Animals and the Environment (First Step Nonfiction)

by Jennifer Boothroyd

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by Jennifer Boothroyd

a Lerner Publications Company · Minneapolis

Animals need the environment. 2

Animals use land and water. 3

Snakes hide under rocks. 4

Prairie dogs live under the ground. 5

Fish live in water. 6

Animals drink water. 7

Animals use other animals and plants. 8

Owls eat small rodents. 9

Monkeys clean each other. 10

Cows eat grass. 11

Rabbits hide in the grass. 12

Animals adapt to their environment. 13

Giraffes have long necks to reach leaves in tall trees. 14

Lions have sharp teeth to eat meat. 15

Birds fly to warmer places in the winter. 16

Animals use the environment in many ways. 17

Wisconsin’s Wolf Population

500

Number of Wolves

400 300 200 100 0 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 Years Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

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The Gray Wolf Returns Long ago, thousands of wolves lived in Wisconsin. People began hunting the wolves. Soon there were fewer wolves. Their population became smaller. In the late 1960s, the government decided that people could no longer hunt wolves in Wisconsin. Look at the chart on page 18. What happened to Wisconsin’s wolf population when people stopped hunting wolves?

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Animal Facts Scientists have discovered over one million different plants and animals. Most scientists believe there are millions that haven’t been discovered yet. Many animals have become extinct in the last one hundred years. Extinct means those animals have died out. None of those animals are left in the world.

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More than 400 birds, animals, and fish in the United States are endangered. Endangered means the animal is likely to become extinct. Some animals are helpful to humans. A brown bat can eat 600 mosquitoes in one hour. Some animals make problems for humans. Beavers cut down trees to make their homes in rivers. Their homes block rivers and can cause small floods.

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Glossary adapt – change

environment – the land, water, air, weather, and living things of the earth sharp – able to cut or tear

rodents – animals, such as mice and rats that have large front teeth for gnawing

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Index adapt – 13 eat – 9, 11, 15, 21 hide – 4, 12 live – 5, 6 plants – 8, 11, 14, 20 water – 3, 6, 7

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Copyright © 2008 by Lerner Publishing Group, Inc. All rights reserved. International copyright secured. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without the prior written permission of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc. except for the inclusion of brief quotations in an acknowledged review. The images in this book are used with the permission of: © John R. Kreul/Independent Picture Service, pp. 2, 22 (second from top); PhotoDisc Royalty Free by Getty Images, pp. 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 13, 14, 17, 22 (top); © Joe McDonald/Visuals Unlimited, p. 4; © Michael Quinton, pp. 9, 22 (bottom); © Jonathan & Angela/Taxi/Getty Images, p. 10; Agricultural Research Service, USDA, p. 11; © Leonard Lee Rue III, p. 12; © Royalty-Free/CORBIS, pp. 15, 22 (second from bottom); © David W Hamilton/The Image Bank/Getty Images, p. 16; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, p. 18. Front cover: PhotoDisc Royalty Free by Getty Images

Lerner Publications Company A division of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc. 241 First Avenue North Minneapolis, MN 55401 U.S.A. Website address: www.lernerbooks.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Boothroyd, Jennifer, 1972Animals and the environment / by Jennifer Boothroyd. p. cm. — (First step nonfiction. Ecology) Includes index. ISBN 978-0-8225-8602-9 (lib. bdg. : alk. paper) 1. Animal ecology—Juvenile literature. I. Title. QH541.14.B66 2008 591.7—dc22 Manufactured in the United States of America 1 2 3 4 5 6 – DP – 13 12 11 10 09 08

eISBN-13: 978-0-7613-3990-8

2007007809

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