The California condor is the largest bird in North America. Scientists have found condor fossils that are nearly 100,000 years old. As more people settled in the American west, however, condors lost much of their habitat to human development. By 1982, fewer than 25 California condors lived in the wild. Read this book to find out more about California condors, how they came close to extinction, and what people are doing do help make sure condors stay on the road to recovery.
The bald eagle is known to people around the world as a symbol of the United States. In the early 1800s, as many as 100,000 bald eagles lived in the United States. By the 1960s, the familiar bird of prey was nearly extinct. What happened? Read this book to find out how human activity brought the handsome eagle close to extinction. Discover how human efforts helped it fight back and once again become a familiar sight in North American skies.
The Hands on Science series provide students with background on key concepts in Science. Each title includes engaging hands on exercises that help bring the concepts to life for kids. Real World Science: Animals, provides information on the basic needs of animals, and the body parts and behaviors that help animals meet their needs.
Centuries ago, explorers brought hogs to the Americas as a food source. Some of these boars made it into the wild, where their offspring have managed to survive ever since. Wild boars will eat almost anything from garbage, to crops, to other animals. They can also spread disease. Read this book to find out more about how wild boars cause problems around the world and what experts are doing to find solutions.
How the Giant African Snail destroyed field crops and flower gardens and spread diseases to people thousands of miles from their native Africa.
Termites can invade homes and cause a lot of damage. Termites that invade new countries can damage more than just homes. The Formosan subterranean termite was accidentally brought to the United States on infested ships. These invaders have disrupted ecosystems and caused billions of dollars in damage to buildings, crops, and trees. Look inside to learn more about these termite invaders and find out what experts are doing to fight back.
Fire ants are tiny, but they pack a powerful sting. Some kinds of fire ants were accidentally brought to North America from South America in cargo ships. Look inside to learn how these invasive fire ants have spread to many places around the world and why they are a threat to wildlife, human beings, and economies.
Bullfrogs are big eaters, consuming almost anything that fits in their mouths. Meals include birds, turtles, snakes, and even other frogs. At one time, bullfrogs lived only in North America and east of the Rocky Mountains. Today, the large frogs have invaded many parts of the world, causing problems for native wildlife. Look inside to discover how bullfrogs became an invasive species and what is being done to help stop their spread.
How the Brown Tree Snake made themselves at home, disrupted the island's ecosystem, and created problems for its people and native animals.
The fight for animal rights can be controversial. Modern champions for animal rights believe that animals should not be regarded as property, and they should not be used for food, clothing, for entertainment, or in scientific research. This illuminating book helps explain the difference between animal welfare and animal rights, and what cruelty is and who defines it. Young animal lovers will learn how they can fight for the protection and preservation of animals in a peaceful way.
Following the scientific process, this title provides instructions on how to conduct experiments that help students gain a better understanding of bugs and insects.
This book takes a look at animal and human cells, and the internal structures that allow them to obtain energy, get rid of wastes, and grow and reproduce.
Take an in-depth look at animal life in this science encyclopedia.
Learn how birds inspired inventors to create gliders, balloons, and airplanes.
Learn how scientists have looked toward the kingfisher for inspiration in making high-speed trains quieter.
Learn how scientists were inspired by locusts to create advanced anti-collision systems for automobiles.
Learn how woodpeckers have inspired scientists to create new and improved helmet technology.
The ability to use the NextGen science process is key to carrying out experiments, taking measurements, or performing technical tasks. In this book, readers in real-world situations are tasked with following clues and using the NextGen science process to find out what happens during a colony bee collapse. Informational text presents evidence and facts in the form of clues and side-bar details to help children develop critical thinking skills. A summary of the situation is included to show how each chapter contributes to the whole and for a solid understanding of the topic.
Learn about the similarities between cat eyes and reflectors.
Lean about the similarities between radar technology and a bat's built-in echolocation system.
When we think of wild animals, we don't immediately associate them with the cities we live in. But a closer look soon reveals that we share our urban environment with a great many untamed creatures. Heavily illustrated and full of entertaining and informative facts, City Critters examines how and why so many wild animals choose to live in places that, on first glance at least, seem contrary to their needs. How do those deer, raccoons, squirrels, skunks, coyotes, crows, gulls and geese-not to mention the alligators, eagles, otters and snakes-manage to survive in the big city? What special skills do city critters have that many of their wilderness cousins lack? Why have they developed these skills? And what are our responsibilities in ensuring that these animals can continue to share our city lives?
Extensively illustrated with Ian McAllister's magnificent photographs, The Salmon Bears explores the delicate balance that exists between the grizzly, black and spirit bears and their natural environment, the last great wilderness along the central coast of British Columbia. Key to this relationship are the salmon that are born in the rivers each spring, who then go out to sea as juveniles and return as adults to spawn and die, completing a cycle of life that ensures the survival of not only their own species but also virtually every other plant and animal in the rainforest. In clear language suitable for young readers, the authors describe the day-to-day activities that define the lives of these bears through the four seasons. But this is also very much the story of the Great Bear Rainforesta vast tract of land that stretches from the northern tip of Vancouver Island to the Alaska border and contains some of the largest stands of old-growth forest left on the West Coast. The Salmon Bears focuses on the interconnectedness of all life in the rainforest and makes a strong case for the importance of protecting this vital ecological resource.
The Sea Wolves sets out to disprove the notion of "the Big Bad Wolf," especially as it is applied to coastal wolvesa unique strain of wolf that lives in the rainforest along the Pacific coast of Canada. Genetically distinct from their inland cousins and from wolves in any other part of the world, coastal wolves can swim like otters and fish like the bears with whom they share the rainforest. Smaller than the gray wolves that live on the other side of the Coast Mountains, these wolves are highly social and fiercely intelligent creatures. Living in the isolated wilderness of the Great Bear Rainforest, coastal wolves have also enjoyed a unique relationship with man. The First Nations people, who have shared their territory for thousands of years, do not see them as a nuisance species but instead have long offered the wolf a place of respect and admiration within their culture. Illustrated with almost one hundred of Ian McAllister's magnificent photographs, The Sea Wolves presents a strong case for the importance of preserving the Great Bear Rainforest for the wolves, the bears and the other unique creatures that live there.
This overview of insects describes their basic characteristics and life cycles. Reading Essentials in Science.
This book looks at the way plants and animals in a particular habitat are connected and explains how plants begin all food chains and all animals depend on plants for survival. Reading Essentials in Science.
