Author: Verne A. Simon Publisher: Xlibris Corporation ISBN: 9781450033640 Category : Science Languages : en Pages : 107
Book Description
When their environment changes animals must adapt. The author discusses the reasons for adaptation and the results, which may not always be the best solution for the animal.
Author: Verne A. Simon Publisher: Xlibris Corporation ISBN: 1450033660 Category : Science Languages : en Pages : 107
Book Description
Chapter 1 Temperature Regulation in Animals There are, broadly speaking, two kinds of animals with regard to body temperature: exothermic (cold-blooded) and endothermic (warm-blooded) animals. The exothermic animals, such as reptiles, do not supply body heat by metabolic conversion of food to heat. Reptiles allow their surroundings to determine their body temperature. They lie out in the sun to warm their body. If they are too hot, they seek the shade or even burrow into the ground. At night they hide from the cold in burrows or squeeze into cracks between rocks or hide in leaf cover. Reptiles avoid the extremes of temperature. When reptiles become cool, their movements slow down, and chemical processes in their bodies, such as digestion, are inhibited. Predators, such as hawks and eagles, find it easier to prey on lizards and snakes in cooler weather. The distribution of reptiles is somewhat limited by their exothermic character. They do not thrive in cold climates1. What are the advantages and disadvantages in being exothermic? When the lizard is in a cool environment and cannot find a warmer spot, its body simply cools to the temperature of the surroundings. It is not necessary for the exothermic lizard to generate heat to increase its body temperature. This means that the lizard uses less energy and does not have to eat as much. As the lizard cools its digestion, breathing rate and heart rate slow, saving energy. A disadvantage occurs when the cool lizard is attacked by a predator. If warm, he could run fast and have a much better chance of 1 St. Patrick did not chase the snakes out of Ireland. Ireland was already completely free of snakes. St. Patrick was instrumental in converting pagans to Christianity. Since the snake was a symbol used in pagan rituals, St. Patrick was influential in ridding Ireland of the ritual use of symbolic snakes. 10 Verne A. Simon evading capture. A warm lizard being chased by a predator can move quite fast for a short distance, but like other exotherms, lacks endurance and soon tires. When the exotherm is running fast, its effort is anaerobic, that is, is not using oxygen, and lactic acid is building up in its body. It soon tires and is unable to exert itself. It must recover by taking in oxygen to rid the body of lactic acid. Another disadvantage of exothermic life is that cold climates are not available as habitat. If there is a sudden climate change, an exothermic animal wouldn't be able to mount the sustained effort needed to migrate to a better environment. The exothermic creature might simply perish. About 180 million years ago, mammals appeared. Mammals are endothermic (warm-blooded) and are able to maintain a nearly constant body temperature regardless of the temperature of their surroundings within wide limits. Their bodies will not tolerate too high or too low a temperature. If the surroundings are too hot or cold, causing the body temperature to exceed allowed limits, the animal will die. Mammals have furry coats to help them tolerate low temperatures. Sea-dwelling mammals-whales, seals, and walrus-have thick layers of blubber for insulation. Birds are endothermic and have feathers to protect them from the cold. Many types of birds and mammals survive in cold climates. Emperor penguins even live in the Antarctic, in the coldest climate on earth. Under normal circumstances, mammals and birds manage to keep this very nearly constant body temperature regardless of the temperature of their surroundings. Mammals are characterized by having body hair and suckling their young. This latter behavior gives the class its name; mammals must have mammary glands. A second advantage is that endothermic animals are not limited to activity only in daylight hours. In many locat
Author: Bobbie Kalman Publisher: Crabtree Publishing Company ISBN: 9780865059801 Category : Juvenile Nonfiction Languages : en Pages : 36
Book Description
Describes how animals adapt to survive, discussing camouflage, mimicry, poisons, defense, adaptations to weather, feeding, and mating.
Author: Bobbie Kalman Publisher: Crabtree Publishing Company ISBN: 9780865058774 Category : Juvenile Nonfiction Languages : en Pages : 36
Book Description
All types of creatures, including insects, mammals, and fish, are covered in this engaging book on the animal kingdom. Young readers will learn all the basics of kingdoms, orders, classes, and species.
Author: Arnoldus Schytte Blix Publisher: Tapir Academic Press ISBN: 9788251920506 Category : Nature Languages : en Pages : 304
Book Description
Where and what is the Arctic? What animals live there, and how are they distributed? How do they cope with cold in their austere environment, and how can Arctic mammals survive birth when it is 40 degrees below freezing. How can seals dive to a depth of 1000 metres and stay submerged for more than an hour, and how does complete darkness in winter affect the inhabitants of the high Arctic? This book answers these questions and also gives an introduction to the Arctic. It is based on the author's 40 years of experience in the Arctic, its environment and animal life. As this book contains almost 200 illustrations and deals with the entire Arctic animal kingdom, it will be suitable as a textbook for courses in Arctic biology, and also serve specialists in the field. It is a reference book and a source of information about published original literature.
Author: Michael Chinery Publisher: Lorenz Books ISBN: 9780754819639 Category : Juvenile Nonfiction Languages : en Pages : 0
Book Description
From the swamps of Australasia to the frozen extremes of North America and from the seas of the South Pacific deep into the forests of southern Asia, find out about animal bodies and behaviour, and how they hunt, communicate and raise their young. An amazing natural history guide with 1500 colour pictures.
Author: Sandra Markle Publisher: Scholastic Inc. ISBN: 1338141686 Category : Juvenile Nonfiction Languages : en Pages : 36
Book Description
If you could have any animal's eyes, whose would you choose? What if you woke up one morning and your eyes weren't yours? What If You Had Animal Eyes? -- the next imaginative book in the What If You Had series -- explores what would happen if you looked in the mirror and saw a pair of animal eyes instead of your own! From the chameleon's eyes that can point in different directions, to the colossal squid's eyes that shine in the dark, discover what it would be like if you had these special eyes -- and find out why your eyes are just the right ones for you!
Author: Julie Murphy Publisher: Millbrook Press ™ ISBN: 1728411416 Category : Juvenile Nonfiction Languages : en Pages : 32
Book Description
Long snouts, bright-red lips, pointy heads . . . the animal kingdom is full of critters with unique features. Learn about the incredible adaptations that help these creatures—and their odd bods—survive and thrive all around the globe!
Author: Verne A. Simon
Author: Verne A. Simon
Author: Malcolm Penny
Author: Bobbie Kalman
Author: Bobbie Kalman
Author: Arnoldus Schytte Blix
Author: Lisa J. Amstutz
Author: Michael Chinery
Author: Sandra Markle
Author: Julie Murphy