Parts of animal bodies – części ciała zwierząt
- beak – dziób
- wing – skrzydło
- tail – ogon
- paw – łapa
- claws – pazury
- whiskers – wąsy
- hoof – kopyto
- fur – futro
- mane – grzywa
- scale – łuska
- fin – płetwa
- shell – skorupa
Amphibians and reptiles – płazy i gady
- toad – ropucha
- frog – żaba
- lizard – jaszczurka
- salamander – salamandra
- snake – wąż
- viper – żmija
Birds – ptaki
- nest – gniazdo
- tree hollow – dziupla
- to hatch eggs – wysiadywać jajka
- pheasant – bażant
- stork – bocian
- woodpecker – dzięcioł
- swallow – jaskółka
- cuckoo – kukułka
- swan – łabędź
- eagle – orzeł
- parrot – papuga
- nightingale – słowik
- falcon – sokół
- owl – sowa
- sparrow – wróbel
Fish – ryby
- trout – pstrąg
- eel – węgorz
- shark – rekin
- pike – szczupak
- salmon – łosoś
Insects – owady
- mosquito – komar
- ant – mrówka
- fly – mucha
- bee – pszczoła
- wasp – osa
Mammals – ssaki
- dolphin – delfin
- seal – foka
- cheetah – gepard
- hedgehog – jeż
- mole – kret
- lion – lew
- fox – lis
- rhinoceros/ rhino – nosorożec
- reindeer – renifer
- elephant – słoń
- tiger – tygrys
- whale – wieloryb
- squirrel – wiewiórka
- wolf – wilk
- hare – zając
- giraffe – żyrafa
Animal sounds – odgłosy zwierząt
- to bleat – beczeć
- to buzz – brzęczeć
- to grunt – chrząkać
- to miaow – mruczeć
- to purr – mruczeć
- to squeak – piszczeć
- to neigh – rżeć
- to hiss – syczeć
- to bark – szczekać
- to chirp – świergotać
- to howl – wyć
- species – gatunek
- to breed/ raise animals – hodować zwierzęta
- vertebrate – kręgowiec
- invertebrate – bezkręgowiec
- pest – szkodnik
Children like going to zoos. They love to see elephants, lions, giraffes and other wild animals. They don’t realise that these animals are not always happy in captivity. Cheetahs, tigers, rhinoceros and not to mention eagles and falcons need far more space to feel comfortable than they are given in the zoo. It’s true however that zoos play an important educational role as it’s possible to observe various species of animals in one place. Children can see claws, paws, beaks and other parts of animal bodies at close range.
When the weather is fine I love to go for long walks to the nearby forest. I don’t need company as I prefer to watch animals and listen to their sounds rather than talk to somebody. Before I reach the forest I have to cross some fields and meadows. I usually wear good boots because I’m afraid of vipers and other snakes which are hidden in the grass. I can usually see some hares, pheasants and storks in the fields. There are a lot of animals in the forest, although you won’t find wolves and foxes there, as it’s too close to the town. But it’s easy to see squirrels and hedgehogs. I love observing birds. I look for their nests and tree hollows and I’m happy if I manage to see them hatch eggs. When I’m tired I sit on a tree trunk and listen to animal sounds which are like music to me. Birds chirp and cheep, insects buzz and vipers hiss. After a day like this I feel happy and relaxed.
Animal records
How much do you know about animals? Answer each question YES or NO and test your knowledge!
1. The fastest mammals on land are cheetahs. yes/no
2. Adult bee hummingbirds are the fastest birds in the world. yes/no
3. Blue whales are the largest animals in the world! yes/no
4. Tarantula spiders are the most dangerous animals in the world. yes/no
5. African elephants are the tallest land animals. yes/no
6. Galapagos tortoises can live more than 100 years! yes/no
1. That’s right! Cheetahs (gepardy) can run up to 112 kilometres per hour. They can run really fast! Unfortunately, (or fortunately for antelopes!) they get tired quite quickly.
2. Not exactly! The fastest bird on land is the north-African ostrich (struś północno-afrykański). It can run up to 73 kilometres per hour. It’s also the biggest bird in the world – 156 kilograms). The fastest flying bird is the Peregrine falcon (sokół wędrowny) – it can fly at a speed of 322 kilometres per hour. A bee hummingbird (koliberek hawański) is the smallest bird in the whole world. It weighs about two grams.
3. Yes, they are. The blue whale (płetwal błękitny) female grows to a length of 27 metres and weighs over 100 tons! The biggest blue whale ever weighed was more than 190 tones! Blue whales are also the loudest animals. Their conversations can be heard 805 kilometres away.
4. Oh no, sorry, the tarantula spider is nothing compared to a single sea wasp (osa morska) – a kind of jellyfish (meduza). It has enough venom (trucizna) to kill 60 adult humans! Remember about female Anopheles mosquitoes (komar). This carrier of malaria kills more than a million people each year!
5. No. They are the second tallest land animal (giraffes are the tallest – they can grow up to 5,5 metres). African elephant males weigh more than 5 897 kilograms – they are the biggest mammals! The smallest mammal – a bumblebee bat – weighs about two grams.
6. Oh, yes! Many Galapagos tortoises (żółwie) have lived more than 150 years! There was even one tortoise in history which lived at least 188 years. It was presented to the Tongan royal family by Captain Cook in the 1770s and it died in 1965!
Zwroty:
Do you have a pet? – Czy masz zwierzątko?
What’s your pet’s name? – Jak twoje zwierzątko ma na imię?
How do you feed him/her? – Jak go/ją karmisz?
My dog eats canned food. – Mój pies je jedzenie z puszek.
I have to walk my dog. – Muszę wyprowadzić mojego psa.
I clean my cat’s litter tray every day. – Czyszczę kuwetę mojego kota codziennie.
I bought a new bowl for my puppy. – Kupiłem nową miseczkę dla mojego szczeniaczka.
When is the vet’s open? – Kiedy gabinet weterynaryjny jest otwarty?
How often do you vaccinate your dog against rabies? – Jak często szczepisz psa przeciwko wściekliźnie?
Their little secrets
Zebras’ stripes are unique – like fingerprints.
A giraffe is taller than three men standing on each other’s heads.
A hippo should probably start a diet. It is so heavy that it can walk at the bottom of a lake – and it won’t float up!
The giant of the sea – the blue whale – is the largest animal on earth. Its heart is the size of a small car. An elephant could sit on its tongue.
The smallest bird in the world is the bee hummingbird. It is found in Cuba. It feeds on nectar from flowers. It’s the size of a big fly and its eggs are smaller than peas.
Many animals have a special look to defend themselves. There is a kind of caterpillar which looks exactly like bird droppings. There is a kind of fly which looks like a wasp – but it’s totally harmless.
Jellyfish are very strange animals because they don’t have brain, heart, eyes or bones.
Anteaters eat ants and termites. The giant anteater can eat more than 30,000 ants in one day. It has a large nose and a tongue which is as long as human arm.
Vultures eat dead animals. But they are very clean animals – after the feast they fly long distances to have a bath.
Owls eat small animals – but they can’t chew and they simple swallow them. When the animal has been digested, they cough up the bones and fur in a pellet.
Egg-eating snakes can eat eggs bigger than its head. Its jaws are elastic and strech enough to enable the snake to swallow the egg. Then it squeezes the egg inside and vomits the shell.
There is a butterfly which likes to sip alligator’s tears – for a drink.
Bears look big and clumsy, but some bears can climb trees. For example giant pandas climb bamboo trees to eat the leaves.
Kangaroos cannot walk! They can only jump.
Many birds fly over 2000 kilometres every year.
There are many different ways of animal communication: birds sing to communicate, bees dance. There is a kind of beetle which have a special organ in their bodies that lights up in the dark.
So they flash their bodies at night to communicate.
Some fish don’t lay their eggs anywhere – they can travel a long way to lay them in the proper place. The salmon lives in the sea but travels 1,500 kilometres up rivers to lay eggs in the same place where he was born.
- anteater – mrówkojad
- beak – dziób
- caterpillar – gąsienica
- chew – żuć
- clumsy – niezgrabny
- croak – rechot (żabi)
- digest – trawić
- doze – drzemać
- droppings – odchody
- hatch – wykluwać się
- hummingbird – koliber
- jellyfish – meduza
- lay eggs – składać jaja
- mammals – ssaki
- marsupials – torbacze
- mole hills – krecie kopce
- mole – kret
- mounds – kopce
- nurseries – żłobki
- omnivorous – wszystkożerny
- pellet – kłębuszek
- salmon – łosoś
- seahorses – koniki morskie
- shrimps – krewetki
- vulture – sęp
- wasp – osa
- worms – robaki
