Page 70 - Mammal (DK Eyewitness)

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T    mammals, you
can start right at home. Many households
often have at least one pet, and, more
often than not, this will be a mammal.
Don’t forget that humans are mammals
too, so with family and friends, you will
never be short of primates to observe! A
trip to a farm shows how mammals are
bred and kept in communities. To study
exotic species, visit a zoo, aquarium, or
wildlife park, and to learn about the
history of mammal evolution check out
your nearest natural history museum.
A walk in the country may reveal some
mammals—but not the shy ones!

USEFUL WEB SITES
• Enchanted Learning: All about mammals
www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/mammals/
• University of California Museum of Paleontology:
Hall of Mammals
www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/mammal/mammal.html
• Monterey Bay Aquarium: Marine Mammals
in the Wild
www.mbayaq.org/efc/efc_fo/fo_mammal.asp
• National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian
Institution
www.nmnh.si.edu/vert/mammals/mammals.html
A DAY AT THE ZOO
Most major cities have a zoo containing animal
species from around the world. Zoos are important
to conservation because they allow endangered
species to be bred in captivity when conditions in
the wild threaten their extinction. These species can
then be reintroduced to the wild, where their
numbers can increase again. Zoos give people a
chance to study animals that they would not usually
get to see, such as the camels above. In the past, zoo
animals were sometimes kept in cramped conditions,
but modern zoos try to give animals plenty of space.

Rabbits are
herbivores
(plant eaters)

PETS AT HOME
Cats, dogs, gerbils, mice,
rabbits, and many other
common pet choices are all
mammals. Studying your
pet can teach you a great
deal. Find out your pet’s
species name, which
classification order it
belongs to, and how it
compares to other
members of its order.