The peregrine falcon is the fastest animal known. Wings folded, it dives on its prey at more than 300 km/h. At that speed, rushing air could damage its lungs, so small bony cones in its nostrils deflect the airflow. A transparent third eyelid sweeps across its eyes to protect and clean them during the plunge.
In 2022, a young tagged bar-tailed godwit flew from Alaska to Tasmania in about 11 days of nonstop flight, covering 13,560 km without eating, drinking or landing. Before departure, these birds pile on huge fat reserves and shrink their digestive organs, which are useless during the journey.
To escape rivals, a dung beetle rolls its ball of dung in a straight line. At night, it holds its course using the glowing band of the Milky Way. In a planetarium, researchers showed that beetles rolled straight under a starry sky but wandered aimlessly when the galaxy was switched off. It was the first animal known to navigate this way.