Move
audio text
Did you know that people and many animals have something in common? We all have a backbone. That’s called being vertebrate.
The first life began in the sea. When animals started living on land, they developed strong bones. Since that time, bones have hardly changed.
A mouse, a mole and a mammoth have approximately the same number of ribs, fingers and vertebrae. A giraffe has as many cervical vertebrae as a mole. They both have seven. A bird has more: fourteen! Snakes actually have a lot of vertebrae.
In the past, snakes and whales had legs. In some species you can still see small bones.
Some animals have something special. A mole appears to have six fingers. But that sixth ‘finger’ is an extra bone. This allows him to dig better.
Animals with a heavy head or large antlers, such as the mammoth, have strong muscles in their neck. They help keep their heads up.
Do you want to see that? Then look at the skeleton of the mammoth or the giant deer in this hall.
Would you like to hear more about exercise? Then press the ‘audio long’ button.
Continue to the front of the Volkswagen Beetle. That’s where the next story begins!