Showing titles in Nature

What happens to the bodies of animals and humans after death? Nature's army of death eaters steps in to take care of cleanup. Without these masters of decomposition, our planet would be covered in rotting bodies. This high-interest science text dives into the science behind how bodies decompose. 

We share this beautiful planet we call home with countless living creatures, from monarch butterflies and falcons to koalas and dolphins. And just like us, animals everywhere are faced with the growing threat of climate change. Featuring seven categories of animals, this book offers a roadmap for change and an invitation to explore the outdoors with fascinating facts, hope-filled stories, and hands-on STEAM activities. Each section includes biographies of adventurers, scientists, and artists from all over the world who used their passion and skills to become bold allies for nature.

Twelve million years ago, rhinos, elephants, and camels roamed North America. They would gather at nearby watering holes - eating, drinking, and trying not to become someone else’s lunch. But one day, in what we now know as Nebraska, everything changed. The explosion of a supervolcano a thousand miles away sent a blanket of ash that buried these animals for millennia. Until 1953, when a 17-year-old farm worker made an unbelievable discovery.

El tiempo cambia diariamente. Algunas veces incluso puede cambiar de un momento a otro - como una tormenta repentina. El tiempo afecta nuestra vida diaria, desde lo que vestimos hasta las actividades que podemos (o no) hacer en el exterior. Aprender acerca del tiempo y cómo vestirnos y prepararnos para el mismo es una habilidad importante que debemos aprender. Y quizás, la habilidad de observar sea incluso más importante.

Weather changes daily. Sometimes it can even change from one moment to another - like a sudden storm. Weather affects our daily lives from what we wear to what outdoor activities (or lack thereof) we can do. Learning about weather and how to dress and prepare for it is an important skill to learn. Maybe even more important is the skill of observation. By asking simple questions, children become engaged and can start to observe and make correlations about the weather around them so they will understand how the weather impacts their lives.

It’s common knowledge that coast redwoods are tall, tall trees. In fact, they are the tallest trees in the world. What most people don’t know is that there is a whole other forest growing high in the canopy of a redwood forest. This adaptation of "The House That Jack Built" climbs into this secret, hidden habitat full of all kinds of plants and animals that call this forest home.

This is the exciting story of a soil scientist confronting politicians to encourage them to pass a law to protect the land, the soil. When the US Congress passed a law establishing the Soil Conservation Service, it was the first government agency in the world dedicated to protecting the land, to protecting the Earth. 

On January 25, 1862, naturalist Charles Darwin received a box of orchids. One flower, the Madagascar star orchid, fascinated him. It had an 11.5-inch nectary, the place where flowers make nectar, the sweet liquid that insects and birds eat. How, he wondered, did insects pollinate the orchid? It took 130 years to find the answer.

Wisdom, the Midway Albatross - the oldest bird in the world - hatched a new chick in 2011, and two months later, the Japanese tsunami struck. Surviving manmade and natural disasters for over 60 years, Wisdom has braved living wild, plastic pollution, longline fishing, lead poisoning, and the Japanese earthquake.

Cuando el petróleo se derrama, los trabajadores se apuran en limpiar la tierra y el agua. Pero los derrames de petróleo también pueden afectar a los animales que viven en la zona. ¿Quién ayuda a estos animales? En la Costa Este un equipo de Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research se apresura para llegar al lugar y salvar a la mayor cantidad de animales posible.

When oil spills, workers hurry to clean the land and water. But oil spills can also affect every animal that lives in the area. Who helps these wild animals? On the East Coast, a team from Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research rushes to the scene to save as many as possible. Follow along to learn how these experts capture oiled animals and treat them quickly and safely so that they may be returned to the wild. This illustrated nonfiction is based on the extensive experience of the Oiled Wildlife Response Team at Tri-State.

In the cloud forests of the Amazon Basin, scientists are installing extraordinary numbers of camera traps in the hopes of learning more about an elusive species - woolly monkeys. No one knows for sure how many woolly monkeys are left in the wild. But they play a key role in their ecosystem, and without them the rain forest is in trouble. Join scientists on their quest to solve the mysteries surrounding the lives of woolly monkeys before it's too late. Scan QR codes inside the book to see and hear the monkeys!

In the dark, Kristofer Helgen and a group of scientists peered up into the treetops of the Ecuadorian cloud forest. Staring back at them was a furry, four-legged creature. Could it be the mysterious, wild olinguito? Helgen had been studying the olingo, a relative of raccoons, for years. As he examined their pelts and skulls in museums, he noticed differences in a few. Through scientific investigating, he realized the different examples weren't olingos at all - he had discovered a completely new species.

Top-selling science author Sandra Markle presents the story of whale sharks - the largest fish on the planet. Facing threats from commercial fishing as well as climate change, they were categorized as endangered in 2016. Find out how scientists are working to study and protect these gentle giants of the ocean. 

Southern white rhinos are in trouble. For years, a rumor has been spreading that their horns can be used to cure cancer, and poachers have been targeting these gentle creatures. Sandra Markle takes listeners behind the scenes to see how civilians, volunteer organizations, and African governments are working together to protect rhinos.

African penguins waddle around nesting colonies in lower numbers than ever before. Despite South African government efforts to protect the penguin colonies and their ocean fish supply, young penguins still struggle to survive. Fuzzy chicks waiting for food in open nests may overheat in the sun or become prey. Others simply may not get enough food to survive on their own once their parents leave.

In 2007 only 30 Amur leopards remained in the wild. Scientists knew they needed to do more to help these big cats. However, details of the leopards' wild lives in their high-altitude forest home were still a mystery. With the help of new technology and the cooperation of scientists and governments around the world, people have learned more than ever before about these rare cats. An innovative plan is under way to give Amur leopards a more secure future. Can these cats rebound from the brink before it's too late?

Late in 2013, snowy owls started showing up in places no one expected to find them - including Florida. What had caused so many of these majestic birds to leave their Arctic home and fly to southern Canada and the United States? Scientists quickly began working to find out. Author Sandra Markle brings together firsthand reports from the scientists involved along with stunning photographs of the owls to explain this rare event, known as an irruption.

Golden lion tamarins are found only in Brazilian forests. These small, remarkable monkeys once had plenty of space to roam and claim family territories. But years of deforestation caused their numbers to shrink. They were in serious danger of becoming extinct. To help, scientists studied the animals in zoo settings. But they faced several mysteries. Why weren't golden lion tamarins reproducing in zoos? If scientists reintroduced zoo-raised tamarins to the wild, would those monkeys survive?

The arctic tundra is frozen for most of the year. Only a few types of animals can survive there. But what does the tundra look like in summer? And how do plants grow in this dry biome? Listen to this book to find out!