Bear
Polar bear cubs stay near their mother for
warmth. The cubs themselves have thick coats of fur and layers of fat to
keep them warm. A pregnant female will dig a den in the fall, then stay
there until her cubs are born and ready to leave the den (at bottom). The
mother will protect and nurse the cubs for about two and a half years.
Emerald tree boas can grow as long as 8 feet (2.4 meters)! They live in tropical rain forests, where they coil up on tree branches. They kill their prey by squeezing it to death; then they open their jaws wide to swallow the prey whole (lower left). These boas are covered in bright green scales with white or yellow blotches (lower right).
Every year, when the weather turns chilly, millions of monarch butterflies travel hundreds of miles to spend the winter in warmer places. In the spring they return, laying eggs along the way. The eggs develop into caterpillars that spin cocoons and then emerge as adult butterflies (at bottom).
Jackson’s chameleons use their long sticky tongues to catch insects. Their long tails and fused toes help them climb in trees. Male chameleons also have three horns, which they sometimes use to defend their territory from other males (at bottom).
Cheetahs
The cheetah is the fastest mammal on land. It can run up to 60 miles an
hour (100 kilometers an hour)! Nonretractable claws that lack a protective
covering (lower right) help the cheetah make sharp turns at high speeds.
Cheetahs also have very good eyesight and can see hidden prey (lower
left).
Chimpanzees
Chimpanzees are humans’ closest relatives. They live in Africa, where
they spend a lot of time on the ground, although they also climb among the
trees. A chimp’s hands and feet (lower left) can easily grip branches
and objects. Chimps communicate with each other by vocalizing (lower
right).
Nile
Crocodiles
Female Nile crocodiles may put baby crocs in their
mouth if there is danger nearby. Crocodile parents sometimes help their
babies hatch (lower left) by gently rolling the eggs in their mouth to
crack the shells. Crocs have eyes high on their heads so that they can see
above the surface of the water when they are submerged (lower right).
Dugongs
The dugong may look like a cross between a walrus and
a seal, but it is actually related to the elephant. Dugongs are marine
mammals and close relatives of manatees. Dugongs can weigh more than 900
pounds (408 kilograms), and they eat about 66 pounds (33 kilograms) of
food a day!
Bottlenose
Dolphins
Bottlenose dolphins live together in groups of about a
dozen animals. They often hunt together for fish, squid, and shrimp. To
locate prey, the dolphins make sounds that bounce off objects. They
determine an object’s location by the reflected sound (at bottom).
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