What on Earth is a Hyrax? [Library Binding]

Edward R. Ricciuti (Author), Bruce S. Glassman (Editor)

Book Description

Age Level: 7 and up | Grade Level: 2 and up | Series: What on Earth

Hyraxes are rabbit-sized animals with a mysterious past. Scientists once thought they were rodents. Until recently, some scientists even suspected that hyraxes were distantly related to elephants and sea cows! Now, many scientists believe that hyraxes, horses, and rhinoceroses had similar ancestors millions of years ago. The exact truth about hyrax ancestors, however, no one really knows for sure.

Would you know a quokka if you saw one? How about a skink or a pangolin? These are not exactly household words, but they are a few of the many fascinating and curious creatures featured in the What On Earth? series for grades 2-5. Each volume fully explores the lifestyles and habitats of animals that few people even know exist. Simple, concise text covers the animal's classification, its unique characteristics, its methods of survival, what the animal eats and who eats it, reproduction and care of the young, conservation issues, and the relationship of the animal to humans. Each book's large size and stunning, full-color photographs bring these remarkable subjects to life. A glossary, further reading list, map, and index make What On Earth? books as educational as they are fun!

Grades 2-5; 8 1/2 x 11; 32 pages; Sturdy library binding; Map; Glossary; Further Reading; Index; Large format, full-color photos throughout

Editorial Reviews

From Scientific American

These bright and colorful natural history picks are highly recommended for elementary-level readers in grades 2-4: bright color photos and captivating facts encourage learning.

From Kirkus Reviews

In the What On Earth series of books about obscure animals, a look at the hyrax, with its life cycle, habitat, food, and individual characteristics ripe for the picking for kids' reports- -and comprising a dream come true for librarians and teachers. The hyrax--a small brown mammal that lives in the rocky hills of Saudi Arabia and Africa--is shown in the full-color photographs that dominate the book and illustrate various points made by the text, such as the sharpness of a hyrax's teeth, or its ability to squeeze into rock crevices to escape prey. Ricciuti (Amphibians, 1993, etc.) offers interesting trivia about hyraxes as well, e.g., the name of the country of Spain was derived from the word Ishapan, which means ``land of the hyraxes.'' Large print and simple sentences make the book accessible to a wide audience. Encyclopedias provide, if not the large color pictures, similar facts, but for libraries inundated with requests for books on--if not the hyrax--the booby, meerkat, skink, pangolin, chuckwalla, and many more, this format fits the bill. (further reading, glossary, index) (Nonfiction. 7-10) -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Library Binding: 32 pages
• Publisher: Blackbirch Press; 1st edition (August 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1567111009
• ISBN-13: 978-1567111002
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 8.1 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,001,996 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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