Mammal

Giant Panda

For a long time, scientists

werent sure if giant pandas
were bears or perhaps more

closely related to raccoons.

Now we know that giant
pandas are indeed members
of the bear family, similar to
other bears in their general
looks and the way they walk
and climb.
Bamboo
is
the
most
important plant in a giant
panda's life. They spend at
least 12 hours each day
eating
bamboo.
Pandas
grasp bamboo stalks with
their five fingers and a

special wrist bone. They use

their teeth to peel off the
tough
outer
layers
of
the stalk to reveal the soft
inner tissue. They also eat
the leaves.
Giant pandas are only about
the size of a stick of butter
at birth, and they're hairless
and helpless. The panda
mother gives great care to
her
tiny
cub,
usually
cradling it in one paw and
holding it close to her chest.

For several days after birth,

the mother does not leave
the den, not even to eat or
drink!

Birds

What Makes a Bird?

Birds are the only animals
that have feathers, which
are made of keratin, just like
your hair and fingernails.
A birds wings have the
same bones as a human
arm, but they are arranged
differently. Some of the
bones in a birds skeleton
are hollow. This makes
the bird light enough to fly.
There are more than 9,800
known
types
of
birds.
They range in size from the

bee hummingbird (2
inches long) to the 9-foottall ostrich.
All birds:
Are vertebrates (which
means
they
have
a backbone or spine)
Are endothermic. Also
known aswarm-blooded,
endothermic
animals
regulate their own body
temperature which allows
them to live in almost
every climate on earth.

 Have feathers
Lay eggs with hard,
waterproof
shells.
The
parent birds incubate the
eggs until they hatch, and
care for their young.

Amphibians

What Makes an Amphibian?

Amphibians are animals
that live part of their lives in
water and part on land.
They usually have soft,
moist skin that is protected
by a slippery layer of mucus.
They also tend to live in

moist places or near water

to keep their bodies from
drying out. There are three
main groups of amphibians:
caecilians; salamanders,
newts, and mudpuppies;
and frogs and toads.
All amphibians:
Are vertebrates (which
means they have
a backbone or spine)
Are ectothermic. Also
known as cold-blooded,
ectothermic animals

cannot regulate their own

body heat, so they depend
on warmth from sunlight
to become warm and
active. If they get too hot,
they have to find shade or
a burrow to help them cool
down.
Breathe through their
skin.
Go
through metamorphosis.
Young amphibians hatch
from eggs, but do not look

like their parents. As they

develop, their body shape
changes.

Mammal
Koala

Koalas are often called bears

because they look a little
like teddy bears, but they
are actually marsupials. Like
other marsupials, the female
has a pouch where she
carries her baby, called a

joey, for several months

after birth. When a joey is
strong enough to cling to its
mother's back, it leaves the
pouch but still sticks its
head in to nurse.
Koalas are known as picky
eaters. There are hundreds
of
different
types
of
eucalyptus, but koalas only
eat a few dozen kinds. And
koalas wont eat every leaf
off of each branch. In fact, at
the San Diego Zoo, we

offer each koala 25 pounds

of fresh eucalyptus each
day, and each only eats
about 1.5 pounds of it. We
give them a lot to choose
from because they know
what's best!
While koalas currently arent
listed
as
an endangered species, 80
percent of koala habitat has
been lost to human homes
and
businesses, drought,
and fires. That makes life

hard
for
ananimal that needs
eucalyptus
forests to
survive,
like koalas
do.
Koalas also are at risk when
close to human populations
and being killed by cars or
dogs. Many people are
working together to protect
koala habitat and help these
cuddly looking creatures
survive.