All living things die. Fortunately, nature has cleaners that eat decomposing things. Scavengers, detrivores, and decomposers are three groups of living things that use the leftover energy in things that have died. From hyenas and vultures eating carcasses, to mushrooms feeding on rotting wood, to dung beetles rolling in animal waste, this book has it all in vivid color!
Camouflage is blending into a natural environment, but mimicry is pretending to be another living thing to survive. Mimics use shape, pattern, sound, smell, and/or behavior to fool predators or prey. This amazing book will thrill readers of all ages with photographs of some of the masters of mimicry. Some are simply unbelievable! Mimics such as mantises, leaf insects, snakes, frogs, butterflies, and ocean animals will make readers wonder if what they are seeing is truly real!
This informative book introduces young readers to the defining characteristics of the various groups of animals that make up the animal kingdom. The bodies of many animals, including several types of mammals, fish, reptiles, birds, and arthropods, are described in simple, easy-to-understand text. Children will learn about invertebrate and vertebrate animals, warm-blooded and cold-blooded animals, how animals move, the habitats of different animals, and how various animals find food.
This fascinating book uses pictures, illustrations, and easy-to-read text to introduce the characteristics of birds to young readers. Birds of all Kinds focuses on facts about birds bodies and behavior in a way that will make this book a delight to read.
Kids will love the beautiful, full-color images and easy-to-read style of Dolphins and other Marine Mammals! This books takes kids on an underwater journey, where they will learn about the bodies, feeding habits, and natural habitats of dolphins, whales, seals, and many other marine mammals. Vivid photographs and concise text highlight which marine mammals can live on land as well as in water, how marine mammals breathe air, and which foods marine mammals eat and how they find it.
The seashore is a unique environment where water meets land. From gulls and turtles to kelp and fish, the range of life found by the seashore will fascinate children. Highlights include the nature of food chains and webs, how microscopic aquatic organisms kick-start food chains, migratory animals that come in and out of seashore food chains, and the dangers to seashore life such as pollution.
Plants and animals in the Sonoran Desert food chains have had to adapt to the hot, dry climate of this habitat. Conserving water is a large part of these food-chain adaptations. Learn about the spectacular Saguaro cacti and the many herbivores and carnivores that are part of the food chains of this desert. Children will learn about: how plants make food how desert plants and animals adapt to drought and heat desert hunters and scavengers dangers to Sonoran Desert food chains and webs how to help save desert plants and animals
Beautiful photographs and illustrations highlight the plants and animals that live in the grassy meadow areas at the edges of forests and along the banks of rivers and lakes. Children will learn about how plants make food, the plants and animals that live in meadows, how animals find food in different seasons, and the dangers to meadow food chains and webs. how you can protect meadows
Global warming, greenhouse gases, melting mountains, habitat loss, pollution, floods, deforestation, endangered animals, and holes in the ozone are just some environmental problems highlighted in this book. Solutions such as e-cycling, the three Rs, alternative power sources, zero-carbon economy, composting, and reducing our energy footprints are a few of the possible solutions presented in this new book by Crabtree Publishing.
Earth has more than a million species of insects! There are helpful insects, harmful insects, flying insects, insects that work together, endangered insects, and some really weird insects! This fun book with great photographs will delight children and encourage them to identify insects in their world. It will also give them information to write their own books about insects!
Bobbie Kalman presents some of the most endangered animals on Earth: rhinos, bats, butterflies, penguins, gorillas, monk seals, komodo dragons, and tigers, to name just a few. This beautifully photographed volume also explains the various classifications of endangerment, as well as the major reasons why some animals are facing extinction.
Kids will be shocked to learn that arthropods outnumber all other animal species combined! They will also be fascinated by the variety of shapes, sizes, colors, and behaviors found among these invertebrates. Labeled diagrams and startling close-up photography will introduce concepts including the similarities and differences among insects, arachnids, myriapods, and crustaceans, the functions and features of an exoskeleton, molting, metamorphosis, and other interesting body facts, and the crucial function of arthropods in food chains and webs.
Marsupials are the only mammals that have a pouch on their body in which they carry their young. Most of these amazing animals live in Australia, where they have adapted to the harsh conditions of life in the outback. In What is a Marsupial? children will learn astounding facts about marsupials, including the important differences between marsupials and placentals, how kangaroos, koalas, wombats, Tasmanian devils, opossums, and bilbies are related, how marsupials reproduce and raise their young, the ways in which they hunt and feed, and why some marsupials are in danger.
Whales, manatees, seals, dolphins, and sea otters are just some of the many mammals that have evolved over time in order to survive in the water. From Arctic waters to tropical seas, vivid photographs and surprising facts about these salt water mammals reveal how these air breathing creatures have adapted to the water, their underwater senses, what they eat and how they raise their young, what cetaceans, pinnipeds, sea otters, sirenians, and polar bears are, marine zoos, and the dangers of pollution, commercial fishing, and poachers.
Amphibian means two lives since these animals spend the first part of their lives underwater and the rest on land. From flying tree frogs to slithering caecilians, kids will be captivated by this slimy animal group in What is an Amphibian? Young readers will discover the amphibian family tree, an amphibian's body, special skin and senses, how they move and what they eat, water- versus land-dwelling species, their life cycle and parental care, and defending themselves.
While humans are different from monkeys, apes, and lemurs, they are all primates and are similar in many ways. For example, primates make many sounds that humans make, such as sneezes, burps, hiccups, and even laughter! What is a Primate? identifies the members of the primate family tree and describes how they are different from each other. This book describes reproduction, communication, and feeding, the complex social structures of primates such as chimpanzees, bonobos, orangutans, and gibbons, Old and New World monkeys, and how people are different. what is being done to rescue threatened primates from destruction by their human cousins
Plants provide people and animals with food, shelter, and even oxygen. Plants help us live and grow, but how does a plant grow? Where do plants grow? What is a Plant? introduces young readers to a variety of plant types, including ferns, carnivorous plants, mosses, and trees. This fact-filled book explains photosynthesis, different methods of plant reproduction, how seeds germinate and grow, which types of plants grow in different climates, and how plants defend themselves.
Children continue to be fascinated by these prehistoric creatures. What is a Reptile? covers all orders of reptile from 10-foot long Komodo dragons to tiny, inch-long gecko lizards. Featured are such amazing reptile facts as reptile bodies and senses, their hunting and self defense techniques, reptile homes and babies, the different kinds of snakes, lizards, chelonians, crocodilians, and tuataras, and the dangers to reptiles.
Whales are the only mammals that spend their entire life in the water. From playful dolphins to enormous blue whales, the behavior, habitats, and physiology of these amazing marine mammals are explored in What is a Whale? Spectacular full-color photos help show flukes, flippers, and fins, the whale family tree, baleen and toothed whales, how whales communicate through echolocation, their watery homes and what they eat, baby whales, whale-watching and why whales are in danger.
The cat, with its grace, strength, and prowess, has been a source of intrigue and companionship for humans throughout time. In this comprehensive study, kids will learn about the bodies, habits, and lifestyles of large and small cats. Full-color illustrations and stunning wildlife photography accompany detailed text that covers the maternal relationship between cats and kittens, the unique features of a cat's body that allow for agility and speed, the similarities and differences between large and small cats, and endangered and vanishing cats.
Did you know that some cars are run on fuel made from the oils from sunflowers and soybeans? Biomass: Fueling Change is an exciting new book that explores bioenergy - energy derived from organic matter - to produce heat, run cars, and generate electricity. Worldwide case studies and colorful photographs and illustrations will help children learn about the history of bioenergy and how the world is using this energy today. Topics include the history of bioenergy, the various types of biomass available for energy use, the benefits of biofuels, burning biomass, the processes used to convert biomass to gas, and using bioenergy today and its limitations.
While it may not be as simple as pouring water into a gas tank, water, or at least the hydrogen that makes up water, will one day become a significant source of energy. In this important new book, children will discover not only what hydrogen is, but also how this simple element can create clean energy. Hydrogens past deals with hot air balloons and airships, its present, space shuttles and fuel cells. What fascinating technologies await its future? Other topics include what energy is, the reasons why clean energy is so important, the technologies that convert hydrogen to usable energy, the obstacles that must be overcome before hydrogen can be a reliable energy source, a case study highlighting Iceland's plan to switch to a society run on hydrogen, what a hydrogen economy is, and a timeline that provides dates for historical breakthroughs in energy production.
Dogs are believed to be the first animals to live with people as pets. What is a Dog? explains how these once-wild members of the animal kingdom still use their senses and instincts in daily living as well as in helping people. This book describes the dog family tree, a dog's body, dogs' super senses, the complex social order of dogs, and categories of dogs.
Children will be fascinated by the life cycle of these enormous polar animals. Stunning pictures and clear text guide readers through each stage of a polar bears life from cub to adult. Children will also learn how polar bears are being affected by global warming. Beautiful images and well-written text describe polar bear dens, how cubs grow and learn to live in the Arctic, and polar bear hunting techniques.
Slithering snakes, jumping kangaroos, flying albatrosses, and swimming salmon - every animal, including humans, has its own unique way of getting around. This beautiful book explains the how, why, and "are we there yet?" of animals large and small across the globe. Topics include how an animal's environment affects its movement, how an animal's skeleton affects its movement, unusual animal movers such as the water-walking basilisk, and how a parent helps its young move around.
