TEACHIN G NO TE S

Reading and Writing Focus

Genre and Text Features Writing Skills
• Expository rcxt • Write an advertisemen t (persuasive)
• Photographs, labels, and C'1ptions • Use rhe writing process
• Sideba rs • Conduct research
• C hapter tirles and subheads
• Con ten ts, glossary, and index Vocabulary
abd(J1ncn captivity predator
Reading Skills and Strategies adaptation classify prey
Identify 1nai11 idea and deta ils a,nphibian exosk eleton reptile
Use context clues arachnid habitat species
Co1npare and contrast backho11e~ inv&rtebrate thorax
Su mma rize biologist 1nart11e trait
Use images to aid com prehension ca,nou(/age biologist vertebrate

Science Focus
Process Skill Emphasis • Explain how ad,1prn tions help an imals
• Classifying survive in their habita ts
• Recogn ize that people need ro p rotect
Science Objectives anima l ha bita ts
• Expla in char an imals ,ue grou ped accord-
ing co whether t hey have backbones o r nor Hands-on Activity Option
• Recogn ize rhar an an in1al's habitat is rhe Ho\V An in1als Su rvive {Ste marerials lisr 011 page 2.8.)
place where it lives

Overview
Background Information hun1an behaviors, efforts are uuderway to pre-
Al l animals belong ro one of two 111ajor groups: serve habitats and increase an imal populations.
vertebrates (with backbones) or in vertebra tes
(wit hour backbones). Each species o f an imal Introducing the Book
lives in one of the many d ifferent kinds of I-lave studen ts descri be rhei r favorite ani,nals.
ha bita ts on Ea rth . Withi.11 these habitats, Ask: \¥/hat features ,nake it i11te1·esti11g or spe-
an imals often con1 pcrc for resources. Various cial? Hou, 111ight these fea tures be i,nportaut
adaptations hel p anima ls s urvive in t heir for this ani,na/?
habita ts . Adapta tions include behaviors, phys- /\1ake a chart with four heads: Anin,aJ, Where
io logical functions, or struc.rures cha r help Ir Lives, ,Xlhat le Ears, and Interesting Featu res.
ani111a ls meet the ir needs. Ada ptations help Have studen ts COP)' the cha rt and complete ir
anima ls survive long enough ro reproduce. wirh a partner. T hen have students share their
Because so ,nany babirars are threa tened by charts with che class.

for more derailed reaching notes and assess1nen r options, see the Teacher's Gu ide or use ou r
online Teacher's Gu ide at ww,v.ngsp.co111
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 Introduction

There's an amazing 21-year-old female who lives

in Washington, D. C. She likes to hang out with
her friends and, like you, she goes to school
every day. What's so special about this student?
Well, she happens to be an orangutan named
Indah, and she's part of a
research project at the
National Zoo.
ndah takes part in a special
project called the Think
Tank. This project teaches
animals to coIUinunicate using
symbols on a con1puter scree11.
Biologists, or scientists who study
living things, hope Think Tank will
help them learn more about lndah
how animals chink and act.

So what does Indah have to do? She looks at two computer

screens. The top screen shows a picture. Indah must then
touch the lower screen to select a symbol that represents
the picture. By observing Indah, scientists learn more
about how she thinks a11d co1nmunicates.

Indah is part of an amazing animal world that we are •

learning more about every day. It's a wild and i11teresting
place. As you read this book, you will learn about different
groups of animals and how they survive. You also will see
that the more we know about animals, the better we can
protect them. So get ready to explore-the whole "vorld is
your zoo and you are the keeper!

5
 he platypus can find food u11derwater
even with its eyes, ears, and nose shut
tight! How does it do this? Tl1e platypus
uses sensors iI1 its snout to pick up electrical
signals from the animals it hunts. By following
these signals, the platypus can zero in on an
animal's location. Once a shrimp or worm
is uncovered in the mud, dinner is served!

Animal Groups
Scientists put all ani1nals, no matter how
different they 1nay look, into two large
groups- animals with backbones and
animals without backbones. Do you
have a backbone? Sure you do! Go
ahead-feel the back of your neck. The
small bones you feel are connected all •

the way down the middle of your back

to form your backbone. You may
think a backbone is pretty common.
After all, most of the animals you see
every day have one. But believe it or
not, fewer than 5 percent of all
known species have backbones.
One reason for this is that Raccoan's
insects are the largest group backbone
of animals- and insects don't
have backbones.

,}
'

7
Animals Without Backbones Insects The largest group of
Ani1nals without backbones are invertebrates is i11sects. All insects
called invertebrates. There are have three main body parts- a
millions of kinds of i11vertebrates. head, a thorax, a11d an abdomen.
They can be found almost anyplace A hard outer covering called an
on Earth. The pictures on these two exoskeleton protects insects. Since
pages show members of some of exoskeletons ca11not grow with the
the main invertebrate groups. animal, insects shed these outer
coverings. The beetle, pictured
Jellyfish The soft and gooey jellyfish, below, sheds its exoskeleton and
pictured above, is an invertebrate grows a new, larger one to take
that lives in the ocean. A jellyfish its place.
has no head. It has a soft body with
a mouth on its underside. Long,
Beetle
wavy tentacles swing gently fron1 its
body. But watch out! Many jellyfisl1
have tentacles with stinging cells.
The tentacles help the jellyfish catch
food, but they also can sting you if
you get too close.
8
Arachnids Spiders may look like
insects, but they're actually in a
different group called arachn ids.
Spiders have two body parts and
eight jointed legs. Most spiders
make silk webs to catch food. But
the water spider, pictured at right,
has a special skill. Ir spins its silk
into a tiny air tank. Then it dives Water spider
undervvater with its own supply
of air to look for food.

Centipedes The body of a centipede

is long and flat, perfect for l1iding
under logs or scones. Centipedes
look a bit like worn1s with legs.
Each segment of a centipede's body
Centipede
has one pair of legs. All tl1ese legs
help the centipede run quickly to
catch insects for food.

Sponges People used to think

sponges were plants. After all, a
sponge has no head or legs. We
now know that sponges are simple
invertebrates. These animals don't
move about like we do. Young
sponges attach co rocks or other
underwater objects and stay there
for the rest of their lives.

Sponges
Animals With Backbones Amphibians Frogs are part of
What do a sea otter and an a group of vertebrates called
elephant have in common? Well, amphibians. Many amphibians
for one thing, both l1ave backbones. spend part of their lives in water
They are called vertebrates because and part on land. Have you ever
each of the bones that make up the seen a tadpole? It's a frog, or toad,
backbone is called a vertebra. The in the early stages of its life. Look at
backbone of a vertebrate grows how the tree frog, pictured below,
with the animal. This means blows t1p its vocal sac. When the
vertebrates can grow larger tl1an frog does' this, it can croak loudly.
ani111als without backbones.
Vertebrates usually have bigger Reptiles Some people get nervous
brains tha11 invertebrates and around these crawling or slithering
can learn to behave in more vertebrates. It's true so111e reptiles,
complex ways. including certain snakes, are
poisonous and dangerous. But most
snakes are harmless to humans. In
fact, snakes help farmers and
gardeners by eating pests such as
insects and mice. Snakes have highly
moveable jaws. This means a snake
can swallow another animal that is
larger tl1an the s11ake's ow11 head!

Parrot snake
Birds Have you ever been told
that you "eat like a bird"? The ....~
---...
expression usually 1neans that you
aren't eating n1uch. But if people really
ate like birds, they'd be huge. Many
birds eat twice their own weight in
food every day. These winged
vertebrates 11eed lots of energy to fly.

Fish Did you know there are about Kingfisher with a fish in its bill
25,000 known species of fish? And all
of the1n are vertebrates. A manta ray Manta ray
spends n,ost of its ti1ne feeding at or
near the ocean's surface. But a n1anta
ray sometin1es uses its winglike fi11s to
actually leap out of the water.

Mammals The vertebrates tl1at are

probably most familiar to you are
called mammals. Most mammals,
like the basset l1ound at right, have
hair to keep them war1n. Mammals
Basset hound
also feed milk to their young. From
whales in tl1e water to bats in tl1e air,
111am1nals can be found just a bout
everywhere on Earth.

11
 Assortment of Animals
Do you tl1ink you can list all the
animals in the world? No way!
There are just too many. And
scientists are still discovering new
species. So how do we make sense
of all the kinds of animals in
the world ?

Thinking Like a Scientist:

Scientists classify anin1als to help Animal Characteristics

us see relationships amo11g them.
Number Ot her Animals in
When we classify animals~ we group
of Legs Features This Group
them based on ways tl1ey are alike.
This helps us understand i111portant 8 Jointed legs,
things about 1nany anin1als without no wings
having to re1ne1nber details about 6 Jointed legs,
each one. has wings
4 Spends part
Study the pictures of the a11i1nals on of its life in
the water
the next page. Co1npare how they
look. Make a table like the one
shown. Then match the animals to
the characteristics in the table. Why do yot1 think classification
systen,s for ani1na]s can change?

12
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• • •
Tarantula
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Chapter f d

Survival in the Wild

Hide and. See~

The chameleon waits. ltgets its secret weapon ready. Soon an
insect comes within range. The chameleon takes aim. Zap_!
ln less than a second, the .chameleon has a meal.
 hat is the chan1eleon's secret
weapon? It's a tongue that is sticky
and can stretch to be as long as the
chameleon's body. The insect never l1ad a chance!

Secrets of Survival
The cha1neleon bas special characteristics, or traits,
that help it st1rvive in its habitat. All ani111als !1ave a
habitat, or home, that provides basic needs. These -----------···-a;-,.,_~ ~
needs include food, water, oxygen, and shelter.
,
Traits that help the cl1ameleo11 survive in its habitat are
called adaptations. Besides its special tongue, the chameleon
has eyes that can move in many directions. This l1elps the
chameleon spot food even wl1ile its head remains still.
Chameleons also have special toes divided in a way that
makes it easy for the animal to hold tightly to brancl1es. You
may know about a chameleon's ability to change colors. This
adaptation often allows the chameleon to blend in with its
surrou11di11gs. This makes it harder for the chameleon's
ene1nies to see tl1e chan1eleon and easier for it to stay alive!

Can you think of sonze ada/7tations

that help hun-1a11s suruive?

Veiled chameleon catching a cricket

Darwin Studies Survival After he graduated, Charles was
One of tl1e 111ost fa1nous scientists invited to sail on the H.M.S. Beagle
to study ada11tations was Charles as a11 unpaid scientist. He wasn't the
Darwin. He '\lvas born i11 E11gland in fii-st choice for tl1e job, but he was
1809. He wasn't the best student the lucky one to go. The Beagle was
in his school. But vvhen he was 16, to travel to Sourl1 America and d1en
his father sent him to 1nedical around the world. The crew's
school. Charles liked spending tin1e mission was to make maps of the
outdoors observing nature more places they visited.
~

than attending medical classes. He

dropped out without graduating. On December 27, 1831, Charles
Darwin sailed from England on
Next, Charles's father sent him to the Beagle. The trip was planned
school to become a minister. This to last two years. It actt1ally lasted
time he made it to graduation. But five. During this time Darwin
he didn't want to do the wor.k of a saw n1any ainazing things. He
minister. His friends e11couraged him collected lots of plants and anin1als
to follow his interest in scie11ce. to take back to England to stt1dy.

Galapagos Islands iguana

 NORTH
AMERICA
On tl1e Galapagos Islands
in the Pacific Ocea11, he GALAPAGOS
Sa\.v anin1als, such as ISLANDS \
.. SOUTH
the blue-footed boobies PACJl'IC
OCl!AN
AMERICA

pictured at right. Some of

these animals lived no,vhere
else. He bega11 to wonder where
they came from.

More than 20 years after l1is trip

on the Beagle, Darwin published
an in1portant scientific paper with
another man 11a1ned Wallace.
Darwin described how some
animals have adaptations tl1at l1elp
them survive. These adaptations
get passed on to offspring and
over tin1e can change a species.
Darwin's ideas about adaptations
are still very important to the study Adaptation comes from the Latin word
of living things. adaptare, which means "to fit. "
Katydid

To Be (Eaten) ... Opossum

Or Not To Be
There's an animal in the picture The opossum, pictured above, has
above. Can you see it? The katydid a behavior adaptation that can
blends in with the leaves. If it can't save its life. Soineti1nes w hen it 's
be seen, it can't be eaten. It's tough threatened, an opossu1n rolls over
to survive i11 the an.in1al world. An and looks like it's dead. Its to ngue
animal that eats other ani1nals is hangs out of its 1noutl1. If the
called a predator. The a11i111al that predator likes fres h 1neat, it 1nay
gets eaten is called tl1e prey. Ma11y go away thinking tl1at the opossu1n
adaptations help animals escape was already dead. O nce tl1e coast is
their predators so they don't clear, the opossum gets up and
becon1e prey. waddles to safety.

Can you guess iuhat the phrase

"playing possun1 ,. means?
18
:501ne lizards can actually get rid
I
:of a body part when they're in
trouble. The skink, pictured below,
;can shed its tail. Sometimes the wonder ...
!Predator goes after the wiggling
ltail. This gives the skink tirne to
irun away. The skink can then ... how dolphins sleep
irow a new tail. without drowning?

Dolphins don't actually sleep like

humans. A dolphin rests in the water by
closing down half of its brain. While
one half rests, the other half controls
movement and signals when to surface
for air. A dolphin even keeps one eye
open to watch for enemies wh!le it rests!

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.........lo;i&i,
 •

Picture This

I,~ •
C
How n1a11y different vertebrates can you find in this shortgrass prairie
habitat? Think about predator-prey relationships. Look for adaptations
that help these animals survive.

Animal Key

1 1 Prairie dog
2 Badger
'.\
t 3 Weasel

'
1
4 Ha,vk
5 Coyote " - -:;.
6 Bison
•-- -
.. . · .-o-
•

7 Pronghorn
8 Ground squirrel
9 Prairie vole
,~
10 Meado·wlark ~
ll Sandpiper

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Chapter I)
Mission for the Future

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Imagine diving underivater in the warm waters of
the Pacific Ocean. Suddenly, you come face to face
with a beautiful green sea turtle. You reach for
your underwater camera to capture the sig·ht. But
wait. What~s that 012 the titrtle's back? Amazing!
The turtle is taking movies of you!

he turtle is outfitted with CRITIERCAM, a special video

camera invented by marine biologist Greg Marshall.
CRITIERCAM allows scientists to study an.imals in their
natural habitats. The ca1nera doesn't har1n the animal
and lets scientists track anin1al moven1ent and behavior.

Penguin
As l1uma11 populations grow, anin1al l1abitats often wearing
begin to suffer. The good news is tl1at in 1nany CRITTERCAM
places around the world, areas are now
being set aside just for anin1al use. These
wildlife refuges allow animals to live in tl1eir
natural, or wild, habitats. Animals are also
protected in many zoos around the world.
Modern zoos keep animals safe and allow
scientists to carefully study them. The more
scientists learn about animals, the more they
can do to he 1p protect them and tl1eir habitats.

•
M:
The New Zoo Zoos do more than provide places to
More than 600 1nillion people visit study animals in captivity. Zoos also
zoos and aquariu111s around the sponsor projects that do research in
world every year. Most exhibits the wild. At the National Zoo's
being built today mimic natural Conservation and Research Center,
habitats as closely as possible. scientists work with the Malaysian
Animals in these environ1nents Wildlife Departm.e nt to use satellites
are 1nore likely to grow and have to track elephants in the wild.
babies. Tl1is helps add to anin1al
populations. It also helps visitors
and scientists understand 1nore
about what a11i1nals need to survive. Focus On
·-- -----~

Brenda Morgan knows her pandas. As

senior panda keeper al the National Zoo,
Brenda works to keep the two giant pandas
happy and healthy. She feeds them, cleans
up alter them, and keeps them entertained
-just like a parent.
 ASIA

PACI FJC
OCEAN
MALAYSIA
Mek Boh
Tracking the Big One \JII"> traveling
The Asian elephant's natural habitat IN DIAN by raft
OCEAN
is getting smaller. This forces hungry
elephants onto farms and
plantations where they damage
crops. As part of the National Zoo's On August 21, 1999, a two-and-a-
project, researchers move elephants half-ton female elephant named Mek
to places where they can't harm Boh was released into a Malaysian
crops. Other elephants that l1ave national park. Her satellite collar
spent their lives in captivity also are stores information about where she
being moved. Scientists want to goes. This information is sent to a
know how the elephants adjust to weather satellite orbiting Earth.
these new areas a11d if they go back The weather satellite sends the
to their original habitats. But it's inforn1ation back to con1puters 011
hard to keep track of elephants that Earth. Scientists map out Mek Boh's
roam through thick jungles over travels. This inforn1atio11 helps the
great distances. That's where scientists decide if tl1e elephant is
satellite tracking comes in. successful it1 her 11ew habitat.
25
 Thinking Like a Scientist

Classifying
When you classify animals, you arrange the1n in groups based
on common characteristics, or traits. You need to 1nake good
observations i11 order to group the ani1nals in useful ways.
..
S01netimes animals l1ave some traits that are the same and
other traits that are different. This means tl1e animals may be
classified together in some groupings but not in others.

The pictures on these two pages show five different kinds of

birds. Look at the pictures carefully.

Focus On

As a young child, Carolus Linnaeus

(1707-1778) liked to learn the names of all
the plants around him. When he grew up,
Linnaeus developed the first important
classification system for all living things.
Flamingo
Linnaeus's system gave each plant and
animal group its own Lalin name. Part of
Linnaeus's system is still used today.

26
 Hummingbird

Practice the Skill

Thi11k about the traits of the birds
pictured. One trait that can be used to divide
the birds into two groups is size.

TRAIT: Size

SMALL BIRDS
LARGE BIRDS
Hummingbird
Heron
Blue jay
Flamingo
Bluebird

1. Can you think of another trait that can be used

to divide the birds into two groups?

2. Can you think of a trait that will divide just the

small birds into two other groups?

Check It Out
The heron, pictured at right, can
wade along a shoreline to catch
fish. What characteristics do you Heron
think help the heron do this?
 Hands-on Science

How- AniD1als Survive

It's tough to survive in tl1e animal world. Often an
anin1al's coloring or markings help it blend i11to its
surroundings. Try this activity to see how an
adaptation such as coloring ,
can be helpful.
Materials
'fl Newspapers
'fl White paper
'fl SciSSOrS .
'fl watch or clock w,tn
second 11a11d
'fl pencil

. -
---")

)
 Explore
(Work with a partner.)

1. Cut a sheet of 11ewspaper into sn1all

two-centun.e ter squares.

2. Cut several sheets of white paper into

.
two-ce11tuneter squares.

3. Spread several whole pieces of

nevvspaper on the floor.

4. Ask your partner to look away. Scatter the cut-up newspaper

squares onto the newspaper sl1eets on the floor.

5. Ask your partner to turn around and pick up as many pieces of

newspaper squares as she or he can in 15 seconds.

6. Count the number of newspaper squares that were picked up

and record the number.

7. Ask your partner to look away again.

8. Scatter the white paper squares onto Think

the newspaper sheets on the floor.
Was it easier to pick up the
9. Ask your partner to turn around and newspaper squares or
pick up as many pieces of wl1ite white paper squares?
paper squares as she or he can in Camouflage is the coloring
15 seconds. Record the nu111ber. and markings on animals
and plants that helps them
10. Trade roles with your partner and blend in with their
repeat steps 4-9. surroundings. How do you
think camouflage helps an
animal survive in the wild?
29
Glossary
abdomen (AB -duh-muhn) - one of habitat (HA-huh-tat) - the place where
th ree parts of most insect bodies an animal lives

adaptation (ad-ap-TAY-shun} - a
invertebrate (in-VER-tuh-hrit) - an
structure or behavior that helps an
anin1al without a backbone
anin1al survive

amphibian (am-FIB-ee-an) - an anin1al marine biologist - a scientist w ho

able to live both on land and in water studies p lants and ani1nals that live in
the sea
arachnid {uh-RACK-nid) - a sn1all
anin1al with two body parts and predator (PREH-duh-tur) - an
eight legs an imal that captures and eats
other anin1als
backbone - a col umn of bones do,vn the
1niddle of the back of vertebrates prey (PRAY) - an ani ma l that is eaten
by another an imal
biologist - a scientist ,vho studies
living things reptile - a coldblooded vertebrate that
breathes with lungs and has a skin of
camouflage (KAM-uh-flahzh) - sca les or plates
coloring and 1nark ings on an in1als or
plants that help then, blend in with their species (SPEE-sheez or SPEE-seez) - a
surroundings and hide from their subgroup in the classification plan of
'
enemies or v1ct1n1s ani n1.a ls and plants

captivity (kap-T!H -vuh-tee) - the state thorax (THOR-aks) - the middle part
of being kept o r held in a certain place, of an insect's body, ,vhere ,~rings and
such as in a zoo or ani n1al park legs are attached

classify - to group objects based on trait - a characteristic of a living thing

ways they are ali ke
vertebrate (VER-tuh-hrit) - an
exoskeleton (EK -so-SKEL-uh-ton) - ani1nal with a backbone
the hard, outer covering on the body
of son1e invertebrates such as insects
and spiders
31
Index
abdomen 8 National Zoo 5, 24-25
adaptation 15- 18, 20, 28, 30 predator 18- 19, 20, 30
an1phibian 10 prey 18, 20
arachnid 9 reptile 10
backbone 7, 8, 10,30 species 7, 11, 17
biologist 5 sponge 9
bird 11, 26-27 thorax 8,
can1ouflage 29 trait 15
captivity 24- 25 vertebrate 10- 11, 20
centipede 9
classify 12, 26-27
Crittercam 23
Darwin, Charles 16- 17
exoskeleton 8
fish 11
Galapagos Islands 17
habitat 15, 20, 23, 24-25
insect 7, 8, 9, 30
invertebrate 8-9, 30
jellyfish 8
Linnaeus, Carolus 26
Malaysia 25
mamn1al 11, 30
marine biologist 23
Morgan, Brenda 24

32 -
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