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!
Maps can show more than just cities - they can also show you what the landscape looks like in different areas. Physical maps use colors and symbols to identify landscape features like forests, plains, valleys, deserts, mountains, and bodies of water. Full-color maps and accessible text help readers understand the specific features of physical maps.
Do you want to know what the weather is like in different parts of the world? Climate maps can help. In this book, readers will learn to read climate maps to discover different climate zones, microclimates, and the average temperature and precipitation levels of places around the world. They will also identify the features that characterize climate maps and how these maps can be used to track climate change.
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.
Some of the topics covered in this book are bodies of water, the equator, poles, and hemispheres, latitude and longitude, urban and rural areas, landforms, extreme continents, and many more. This book certainly shows a different and fun way to study this important curriculum topic!
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.
