbon-like strands, which they drape over underwater plants.
• Young perch hunt in shoals, but as they get older and larger, they tend to hunt alone.

• Doesn't drink with its mouth but soaks up all the water it needs through its skin.
• Has eyes on top of its head so it can see all around whilst mostly hidden in the water.

• Can regrow lost limbs, such as its tail or even a leg.
• The male smooth newt develops a wavy crest along its back during the breeding season to attract a mate.

• Has glands behind its eyes that produce a mild poison to put off predators.
• Has a sticky, flick-out tongue that it uses to catch insects and slugs with lightning speed.

Can shed its tail if caught by a predator. The tail continues to wriggle, distracting the attacker while the lizard escapes.

Gives birth to live young, which is unusual for a reptile, rather than laying eggs.

They hibernate through the winter, often in groups inside log piles or under rocks.

Despite its appearance, the slow worm is a lizard, not a worm or a snake. You can tell because it has eyelids and can blink, which snakes cannot do.

Like the common lizard, it can shed its tail to escape from a predator, such as a cat or a bird.

They love to eat slugs, making them a very welcome visitor in a garden.

The grass snake is an excellent swimmer and often hunts for frogs and newts in the water.

If threatened, it can play dead, sometimes rolling onto its back with its tongue hanging out.

It is not venomous and has a distinctive yellow and black collar behind its head.

• Is famous for singing all year round, often under streetlights at night.
• Both male and female robins have a red breast and look identical.

• Parents may have to find up to 1,000 caterpillars a day to feed their hungry chicks.
• Is very acrobatic and can be seen hanging upside down to get food.

• Feeds its young (squabs) a special "milk" made in a pouch in its throat.
• The clattering sound often heard as they fly away is the bird deliberately clapping its wings together to warn others of danger.

• Has whiskers on its legs as well as its face to help it feel its way around in the dark.
• Can make around 20 different sounds, including a scream-like bark that is often heard at night.

• Lives in a large underground home called a sett, which can have many rooms and be hundreds of years old.
• Is very tidy and will not bring food into or go to the toilet in its sett.

• Can forget where it buried hundreds of nuts, meaning it accidentally plants lots of new trees!
• Has ankles that can rotate 180 degrees, allowing it to climb down trees head-first.

• A rabbit's teeth grow continuously throughout its life, so it must chew on grass and tough plants to wear them down.
• They eat their own droppings to digest their food a second time and get all the nutrients out.
• Their long ears can turn 180 degrees, helping them to pinpoint the source of a sound.

• A snail's tongue (radula) is like a ribbon covered in thousands of tiny teeth, perfect for scraping up leaves.
• They are nocturnal, meaning they are most active at night when it is cooler and damper.
• A snail can retreat into its shell and seal the entrance to protect itself from predators or dry weather.

• Voles create a network of tiny tunnels and runways through long grass to hide from predators like kestrels and owls.
• Unlike mice, they are active during both the day and night.
• A field vole's coat is an excellent camouflage, blending in perfectly with dry grass.

• A single ladybird can eat over 5,000 aphids (greenfly) in its lifetime, making it a gardener's best friend.
• Their bright colours are a warning to predators that they taste unpleasant.
• When threatened, a ladybird can secrete a yellow, foul-smelling liquid from its leg joints.

• Foxes have amazing hearing and can hear a mouse squeak from 100 metres away.
• They use their bushy tail as a warm cover in cold weather and as a signal to communicate with other foxes.
• They are skilled hunters with a varied diet, eating everything from rabbits and rodents to fruit and discarded takeaways.

• Not all spiders build webs to catch food; some, like the wolf spider, are speedy hunters that chase down their prey.
• Spiders are found on every continent in the world except for Antarctica.
• They play a vital role in controlling insect populations.

• Earthworms are a badger's favourite food, and they can eat hundreds in a single night!
• They have long, powerful claws for digging their extensive underground homes, called setts.
• Although they eat mainly worms and insects, they will also eat fruit, seeds, and small mammals.

• In winter, blue tits team up with other tit species to form big flocks, making it easier to find food and spot danger.
• They are very clever and are famous for learning how to peck through the foil tops of milk bottles to drink the cream.
• Their diet changes with the seasons; they eat caterpillars and insects in the spring and switch to seeds and nuts in the winter.

• A wood mouse can jump almost a metre in the air to escape from danger.
• They are excellent climbers and will scale plants to find seeds and berries.
• They often store food, such as seeds and nuts, in underground burrows for the winter.

• Gills: Gills are made of feathery filaments full of blood vessels. As water flows over them, they pull oxygen out, a bit like lungs in reverse.
• Scales: Fish scales overlap like tiles on a roof, creating a flexible suit of armor. They are covered in a layer of slime that helps the fish glide through the water and protects it from germs.
• Fins: A fish's tail fin (caudal fin) provides the main power for swimming, while other fins are used for steering, stopping, and hovering.

• Skin: An amphibian's skin is permeable, meaning it can absorb water and oxygen directly through it. This is why they must live in damp environments to avoid drying out.
• Lungs: Even after developing lungs, many amphibians continue to get a significant amount of their oxygen through their skin.
• Life Cycle: The change from a gilled, water-dwelling tadpole to a lung-breathing, land-dwelling frog is a complete rebuilding of the body called metamorphosis.

• Scaly Skin: Unlike an amphibian's moist skin, a reptile's scaly skin is waterproof. This key adaptation allows reptiles to live in very dry environments, like deserts, without losing water.
• Senses: Many snakes and lizards "smell" by flicking their tongue out to collect scent particles, then touching the tongue to a special organ in the roof of their mouth.
• Cold-Blooded: Being "cold-blooded" means their body temperature matches their surroundings. You'll often see reptiles basking on a sunny rock to warm up and gain energy.
• Bearded dragons have a secret 'third eye' on the very top of their heads! It's a little dot that helps them see shadows, so they know when a big bird is flying over and it's time to hide!

• Feathers: Feathers are an amazing structure unique to birds. They provide lift for flight, insulation to keep the bird warm, and are used for display to attract mates.
• Hollow Bones: A bird's skeleton is incredibly light but strong. The skeleton of a frigatebird, which has a 2-meter wingspan, weighs only about 115 grams—less than its feathers!
• Beak: A bird's beak is a specialized tool shaped for its diet. A finch has a short, strong beak for cracking seeds, while a hawk has a sharp, hooked beak for tearing meat.

• Hair/Fur: All mammals have hair at some point in their life. For whales and dolphins, it's just a few whiskers when they are born. Hair provides insulation, camouflage, and can be used for sensing (like a cat's whiskers).
• Milk: Mammals are named for their mammary glands, which produce nutritious milk to feed their babies. This gives the young a strong start in life.
• Warm-Blooded: Being "warm-blooded" means mammals can create their own body heat. This allows them to stay active in cold weather and live in almost every climate on Earth.

• Your eyes can distinguish about 10 million different colours, and they remain the same size from birth to death.
• The human eye can see a candle flame from up to 1.7 miles away on a clear, dark night.
• You blink on average about 15-20 times per minute, which is over 10,000 times a day!

• The three smallest bones in your entire body are located in your ear: the malleus, incus, and stapes (hammer, anvil, and stirrup). Together, they are smaller than a pea.
• Your ears never stop working, even when you are asleep; your brain just learns to ignore the sounds.
• Earwax is not just dirt; it's a useful substance that cleans, protects, and lubricates the ear canal, trapping dust and germs.

• Your sense of smell is more closely linked to memory than any of your other senses.
• Humans can identify at least one trillion different smells.
• Smells can strongly affect our mood; for example, the scent of lavender is often found to be calming.

• Whilst we often think taste is all about the tongue, about 80% of what we perceive as 'flavour' actually comes from our sense of smell.
• The five basic tastes are sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami (a savoury taste).
• Your taste buds have a short lifespan, replacing themselves roughly every 10 to 14 days.

• Your fingertips and lips are two of the most sensitive parts of your body because they have the highest concentration of touch receptors.
• The skin is the body's largest organ, and it is constantly renewing itself by shedding old cells.
• There are different types of nerve endings in the skin to detect different sensations, like pressure, texture, temperature, and pain.