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A turtle is not fast on the land. The flippers can help it swim fast in water. Sea stars are not fast. They take little steps on sand and rocks. Some animals eat plants. Lots of them eat fish. Some will hunt for a snack with a pal. The sea is full of lots of animals. The water is their home.
QuizĀ by Ralph Ramos
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Ocean Animals Many kinds of animals live in the ocean. They are part of the ocean community. Let's meet some of these ocean animals. Most of the ones in this book are mammals, fish, or reptiles. I am a dolphin. I have a sleek body and a strong tail to swim fast. I live in a group called a pod, and I like to eat fish. I whistle to talk to other dolphins. I am a walrus, and I have ivory tusks. I use them to dig for clams and to protect myself. I live on ice and in cold water. My thick layer of fat keeps me warm. I am a hammerhead shark, and my head has a very funny shape. My eyes and nostrils are at the ends of lobes. I like to eat fish. I am a California sea lion. I am smart, noisy, and playful. I bark like a dog, and I am covered by short fur. I eat squid, octopus, and fish. I am an octopus. I have a soft body and no skeleton. I have eight arms with suckers. I shoot black ink from my body to hide and escape from danger. I can also change the color of my skin. I am a great white shark. I am a large and fierce shark. I have very sharp teeth that are shaped like triangles. I eat seals, dolphins, and fish. I am a manta ray. I have fins that look like wings. I am related to stingrays, but I do not sting. I am a sea horse, but I am not a horse. I am a fish. I change color to hide. Shrimp are my favorite food. Male sea horses, not females, carry eggs until they hatch. I am a leatherback turtle, the biggest turtle in the world. I lay eggs on land. Jellyfish are my favorite food. I am covered with leathery skin instead of a shell. I am a blue whale. I am the largest mammal ever to live. I make deep sounds that move through water. I eat tiny animals called krill. The ocean is home to all these animals. Many of them are endangered. They all suffer because of pollution and hunting. Keeping our oceans clean will help keep these animals alive.
Nature Stinks! Stinky Nature. If you've ever smelled a skunk, you know it is not a nice odor. In fact, it's terrible! Did you know that both plants and animals can smell bad? Stinky plants smell bad to get helpful insects to come near. Stinky animals often smell bad to keep enemies away. Smelling bad helps both plants and animals stay alive. Stinky Furry Animals Skunks are well-known smelly animals. When enemies get close, skunks lift their tail and spray a stinky liquid. Striped polecats are cousins of skunks. They stink even worse! Lesser anteaters are at least four times as stinky as a skunk! They shoot a smelly liquid at their enemies. Opossums pretend to be dead if an enemy is near. They stay still and let out stinky green slime. Wolverines make a smelly liquid to keep other animals away from their home. They also pee on food they don't eat right away. The smell may help them find the food later. It may also keep other animals from eating it. Male musk oxen fight each other for females. Males use their stinky pee to tell other males to keep away. The pee sticks to their long belly hair and makes them smell terrible. Stinky Birds. The stinkbird mainly eats leaves. Food goes to its crop (the area under its throat) before the stomach. Tiny living things there break down the leaves. This way of eating makes the stinkbird smell terrible. Vultures eat animals that are dead and often rotten. When vultures are in danger, they throw up! The stuff they throw up is very smelly. Stinky Bugs. A type of beetle sprays a hot, stinky liquid from the back of its body. The spray can kill many enemies and burn people. Millipedes (MILL-ih-peedz) can't move fast. If an enemy bothers them, they curl up and give off a stinky liquid. Some millipedes can even shoot the smelly stuff! Other Stinky Animals. The common musk turtle has another namestinkpot! It smells bad when other animals disturb it. A stinky yellow liquid comes out of the back of its body. Musk turtle A female mink frog can lay 500 to 4,000 eggs at once. 14 A musk turtle can live forty to sixty years. Mink frog The mink frog also uses smell to stay safe from enemies. It smells like rotten onions. Good and Stinky. Being stinky helps many plants and animals stay alive. For plants, the bad smell brings helpful insects. For animals, the bad smell may keep enemies away or help in other ways. Stinky steam, spray, throw-up, slime, and pee all help living things stay alive.
A Visit to the Desert Tim was looking forward to this vacation. Then his parents told him the family would be visiting Grandma in Nevada. Tim was unhappy. He wanted to be with his friends this summer. "Grandma is eager to see you," Mom said. "She can't wait to take you on a desert hike." The next morning Grandma met them at the airport. Then they drove to the desert. As they hiked, Grandma explained that animals enjoy the open desert space. It gives them the freedom to move from place to place. Tim learned that the animals find ways to adapt to the hot desert weather. He wondered if he could get used to the desert climate. "Wow," Tim said, "Look at that! The turtle carries its home on its back!" Grandma smiled at Tim's excitement. "Actually," she said. "That is a desert tortoise. It looks for the shade made by the shadows of rocks. That's how it cools off. He burrows underground to get away from the heat." The tortoise disappeared into its burrow. Tim leaned over the hole. He could not hear a sound. "I'll bet it likes the silence of its burrow," Tim whispered. "I think it likes its sense of safety too," Grandma added. "That's the same feeling I get at home," Tim sighed. Just then a large rabbit hopped by. Grandma explained that the jack rabbit's large ears help it stay cool. "These animals are so unlike the animals at home!" Tim said. He had forgotten about the desert heat. "Some animals stay cool by sleeping during the day. Then they hunt at night," said Grandma. A Great Horned Owl hooted above them. Grandma said, "It will soon be time for the owl to hunt." "Which means it's time for us to head back," Dad added. "Aw, this vacation is going by too fast," Tim said. They asked Tim about the heat. "What heat?" Tim asked. "I feel as fresh and cool as a new flower. I've adapted!" Everyone laughed.
Look at this turtle! He is very cute. Yes, he also has a hard shell. His shell is harder than a dinner plate. Fuzzy is cute too! I really like his tail. Yes, his tail is short. It is shorter than the cat's tail. I think that the cat's fur is very soft. I really like it. Yes, the cat's fur is very soft. Its fur is as soft as a feather. The cat's tail is very long. It's funny! Yes, the cat's tail is very long, but it's not as long as the neck of a giraffe!
India Where Is It? India is a country in Asia. Much of it is surrounded by water. To the south and west is the Arabian Sea. To the south and east is the Bay of Bengal. The capital of India is New Delhi (DEL-ee). It is part of the much larger city of Delhi. More than twenty million people live in Delhi and New Delhi. People. More than one billion people live in India. Only China has more people than India. Most Indian people live in the countryside. The cities do not have as many people. They are very crowded, though. Around half of the people in India make their living from growing food. They grow crops or raise sheep, goats, and chickens for meat. They do not raise cows for meat. Most Indians are Hindu. Hurting a cow is against the Hindu religion. Land. India has many mountains and different kinds of flat land. The mountains are in the north. They are the highest in the world. Rich land covers the north of India. It was formed long ago as rivers flooded over and over. In the west is the dry desert. In the south is raised, flat land. This land takes up more than half of India. In May or June every year, winds bring a large amount of rain. This is called the monsoon season. Most of India's rain falls during this season. Celebrations People in India celebrate many special days. Diwali (dih-WAH-lee) lasts for five days. During this festival, people light small candles. They shoot firecrackers and give sweets to family and friends. Holi (HOH-lee) is a spring Hindu festival. During Holi, people celebrate the end of winter. They throw colored water and powder on each other. Animals. Many kinds of animals live in India. It is the only country in the world with both lions and tigers. Elephants live in the flat lands and forests. The mountains are home to bears, foxes, sheep, and wild goats. India is also home to the world's largest mangrove forest. Here, tigers swim with sea turtles, sharks, and crocodiles. Conclusion. India is a country of many people. People farm its rich soil to feed the nation. Its mountains and forests are home to many animals. Which part of India would you like to see?
Hibernation No Food in Winter. Some animals canāt find food in the winter. Some of these animals hibernate What Is Hibernating? Hibernating is like a deep sleep. This sleep can last for weeks. Animals breathe slowly when they hibernate. Their hearts beat slower. They do not eat. How Do They Stay Alive? Hibernating animals eat lots of food before winter. The food stays in their bodies as fat. Animals live off this fat while they sleep. They also need a safe place to sleep. They need to be safe from the cold. They need to be safe from hungry animals. Hibernating Animals Snakes and frogs hibernate. Turtles and mice hibernate. Squirrels and bats hibernate. Bears hibernate. Raccoons and skunks hibernate, too. All the hibernating animals wake up in the spring.
š£ What are oviparous animals? Oviparous animals are animals that are born from eggs. This means the baby does not grow inside the motherās body, but instead grows inside an egg that the mother lays. š„ How does this process work? The mother lays one or more eggs. Inside the egg, the baby (called an embryo) begins to grow. The egg protects the baby and gives it food to grow. After some time, when the baby is ready, it breaks the eggshell and comes out. š Examples of oviparous animals: Birds (like chickens, penguins, and parrots) Reptiles (like turtles, crocodiles, and snakes) Fish, amphibians, and insects also lay eggs. š¦ What about dinosaurs? Dinosaurs were oviparous too! The dinosaur moms laid eggs in nests. Inside each egg, a baby dinosaur grew safely. When the baby was ready, it broke the shell with its head or a special part of its mouth and came out. Some were born alone, and others hatched with many brothers and sistersājust like a dinosaur family!
Sam: I like walking along the beach. Cindy: I like it too. Look, it's a cute puppy! Cindy: I like to pet the puppy. Its fur is very soft. Sam: Yes, it has very soft fur. It's nice. Cindy: Wow, that turtle's shell is beautiful. Sam: Yes, it is also very hard. A turtle's shell is harder than a dinner plate! Cindy: Is the turtle's shell harder than my head? Sam: Yes, it is. The turtle's shell is as hard as a rock!