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.
This up-to-date new book describes the alarming events of 2010 after an oil rig toppled over in the Gulf of Mexico releasing millions of gallons of oil into the water. The largest accidental oil spill in history, it killed untold numbers of wildlife, poisoned over a hundred miles of coastal land, and devastated the commercial fishing and tourism industries in an area still reeling from the destruction wreaked by Hurricane Katrina.
Lush, moist, and teeming with life, rain forests are one of Earth's biome wonders. Peel back the corners of the rain forest to discover what lives within one of the planets busiest environments, from wolves and porcupines to monkeys and poison dart frogs. Learn how each organism functions within its rain forest ecosystem and how it survives in one of the most predatory biomes on Earth. Find out, too, how rain forests are found all around the world and what you can do to help protect these precious resources.
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 planet Earth make learning about math topics such as volume, scale diagrams, division, and number lines easy and fun. In this book, readers go on a mission to protect threatened areas around the world and use their mathematical skills to measure geysers, protect forests, and check on glaciers. Math puzzles and exercises help children build confidence in their math skills.
Changing Weather: Storms is an exciting book that introduces kids to the kinds of storms that take place each year. Large, full-color images of storms such as hurricanes, tornadoes, thunderstorms, and blizzards accompany clear explanations of how different storms develop and the kinds of effects these storms have on the lives of people and animals. Kids will also learn about storm safety and ways they can help their families be prepared. Changing Weather: Storms provides detailed information on three important elements of most storms: clouds, precipitation, and wind, the water cycle and its part in the development of storms, the role of updrafts and downdrafts in the creation of thunderstorms and many other storms, and the ways in which meteorologists study storms and how their knowledge can help save lives.
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.
In this compelling title, students are encouraged to dig in and discover how different plant fossils unlock clues to the Earth's past. Through full-color photographs and thought-provoking questions, students will investigate how plants fossils form, how they are excavated, and how paleobotanists study them to learn about life millions of years ago.
Extreme weather has increasingly played a destructive role on planet Earth. Thirteen kinds of disasters are featured in this amazing book, showing the process and science of each weather-related disaster from the conditions that triggered it to its dire consequences. Topics include hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, wildfires, and droughts. superstorms
A seemingly barren, harsh, and cold wilderness, the often icy tundra appears to support little life. However, peel back the corners of this fascinating biome and you will be amazed by the living organisms that thrive within one of Earth's toughest environments. Discover the living things that function within the tundra, from polar bears and caribou to seabirds and foxes. Explore tundras all over the world and find out what you can do to help protect the riches of these mysterious places.
This intriguing new title invites students to walk with the dinosaurs, learning about what they looked like, what they ate, and how they lived. From fossilized teeth to ancient footprints, students will explore how studying the different parts of a dinosaur fossil show paleontologists how these amazing creatures lived before their mass extinction over 65 million years ago.
Since the discovery of Lucy, one of the most famous human skeletons ever discovered, paleontologists and people alike have been fascinated with human fossils. In this book, students will follow the timeline of key discoveries in human fossils, and learn how scientists continue to link together the evolution of humanity using evidence from the past.
Perfect for the budding paleontologist, this book brings to life animals that lived long ago. With clear text and engaging questions, a full range of fossils from microscopic insects to gigantic prehistoric mammals is examined. Students are encouraged to discuss the idea of living fossils and examine how fossilized animals have adapted into life forms still present today.
Swamps, bogs, marshes, and estuaries - wetlands come in a variety of forms and are vital for many organisms around the world. Peel back the corners of a wetland and find out what lives there, from herons and algae to alligators and jaguars. Learn how these organisms operate in their delicate ecosystems. Discover, too, where in the world wetlands are found and what you can do to help protect these rich, diverse lands.
Wade into rivers and lakeswatery underwater worlds teeming with plant and animal life. These biomes provide a home filled with all the elements their inhabitants need for survival. Peel back a corner of these amazing ecosystems to discover the incredible organisms that function within them and around them, from microorganisms and plants to fish and the mammals that feed on them. Explore rivers and lakes all over the world and find out what you can do to help protect the riches of these wonderful waterways.
Step onto an islandland surrounded by water, a habitat for land-living organisms as well as creatures that visit from their ocean homes. Peel back the corners of the island to discover the incredible organisms that live in this ecosystem, from lizards and birds to possums and bats. Discover how each organism functions within its island home, and the fight for survival that takes place when these delicate ecosystems are threatened. Learn, too, where in the world islands are found and what you can do to help protect these beautiful and precious places.
From sunlit surface water that teems with life to the deepest, darkest depths filled with some of Earth's most unusual creatures, oceans are home to a wide array of life. Peel back the corners of the ocean to find out what fascinating life exists within this ecosystem, from Earth's biggest animal, the blue whale, to tiny organisms, such as kelp. Discover where the world's oceans are and what you can do to help protect our planets rich waters.
Huge, far-reaching landscapes of swaying grass or shrubs, grasslands support a whole host of organisms and are one of the most important biomes for people, too. Peel back the corners of the grassland to find out how many different organisms rely upon this ecosystem for survival, from elephants and gazelles to prairie dogs and horses. Discover how each organism functions within its grassland ecosystem, and learn about the daily fight for survival that takes place in these huge hunting grounds. Explore grasslands all over the world and find out what you can do to help protect these rich and varied landscapes.
Let's climb a mountain - a towering, sky-scraping world that reaches high above Earths surface. What can live so high up where it is harder to breathe and the hillsides are steep? A whole ecosystem of life! Peel back the corners of a mountain to discover the incredible organisms that live in this ecosystem, from wolves and birds to frogs and goats. Find out how they work as a system, carving out an existence in one of the most remote biomes on Earth. Learn, too, where mountains are found all around the world and what you can do to help protect these amazing wildernesses.
In March 2011 the worlds second-largest nuclear disaster occurred on the eastern coast of Japan. A 9.0-magnitude earthquake caused a nearly 50-foot tsunami that flooded the Fukushima nuclear power plant. The devastating tidal wave caused equipment failures that led the nuclear reactors to overheat to the point of meltdown. Dangerous radioactive materials released into the air continue to threaten the health of the ocean and people around the world today. Topics include how movements in the earth's crust below water can cause seismic waves , the evacuation of more than 300,000 people from their homes near the power plant, contamination of crops and water, decontamination and repair work, and continued concern about leaking radiation from the power plant.
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.
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.
They feed on us, make their homes on us, and generally make our lives miserable. They are horrible guests, sometimes spreading deadly diseases. These blood-sucking parasites are lice and fleas and they are pests of the first order! This book delves into the tiny world of ectoparasites that prey on humans and animal hosts. Learn how lice and fleas cant live without us and how humans have been battling the itchy critters, often without much success, since the dawn of time. Special sections give information on the plague-producing history of rat fleas and how to combat the scourge of head lice.
This intriguing book looks at the remarkable abilities of plants and animals, which need to be studied to make our environment more sustainable. People have already used birds as models for constructing airplanes, but there are so many other models that have not been replicated. Living things live at the depths of oceans and at the tops of the highest mountains, harness the energy of the sun to make food, make oxygen from carbon dioxide, walk on water, build structures that are air-conditioned, and make materials stronger than steel without ever polluting or damaging the environment. They have done all the things we wish we could do. This book will make young scientists aware of the super powers of nature and may inspire some to find ways to change the future of Earth!
