Land Mammals. by Heather C. Hudak WEIGL PUBLISHERS INC.

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1 Land Mammals ANIMAL FACTS by Heather C. Hudak WEIGL PUBLISHERS INC.

2 Published by Weigl Publishers Inc th Avenue, Suite 3304, PMB 6G New York, NY USA Web site: Copyright 2005 WEIGL PUBLISHERS INC. All rights reserved. No part of this publication 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 the publisher. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Hudak, Heather C., Land mammals / Heather C. Hudak. p. cm. -- (Animal facts) Includes bibliographical references (p. ). ISBN Mammals--Juvenile literature. I. Title. II. Series. QL706.2.H dc Printed in the United States of America Project Coordinator Heather C. Hudak Substantive Editor Janice L. Redlin Copy Editor Tina Schwartzenberger Design Janine Vangool Layout Bryan Pezzi Photo Researcher Ellen Bryan Photograph and Text Credits Every reasonable effort has been made to trace ownership and to obtain permission to reprint copyright material. The publishers would be pleased to have any errors or omissions brought to their attention so that they may be corrected in subsequent printings. Cover: Photos.com; Calgary Zoo: page 18; Corel Corporation: pages 4, 7B, 15, 17L, 20, 23; DigitalVision: page 19B; Eileen Herrling: page 9T; Photos.com: pages 1, 7T, 11T, 11B, 17R, 21, 22; Dan Nedrelo: pages 9B, 14B; J.D. Taylor: pages 3, 5, 6T, 6B, 16; Kevin Schafer Photography: page 10; A.B. Sheldon: page 12; Tom Stack & Associates/Dave Watts: pages 8, 13, 14T, 19T. All of the Internet URLs given in the book were valid at the time of publication. However, due to the dynamic nature of the Internet, some addresses may have changed, or sites may have ceased to exist since publication. While the author and publisher regret any inconvenience this may cause readers, no responsibility for any such changes can be accepted by either the author or the publisher.

3 Contents What Is a Land Mammal? Land Mammal Lot Land Mammal Looks Land Mammal Lineage Life Cycle Land Mammal Lairs Land Mammal Morsels Threatened Land Mammals Activities Quiz Further Reading/Web Sites Glossary/Index

4 What Is a Land Mammal? Impalas are mammals that live in the southern part of Africa.

5 Mammals are warm-blooded animals. Mammals have lived on Earth for millions of years. There are about 4,600 mammal species alive today. While most mammals live on land, some live in the water. Land mammals share some common features. Nearly all mammals are covered with fur or hair. They also have special teeth called molars. These teeth help mammals chew or cut their food. Most mammals give birth to live babies. All young mammals need their mothers. Mothers produce milk that they use to nurse, or feed, their babies. Mammals are vertebrates. This means they have backbones. There are many types of land mammals. Humans are mammals. Bats, dogs, giraffes, hamsters, and kangaroos are mammals, too. The Javan rhinoceros lives only in Indonesia, Vietnam, and on the island of Java. Fast Facts The Javan rhinoceros is the world s rarest land mammal. There are only 50 to 60 Javan rhinoceroses on Earth. African elephants are the largest land mammals. They weigh about 6.06 tons (5.5 metric tonnes). They stand about 10.5 feet (3.2 meters) tall at the shoulder. The smallest non-flying mammal is the pygmy white-toothed shrew. It is 1.4 inches (3.5 centimeters) long. 5

6 Land Mammal Lot There are three groups of land mammals. These groups are monotremes, marsupials, and placentals. Monotremes lay eggs. Young monotremes hatch from the eggs. The young feed on their mother s milk. Monotremes are the smallest mammal group. There are three monotreme species. They are the duckbill platypus and two types of echidnas, or spiny anteaters. Monotremes, such as this echidna, live in Australia, New Guinea, and Tasmania. Marsupials carry their young in a pouch. The pouch is part of the mother s body. Young marsupials are not fully formed. The baby lives in the pouch until it develops. This can take weeks or months. There are about 250 marsupial species. Most marsupials live in Australia. The quokka kangaroo, pictured here, is a marsupial. 6