KEY RINGS

Ammonites are an extinct group of marine invertebrate animals. They lived in the seas between 240 - 65 million years ago, when they became extinct along with the dinosaurs. Ammonites belong to a group of predators known as cephalopods, which includes...

Angels are celestial beings who act as intermediaries between Heaven and Earth, or a guardian spirits or a guiding influence. They cloak us in their wings for protection and guide us through life. Bringing joy where there is pain, hope where there is...

In 1957 the Soviet Union launched the first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1, into space. In 1961 the Soviets also launched the first manned spacecraft, Vostok 1, and Yuri Gagarin became the first human to orbit the Earth. In 1961, American President John...

This axe is based on the type used by executioners who would behead their victims, who would lay their head on a wooden block. This was a quick, honorable death, unlike hanging, and was reserved for members of the nobility - usually for treason, which...

World War I was the first time that aircraft were used on a large scale. Aeroplanes were just coming into military use at the outset of the war. These early planes we biplanes which were fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other...

The word 'Lepidoptera' translates as 'scaled wings' in Latin. That is because butterflies and moths have wings covered in tiny scales that provide their wings with patterns and colours that characterize these insects. All butterflies are diurnal (day...

Cattle were first domesticated around 6,500 BC. Early cattle served a triple-purpose, providing meat, milk and labour. Dairy cattle are now specialized animals, focused primarily on producing milk. This milk is made into various products, including...

Deer are even-toed, hoofed herbivores. They graze and browse on a variety of grasses, mosses, herbs and shrubs. There are many different species found worldwide and they vary considerably in size. It is common among deer for the males to grow antlers...

Dolphin is a name of a group of sea animals closely related to whales and porpoises. Like whales and porpoises, dolphine are mammals, not fish. There are many kinds of dolphins but the most common are the bottle-nosed dolphin and the common dolphin. They...

The Earth is the third planet from the sun, which orbits once a year at a mean distance of 150 million km (93 million miles). It is the only planet scientists know to have life, this is thanks to the liquid water and the atmosphere that keeps life safe...

The cat was sacred to the Egyptian goddess of love, fertility and joy, Bast or Bastet. These cats were characteristically upright yet at rest, confident of their power and beauty. The worship of Bast dates from at least 4000BC, reaching its height around...

The elephant is the largest animal that lives on land. They have tusks made from ivory and are the only animal to have a nose in the form of a trunk that they usa as a hand. There are two kinds of elephants, African elephants and Indian elephants, also...