A u t h o r
Share Duncan Levy’s Passion, Insightfulness & Wit "'Happy About Animals' is a lovely look at a young boy's love of animals. Reading through Duncan Levy's eyes reminds us how we can use our passions to educate and encourage change. I know that this book will be a favorite in my classroom library." Lauren Skye, Teacher, Portland, Oregon "'Happy About Animals' is a very thoughtful look at the creatures who share the world with us from a boy who not only enjoys wildlife, but is also keenly aware of the dangers animals face in our rapidly developing world. Kids of all ages, and their parents and teachers, will find Duncan Levy's book insightful and fun!" An Anonymous Librarian
One Reason Not to Read This Book "I liked this book because there were lots of colorful pictures. My favorite was the flamingo. The facts were interesting and some were funny. My favorite animals were the hyena, lion, cheetah and polar bear. The only reason I may not read 'Happy About Animals' again is because a boy wrote it." Sierra Rodrigues, 8-year-old girl
Happy About® Animals: An Inspiration to Kids Everywhere on Sharing the Earth Copyright © 2007-10 by Happy About® All rights reserved. No patent liability is assumed with respect to the use of the information contained herein. Although every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher and authors assume no responsibility for errors or omissions. Neither is any liability assumed for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein. Second Printing: January 11, 2010 Tradebook ISBN: 978-1-60005-177-7 Place of Publication: Silicon Valley, California, USA Library of Congress Number: 2010920111 eBook Version 2.0 eBook ISBN: 978-1-60005-178-4 First Printing: March 5, 2007
Trademarks All terms mentioned in this book that are known to be trademarks or service marks have been appropriately capitalized. Happy About® cannot attest to the accuracy of this information. Use of a term in this book should not be regarded as affecting the validity of any trademark or service mark.
Warning and Disclaimer Every effort has been made to make this book as complete and as accurate as possible, but no warranty of fitness is implied. The information provided is on an “as is” basis. The authors and the publisher shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damages arising from the information contained in this book.
Photos A special thanks needs to go to PhotostoGO (http://photostogo.com) for allowing us to use a number of their photos in this book.
Happy About® Animals An Inspiration to Kids Everywhere on Sharing the Earth
By Duncan Levy with a Foreword by Award-Winning Videographer Fred Heiman
20660 Stevens Creek Blvd. Suite 210 Cupertino, CA 95014
Be Inspired to Learn and to Write Duncan discusses animals on land including albatross, baboon, bobcat, cheetah, eagle, flamingo, gorilla, hyena, leopard, lion, moose, parrot, penguin, porcupine, red fox, seal tiger, walrus, wolf, and the polar bear. Animals in the sea include: boxfish, dolphins, eel, schools of fish, jellyfish, hammerhead shark, humback whale, killer whale, ray, salmon, and stonefish. Read the intro paragraph from chapter 2 to get a feel for Duncan's writing style. "Animals on land are fun to look at and can be fun to pet, particularly domestic animals. I love my grandparents’ cats. However, many of the animals in this book are wild animals, which can only be looked at. Petting them will result in losing fingers or an arm -- or worse. Yikes!"
Acknowledgements I wish to thank my dad for giving me the support to make this book happen. I wish to thank my grandpa for showing me all the animals that he’s seen and researched and for some of the photos used. I wish to thank my mom for putting me on this earth. I wish to thank my grandma for helping my grandpa research the animals in this book and all over the world. A Message from Happy About® Thank you for your purchase of this Happy About book. It is available online at http://happyabout.info/animals.php or at other online and physical bookstores. • Please contact us for quantity discounts at
[email protected] • If you want to contribute to upcoming Happy About® books, please go to http://happyabout.info/contribute/
Quotes
Share Duncan Levy’s Passion, Insightfulness & Wit - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1 One Reason Not to Read This Book - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1
Foreword
Foreword by Award Winning Videographer Fred Heiman - - - - - - - - - - - - 1
Chapter 1
Introduction - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3
Chapter 2
Animals on Land - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 5 Flamingo - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -6 Parrot - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -6 Eagle- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -8 Walrus- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -8 Seal - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -8 Gorilla - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 10 Polar Bear - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 10 Moose - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 12 Baboon - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 12 Porcupine - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 14 Wolf - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 14 Red Fox- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 16 Bobcat- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 16 Hyena - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 18 Cheetah - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 18 Lion- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 18 Leopard - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 20 Tiger - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 20 Conclusion of Animals on Land - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 22
Happy About Animals
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Chapter 3
Animals in the Sea - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 23 Schools of Fish - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 24 Salmon swimming upstream - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 26 Eel - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 28 Boxfish - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 30 Stonefish- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 30 Jellyfish- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 32 Dolphin - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 32 Hammerhead Shark - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 34 Ray - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 34 Killer Whale (Orca)- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 36 Humpback Whale - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 36 Conclusion of Animals in the Sea - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -38
Page iv
Chapter 4
Conclusion - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 39
Author
About the Author - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -41
contents
F o r e w o r d
Foreword by Award Winning Videographer Fred Heiman There is no greater thrill for me than looking through the lens at an animal in the wild – and having him look back at me. There seems to be a sense of communication with the animal, but perhaps that is just my vivid imagination. However, most wildlife photographers would agree with me. I have had this experience with humpback whales in the warm waters off the Vava’u island group in Tonga, with Bengal tigers in Ranthambhore National Park in India, with polar bears on the ice edge of Baffin Bay in Canada, with grizzly bears in Katmai National Park in Alaska, and with a particularly inquisitive moose in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. Being with animals in the wild is an awe-inspiring experience. Many of the animals described in this book are endangered, with some close to extinction. Scientists estimate that there are fewer than five thousand tigers in the wild, with two-thirds residing in India. Yet, one is killed each day by poachers. Humans kill more than 100 million sharks each year so that Asian diners can pay up to $100 for a bowl of shark fin soup. Humpback whales are making a good recovery from the devastation they faced during the whaling days of the 1900s, but soon may face a greater threat if high-level sonar is used by the U.S. Navy. And, if scientists are correct, polar bears will disappear entirely from Central Canada by 2070 as global warming prevents the Hudson Bay from freezing.
Happy About Animals
Page 1
When my eight-year-old (now 11) grandson Duncan came to me to write a foreword to this book, I was thrilled and flattered. He has been sitting on my lap, looking at footage from my wildlife adventures since he was born. It is through these sessions that he has come to understand and appreciate the place that animals have on our planet. I hope you enjoy this book, not only for the information contained in its pages, but for the in-depth understanding that comes to an eight-year-old doing a project of this magnitude.
Page 2
foreword
C h a p t e r
1
Introduction
This book talks about animals and why they are special. I am very "Happy About Animals" and would like to see them protected. The Bald Eagle, our national bird, is very important to the history of the United States and has been upgraded from an “endangered” animal to a “threatened” one. Both don’t sound good to me. In this book, you will find specially chosen animals from land and from sea. I’ve seen a number of these animals personally and my grandfather has seen the rest. It’s very cool that he can tell me about what he’s seen and I can share some of that knowledge with you.
Happy About Animals
Page 3
Alligator
Hippopotamus
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Chapter 1: Introduction
C h a p t e r
2
Animals on Land
Animals on land are fun to look at and can be fun to pet, particularly domestic animals. I love my grandparents’ cats. However, many of the animals in this book are wild animals, which can only be looked at. Petting them will result in losing fingers or an arm -- or worse. Yikes! In looking at the pictures that my dad collected, I chose these animals because I liked the way they looked and wanted to know more about them. I hope you enjoy my choices of animals on land.
Happy About Animals
Page 5
Flamingo
Parrot
Page 6
Chapter 2: Animals on Land
Flamingos Flamingos are pink and beautiful with amazingly long necks. The flamingo is in the bird family. They are tropical birds that like the sunlight. They get their amazining pink color from what they eat and special algae.
Parrots Parrots are also part of the bird family. There are 315 different species of parrots. Parrots come in all sorts of colors like green, red, and yellow. They have large heads and really short necks. They eat insects and nuts which they find in their habitat.
Happy About Animals
Page 7
Eagle
Walrus
Seal
Page 8
Chapter 2: Animals on Land
Eagles Eagles are in the bird family and are predators which eat meat. They live all over the world. They have a wing span of up to 7 1/2 feet. The Bald Eagle is the United States’ national bird. They feed on rodents and fish, and love to be alone. Guess what? They are endangered. Can we fix that?
Walruses The walrus male can grow to be 10 feet long and weigh over 3,000 pounds. Believe it or not, walruses are mammals covered in blubber and rubbery skin.Their teeth look like the tusks of an elephant, and they like to hang out in packs of 100 or more.
Seals Seals are big, smelly creatures, who glide underwater like penguins. Seals are carnivores, and you know that this means they eat meat. There are different species of seals like the elephant seal, harp seal, harbor seal, and common seal.
Happy About Animals
Page 9
Gorilla
Polar Bear
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Chapter 2: Animals on Land
Gorillas Gorillas are huge, hairy mammals that closely resemble humans exept in desperate need of a haircut. The males can reach a height of 5-6 feet tall. The average life span of a gorilla is 40 years. They are vegetarians and primarily eat fruits, and vines, and as you know, they love bananas.
Polar Bears Polar bears are in the bear family. They are large and white with a cute black nose. They are powerful swimmers. They can grow to between 7 and 9 1/2 feet and can run up to speeds of 25 mph. Believe it or not, a polar bear’s fur is actually brown, but the snow and algae from the water turns it white.
Happy About Animals
Page 11
Moose
Baboon
Page 12
Chapter 2: Animals on Land
Moose Moose are furry brown animals that are the largest in the deer family, weighing between 1,000 and 1,800 pounds. They weight more than some small cars! They are mostly found in the northern parts of Eurasia and North America. They eat grass and are vegetarians. Did you know that moose kill more people than bears and wolves combined?
Baboons Baboons are large, powerful animals with thick fur that are in the monkey family. They live mostly in Africa. Sometimes they are called dog-faced monkeys. They mostly travel in groups of 40-80 and live in groups of 350. Wow, what a family. You can hear a set of parents saying “OHHH! OHHH!, wait honey where are our four kids”?
Happy About Animals
Page 13
Porcupine
Wolf
Page 14
Chapter 2: Animals on Land
Porcupines Porcupines are black with grey spikes which are their protective mechanism because they look a lot like fur. The spikes go into other animals when they feel threatened. They are in the rodent family. These animals are unable to climb trees. Oh, what a surprise. "Oh, look, can someone help me down? I'm stuck." One of our readers from the first edition of the book sent me an e-mail and photo of a porcupine climbing a tree, I guess I'm wrong on that one….
Wolves Wolves are cool, amazing animals. Wolves are in the dog family and are carnivores. The three recognized wolf species are coyote, grey, and red. Some people think that humans turn into Werewolves. This is nonsense.
Happy About Animals
Page 15
Red Fox
Bobcat
Page 16
Chapter 2: Animals on Land
Red Foxes Red foxes are red with grey and are in the dog family. They too are carnivores. Foxes are usually preyed on by larger animals and humans. What a coincidence, a predator that is also prey.
Bobcats Bobcats are light brown with black-tipped, spiky ears, and a short, blacktipped tail. I saw three baby bobcats up at my grandpa’s house. They were so cute, I wanted to pet them. They were easily scared. Most wild animals are scared of humans, probably more than we are scared of them.
Happy About Animals
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Hyena
Cheetah
Lion
Page 18
Chapter 2: Animals on Land
Hyenas Hyenas are usually brown with black spots. They have very sharp teeth and are carnivores. My dad and mom saw hyenas in South Africa. They said they looked like cute little cats and wanted to jump out of the van to pet them. Their guide told them that they would lose a finger or worse if they did. Yep, true story, and if you see them just say there is no fear in them puppies.
Cheetahs Cheetahs are my favorite animals. They are the fastest mammals in the world and can run up to speeds of 75 mph but they can not run for more than 15 minutes without overheating. They are carnivores and are part of the cat family. Cool.
Lions Lions are big, ferocious beasts which are also carnivores. Almost everyone knows that. They are in the cat family and are found in Africa and, of course, in zoos. The girl lions look like really big cats.
Happy About Animals
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Leopard
Tiger
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Chapter 2: Animals on Land
Leopards Leopards are yellow with black spots. They are carnivores in the cat family and are also big. Leopard cubs are really playful; so if you know me, what would I be?
Tigers Tigers have six different species. They are Siberian, Bengal, Sumatran, Malayan, South China, and North Indochinese. The males do not have a mane. They are carnivores and typically hunt at night. Tigers are the largest species of the cat family. The Siberian tiger may grow to 13 feet and weigh up to 640 pounds.
Happy About Animals
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Conclusion of Animals on Land There are many different species of animals on land, though I’ve only shown you a small number of them. They are in the bear, bird, cat, dog, and deer families, to name a few. I like all animals, but cheetahs are my favorite.
Penguins
Page 22
Chapter 2: Animals on Land
C h a p t e r
3
Animals in the Sea
The fish in the sea come in all different colors, shapes, and sizes. They range in size from minnows to rays. They range in color from frogfishes to butterfly fishes. They range in shapes from seahorses to flying fish. They have names like jacks, gars, mullets, groupers, and gobbies. Actually, there are about 30,000 species. I do not eat any kind of fish, although lots of people do. Fish are limbless and breathe through gills. Some are big, and some are small; some have color, and some are camouflaged to blend into their surroundings. The most obvious thing about fish is that they don’t breath air.
Happy About Animals
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Schools of Fish
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Chapter 3: Animals in the Sea
Schools of Fish Lots of specifies of fish like to swim in packs called schools. It appears that they like to hang out together. My dad says it’s because they feel more protected in larger groups. There are a lot of fish in a school, about 350 to 1,350. Isn’t it amazing how they can all change direction at the same time?
Happy About Animals
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Salmon swimming upstream
Barracuda
Page 26
Chapter 3: Animals in the Sea
Salmon Salmon live in the sea and many Salmon species are endangered. They are renowned as game fish since they are plentiful and easy to catch. Salmon are born and mate in the river and swim upstream to find a nesting place to lay eggs. My dad eats salmon, particularly in the form of lox on a bagel. He also eats it as sushi. Yuck!
Barracuda Barracuda are slender fish with long snouts. They hang out in schools, as you can see in the picture. They live in tropical seas and are very dangerous, with sharp teeth striking at anything that gleams. The great barracuda can grow to be up to 6 feet long, but 2-4 feet is more common. I never want to be in front of a great barracuda.
Happy About Animals
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Eel
Clownfish
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Chapter 3: Animals in the Sea
Eels Eels are slender, have a snake-like shape, and look cool in the water. There are 13 families of eel in a variety of colors. Some are green and some are blue, plus a host of other colors. My favorite eel is the electric eel; if you touch one you will get a shock. Most of them look like snakes in water; therefore, their nickname is “water snakes.”
Clownfish Clownfish are orange and white striped. The real name for clownfish is anemone fish because they take refuge in sea anemones. Clownfish do not really tell jokes like real clowns do, but they do look as funny.
Happy About Animals
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Boxfish
Stonefish
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Chapter 3: Animals in the Sea
Boxfish Boxfish are tropical fish and come in a variety of colors. They really look like boxes. They are slow swimmers who can produce a toxic poison as a protective mechanism. If something gets too close, toxic poison shoots in its face.
Stonefish Stonefish are probably the ugliest fish I’ve ever seen. They are also deadly. Stonefish feed on shrimp and small fish. When you’re in the ocean, try to keep your eyes open to make sure you do not step on one. To make it simple, if you step on one, you will most likely die.
Happy About Animals
Page 31
Jellyfish
Dolphin
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Chapter 3: Animals in the Sea
Jellyfish Jellyfish are pink with an orange tinge and have stingers. Try not to touch a jellyfish unless you want to get stung and feel something gooey. They use their stingers to secure prey and as a protective mechanism. My grandfather swam in a lake with hundreds of thousands of jellyfish that had lost their stingers. He said it was amazing. Jellyfish look like bubbles to me.
Dolphins Dolphins are the second smartest animals on earth according to “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.” Mice are first, but that’s another story.... Most of them can do amazing tricks since their intelligence makes them trainable and because they have powerful tails. They typically grow up to 8 feet and weigh up to 165 pounds.
Happy About Animals
Page 33
Hammerhead Shark
Ray
Page 34
Chapter 3: Animals in the Sea
Hammerhead Sharks Hammerhead sharks have heads shaped like hammers. These sharks are typically 11 feet long with the largest one found being 20 feet. The amazing part of these animals is their sense of smell. Ok, where is it’s nose? Ok, someone has to know.
Rays Rays are related to sharks and also have no bones. The pictures are of a sting ray and an eagle ray. The largest are manta rays which are also called devil rays. These fish can weigh up to 3,000 pounds and are 22 feet wide (wingspan). They look like kites flying in the water. My grandparents said they were able to float underneath them and touch their bellies. How cool! Imagine that!
Happy About Animals
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Killer Whale (Orca)
Humpback Whale
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Chapter 3: Animals in the Sea
Killer Whales (Orca) Killer Whales are also known as Orcas. Babies are seven feet long at birth and males can grow up to 30 feet. They are black and white mammals (my mom’s favorite colors). They are fast and ferocious with four dozen sharp teeth. To clarify a myth, Killer Whales do not kill people.
Humpback Whales Humpback whales are huge, with females measuring up to 50 feet. You can tell the difference between them by their tails (flukes), which have different patterns. Every humpback whale has a different pattern on its tail which is as distinctive as our fingerprints. They eat 3,000 pounds of krill and small fish a day -- and I thought my dad ate a lot!
Happy About Animals
Page 37
Conclusion of Animals in the Sea Most of these fish are beautiful except for the stonefish. We were going to show you all 30,000 species, but that would be too much. I’m amazed at how big some of these fish can become and how pretty they are. I don’t think I’ll ever eat them!
Schools of Fish
Page 38
Chapter 3: Animals in the Sea
C h a p t e r
4
Conclusion
After researching and thinking about all of these animals, my favorite two are the cheetah and Killer Whales. I can’t decide which I like better. My mom’s favorite animal is the male lion. My dad says “that it’s a hard choice to pick just one,” but if he “could have any of the animals in the book as a pet, it would be the dolphin.” So, what is your favorite animal? Please e-mail me and let me know at
[email protected] I hope after reading this book that you may have learned more facts about some of my favorite animals. Maybe some of these animals will be your favorites as well. It was a pleasure writing this book for you. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Happy About Animals
Page 39
Giraffe
Elephant
Page 40
Chapter 4: Conclusion
A u t h o r
About the Author
Duncan Levy is eleven years old and enjoys all animals. He has brown hair that is getting darker every year and a lot of freckles. Hi, Duncan here, and I am fun loving and have a lot of friends. I love all sports and am as good as I can be. My favorite animals are cheetas and dolphins. These are some of my favorite things to do: • Volleyball • Soccer • Baseball • Pogostick • Cubeecraft Happy About Animals
Author
