animals and the environment

by Jennifer Boothroyd
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by Jennifer Boothroyd
a Lerner Publications Company · Minneapolis
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Animals need
the environment.
Animals use land and water.
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4
Snakes hide under rocks.
5
Prairie dogs live
under the ground.
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Fish live in water.
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Animals drink water.
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Animals use other animals
and plants.
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Owls eat small rodents.
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Monkeys clean each other.
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Cows eat grass.
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Rabbits hide in the grass.

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Animals adapt to their
environment.
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Giraffes have long necks to
reach leaves in tall trees.
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Lions have sharp teeth
to eat meat.
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Birds fly to warmer places
in the winter.
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Animals use the environment
in many ways.
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19751970
1980
1985
1990
1995
2000 2005
500
400
300
200
100
0
Number of Wolves

Years
Wisconsin’s Wolf Population
Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
1919
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