Feeling hot:

Saharan Desert Ant Cataglyphis bicolor
With a body temperature that can measure 50°C, this insect is remarkable in its ability to forage for food when most creatures would perish. Surface temperatures may reach 70°C so Saharan desert ants forage for dead bugs quickly, only exposed to scorching sun 3 to 5 minutes at a time, or they too will die.

Pompeii Worm Alvinella pompejana
The worlds most heat tolerant multi celled creature (after tardigrades) is able to withstand temperatures above 80°C. They live in colonies near hydrothermal vents deep in the Pacific Ocean where the water is almost at boiling point. It has a bizarre relationship with some bacteria that help insulate the 13cm long worms from the worst of the heat. The bacteria form 1cm thick 'jackets' on the worm, which in return gets some tasty mucus secreted by the Pompeii worm.

Feeling cold:

Alaskan Wood Frog Rana sylvatica
This tiny amphibian can stay frozen for up to 7 months a year, at temperatures that may reach as low as -18°C. Wood frogs even manage to survive partial thawing and then re-freezing on a regular basis. They can even stop breathing and their heart may stop completely for days or sometimes weeks at a time. These well-adapted North American frogs have so called cryoprotectants that stop cells being damaged during this extended winter hibernation.

Red Flat Bark Beetle. Cucujus clavipes puniceus
A widespread North American and Arctic dwelling invertebrate which uses special proteins and glycerol as an antifreeze to survive temperatures as low as -58°C. The Bark Beetles larvae are tougher still, enduring without freezing solid temperatures of -100°C. Now that's tough and cold.

Integumentary exchange:
Integumentary system is the largest organ in our bodies consisting basically of our skin, hair and nails. In humans it mainly acts as a protective outer layer, in which some creatures breath through. Worms breathe in this way, by staying moist and moving through the soil, they create air pockets and this oxygen then dissolves through the skin. Their heart then pumps the oxygenated blood around. Waste carbon dioxide is expelled from the worms outer skin layers. If a worm gets too dry it will suffocate and die.

Gills:
Many aquatic animals like fish use gills to facilitate breathing. Gills are extensions of outer membranes and they are usually very thin being about one cell thick. This allows gases that pass by to be exchanged easily. Oxygen can be taken into the body and thus reach the bloodstream and waste gases can pass out. Almost all fish, axolotls and many amphibian larvae breathe this way.

Tracheal Exchange:
With some animals, the respiratory system is not linked directly to the circulatory system. The tracheal system consists of tubes that open to the outside of the animal through even smaller tubes called spiracles. Many invertebrates like insects and arachnids breathe in this manner. Oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange occurs through these tubes direct to the tissue and not through blood as in most other creatures.

Lungs:
We humans and many land animals use lungs to breathe. Air enters via the nose and mouth and moves down the trachea tube to our two lungs, which are located in the chest cavity. Once inside the lungs, it branches off to the bronchi and then the bronchioles bring the life sustaining oxygen to our cells. The largest lungs in the world belong to the Blue Whale. Its two lungs have a capacity of 4900 litres. They inhale and exhale through the blowhole. Some whales even have two blowholes.

One group we visited, K9's for Conservation, gave a demonstration on how poacher tracking dogs are trained to smell for illegal goods, snares, firearms and to track offenders through the bush. The poachers use their equipment to snare and kill animals, including elephants for ivory and rhinos for their horns.

Trainer Jess introduced us to her dogs Diesel, Saxon, Ninjo and Cato who are at various stages of their training. The highly trained Ninjo, a Belgian Shepherd, is in fact a veteran of Afghanistan, where Jess worked with him whilst in the British army where he tracked and worked detecting improvised explosive devices (IEDs). During the demo Jess was able to show how the dogs work in such places but also the rigorous training process. The dogs can sniff out and give a signal when even the tiniest traces of a target scent are detected. Yes believe it or not when a dog is tracking you it's picking up the smell of our bodily oils and shed skin particles. The tiniest piece of a favourite reward of the dogs, usually a kong dog toy, was used to illustrate just how attuned their noses can be once they have learned to target a particular smell. The training is all rewards based and great fun was had watching the eager, younger, in-training dogs so keen to find the target and enjoying their play reward every time they succeeded.

Dogs, their handlers and teams of scouts have already been deployed to game reserves in Zimbabwe, and to great effect, tracking poachers in the act. The dogs' presence in a park is also proving to be a huge deterrent to would be poachers.

It all takes time, not just training the dogs, which varies depending on the individual, but also the handlers and rangers. Relying on donations to function, this is another good cause you may be interested in donating to or finding more about their work. See www.soultrust.org for more information about these wildlife heroes.

They are omnivores and will eat a variety of grasses, fruits, and even small creatures like lizards. In turn they are preyed upon by eagles, leopards, snakes and other carnivores. They often lay out on rocks sunbathing with lookouts ready to give an alarm call if a predator is seen nearby. They are agile and quickly retreat into cavities or beneath and between boulders when threatened or alarmed.

Their easily seen communal latrines and piles of faeces and droppings are located a short distance way from there main resting spots. They have a long gestation for a small creature, some 7-8 months, when 2 or 3 young are born. These can eat vegetation by the second day but may suckle for a few months. The young are immediately active and can be seen jumping around within an hour of birth. Lifespan is around 12 years.