Draw a realistic-looking fossil like paleontologist Mary Anning did and make a plaster cast of it; or make your own terrarium like Doctor Nathaniel Bagshaw Ward to study plants and insects. This title gives readers both an understanding of the properties of living things and the skills to investigate great discoveries and works. Exciting and easy-to-understand experiments encourage budding scientists, inventors, engineers, and artists to stand on the shoulders of the curious and creative people who came before them.
Want to know if the Canada lynx lives in any other countries, or where not to go if you don't want to run into a venomous cottonmouth snake? This vibrant atlas is packed with eye-catching images of animals and their ecosystems and territories. Useful maps and text provide readers with easy-to-access geographic and biological information on animals that live throughout the world.
The survival of the giant panda depends on the survival of its only food: bamboo. Habitat loss from the destruction of bamboo forests in south central China where they live made the giant panda a vulnerable species. This book tells how habitat conservation and the creation of borrowing-and-breeding programs with zoos around the world kept the beloved bear from extinction.
The only remaining wild population of whooping cranes breeds in Canada and winters in the United States. The story of their recovery is a tale of cross-border cooperation and the work of a team of international biologists. Readers will be able to chart their course and determine the elements of this successful recovery plan.
Listed as a threatened species in 1975, the grizzly bears near Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming have made a remarkable recovery. Intriguing text and vibrant images will draw readers into the story of the bear's decline due to human interaction and habitat loss, and the strategies put in place that helped it return.
Long considered by humans as a threat to livestock, wolves are hunted as pests. In particular, the gray wolf has been hunted almost to extinction in parts of North America. But these keystone predators help keep an ecosystem in balance. This book details reintroduction programs that have helped populations recover—yet they still occupy only 10 percent of their historic range.
Humpback whales are a true ecological success story. Readers will be enthralled by the story of these masters of the deep, listed as endangered in 1970. Protected by an international ban on hunting all whales in 1982, the humpback recovered so well it was no longer listed as endangered in most of the world by 2016.
The American alligator, which escaped extinction 65 million years ago, was nearly wiped out in the marshes and swamps of Louisiana and Florida in the last century. Today, they are thriving. This exciting book tells the story of how government protection, habitat preservation, and a campaign to reduce the demand for alligator products helped bring back these fierce-looking predators.
With over 1700 species, more than one-third of all mammals are rodents. From the jumping jerboa to the humungous capybara, What is a Rodent? gnaws through rodent myths to expose the facts about this often misunderstood group. Readers of all ages will be fascinated by the rodent family tree, a rodent's body and amazing teeth, homes underground and in watery habitats, millions of mice and rats, many rodent cousins from squirrels to prairie dogs, their prickly quills, webbed feet, and fabulous fur, and pet care tips.
A koala lives most of its life alone, eating and sleeping high up in the eucalyptus trees of Australia, and yet it is recognized and loved around the world. The Life Cycle of a Koala looks at the life of this ancient marsupial and explains how marsupials are different from other mammals, the birth of the koala and its life in its mothers pouch, the growing koala and how it feeds, life outside the pouch but close to mother, and the dangers faced by koalas.
As the world's largest land animals, elephants inspire awe in all of us - an awe that has led to myths of might and memory. Despite its immense strength, however, the elephant is a timid creature that uses its power only to defend itself against predators. Kids will learn many facts about these gentle pachyderms, including the social structure of elephants, in which the female is the leader, the animal's many dexterous uses for its trunk, the history of the elephant's even larger ancestors, including woolly mammoths, and the dangers that poaching, loss of habitat, and the ivory trade pose to the elephants future.
Hibernation is one of natures greatest miracles, allowing animals to sleep through periods of extreme cold and heat. Interesting information describes how different animals use body fat to survive, how they can wake themselves up, and how some give birth during hibernation.
Fun pictograms and infographics about the animal kingdom make learning about math topics such as symmetry, coordinates, and place value easy and fun. In this book, readers go on a mission to some of the worlds amazing habitats and use their mathematical skills to track tigers, count penguins, and search for jaguars. Math puzzles and exercises help children build confidence in their math skills.
Many animals are carnivores, but some eat mainly insects. Insect eaters, known as insectivores, can be as small as insects or as large as giant anteaters. Spiders, frogs, lizards, bats, and other mammals are insect eaters, but not all insectivores are animals.This book is loaded with fascinating photos and information that will delight kids of all ages.
What is that annoying whine? How about those disgusting worms crawling in the dogs dish? What made those horrible bites that itch like crazy? The answer to these creepy questions is FLIES, one of the worlds most important creatures. Fantastic full-color macro images bring readers inside the world of a common housefly. Designed for kids doing research and those wanting a ready source of creepy information, Buzz off, Flies! offers information on life cycles, family trees, and the fly's unique relationship with humans.
Dressage introduces readers to the basics of the dressage competition, often referred to as horse ballet. Horse-lovers will appreciate the clear text detailing the history and rules of the sport. Text is accompanied with beautiful photographs and informative diagrams.
Saddle up and leap into the pages of this book to read all about show jumping! You'll learn about verticals, oxers, combinations, and other jumps that horses - and their riders - attempt to complete quickly and flawlessly. You'll also discover the breeds and care of show horses, how they train and compete in Olympic and other jumping events, and the history of this challenging equestrian sport.
If you think all babies are cute, think again! There are disgusting and dreadful stages in the life cycles of many different animals. From tadpoles that eat one another to bloodthirsty bugs, this amazing book describes the gross beginnings of animals that crawl, swim, or fly. Get your hands dirty, too, with some easy (and painless!) experiments.
If you were a hungry coyote, would you brave a skunks stinky spray for a meal, or would it leave a bad taste in your mouth? Many animals have survival techniques that offend the senses or strike fear in the hearts of predators. From deadly defenses to revolting eating habits, this interesting book describes the disgusting and frightening survival techniques of animals. Get your hands dirty, too with some easy (and painless!) experiments.
What are those fast-moving bugs you see when you turn on the kitchen light? Where did they go? Most likely, they were cockroaches. One of the most hated and feared insect species, cockroaches love to live with humans and have done so for centuries. Cockroaches is a lively historical and biological biography of this loathed creepy crawly. Colorful images show many varieties of cockroaches, including the massive Madagascar hissing cockroach, which is sometimes collected by insect fanciers! Special sections feature pest control methods, the cockroach in popular culture, and facts and myths.
Animals have become extinct for many reasons. The most famous example, the extinction of the dinosaurs, may have been the result of an asteroid hitting Earth or an Ice Age freezing them to death. Prehistoric mammoths and saber-toothed cats may simply have been hunted to extinction. Today, animals such as elephants, zebras, tigers and leopards, some wolves, and many kinds of primates may still face extinction due to climate change, habitat loss, hunting, poaching, and pollution. This fascinating book introduces and explains the designations of endangerment from extinct in the wild to vulnerable. Children are also introduced to fossils as a way of learning about animals that lived long ago.
Furry, creepy, and seemingly sneaky, rats have a bad reputation for spreading disease and stealing food from under our noses. They are quite comfortable living in a number of environments, from swamps, to mountains, to basements. Color images show different species of rats, while informative text explains what a species is. A special section on pest control explains how rats were controlled in the Middle Ages and how they are controlled today. A section on lab rats even explains how these mammal pests have helped humans fight disease.
Ever get the icky sensation that your skin is crawling? Like tiny little bugs are scampering over your arms, your legs . . . your face? Well there really may be bugs on you, ones that are too small for you to see. Feasting Bedbugs, Mites, and Ticks examines the tiny, sometimes microscopic, insects that make their homes in our homes and on our bodies. Vibrant text and macro images put these creatures into hyper focus. A special popular culture section explains the origins of the old adage: sleep tight and don't let the bedbugs bite.
Termites can literally eat you out of house and home! Carpenter ants will use your home like a wood lot, taking what they want when they want, but without paying! Termites and Other Home Wreckers examines pests that chew, build, and bore their way into homes. Creepy images show the insects at different stages of the life cycle, and a family tree section lets you know who is related to whom.
This informative and beautiful book looks at apex or top predators - animals that are not eaten by other animals in their habitats - and why these animals play a very important role in keeping food chains in balance. Students are introduced to the energy pyramid, which shows that there are fewer top predators than other animals and gives reasons why many of these animals are endangered. Humans, the most powerful top predators, are the biggest threat to these essential endangered animals.
