Animal House

Animals build homes for reasons very similar to our own, but they've been doing it for much longer. From a small depression in the sand to an elaborate, multi-chambered tunnel -- animal structures can be simple or architectural marvels. In each case, the goals are the same -- protection from predators, and a nearby source of food. These structures, whether a nest, a burrow or a mound, are also the site of great dramas and extraordinary behaviors. From master builders like termites and beavers to master decorators like the bowerbird which places colorful flowers at the entrance to its nest, The Animal House provides a fascinating look at "the homelife of wildlife."

Watch tiny cave swiftlets build nests with their own saliva, find out how bamboo rats turn their homes into a farm and how insects handle heating and cooling, meet the lodgers that live with beavers in their dams and the tenants that share prairie dog tunnels, see a subterranean city built for 12 million inhabitants, and be completely amazed by colonies of army ants that create living homes with their own bodies, customized to each location they move to.

Upplagd i sortimentet: 15 Januari, 2012