Search results for "grassland"

An army of 700,000 specially trained ducks and chickens has been mobilised to help fight China's biggest locust plague in 25 years. The birds, which are taught to pursue and eat locusts at the sound of a whistle, are part of a national campaign that includes 280,000 people backed by crop-dusting planes and special locust-killing micro-organisms imported from Britain. Swarms of locusts have destroyed more than 1.6 million hectares of crops in 11 provinces in the north and east of China, and 3.8 million hectares of grassland in the far western region of Xinjiang. The birds are used in Xin...

Guanacos are usually found in small herds or loosely structured family groups. When a member of the herd picks up the slightest hint of danger, it makes a high-pitched warning call, causing the other guanacos to flee swiftly and nimbly across the steep and uneven terrain. Guanacos generally live at high elevations, grazing on grasses and browsing on leaves and buds. They can get by without water for long periods of time, obtaining moisture from the plants they eat. The young play and romp, but when confronted by an adult male they will lay their neck on the ground in submission. ...