The chameleon belongs to a group of reptiles called lizards Chameleons are known for the ability to change the color of their skin David Aubrey Corbis
Wildlife Wonders TABLE OF CONTENTS AMAZING ODDITIES Kiwis New Zealand’s Feathered Favorites 38 Ostriches The Biggest Birds in the World 40 Platypuses Egg-Laying Mammals 42 Tapirs Shy Cousins of the Horse and Rhino 44 WILLING WORKERS Camels Packed and Ready to Go 46 Elephants The Largest Animals on Land 48 Llamas Bounty of the Andes 50 Yaks Shaggy Beasts of Tibet 52 UNCOMMON TRAVELERS Gazelles The Bouncers 54 Kangaroos Australia’s Awesome Leapers 56 Lemurs Monkeys Primitive Cousins 58 Wild Goats Surefooted Mountain Climbers 60 GLOSSARY 62 INDEX 63 INTRODUCTION 3 SELF-DEFENSE SPECIALISTS Armadillos The Armored Animals 6 Chameleons The Color-Wizard Lizards 8 King Cobras Reptile Royalty 10 Ocelots Spotted American Cats 12 Opossums Playing Dead to Stay Alive 14 Porcupines Touch Me Nots 16 SOCIAL ANIMALS Gibbons The Swinging Singers 18 Gorillas Fierce but Shy Apes 20 Lions Meet the King and Queen of Beasts 22 Wolves Noble Hunters Strong Families 24 PICKY EATERS Koalas The Bears That Aren’t Really Bears 26 Mongooses Snakes Feared Rivals 28 Pandas Cuddly Exotic Bears 30 CLEVER CREATURES Apes Intelligent Creatures Like Us 32 Bats Fliers by Night 34 Spiders The Silk Spinners 36 Brit a nnic a LEARNING LIBRARY Paul A Souders Corbis
D I D YO U K N O W lo l The common nine-banded armadi in studies of the disease los are some of the is used only animals besides humans that get l e p r o s y A r m a d i the disease And the organism that leprosy can’t be grown causes laboratories in l
ARMADILLOS The A rmoredAnimal s Can you imagine an animal covered in armor from head to toe like a medieval knight Meet the armadillo The word armadillo means little armored one in Spanish Armadillos are round creatures with short legs and are about the size of a small dog They have strong curved claws and yes their bodies are covered with armor Their armor is made of hard plates or scales connected by bands that stretch If they didn’t stretch the armadillo would have a hard time moving about This armor helps protect the armadillo from its enemies But its main job is to keep the armadillo from getting cut and scratched by the thorns and cactus that live where it lives Central and South America are home Armadillo of the Andes Mountains in South America Galen Rowell Corbis to many kinds of armadillos There you’ll find the pichi armadillo Burmeister’s armadillo and the pink fairy armadillo You’ll also find the giant armadillo which is nearly five feet long One species the nine banded armadillo is found in Texas and several other U S states Armadillos can’t see very well and are almost toothless They hunt mostly at night and eat insects and worms soft roots and fruits and dead animals that they sometimes find When enemies turn up the armadillo usually runs away into the tough underbrush where its predators can’t follow Sometimes the armadillo will jump straight into the air to scare its enemies As a last resort it will roll itself up into a hard ball You may not believe it but armadillos are also very good swimmers They stay afloat by swallowing a lot of air It turns out that under all that armor armadillos are full of surprises S EA R C H LIG H T Fill in the blanks The word armadillo is Spanish for _______ _______ _______ LEARN MORE READ THESE ARTICLES OPOSSUMS PORCUPINES TAPIRS The long-nosed armadillo is one of South America’s many varieties Martin Harvey Gallo Images Corbis Answer The word armadillo is Spanish for littlearmoredone 7
