Children will love learning all about the human body in this original book that sets our bodies in the context of the animal kingdom. Each section examines a specific area of the human body - our eyes, our nose, our skin -explains what it''''s for, and then compares it with the body parts of other animals. The size of our brain, the strength of our eyesight, and our ability to talk are all looked at through the lens of the animal kingdom as a whole. By looking at the bodies of other animals we will gain a better understanding of our own!
and me Animals DK Publishing Written by Marie Greenwood Designed by Victoria Harvey Consultant David Burnie Design development manager Helen Senior Publishing manager Bridget Giles Category publisher Sue Leonard Production Rita Sinha Production editor Siu Yin Chan US editor Margaret Parrish Index by Chris Bernstein First published in the United States in 2010 by DK Publishing 375 Hudson Street New York, New York 10014 10 11 12 13 14 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 177888—05/10 Copyright © 2010 Dorling Kindersley Limited. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. 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 copyright owner. Published in Great Britain by Dorling Kindersley Limited. A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress. ISBN 978-0-7566-6886-0 Printed and bound in China by Toppan Printing Co. Ltd. Discover more at www.dk.com LONDON, NEW YORK, MUNICH, MELBOURNE, and DELHI Animal life .4 Shaping up 6 Cover up 8 Feet first .10 Moving on .12 In the swim 14 Think about it 16 Eye see .18 Listen in 20 Being nosey .22 Touch it .24 Taste it 26 Con tents Bite sized 28 Two to talk 30 Fight or flight 32 New life .34 Family life 36 Growing up .38 Growing older 40 Go to sleep 42 Record holders 44 Glossary .46 Index 48 Animal groups Animals that share certain features are grouped together. This helps us to understand them. The main animal groups are shown here. Mammals Mammals are warm- blooded and feed their babies on milk. They breathe with their lungs and are furry or hairy. Birds Birds have feathers and lay eggs. Most birds fly, but some of the larger birds, such as penguins, can’t. My group We belong to the group of animals called mammals. This means we belong to the same group as chimpanzees, lions, and even bats! Animal life We are just one animal among many. As you will see on these pages, there is an amazing variety of animals living in the world today. 4 Giant panda Seal Killer whale Gorilla Owl Penguin Flamingo Horse Kingfisher Invertebrates Invertebrates don’t have a backbone, and most are insects. There are more invertebrates than all other groups combined. Reptiles and amphibians Reptiles have dry, scaly skin and sometimes bony plates. Amphibians have thin skin and live partly in water, partly on land. Fish Fish live in water. They are covered in scales and have fins. They breathe through their gills. 5 Spider Octopus Centipede Crocodile Tortoise Poison dart frog Eel Clown fish Regal tang fish Archer fish Sting ray Angelfish Goldfish Bannerfish Snake Gecko Dragonfly Butterfly Hoverfly O u r s k e l e t o n s g i v e s h a p e a n d s t r e n g t h t o o u r b o d i e s a n d p r o t e c t S h a p i n g u p t h e s o f t p a r t s i n s i d e . A n i m a l s ’ s k e l e t o n s w o r k i n m u c h t h e s a m e w a y , b u t w h i l e m a n y a r e o n t h e i n s i d e o f t h e b o d y , l i k e o u r s , s o m e a r e o n t h e o u t s i d e . h e l l o ! Your spine, or backbone, is made up of lots of small bones called vertebrae. Attached to the spine is the rib cage; it protects your heart and lungs. My skeleton Your skeleton is made up of 206 bones. They are light enough so that you can move around easily. At the top of the skeleton is the skull, protecting the brain from harm. The thighbone is the biggest bone in the body. M e ! 6 Animal skeletons Animals can be split into two groups. Birds, mammals, and fish have backbones and are called vertebrates. Insects and spiders have no spines and are called invertebrates. f l u t t e r ! A bird’s skeleton is made up of light, hollow bones that allow it to fly. Insects and spiders wear their skeletons on the outside of their bodies rather than on the inside. Their bodies are split into segments and protected by an outer casing. A cat’s skeleton is typical of other mammals, with a backbone, ribs, and skull. A fi s h ’ s fl e x i b l e s p i n e a l l o w s t h e fi s h t o b e n d i t s b o d y f r o m s i d e t o s i d e s o i t c a n s w i m s m o o t h l y t h r o u g h t h e w a t e r . W r i g g l e ! W r i g g l e ! A b e e t l e ’ s b o d y i s p r o t e c t e d b y a t o u g h o u t e r s h e l l , l i k e a s u i t o f a r m o r . A w o r m h a s n o s k e l e t o n — i t s b o d y i s d i v i d e d i n t o m u s c l e s e g m e n t s . f l u t t e r ! m e o w ! Frogs have very short spines and long legs to give them strength to jump. A ni m al ! 7 O u r s k i n i s l i k e t h e b o d y ’ s o v e r c o a t , p r o t e c t i n g u s f r o m i n j u r y a n d i n f e c t i o n . C o v e r u p Fish are covered in tiny plates, called scales. They protect the fish and allow them to move freely through the water. In my skin Your skin protects you from the outside world and keeps you at the right temperature. Although it looks hairless, even a newborn baby’s skin is covered in millions of hairs. The skin is the human body’s largest organ. M e ! A n y o n e h o m e ? A tortoise’s hard shell protects its soft inner body, but it is heavy to carry around. G l u b ! A n i m a l s a l s o w e a r a l l k i n d s o f c o v e r i n g s , w h i c h k e e p t h e m w a r m a n d s a f e . 8 . and me Animals DK Publishing Written by Marie Greenwood Designed by Victoria Harvey Consultant David Burnie Design development manager Helen. backbone, and most are insects. There are more invertebrates than all other groups combined. Reptiles and amphibians Reptiles have dry, scaly skin and sometimes