Children Illustrated Animal Atlas by DK

SMITHSONIAN

Children’s Illustrated

Animal

ATLAS

Author Jamie Ambrose Contents
Editor Olivia Stanford
Project editor Allison Singer 4 How to use this book
Project art editor Hoa Luc 6 The world
Designer Rhea Gaughan
US Senior editor Shannon Beatty 8 North America
US editor Jane Perlmutter
10 North American taiga
Map illustrator Jeongeun Park 12 Great Plains
Cartography Ed Merritt, Simon Mumford 13 Eastern forests
Illustrators Maltings Partnership, Molly Lattin, 14 Western deserts
16 Central America
Bettina Myklebust Stovne, Oliver Magee 17 Caribbean
Additional design Lucy Sims, Yamini Panwar 18 Florida Everglades

Assistant editor Prerna Grewal 20 South America
Jacket coordinator Francesca Young
22 Amazon rain forest
Jacket designer Hoa Luc 24 Andean mountains
Managing editor Laura Gilbert 26 Temperate pampas
Managing art editor Diane Peyton Jones 28 Pantanal
Pre-production producer Nikoleta Parasaki 29 Galápagos
30 Cerrado
Producer Niamh Tierney 32 Cordillera Blanca
Art director Martin Wilson
34 Africa
Publisher Sarah Larter
Publishing director Sophie Mitchell 36 Sahara desert
38 Congo Basin
First American Edition, 2017 40 Southern savanna
Published in the United States by DK Publishing
345 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014

Copyright © 2017 Dorling Kindersley Limited.
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001-298819-Aug/2017

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Published in Great Britain by Dorling Kindersley Limited.

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ISBN: 978-1-4654-6203-9

Printed and bound in Hong Kong

A WORLD OF IDEAS:
SEE ALL THERE IS TO KNOW

42 Kalahari desert 76 Australasia
43 Madagascar
44 Kruger National Park 78 Australia
80 New Zealand
46 Europe 82 Great Barrier Reef

48 Northern European taiga 84 Antarctica
50 British Isles 86 The Arctic
52 European forests 88 Oceans and seas
54 The Alps
55 European steppe 90 Atlas picture quiz
56 Mediterranean scrubland 92 Glossary
58 Białowieża Forest 93 Index
96 Credits
60 Asia
Smithsonian
62 Russian taiga
64 Asian steppe This trademark is owned by the Smithsonian Institution and
65 Central Asian deserts is registered in the U.S Patent and Trademark Office.
66 Tibetan Plateau
68 East Asian forests Consultant Dr. Don E. Wilson, Curator Emeritus, Department of Vertebrate Zoology,
70 Arabian Peninsula National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian
71 Indian forests Smithsonian Enterprises
72 Southeast Asian rain forest Product Development Manager Kealy Gordon
74 Gobi desert Licensing Manager Ellen Nanney

Vice President, Consumer and Education Products Brigid Ferraro
Senior Vice President, Consumer and Education Products Carol LeBlanc

President Christopher A. Liedel
Established in 1846, the Smithsonian Institution—the world’s largest museum and
research complex—includes 19 museums and galleries and the National Zoological Park.
The total number of objects, works of art, and specimens in the Smithsonian’s collection is
estimated at 154 million. The Smithsonian is a renowned research center, dedicated to
public education, national service, and scholarship in the arts, sciences, and history.

How to use this book

An atlas usually shows maps of different countries, but animals
often live across borders. The maps in this book show many of
the world’s different habitats, which is the environment where
an animal lives, such as a desert. Some islands are also shown,
since they have animals that are found nowhere else.

Compass Animal pictures Independent states Rivers
The compass always points north Pictures with descriptions Small independent states, such as Each country’s largest
(N) in line with the map. It also pick out particular animals Monaco, are shown with a red rivers are shown as
shows the direction of south (S), that live in an area. border and a solid red dot, and continuous blue lines.
east (E), and west (W). the name is in capital letters.

Mediterranean Mediterranean chameleon Hummingbird Iberian lynx
scrubland This is one of only two chameleon species hawk moth Just 404 adult Iberian
found in Europe. Its tongue is sticky to catch lynxes are left in the
The coastal areas around the Mediterranean Sea passing insects. It is also This insect beats its wild, so this is the most
contain rocky hills and flat, shrub-filled plains. This twice the length wings so fast that they
rare habitat is found in only a few places on Earth. of its body! make a humming endangered cat on
Plants here can survive wildfires, and animals have sound—just like the Earth—but the good
to deal with hot, dry weather. birds it’s named after.
It feeds on nectar news is this figure
made by flowers like is nearly twice the
buddleia and number of wild lynxes
nThecetahra-wrikchmfoltohwewrildlaryetaufrtnertdoaay. honeysuckle. alive a few years ago!

FRANCE Zagreb The Iabneirmiaanl—lytnhxe mEuorsotplyeahnunratsbbjuits.t
one
N
This wolf is thinner and W E Garon Rhöne CROATIA
smaller than other European ardin i aC o r s i c a
wolves. It hunts rabbits, deer, S MONACO SAN MARINO Golden
wild boar, birds, and fish. jackal

ne Belgrade
o
The golden jackal BOSNIA & ROMANIA
is found in many places, HERZEGOVINA
including southeastern
Mediterranean I TA LY Europe, northern Sarajevo SERBIA
Ebr P Y R E N E E S banded centipede Africa, and
ANDORRA Mediterranean This centipede paralyzes southern Asia.
tree frog its prey with a venomous MONTENEGRO
S PA I N This frog is usually bright bite and will give a Pristina
green or blue. It has suckers human a painful nip VATICAN CITY
Iberian wolf on its fingers and toes too—so stay well away! Rome A D R Podgorica KOSOVO
Madrid Tagus that let it climb with ease. The cork oak is IC SEA Skopje
I A T BULGARIA

PORTUGAL one of few trees
that can grow new
Jeweled Tirana MACEDONIA
lizard
The cuckoo lays its eggs in bark. The cork bark is ALBANIA
other birds’ nests. When harvested once every
Majorca the cuckoo chick hatches, S nine years to make bottle
it pushes all the other stoppers and other items. Cork oak Dalmatian
This monkey is found eggs out—so the parent pelican G R E E C E
Lisbon in Africa and on the
island of Gibraltar,
near Spain. It is the birds feed it instead! Common The magpie is so smart In addition to making
only wild monkey that it can make and use other sounds, this
in Europe. Iberian The sapphire-like blue spots on cuckoo tools. It eats insects and pelican barks and
ibex its body give this lizard its name.
It is the largest lizard in Europe seeds, and will even steal hisses! When fishing,
at about 231⁄2 in (60 cm) long. SEA other birds’ eggs. it fills up its beak
Iberian pig R R A N E A N with food to eat later.
E Marginated
E D I T Eurasian tortoise
A type of wild goat, male M
This pig is a Iberian ibexes have horns Sicily magpie This plant-eating
farmed animal, that grow up to 291⁄2 in tortoise lives mostly Athens
but lives in open (75 cm) long! HABITAT KEY in Greece, in thorny,
country, looking rocky, scrubby areas.
for mushrooms, Barbary SCALE Scrublands Coniferous MEDITERRANEAN SEA
roots, and acorns macaque forests
from cork oaks. Wetlands
0 200 miles Deciduous

0 200 kilometers Mountains forests M A LTA

European rabbit Location Crete

The European rabbit is the This region includes the Mediterranean house gecko
ancestor of all pet rabbits in This little gecko is about 4 in (10 cm) long
the world. Unlike its enemy, southern parts of Europe and weighs about as much as a sugar cube. It is
around the Mediterranean also called a “moon lizard” because it mostly comes
the Iberian lynx, the rabbit Sea, as well as islands out at night. It eats small cockroaches and moths.
has been seen in yards and
56 parks, and even in busy cities. like Crete that share a 57
similar habitat.

Capital Scale Location Habitat key Bordering continents
A country’s capital city is The scale shows the size of The location box shows Every map has a key Around the edges of some
marked with a red outline. the areas and the distances you where each area is that lists the types maps you can see parts of
Some countries have more between different points on found in relation to the of habitats found in bordering continents in a
than one capital city. the map. land around it. that area. cream color.

4

North N ARCTIC OCEAN Great
WE Barrier Reef

America S GREENLAND The world’s largest chain of coral reefs, the Great Blubber jellyfish Each of this
ERING SEA (DENMARK) Barrier Reef lies just off Australia’s northeastern creature’s eight stumpy arms
This continent stretches from the icy Arctic down to coast. It’s so big that it can be seen from space, has several mouths that move
BEAU FORT SEA and it is home to more than 1,500 types of fish. Regal tang Also called food to the animal’s stomach.
surgeonfish, tangs have a Blacktip reef shark This
the tropical Caribbean. It has a vast range of habitats, B scalpel-like spine at the base medium-sized shark loves the Potato cod The potato
PA C I F I C O C E A N of their tail on both sides. shallows. It can swim in water cod hunts fish, crabs, and
just 12 in (30 cm) deep. crayfish. It’s so curious that
from snow-covered mountains to lush rain forests, and ALASKA it can annoy divers.
(UNITED STATES)

is home to millions of different animals—some large, Tfahsetepsetacpoucnkchmiannttihseshanriimmpalhwasortldh.e

some small, and all amazing. Yukon Northwest Nunavut Barrier islands Peacock
Territory Territories These long, thin stretches of sand protect the mantis shrimp
mainland from powerful storms. The barrier Only 1–7 in (3–18 cm)
Newfoundland & Labra islands off the Virginia and Maryland coasts long, this shrimp is
are home to the wild Chincoteague Ponies deadly. Its clublike
of Chincoteague and Assateague islands. arms can punch hard
enough to break the
dor Giant barrel sponge The shells of crabs—and
barrel sponge is an animal even aquarium glass!
British Columbia CANADASaskatchewan Québec Central American rain forest that grows up to 6 ft (1.8 m)
Alberta Manitoba Rain forests are warm and green all across—and it has no brain!
year, and they are home to more than Green sea turtle Green sea
Ontario PrinceNova Scotia ST. PIERRE turtles are black when they
Edward & MIQUELON half the world’s plants and hatch. They change color
Island (FRANCE) animals. These colorful over the next 25 to 50 years.
BrunsNweiwck scarlet macaws from
Maine Costa Rica perch high Olive sea snake This snake
in rain-forest trees. breathes air, and it has a large
Washington Montana North Vermont lung that lets it swim for hours
Dakota Indiana between breaths.
Oregon South Wisconsin New York New Hampshire Dugongs can live for 70 years Sea slug Sea slugs eat corals,
Dakota Minnesota Pennsylvania Massachusetts or more in the wild. sea anemones, sponges, and Orange clown fish Clown
Western mountains Idaho Michigan Rhode Island fish eggs. Their bright colors fish have coats of slime that
The rocky peaks and thick coniferous forests in the Virginia Connecticut warn predators away. let them live in sea anemones
mountains of western North America are filled U N I T Wyoming Iowa Dugong without being stung.
E DS Nebraska Ohio New Jersey This slow-moving mammal eats
with wildlife. Wolves, deer, and grizzly bears Nevada T Delaware nothing but plants. It pulls seagrass Giant clam
roam freely here, while in the fjords (narrow A T E S Illinois VirgiWniesat out by the roots with its flexible upper This clam is so big, it can no
inlets), bald eagles hunt for salmon. Maryland lip. Dugongs are also called “sea longer move. It lives attached
OF A MER ) cows,” because they graze like cows. to the reef, where it sucks in
California coast redwoods Utah Colorado Kansas I C A (U S A Kentucky plankton to eat with a tubelike
These redwood trees can grow more California Missouri organ called a siphon.
than 350 ft (107 m) high and live up North Carolina BERMUDA
to 2,000 years. Bears, owls, and other HABITAT KEY New Mexico Oklahoma Tennessee South Carolina (UNITED KINGDOM)
woodland creatures—including a
banana slug—call them home. Arizona Arkansas Mississippi
Alabama
HAWAII Tropical forests Georgia
(UNITED STATES) Deciduous forests
Texas ATLANTIC OCEAN
XICO
FloridaLouisiana Coral Location
ME Living corals are made The Great Barrier Reef
Coniferous forests OF MEXICO BAHAMAS BRITISH up of tiny animals Blue starfish Tiny suckers, runs for 1,429 miles
F VIRGIN ISLANDS called coral polyps called tube feet, cover the
Great Plains Tropical grasslands (UNITED KINGDOM) ANGUILLA (UNITED KINGDOM) that catch bits of food underside of starfish and (2,300 km) off the
With thousands of miles Scrublands PUERTO RICO ST. KITTS & NEVIS with their tentacles. let them crawl over the reef. coast of the state of
of grassland, the dry Great Temperate grasslands (UNITED STATES) The polyps make Queensland, Australia.
Plains can appear empty. Desert ANTIGUA & BARBUDA hard cases from
Look closer, though, and Wetlands minerals to protect
you’ll see big bison, as Tundra GUL CUBA MONTSERRAT (UNITED KINGDOM) themselves, and these
well as prairie dogs hiding Ice build up over many
in their secret world of HAITI DOMINICAN US VIRGIN DOMINICA years into a reef.
underground burrows. REPUBLIC ISLANDS MARTINIQUE (FRANCE)
(UNITED STATES) BARBADOS 82

BELIZE JAMAICA AN SEA ST. LUCIA ST. VINCENT & THE GRENADINES
HONDURAS RIBBE ARUBA GRENADA TRINIDAD & TOBAGO
CURACAO
(NETHERLANDS) (NETHERLANDS)

GUATEMALA C A SCALE The reef has many different Starfish can regrow a Most sea creatures avoid sea
0 500 miles types of coral. In addition to damaged or lost arm. anemones because they sting,
Mangroves EL SALVADOR NICARAGUA 1000 miles 9 hard corals, which build the Some can even grow a but clown fish live among their 83
COSTA RICA reef, there are also soft corals. whole new starfish from tentacles for protection. In return,
just part of an arm. they bring the anemones food.

PANAMA 0 1000 kilometers

Continent maps Feature habitats

The continent maps are colored to show the The feature spreads show a specific place and
biomes found on each continent. A biome is a some of the animals that live there. In reality,
large area of one type of habitat, and the not all the animals would be found together
animals and plants in it. Photographs show at the same time, since they are awake at
some of the places in these biomes. different times of day, and would often
avoid each other to prevent being eaten!

Habitats Mountains Coniferous forests Wetlands
High, rugged Trees in coniferous Wetlands are marshy,
These symbols show the mountainous areas forests usually have swampy areas, such as
different types of habitat are often covered needlelike leaves the Pantanal in Brazil.
on each map. with snow. that are kept all
Oceans and seas year round. Temperate grasslands
Hot desert Huge stretches of Mangroves Flat, grassy plains with
Hot deserts, such as water are found Mangrove trees grow few trees found in
the Sahara, are dry, around the Earth’s on coasts in salty seasonal areas are
sandy areas. Few seven continents. water. Their long roots temperate grasslands,
plants grow here. Tropical forests stick out of the water. such as prairie, steppe,
Rain forests, such as Coral reefs and pampas.
Cold desert the Amazon, get a lot Coral reefs grow in Tropical grasslands
Cold deserts, such as of rain and heat so the shallow waters. They Flat, grassy plains with
the Gobi, are cold, dry trees grow very tall. are built by coral few trees found in hot
stretches of land. Deciduous forests animals. areas are tropical
Trees in deciduous Scrublands grasslands, such as
Snow and ice forests usually have Low-lying plants savanna and cerrado.
Frozen areas are broad leaves that are and grasses grow in
found high up in the lost in the fall, or scrubland areas with
mountains and at the during the dry season. small trees, such as in
North and South Poles. southern Spain.

Borders Country borders Disputed borders Continent borders 5
The borders between Some countries disagree A broken orange line
Borders show how the countries are shown about where the border shows where the
Earth’s land is divided with a broken white between them should be. border is between
into countries. line. These borders are shown two continents.
with a white dotted line.

ARCTIC OCEAN

NORTH AMERICA Arctic Circle
The Arctic Circle shows
where the temperate
zone ends and the
cold northern polar
region begins.

AT L A N T I C
OCEAN

PA C I F I C Tropic of Cancer AFRICA
OCEAN This line marks the
northern limit of the
tropics. Above this is the
Northern Hemisphere’s
temperate zone.

Equator SOUTH AMERICA
This is an imaginary line that
goes around the middle of the
Earth, dividing it into two
halves, called the Northern
and Southern Hemispheres.

The world Tropic of Capricorn
This line marks the
The types of habitats found on each of the southern limit of the
Earth’s seven continents depend on the usual tropics. Below this is the
weather, or climate, of an area. Five invisible Southern Hemisphere’s
lines divide the world into three climatic zones: temperate zone.
the tropical zone is hot, the temperate zones
are seasonal, and the polar zones are cold. AT L A N T I C
OCEAN

SOUTHERN OCEAN Antarctic Circle
The Antarctic Circle
6 shows where the
temperate zone ends
and the cold southern
polar region begins.

ARCTIC OCEAN Polar zone
Inside the polar circles,
around the North and
South Poles, it is dry
and very cold.

EUROPE ASIA

INDIAN PA C I F I C Temperate zone
OCEAN OCEAN Both temperate zones
have warm summers and
AUSTRALASIA cold winters. Forests in the
temperate zone often lose
their leaves in the fall or
during the dry season.
Tropical zone
The area between
the tropics, around the
equator, is very hot.
Most rain forests are
found in this zone.

Temperate zone

SOUTHERN OCEAN Polar zone
A N TA R C T I C A

7

North N ARCTIC OCEAN
WE

America S BEAU FORT SEA

This continent stretches from the icy Arctic down to ERING SEA
B
the tropical Caribbean. It has a vast range of habitats, PA C I F I C O C E A NALASKA
(UNITED STATES)
from snow-covered mountains to lush rain forests, and

is home to millions of different animals—some large,

some small, and all amazing. Yukon Northwest
Territory Territories

British Columbia
Alberta

Washington Montana

Oregon

Western mountains Idaho

The rocky peaks and thick coniferous forests in the U N I T E DS
mountains of western North America are filled
Nevada T A T E S
with wildlife. Wolves, deer, and grizzly bears
California coast redwoods roam freely here, while in the fjords (narrow California Utah
inlets), bald eagles hunt for salmon.
These redwood trees can grow more
than 350 ft (107 m) high and live up HABITAT KEY Arizona
to 2,000 years. Bears, owls, and other
woodland creatures—including a HAWAII Tropical forests
banana slug—call them home. (UNITED STATES) Deciduous forests

Coniferous forests

Great Plains Tropical grasslands
Scrublands
With thousands of miles Temperate grasslands
of grassland, the dry Great Desert
Plains can appear empty. Wetlands
Look closer, though, and Tundra
you’ll see big bison, as Ice
well as prairie dogs hiding
in their secret world of
underground burrows.

Mangroves

GREENLAND

(DENMARK)

Nunavut Barrier islands

Newfoundland & Labra These long, thin stretches of sand protect the
mainland from powerful storms. The barrier
islands off the Virginia and Maryland coasts
are home to the wild Chincoteague Ponies
of Chincoteague and Assateague islands.

dor

SaskatchewanCANADA Québec Central American rain forest

Manitoba Prince Rain forests are warm and green all
Edward year, and they are home to more than
Ontario IslandNova Scotia ST. PIERRE
BrunsNweiwck & MIQUELON half the world’s plants and
Maine (FRANCE) animals. These colorful
scarlet macaws from
North VermontWisconsin New Hampshire Costa Rica perch high
Dakota Indiana Massachusetts in rain-forest trees.
South Rhode Island
Wyoming Dakota Minnesota Michigan New York Connecticut
Pennsylvania
Nebraska Iowa Ohio New Jersey
Illinois Virginia Delaware
VirgiWniesat
OF A MER ) Maryland

Colorado Kansas I C A (U S A Kentucky

Missouri North Carolina BERMUDA
South Carolina (UNITED KINGDOM)
New Mexico Oklahoma Tennessee

Arkansas Mississippi
Alabama
Georgia

Texas A T L A N T I C O C E A N

FloridaLouisiana

ME BRITISH
OF MEXICO BAHAMAS VIRGIN ISLANDS ANGUILLA (UNITED KINGDOM)
F (UNITED KINGDOM) ST. KITTS & NEVIS
PUERTO RICO
(UNITED STATES) ANTIGUA & BARBUDA

GUL CUBA MONTSERRAT (UNITED KINGDOM)

XICO HAITI DOMINICAN US VIRGIN DOMINICA
REPUBLIC ISLANDS MARTINIQUE (FRANCE)
(UNITED STATES) BARBADOS

BELIZE JAMAICA AN SEA ST. LUCIA ST. VINCENT & THE GRENADINES
HONDURAS GRENADA TRINIDAD & TOBAGO
RIBBE ARUBA CURACAO
(NETHERLANDS) (NETHERLANDS)

GUATEMALA C A SCALE

EL SALVADOR NICARAGUA 0 500 miles 1000 miles 9
COSTA RICA
PANAMA 0 1000 kilometers

HABITAT KEY

Temperate Coniferous ARCTIC OCEAN
grasslands forests
These large brown bears
Mountains Deciduous use their powerful jaws
forests to snap up salmon in
rivers and streams.
RT
BEAUFO SEA

NE Alaska Yukon Mackenzie
WS (USA)

Arctic Circle

Sea otters are found Grizzly bear Great Bear Lake
in shallow waters. Their Related to raspberries,
thick fur keeps them Pe this wild berry is eaten by
warm in the ocean. many animals, including
ROCKY M O U N TA I N S birds, bears—and people!
lly C O A S T M O U N T A I N S Great Slave L ake

Sea otter Leatherback Salmonberry
The largest sea turtle in the turtle
world swims long distances
across the Pacific, Indian, Sockeye salmon
and Atlantic Oceans. Salmon in the ocean return
to the freshwater streams
PA C I F I C OCEA they hatched in when it is
time to lay their own eggs.
N

North American
American taiga badger

With big front feet and
long claws, this animal
digs burrows up to
32ft (10m) long.

Taiga areas are made of coniferous, or evergreen, Location
forests that grow in some of the northernmost parts
of the world. Grizzly bears and gray wolves live in the Most of northern North
vast taiga of North America, which stretches across America is taiga. Summer
Canada, the world’s second-largest country, and temperatures reach only
Alaska, the largest state in the US. 50˚F (10˚C), and there’s
lots of snow in the winter.

Great gray owl SCALE

North America’s tallest owl has a 0 250 miles
wingspan of up to 5ft (1.5m). It listens
0 250 kilometers
for rodents moving under the snow,
then snatches them up.

Snow geese

Flocks of snow geese turn
fields white when they
land. These noisy birds

live in cold areas, but fly
south in large groups
during the winter.

This flat-tailed mammal HUDSON BAY A moose can weigh as Snow geese fly south for the winter.
fells trees with its teeth. much as a car! It can also
It uses the logs to build The loon’s legs are made trot at a steady pace of E
dams across rivers, and for swimming, not walking— 20 mph (32 kph).
lodges to live in. so when it wants to fly, it can
only take off from water.

F
C

O
N

E A

F TL
R O

Pacific loon LGAUWL A
These geese are found C
all over the world. They
North have a loud honk and fly ST NTI
American in a V-shaped formation. EAN

beaver Canada C
CANADA goose
Moose Monarch Each winter, millions
Lak Both male and female butterfly of monarchs migrate
fireflies flash yellow, green, from northern North
or orange light using special America to Mexico.
organs in their tails.

Ottawa
LHakueron
Lake MichiganLake Superior Firefly ntario

e Winnipeg USA Lake O

Lake Erie

Gray wolf 11

The gray wolf is the largest wild member
of the dog family. It can have black, white, tan,
brown, or gray fur. It hunts in packs and eats
animals from tiny mice to huge moose.

Often called “buffalo,” Location
these shaggy plant eaters
are North America’s The Great Plains stretch
biggest mammal and from the Rocky Mountains
heaviest animal. east to the Mississippi
River, and from southern
The national symbol of Canada to as far south
the United States, this as Texas.
powerful bird eats mostly
Prairie rattlesnake fish and water birds. American bison This large hare changes
Male prairie chickens from brown to white
Though it is venomous, Bald eagle inflate their orange in winter, but its tail
the prairie rattlesnake neck sacs and raise stays white all year.
would rather flee than their feathers to
fight. It rattles its tail attract females. Lake Superior
rings, making a sound This shrub’s
that warns, “Stay away!” Greater flower spikes
prairie chicken provide food
White-tailed for mammals
jackrabbit and nectar
for insects.

This cat-sized ississippiM
orange fox lives up to Missouri
Swift fox its name. It is a swift Prairie
nighttime hunter that can shoestring
run 30mph (48kph).

Colorado This deerlike antelope Arkansas
can see predators from
A coyote howls to alert others. almost 4 miles (6km)
away, and can run for
amazing distances.

Coyote HABITAT KEY

With excellent eyesight and SCALE N Pronghorn Temperate Mountains
hearing, and a good sense WE grasslands Cold desert
of smell, coyotes make great 0 250 miles Coniferous Hot desert
hunters. They howl to claim S forests
their territory and to tell other 0 250 kilometers
coyotes where they are. Deciduous
forests

Great Plains Black-tailed
prairie dog
The Great Plains are in the center of North America.
Made of high prairie about 3,000 miles (4,800km) These grass-eating
long, they were once home to thousands of bison rodents live in underground
and antelope. Today farmland has taken over much prairie-dog towns. They greet
of the area, and mostly cattle herds wander the family with a kiss, and have
plains—but wildlife has found ways to survive.
different warning calls for
different predators.

Gray fox Eastern
forests
As big as a medium-sized dog, gray
foxes live in broad-leaved forests. They
make their dens in hollow trees, and

both parents care for the cubs.

Lake Superior If threatened, the Deciduous and coniferous forests cover eastern
Raccoons are highly skunk sprays a horrible- North America. There are mountains and river
intelligent. They can smelling musk from valleys here, too. Animals have to be smart to
live in towns or the glands under its tail. survive in areas densely populated with humans.
country and will eat Sugar maples provide sap
almost anything! for maple syrup. Their SCALE
leaves turn orange-gold
Only male deer grow and red in the fall. 0 250 miles
antlers. White-tails 0 250 kilometers
often escape predators Lake Michigan Striped
by swimming across skunk This bright-red bird can
lakes or rivers. Sugar sing more than 24 songs.
maple When courting, males offer
females the best seeds.

Northern raccoon Ohio Northern
cardinal

Washington, D.C.

White- This is North America’s
tailed deer only marsupial. It can
Mississippi outsmart danger by
playing dead for up
to four hours.

Great Virginia AOTCLEAANNT I C
horned owl opossum
This large owl’s feathery
“horns” look like ears, Despite their nwahmitee,ogrrraeydsdqisuhirfruelrs.
but its real ears are much can also have
farther down on its skull.

HABITAT KEY N Gray squirrel
WE
Temperate Coniferous Double-jointed ankles help gray
grasslands forests S squirrels scamper up and down

Tropical Deciduous trees. Their teeth never stop growing,
grasslands forests so they have to wear them down on

Mountains nuts and tree bark.

American black bear Location 13

Good swimmers and climbers, black Most of the continent’s
bears feast on fruits, nuts, and roots, and eastern forests stretch
sometimes ants and grubs. There are from the Mississippi River
twice as many of them in the world as Valley eastward, all the
there are all other bear species combined. way to the Atlantic Ocean.

Turkey vulture

Turkey vultures can’t kill their
own prey, so they eat animals
that have already died instead.

Animals that behave in this
way are called scavengers.

A turkey vulture perches on a cactus.
at Salt Lake Western
deserts
14 S I E R R A N E V A D A
Western North America has four deserts. These
dry, sandy areas are hot during the day, but at night
they can get very cold. Animals here must survive
these tough conditions—and with very little water.

Snake R O C K Y M O U N TA I N S A short, or “bobbed,” tail USA
Bobcat gives this wild cat its name.
Gre More than a million bobcats
live in North America.

Black-tailed The jackrabbit can run
jackrabbit up to 30 mph (48 kph)
and jump 20 ft (6 m)
into the air.

Male bighorns fight Bighorn sheep
by crashing their
big heads and Colorado
horns together.
Desert broom
This big, hairy spider This lizard lives mostly The desert broom’s
lines its desert burrow underground. It has flowers provide sweet
with silk to keep it a venomous bite nectar for butterflies.
from caving in. and eats eggs.

Desert blonde A tortoise snacks on a desert plant.
tarantula
Mohave desert tortoise
Gila monster
This desert tortoise can live for up to
50 years. It digs a burrow to avoid the
desert heat, and it spends 95 percent
of its time there during the summer.

HABITAT KEY Sharp spines cover This big-footed Each time a diamondback
this tree-sized cactus rodent doesn’t need sheds its skin, it gets a new
Temperate Coniferous to prevent animals to drink water. It gets section added to its rattle.
grasslands forests from eating it. moisture from the Western diamondback
seeds it eats instead. rattlesnake
Tropical Deciduous Saguaro
grasslands forests cactus

Scrublands Tropical Merriam’s
Mountains forests kangaroo rat
Cold desert Hot desert
A relative of the
raccoon, the ringtail
can climb straight up
cliffs, trees, and even
prickly cacti!
SIERRA MADRE O R I E N TA LRoadrunners run up Greater
SIERRA MADRE OCC I D E N TA L to 18mph (29kph) roadrunner
and are one of the
SCALE CEANElf owl few animals that
eat rattlesnakes.
0 250 miles Just 6 in (15 cm)
tall, North America’s
0 250 kilometers smallest owl plays
dead if captured.

MEXICO

PA C I FIC O Costa’s Found in the Mojave Ringtail
hummingbird and Sonoran deserts,
Puma this tiny bird slows Nine-banded
down its heart rate to armadillo
Also called the cougar or mountain survive cold nights. The only armadillo
lion, this big cat hunts at night. It living in North America,
is a fast runner, a good swimmer, this animal has a great
and an excellent jumper sense of smell.
and climber. Mexico City

N Location
WE
The Great Basin Desert
S is the farthest north of
the western deserts. It’s
15 followed by the Mojave,
the Sonoran, and finally
the Chihuahuan deserts.

Location

BELIZE Central America connects
These butterflies are North and South America.
Resplendent named for their long Its tropical climate is ideal
quetzal wing tips that look for plants and the animals
like swallows’ tails. that depend on them.
Mexican kite This monkey swings
swallowtail through the rain forest
and can hang from
butterfly

GUATEMALA branches by its tail.
This tiny bird’s long,
curved bill lets it sip HABITAT KEY
Guatemala City HONDURAS nectar from inside
rain-forest flowers. Mangroves Tropical

EL SALVADOR Geoffroy’s Mountains forests
spider Coniferous Deciduous
monkey forests forests

A male quetzal’s twin Tegucigalpa Bronzy hermit
tail feathers are more
than twice as hummingbird
long as its body. San Salvador SCALE

NICARAGUA CARIBB 0 100 miles

EAN 0 100 kilometers

PA C I F I C OCEAN Managua Tayra The tayra hunts small SEA
monkeys, rodents, and
birds, but it also eats
fruit and honey.

COSTA RICA Sticky finger pads help N
this little frog cling to W
San José Red-eyed twigs and branches.
tree frog E
It may look more like S
a pig, but the tapir is
related to horses.

PA N A M A

Hoffmann’s two-toed sloth Baird’s tapir Panama City

Two long claws on its front legs
let this slow-moving sloth get around
the rain forest. It spends almost its entire
life upside down!

Central Ocelot
America
This fast cat’s super
Seven countries make up the narrow strip of land sight and hearing help
that is Central America. More than 1,500 different it hunt rabbits and
species of birds live here, and many more animals other small animals
find food and shelter in its warm rain forests. at night. During the
day it rests in the
trees, where its
markings blend in
among the leaves.

USA A T L
O C E
Nassau A N T I
BAHAMAS A N C
Havana

Only wild pigs live on
the tiny island of Big
Major Cay. They swim
out to greet visitors!

CUBA

Cuba’s national Feral pig The solenodon’s A male frigate bird attracts a mate.
bird is also called long nose helps it
the tocororo, after Cuban find food. It stuns Magnificent frigate bird
the sound it makes. trogon its insect and lizard
Jamaica’s only native prey with venom. These birds are skilled flyers, known for
land mammal, the Jamaican swooping in and stealing another bird’s prey.
shy hutia eats fruit, hutia Male frigate birds inflate their red throat
shoots, and bark. sacs to impress females.

SCALE JAMAICA H A I T I Hispaniolan solenodon This flat fish uses
Kingston Port-au-Prince DOMINICAN its stiff fins as legs
0 100 miles REPUBLIC to “walk” along
the ocean floor.
0 100 kilometers Atlantic batfish
Greater P u
erto Ric
Santo Domingo o
Antilles
HABITAT KEY

Wetlands Tropical CARIBBEAN SEA The blue marlin stabs the
Mountains forests fish it wants to eat with
Mangroves N its spearlike snout.
W
Location Blue marlin ill e s
E Lesser Ant
The Caribbean lies east of S
Central America, between Vampire bats drink other
North and South America. animals’ blood. Their saliva
The area has warm waters has a special chemical that
and a tropical climate. keeps the blood flowing.

Caribbean Port-of-Spain Common
vampire bat
There are more than 7,000 small islands in TRINIDAD
the Caribbean Sea. Not many mammals live AND TOBAGO
here, but with its rocky areas, beaches, and Cuban crocodile
about nine percent of the world’s coral reefs, 17
it is the perfect home for all kinds of reptiles, This critically
birds, and fish. endangered croc
is found only in
Cuba, in just two
swamps. Turtles are
one of its favorite foods,
since its blunt back teeth are
ideal for crushing their shells.

Florida Great blue heron North
Everglades America’s largest heron is a
slow smover, but it strikes fast
The Everglades, North America’s largest subtropical to catch fish in mid-swim.
wetland, is really a big, slow-moving river. The area is Anhinga This bird hunts
half its original size due to humans sending its water to underwater. It acts like a
farms and cities. However, it is still home to 350 bird spear-fisherman, stabbing
species, and reptiles such as alligators and crocodiles. fish with its long, sharp bill.

Common snapping turtle

Although it has no teeth, this
turtle’s strong, bony beak and
jaws can bite and kill birds, fish,
and small mammals. It is also
known to bite the heads off
other turtles that come too
close. No wonder most
animals, including humans,
know to leave it alone!

Around 300 fish species are
found in the waters of the
Everglades, ranging from tiny
pygmy sunfish to barracudas that
can grow up to 6ft (2m) long.

American alligator The
Everglades is the only place
in the wild where alligators
and crocodiles live together.

Everglades rat snake An alligator’s teeth are
hidden from sight when
This long snake both swims and can its mouth is closed—
climb trees. Rats are on its menu, but unlike a crocodile’s,
18 A rat snake shows off its forked tongue. it also eats frogs, squirrels, and birds which are always visible.

and their eggs.

Everglades snail kite This An orb weaver sits in wait on its web.
bird of prey eats apple snails. Golden silk
It uses its curved bill to pull the orb weaver
snails out of their shells.
Purple gallinule This Female orb weavers can
duck-sized bird has long grow up to 3in (8cm)
toes that allow it to walk long. Their silk is gold in
on lily pads without sinking. color, and it is stronger
than the material used
in bulletproof vests!

Florida panther These panthers
are critically endangered. Fewer
than 100 are left in the wild, since
so many have been hunted.

Green tree frog Location

Depending on its mood, this little frog is The Everglades stretches
either bright green or dull khaki in color. It across the southern tip of
inflates its vocal sac and screams if picked Florida. During its rainy
up—which can save its life, since the scream
makes a lot of predators drop it in surprise! season, this area gets
twice as much rain as
other places in the US.

19

South N VENEZUELA
America WE
COLOMBIA
Earth’s fourth-largest continent lies mostly in S
the southern half of the world. It has tropical ECUADOR
rain forests, dry deserts, grassy plains, and high, GALÁPAGOS
snowy mountains. The many different habitats ISLANDS
means that a variety of amazing animals can (ECUADOR)
make South America their home.

PERU

Amazon rain forest BOLIVIA

The winding Amazon River flows
through the enormous rain forest
that shares its name. In addition
to producing a fifth of the planet’s
oxygen, this rain forest is home
to an astonishing amount of
plants, mammals, birds, and fish.

PA C I F I C O C E A N

Pantanal HABITAT KEY CHILE

The Pantanal is a wetland Tropical forests ARGENTINA
wonderland. With flooded Deciduous forests
grasslands and tropical Tropical grasslands
Scrublands
forests, it is home to Temperate grasslands
thousands of birds, fish, Deserts
and reptiles. Mammals Wetlands
also live here, such as
the plant-eating capybara,
which hides from predators
in the muddy waters.

Mountains

20 Mangroves

SCALE 1000 miles

0 500 miles

MESURINAFRENCH0 1000 kilometers
GUIANA
G U YA N A (FRANCE) ATLANTIC OCEAN

BRAZIL Patagonian steppe

Shared between Argentina and southern
Chile, the warm, dry Patagonian steppe
is filled with shrubs as well as grasses.
It makes a good home for mammals,
ranging from tiny rodents to foxes
and mountain lions.

Pampas

Its acres of grassland mean
the pampas attracts a lot of
wildlife, particularly birds.
PAR Some, like the flightless
Darwin’s rhea, graze on
AGUAY plants. It also eats frogs
and insects that might
be hiding in the grass.

URUGUAY Andes
FALKLAND ISLANDS
(UNITED KINGDOM) Although parts are warm
with plenty of plants, the
Andean mountains are
mostly full of high, rugged
places. Animals need to be
tough and adaptable to live
here. Flamingos, for example,
can manage to find food
in even the saltiest lakes.

21

Amazon Caracas
rain forest VENEZUELA

The Amazon is the Earth’s largest tropical rain forest, OrinocoGUIANA HIGHLANDS

and it surrounds one of the world’s largest rivers—

the Amazon River. Lots of species live here, including

more than 430 mammals, 1,300 birds, 3,000 fish,

870 reptiles and amphibians, and 2.5 million insects! Bogotá

COLOMBIA

One of the largest
beetles in the
world, the Hercules
can get up to 7 in
(18 cm) long. Hercules
beetle
Quito
This tree can grow
13 ft (4 m) a year.
It is pollinated by
ECUADOR rain-forest bats.

Also called botos, these
rare dolphins hunt
catfish in the Amazon
and Orinoco Rivers. Kapok
tree
Pink river
dolphin This giant blue
A young ictosllmaroetdhearn’stebaatcekr.rides on PERU Just 9–10 in butterfly has

Collared anteater (23–26 cm) long, a wingspan of
this little primate 5–8 in (13–20 cm).
This tree-climbing anteater doesn’t eats mostly fruit,
have any teeth. Instead it slurps up insects, and plants.
ants and termites with a tongue that
can be 16 in (40 cm) long! ANDES Emperor Blue
tamarin morpho
Yellow-banded PA C I F I C O C E A N Lima
poison dart frog
HABITAT KEY N La Paz
This frog’s bright-yellow color WE Sucre
tells predators to keep away. Wetlands Tropical
It is a serious warning, since Tropical forests S
its skin gives off toxic grasslands Deciduous
chemicals that Mountains forests
can kill other Mangroves
animals.

22

SCALE Location

0 250 miles Most of the Amazon is
found in Brazil, but it
0 250 kilometers extends into eight other
countries. It is very hot and
Georgetown Paramaribo The heaviest spider in A wet—it rains more than
G U YA N A the world, this tarantula 200 days a year here.
actually rarely eats T
birds. It prefers insects Redlehaovwelseranmdonfrkueiyts. eat
or earthworms. LOACNETAI Red howler monkey

Cayenne C Red howlers live up to their name.
N They are the loudest animals on
Goliath FRENCH land, and their howls can be heard
birdeater GUIANA 3 miles (5 km) away!

SURINAME Found from Mexico to Jaguar

the top of Argentina, Jaguars are so good at hiding that
the harpy eagle has scientists don’t know how many exist
talons longer than a in the wild. They are found throughout
grizzly bear’s claws.
Baby emerald Central America and
tree boas are red the northern
or orange. They half of South
change to green Emerald America.
as they grow up. tree boaAmazon

Harpy eagle

Razor-sharp teeth make
Made piranhas fierce-looking
Tapajóspredators, but insects
ira and fish are their
Araguai
Tocantinsusual foods.

Red-bellied Army ants form
piranha “swarm raids”
Ring-tailed Army ant of over 200,000
coati individuals, which
BRAZIL a kill any creature that
Related to raccoons,
coatis travel in can’t move away.
groups of up to
65 individuals.

Electric This long, snakelike
eel fish has special
organs that give an
Toco electric shock to prey.
toucan
Brasília
Tocos are the
largest type of
toucan. They use
their big bills to
pick and peel fruit.

BOLIVIA

PA R A G U AY

23

24 Andean
mountains
Found in mountain Caracas
woodlands, this The Andes is one of the highest mountain ranges
nonvenomous snake VENEZUELA in the world. It reaches a top height of 22,831 ft
can grow to 61⁄2 ft (6,959 m) and stretches along the west coast of
(2 m) long. rinoco South America. Animals here have to cope with
Magdalena extreme habitats, from glaciers to tropical forests.
O
Milk snake N
This is South America’s E
only bear. It looks like it COLOMBIA
wears glasses because Bogotá WS
of the lighter-colored
fur on its face. Spectacled bear

The northern pudu Amazon
is the tiniest deer in
the world at just
over 12 in
(30 cm) tall.

Quito Northern BRAZIL
E C U A D O R pudu

Only found in Lake Madeira
Titicaca, this huge frog
weighs up to 2.2 lb These domestic
animals live in groups
(1 kg) and breathes in high mountain areas,
through its baggy skin.
where they eat hay,
grass, and ferns.
Also called a cavy, The Peruvian firestick eats ferns.
this wild guinea pig PERU
lives in groups in Montane Peruvian firestick
mountain grassland guinea pig ANDES
and forest edges. The bright-red color
Trueb’s of this stick insect warns
Lima cochran frog BOLIVIA predators to stay away.

Location TitiLcaakcea Titicaca If threatened, it releases
water frog a nasty-smelling liquid.
The Andes stretch more
Llama

than 4,500 miles (7,240 km) The skin on this frog’s La Paz Sucre This pale-pink flamingo
through seven countries. belly is see-through—you gets its color from the
The climate here ranges
can see its internal organs plantlike algae that it
eats, which grow in
from humid rain forest to and even its bones! high, salty lakes.
snowy mountains.

James’s
flamingo

HABITAT KEY ARGENTINA
Caracaras often
Wetlands Deciduous Mountain wander around, turning
Scrublands forests caracara over stones to look for
Temperate Mountains insects, rodents, and
grasslands Cold desert other animals to eat.

Tropical
grasslands

Santiago

Tehxetemndaltehceocckreostf tohneitrsochkeacadn. This goose’s blood
Andean cock of the rock absorbs more oxygen
than other geese, so
Male cock of the rocks are brilliant orange, it can survive at high
while females are brownish. The males gather altitudes where there Andean Colorado
together to show off their feathers to females, is less oxygen in the air. goose Long-tailed
who pick their favorite from the group. IC
CHILE Negro chinchilla
Vicuña ANDES
OCEANWith 60 hairs growing
These small out of each follicle, this
members of the PA C I F I Crodent has very thick fur.
camel family are so Having thick fur is ideal
well-adapted to their25 for the cold temperatures
mountain homes that of the high Andes.
they can survive at The Andean condor Chubut
altitudes as high as is the world’s largest
16,404 ft (5,000 m). flying bird. It rides
mountain air currents Andean
with a wingspan of up condor

to 101⁄2 ft (3.2 m). S O U TH AT L
Short legs allow this OC EAN
A N T

endangered deer to
clamber over rough, high
mountain terrain. It is the Huemul
national animal of Chile.
Also known as the
zorro, these foxlike
wild dogs hunt lizards,
Culpeo insects, rabbits, and Fal kl a n d
geese. They make their Isla n d s
dens in rocky caves.

SCALE

0 250 miles

0 250 kilometers

Temperate This lizard gets up to
pampas 41⁄2 ft (1.4 m) long. During
the day it hunts for snails,
With level plains as far as the eye can see, it’s no spiders, and insects.
wonder native South Americans named this region
pampas—meaning “flat surface.” This temperate DE Argentine black
grassland provides plenty of seeds for birds, CÓRDOBA and white teju
insects, and small mammals to eat.
This bloodsucking
SIERRAS bug feeds on rodents, Assassin bug
marsupials, and even
humans. It sometimes
passes on a parasite
that causes disease.

This medium-sized fox
throws itself to the
ground and plays dead
if danger passes.

Desaguadero Mollina’s
hog-nosed skunk
Eyes high osneeitws hheenadit aslwloiwmst.he This skunk uses its Pampas fox
coypu to broad, fleshy nose ARGENTINA
to snuffle out beetles The greater rhea can reach
Coypu and spiders to eat. 41⁄2 ft (1.4 m) tall. It can’t
fly, but it can run as fast as
Sometimes mistaken for a beaver, With yellow, white, 37mph (60 kph).
the coypu is a water-loving rodent green, blue, red, and
that can get up to 3 ft (1 m) long. black feathers, this is one
Also called the “nutria,” it lives in of the most colorful birds
riverside burrows and eats plants. to live in the reedbeds
of the pampas.

Argentine horned frog Many-colored The long, powerful legs
rush-tyrant of this large rodent
At 51⁄2 in (14 cm) long and weighing allow it to run up to
up to 1 lb (480 g), the horned frog 30 mph (48 kph).
is big enough to eat lizards,
mice, and even other Greater rhea
horned frogs.

Patagonian
mara

26 Colorado

Salado HABITAT KEY
Paraná
Temperate Tropical
grasslands grasslands

The kingfisher plunges Wetlands Mountains
headfirst into streams
and rivers to catch
small fish.

Amazon N Thecmheaslteipsabmripgahstlmy ecaoldoorwedla.rk’s
kingfisher WE
Pampas meadowlark
S
This endangered pampas bird
Related to polecats U R U G U AY likes to nest on the ground in
and wolverines, the groups. More than 60 nests
feisty lesser grison have been found in one area,
is excellent at all clustered together.
hunting rabbits.
Burrowing owl
Lesser grison Buenos Aires RÍO Montevideo
About the size of a The burrowing owl usually lives
domestic cat, Geoffroy’s P L A D E in abandoned burrows dug
cat hunts for rodents T by other animals. It piles
and birds, as well as LA mammal dung around the
frogs and fish. A entrance to attract dung
beetles, which are one
Pampas grass can grow Geoffroy’s cat of its favorite foods.
up to 81⁄2 ft (2.6 m) tall!
The “plumes” on top 27
are its flowers.

Pampas grass Millions of these deer
once roamed the
pampas, but today they Pampas deer
have to compete with
cattle and humans
for space.

This large rodent has N T IC
thick, soft fur. Several live AN
together in enormous A
underground burrows.
L
E

T
C

A
O

Plains vizcachas

SCALE 100 miles Location

0 The pampas lies mostly in
Argentina, stretching into
0 100 kilometers Uruguay. Although it is
warm and humid here, the
summer dry season often
brings wildfires.

Pantanal Jabiru stork A jabiruthsetoPraknwtaandaels. through

The Pantanal is the world’s largest wetland, The jabiru is the tallest
which means a lot of it is underwater for much flying bird in South and
of the year. The 3,500 different plant species Central America, and
that grow here make it an ideal home for lots can grow to over 3 ft
of birds and mammals, including the capybara, (1 m) high. It grabs fish,
which is a giant relative of the guinea pig. frogs, and insects with
its enormous bill.

This big freshwater About as big as a N HABITAT KEY
snail grows up to 6 in medium-sized WE
(15 cm) long! It only dog, the capybara Tropical Deciduous
comes out of the water is the world’s S grasslands forests
at night to find food. largest rodent.

Wetlands

Channeled The roseate spoonbill Paraguay Anacondas live in and
apple snail sweeps its spoon-shaped out of water. They can be
Capybara bill from side to side to up to 291⁄2 ft (9 m) long,
scoop up minnows— but hide among water
tiny freshwater fish. plants to surprise prey.

BOLIVIA

Green anaconda

SCALE BRAZIL

0 50 miles This wetland plant’s Roseate The marsh deer has
leaves can grow to 8ft spoonbill broad hooves that
0 50 kilometers (2.5m) across, and can spread out to prevent
hold an animal weighing them from sinking
up to 45 lb (20.5 kg)! in marshy ground.

Marsh deer

Location Giant water lily This clever monkey
uses rocks to crack
The Pantanal lies south of nuts and crush crab
the Amazon rain forest in shells to get at the
Brazil, Bolivia, and Paraguay. food inside.
It gets so much rain that
80 percent of it is flooded Hooded capuchin
during the rainy season.

PA R A G U AY Yacare caiman

Giant otter Caiman look like
their alligator relatives,
Found only in South American rivers but have a pointier snout.
and rain forests, giant otters get The yacare gets up to
up to 41⁄2 ft (1.4 m) long. 10ft (3m) long. Its favorite
They eat fish, crabs, and food is the piranha, but it
even small caimans! also eats apple snails.

arwin Island D Galapagos
Wolf Isl a n d d
The Galápagos are a group of volcanic islands
Location that lie about 621 miles (1,000km) off the
coast of Ecuador. There are several larger
The Galápagos islands islands and many more smaller ones. Three
cluster around the equator major ocean currents meet here, bringing in
in the Pacific Ocean. They have lots of different sea animals.
two seasons—a cool, dry
season and a warm season. PA C I F I C OCEAN

More lava lizards live Ma r cahnedn a
in the Galápagos than Is l
any other reptile. They
Although it can’t fly, warm themselves on Bright-blue feet make A marine iguana grazes on seaweed.
this cormorant is a sunny rocks. this bird easy to spot.
powerful swimmer Galápagos lava Female boobies have
and hunts eels and lizard darker-blue feet
octopuses on the than males.
ocean floor.
Santa
San S a l Blue-footed n Marine iguana
booby
Fe r n a Flightless s l a Marine iguanas are the only lizards
vador I to swim in the ocean, where they look for
cormorant seaweed to eat. Special glands clean salt
n d i a n d Galápagos from their blood, which they sneeze out!
na Isl hawk
Galápagos
This little penguin sea lion San
lives farther north C r u z n d
than any other I sla
penguin species. Galápagos
The Galápagos hawk This sea lion can C tortoise
is very rare. It mostly move its back flippers This tortoise can grow
eats giant centipedes, independently, so it r up to 5 ft (1.5 m) long
but also catches rodents can “gallop” on land. I
Galápagos and young iguanas. s
i n t
s d
a
penguin l ó

I s a bela Island b a l

and weigh up to
500 lb (227 kg).
Some of them are
over 100 years old!
Sally Lightfoot crab Sa nta a r í a Esp
Isl d Isl SCALE
This bright-red crab earned its M a ñ o l a
an a n d
name by scuttling around at N
high speeds. It hides from
birds by squeezing E 0 25 miles
into tiny spaces W

between rocks. S 0 25 kilometers

29

Cerrado N HABITAT KEY
WE
The Cerrado is found almost entirely in Brazil. It Wetlands Tropical
is made up of mostly tropical grassland, but a few S Tropical forests
trees are mixed with it in places, and there are grasslands Deciduous
areas of dry forest, too. With more than 10,000 BRAZIL Mountains forests
different plant species, the Cerrado offers plenty Cold desert
of food and shelter for lots of animals. Tapajós
Xingu

Often called “a fox The giant anteater
on stilts,” the maned uses its sticky tongue
wolf’s long legs help to lap up 35,000 ants
it to see over the tall and termites a day!
Cerrado grass.

Bothmamcaalwesaanrde female hyacinth King vultures don’t have Maned wolf Giant anteater
bright blue. a great sense of smell. To King vulture Boettger’s
make up for it, they follow caecilian
Hyacinth macaw other vultures to lead them
to dead animals to eat.
The longest parrot on the planet,
the hyacinth macaw can be 3 ft BOLIVIA

(1 m) long. Their large bills are able Although it has no
to crack even the hardest palm nuts. legs, this isn’t a snake,
but an amphibian that
lives underground. Only the male
helmeted manakin
has this flashy red
crest. The female
is a plain gray-
green bird.
Helmeted
manakin

Found all over Central Green iguana
America and the north of
South America, this lizard
spends most of its life in
trees, where it eats
tender green leaves.

Leaf-cutting ants

These ants “saw” leaves into pieces
with their jaws. They carry the bits back
to their underground home, where a PA R A G U AY
fungus grows on them, which the ants
30

harvest and eat.

This cat can leap SCALE 200 miles Location

0 The Cerrado lies in central
Brazil. While it rains a lot
uaia up to 61⁄2 ft (2 m) here, the showers only fall
ocantins off the ground 0 200 kilometers during half the year, so it
Arag to catch birds. is dry for the other half.

T

Jaguarundi

Also called the racerunner, Sobradinho dam
this lizard relies on speed
Giant ameiva to escape predators in
Giant the grasslands.

armadillo This bird can run at
speeds of up to 25 mph
(40 kph) for short
distances—about as
fast as a top sprinter.

The giant armadillo Red-legged
can grow to 3 ft (1 m) seriema
long. It rips open
termite mounds with São Francisco This mound houses a termite colony.
its front claws to reach
the tasty insects inside. Termites

Karimi’s fat-tailed Brasília Termites are ant-sized insects
mouse opossum Just 31⁄2 in (9.5 m) long, that build their own “cities.”
this tiny opossum stores These huge mounds get up to
fat in its tail like a camel 30in (77cm) high. The mounds
stores fat in its hump. have underground chambers
where workers store wood, care
for eggs, and even grow fungal
gardens for food!

Paraná Soldier termites
IAN protect the mound
with their huge jaws.
HIGHLANDS
Cuyaba BRAZIL
dwarf frog

This tiny frog puffs
up the two “eyespots”
above its back legs to
scare away predators.

Bush dog AT L A N T I C OCEA Worker termites
are smaller than
This short-legged, stocky soldiers and don’t
carnivore has webbed have large jaws.
feet, which make it a
N 31

good swimmer.

Cordillera Andean condor Female
Blanca condors produce just one egg
every two years. It takes almost
Part of the Andes, this is the largest tropical mountain 60 days for the egg to hatch.
range in the world. Peaks over 19,685ft (6,000m) high Guanaco The guanaco is a
surround valleys filled with lakes and streams. There member of the camel family.
isn’t much oxygen at these heights, so it is hard to Movable pads on its hooves
breathe, but the animals here manage surprisingly well. help it walk over rocky ground.

Taruca

You can tell a taruca apart
from other deer by the
dark, Y-shaped mark
on its face. It feeds on
mountain grasses, and
travels into valleys to
find water.

The guanaco is the ancestor Andean goose The Andean
of domestic llamas. The closely goose lives in mountain
related vicuña is the ancestor wetlands, but it doesn’t swim
of domestic alpacas. well, so it avoids the water!

Colocolo The colocolo is a
nocturnal predator that hunts
rodents, guinea pigs, and
ground-nesting birds.

Southern mountain vizcacha

The rabbitlike vizcacha spends a lot of The colocolo resembles
time on rocky ledges, basking in the sun. a house cat, but can be
32 Vizcachas are related to chinchillas. It is covered in thick, soft fur all the way identified by the dark-
to the end of its curled tail. colored bands and
lines around its legs.

Mountain caracara This Torrent duck
black-and-white bird of prey
builds nests of sticks on cliff Native to the Andes,
ledges in the high Andes. the torrent duck plunges
in and out of cold,

fast-moving mountain
streams to catch insect
larvae to eat. Females,
like this one, are
orange, but males
are black and white.

The spectacled bear
lives only in the
Andean mountains.

Spectacled bear The
spectacled bear eats fruit,
flowers, and plants. It also
hunts insects, rodents, and
birds in grassland habitats.

Culpeo The culpeo spends
most of its time alone, but
parents stay together to raise
cubs in mountain dens.

Gianhtuhmummminignbgibrdirsdisnatrheethweorbldig.gest Giant hummingbird Location

Giant hummingbirds get up to 8½ in The Cordillera Blanca is
(21.5 cm) long! They mostly feed on nectar a chain of mountains in
from flowers, looking for the ones with the northern Peru. Snow
highest levels of energy-filled sugar. They covers many of them,
also eat spiders and small insects. and temperatures range
from 37–73˚ F (3–23˚ C).

33

Africa Canary Islands MOROCCO TUNISIA
ALGERIA
This continent is so large and has so many different (SPAIN)
habitats, it feels as if there are several Africas, not AHARA NIA
just one. With deserts and rain forests, mountains S
and grasslands, Africa is home to some of the best-
known—and most endangered—species on Earth. WESTERN

A

T

I

R

CAPE U MALI

VERDE A

M NIGER

SENEGAL

THE GAMBIA GUINEA BURKINA FASO
GUINEA-BISSAU

AT L A N T I C SIERRA LEONE LIBERIA IVORY COAST BENIN NIGERIA OON
OCEAN TOGO

GHANA

African savanna GULF OF Bioco CAMER
GUINEA
Africa’s tropical grassland EQUATORIAL GUINEA
is known as savanna. It is often
what people think of when they São Tomé & GABON
imagine Africa: vast, open, grassy Príncipe
plains. Lots of hoofed animals live
here, moving around in search of CONGO
fresh grass—or, in the giraffe’s
case, tender acacia leaves to eat. N

WE

S

South African fynbos HABITAT KEY

The southwest tip of South Tropical forests
Africa is covered with Deciduous forests
shrubs and heathland Coniferous forests
known as fynbos. Animals Tropical grasslands
such as tortoises, frogs, and Scrublands
small baboons live among Deserts
the 9,000 plant species that Wetlands
grow here. That’s more Mountains
plant species than in South Mangroves
America’s Amazon rain forest!

34

MEDITERRANEAN SEA Sahara desert

L I B YA Huge, hot, and harsh, the
Sahara at first seems too
EGYPT SEA extreme a region for anything
SUDAN RED to survive. However, scorpions,
snakes, rodents, lizards, and
even foxes and hyenas make
it their home. Camels also live
here. They were brought to
the desert around 200ce.

ERITREA
CHAD
UGANDA DJIBOUTI

MALIA
CENTRAL SOUTH ETHIOPIA
AFRICAN SUDAN
REPUBLIC

ODFERMTEHPOEUCBRCLAOITNCIGCO K E N YA SO INDIAN Ethiopian highlands
OCEAN
RWANDA Pemba This area is where most of Africa’s tallest
BURUNDI Zanzibar YCHEL L E S mountains are. Since they’re so isolated,
E the highlands are a great place for birds
TA N Z A N I A and mammals, including the gelada, a
type of monkey whose calls sound a lot
ANGOLA A MALAWI COMOROSMADAGASCAR S like human speech.

I Madagascar’s spiny forests

B These are some of Earth’s most amazing
E forests. They contain trees that are tall and
ZAM thin with long, sharp spines for “branches,”
ZIMBABWE U and other trees that are short with lots of
thick, spiky limbs. The spikes don’t stop
Q lemurs from eating the trees’ fruits, though!

I
E

B
U

NAMIBIA WANA MOZAM Réunion MAURITIUS
MCOHZAANMNBEILQ
BOTS (FRANCE)

SAOF U T H A SWAZILAND SCALE
R I C LESOTHO
0 500 miles
1000 miles

0 1000 kilometers

Algiers

Rabat MOROCCO M O U N TA I N S TUN
AT L A S This is Africa’s
only wild sheep.
Just 4 in (10 cm) Barbary sheep Males charge at
long, this lizard each other with
licks its eyes to their heads down
clean them. when fighting.

Striped hyena Dune gecko This snake’s “horns”
are really special scales
Also found in Asia as far as that protect its eyes
India, this nighttime hunter from sand.
has teeth and jaws strong
enough to crush bone. W E S T E R N Desert horned M A H A G GAR
viper O U N T AINS
SAHARA
The desert monitor
OCEAN Desert monitor uses its long, powerful ALGERIA
lizard
Nouakchott tail like a whip to ADRAR
M A U R I TA N I A defend itself.
AT L A N T IC MALI DES
Also called a
“screwhorn antelope,” Gigantic swarms IFORAS
the endangered addax of desert locusts can
has horns up to 47 in contain billions of
(120 cm) long. insects and stretch for
40 miles (64 km).

SCALE Addax Niger Desert NIGER

0 250 miles locust

0 250 kilometers Bamako Niamey
Abuja
Sahara
desert
The Sahara is the Earth’s largest hot desert. It Fennec fox
covers 3,630,000sq miles (9,400,000sq km) and
is home to about 70 animal and 500 plant species. This small fox’s huge
They have to deal with temperatures as high as ears aren’t only great for
135˚F (57˚C) and very little rainfall. hearing. They also help to
keep the fox cool by releasing
its body heat into the air.

Tunis N HABITAT KEY
NISIA WE
MEDITERRANEAN SEA Tropical Wetlands
S grasslands Mountains
Scrublands Hot desert

Tripoli

This scorpion’s venom Cairo
is highly toxic, but it is
rarely fatal to humans. L I B YA EGYPT
Deathstalker This crocodile gets up to
scorpion 20 ft (6 m) long, weighs
2,205 lb (1,000 kg),
and lives up to 40 years.

The tiny hopping Nile crocodile
jerboa’s hind legs
are four times longer
Lesser Egyptian than its front ones.
jerboa
SEA
Found in southern REDTIBESTIThe Dorcas gazelleSandy-colored
desert shrubland, the O U N TA I N never has to drink. markings make it easy
Nubian bustard eats NileIt gets all its moisturefor this bird to hide
large insects, leaves, from eating flowers, from desert predators.
fruit, and grass seeds. i leaves, and bark.
AÏ R M O U N TA I NS M S

The largest tortoise Dorcas Chestnut-bellied
in Africa, this reptile gazelle sandgrouse
can weigh up to
231 lbs (105 kg). ERITREA

African spurred Khartoum Asmara
tortoise

CHAD SUDAN

Nubian bustard ETHIOPIA

NIGERIA N’Djamena
Char

Location Dromedary camel Dromoneldyarony ecahmumelsp.have 37

The Sahara stretches Dromedaries are well suited
across North Africa, from to the desert. They can store
the Atlantic Ocean in the fat in their hump as food, have
west all the way to the thick eyelashes to keep sand
Red Sea in the east.
out of their eyes, and can
drink 40 gallons (182 liters)
of water without stopping!

Emperor scorpion Congo Basin

At 8 in (20 cm) long, the emperor Often called “Africa’s Green Heart,” the Congo Basin
is the largest scorpion on the planet. is a huge area of land surrounding the Congo River.
Surprisingly, despite its big size, its This supports the world’s second-largest rain forest,
sting is not deadly for humans. and, along with swamps and lakes, it is a haven for
hundreds of amazing animals—including bonobos
and chimpanzees, the closest living relatives of humans.

CHAD SOUTH HABITAT KEY
SUDAN
MBANG Wetlands Mangroves
M O U N TA I N S The turaco gets its
Violet bright colors from Tropical Tropical
turaco copper, a metal grasslands forests
CENTRAL found in the plants
that it eats. Mountains

A DI GAHMLAAWNAD S This big cat stashes AFRICAN African
H its prey up trees to REPUBLIC buffalo
keep it out of reach If one buffalo is attacked
of other predators. Ubangi by a lion, the rest of its Juba
herd will rush to defend it.
Bangui

Leopard Timid bongos have
many stripes that look
Yaoundé CAMEROON like light and shade, so Although its legs are
they can hide easily striped like a zebra’s,
in dense rain forests. the secretive okapi
Adult male gorillas is a close relative waarkde
are called “silverbacks” Bongo of the giraffe. Llbearkte
GABON because of the silvery- This slender, peaceful ape Okapi A
The mandrill has the white hair that covers eats less meat than its
most colorful face in the their backs. chimpanzee cousins and Congo One of the world’s UGANDA
monkey world—and a Western gorilla spends more time in trees. most intelligent birds,
bluish-purple bottom! gentle African greys LEd
can learn lots of Kigali
human words.
RWANDA
CONGO Bonobo
DEMOCRATIC
Mandrill REPUBLIC OF African grey
THE CONGO parrot

Bujumbura
BURUNDI

TA N Z A N I A
Brazzaville Kinshasa This tiny bloodsuckerKasai Covered in protective Lake Tanganyika
causes more deaths scales, the pangolin M I T U M BA M O U N TA I N S
ATLANTIC O C E A N Slender lungfish than any other creature rolls itself into a ball Common
The lungfish lives in because it passes on when threatened. pangolin
floodplains that often dry the disease malaria. This eagle swoops down
up. During these times, it Anopheles on fish from nearby
uses its lungs to breathe mosquito trees, grabbing them
air until the water returns. in its sharp talons.

Luanda African fish
eagle
N
WE ANGOLA Congo

S Location

The Congo Basin is located SCALE 200 miles
around the equator in
west-central Africa. There 0
are hot, humid places, and
cooler, dry ones. Some parts ZAMBIA 0 200 kilometers
also get a lot of rain.

White-throated Chimpanzee The red river hog uses its snout to
bee-eater sniff out tasty roots in the ground.
This smart ape lives in family
The bee-eater lives groups and can walk on two
in large families. It rubs legs as well as four. It uses
bees and wasps against a tools, such as rocks and sticks,
hard surface to remove their to help it get food.
stings before eating them.
Red river hog
Chimlivpianngzereeslaatirveesonoef ohfutmhaencsl.osest
Red river hogs move around
mostly at night, returning to
burrows during the day to keep
cool. They live in noisy family

groups called sounders.

39

Southern Kinda baboon babies DEMOCRATIC
savanna can have white, gray, REPUBLIC OF
black, or even
Much of southern Africa is covered in tropical multicolored fur. THE CONGO
grasslands called savanna. They’re great places to “Hippopotamus” means
find grazing animals, such as zebras and antelopes. Kinda baboon “water horse,” but the
This also means that they attract predators, such hippo’s closest relatives
as lions. are dolphins and whales!

Hippopotamus

HABITAT KEY

Wetlands Deciduous This tree-dwelling Mohol BIÉ PLATEAU Zambezi
Tropical forests primate, also called galago
grasslands Tropical a bush baby, can jump African lion
Mangroves forests as far as 16 ft (5 m) These dogs help each
Mountains Hot desert in a single leap. other. They rarely fight,
and they take care of
SCALE ANGOLA young, old, sick, or injured African elephant
Lions are social cats. members of their pack. Earth’s largest land
0 100 miles They live in groups animal, the African
called prides. elephant has a brain
0 100 kilometers four times bigger
than a human brain.

ATLANTIC OCEAN Rhinoceroses don’t see BOTSWANA
very well, but they have
good hearing and an Okavango
excellent sense of smell.
African wild dog
Black rhinoceros

NAMIBIA

Location

Grant’s zebra Savanna covers more than
half of Africa, mostly in the
40 Just like human fingerprints, a central and southern parts.
zebra’s stripe pattern is unique. These areas have a rainy and
This means that no two zebras a dry season, but it is hot all year.
have the exact same stripes.

Lake Tanganyika TA N Z A N I A INDIAN OCEAN

Lualaba A Giraffe
S
At up to 19 ft (5.8 m) high, the
B giraffe is the world’s tallest land
N animal. Its very long neck helps

INTTUA IM Male impalas grow it to reach acacia tree
beautiful ridged leaves high above
M horns up to 36 in the savanna.
U (92 cm) long.

O

M

Impala MALAWI
Vervet monkeys spend
hours each day picking Lake Nyasa One of the few savanna
dirt and parasites out trees, the acacia provides
of each other’s fur. food for many animals—
despite its fierce thorns.
ZAMBIA

MOUNTA I N S
Vervet monkey
MUCHINGA Lilongwe
Acacia tree
Lusaka INY Zam M O U N T A I N Sbezi MOZAMBIQUE
Southern ANGA Lesser
Long-legged flamingos
yellow-billed flamingo sweep their bills
hornbill through salty water
to find algae to eat.
This bird snaps up insects
with its curved bill, tossing N MCOHZAANMNBEILQ U E
them into its mouth WE
with a flick of its head.
S
Harare

Plum dung
beetle

Dung beetles recycle animal
poop. They roll it up into balls
and bury them to use later as
food or as places to lay eggs.

ZIMBABWE

Blue wildebeest Wildebeests are also known as gnus. 41

The wildebeest looks like a cow, but
it is a type of antelope. It travels an
astonishing 1,000 miles (1,609 km)

every year, just to find the right
kind of grass to eat.

Kalahari Sociable weaver
desert
These small birds
The Kalahari is a huge, dry, sandy area in southern build giant nests,
Africa. In some parts of the Kalahari, it may not over 21 ft (6 m) wide,
rain for up to eight months. Many animals here with up to 100
have to travel in search of fresh grass to eat, and weavers in each one.
predators follow them. Some nests are so
heavy that they break
the tree they’re in!

Sociable wlaesatvfeorrs’ 1mOOasysievaersn. ests
can

HABITAT KEY Okavango ANGOLA Location
Circling high in the
Wetlands Tropical desert sky on its broad The Kalahari covers most
Scrublands grasslands wings, this bird searches of Botswana and parts of
Hot desert for dead animals to eat. Namibia and South Africa.
In summer, it can become
as hot as 104˚ F (40˚ C).

SCALE White-backed Growing up to 9 ft This high-leaping
vulture (2.8 m) tall, the antelope moves
0 100 miles ostrich is the world’s around in large herds.
largest bird. It can’t Both males and
0 100 kilometers fly, but it can outrun females have horns.
most of its predators.
Springbok

AOTCLEAANNT I C Ostrich Warthogs kneel BOTSWANA The aardvark’s name
on their front legs means “earth pig.” It
Windhoek when munching can eat up to 50,000
on fresh grass. ants a night!

Cheetah N Common Aardvark Gaborone
W warthog During the day, this large Pretoria
The world’s fastest land NAMIBIA rodent sleeps in caves or
animal, the cheetah can run burrows. At night, it comes
at speeds of up to 68 mph E out to find plants to eat.
(110 kph). It takes just three
seconds for this cat to reach S
its top speed.

Cape
porcupine
African bullfrog
This big frog lives underground Vaal
during the dry season, which can
last 10 months of each year!

SOUTH Bloemfontein
AFRICA
Meerkat

Meerkats help each other protect
their families. They take turns

standing on guard and warn other
meerkats if danger approaches.

Madagascar SCALE Male panther
chameleons are
Madagascar is the fourth-largest island in 0 100 miles color crazy! Their
the world, and it is amazingly rich in wildlife. body patterns are
More than 250,000 different species of 0 100 kilometers a mix of pink, blue,
animals live here, and two-thirds of them orange, green, red,
are found nowhere else on Earth. Sadly, MBIQ U E
ANNE L and yellow.
A Panther
H chameleon
Z INDIAN OCEAN
M O C

many are endangered. Male ploughshare
tortoises try to flip
each other over
during fights.

Location N Ploughshare Betsiboka MADAGASCAR
WE tortoise Tomato
Madagascar is in the frog
Indian Ocean, off the S
coast of Africa. It has two ALlaakoetra
seasons: hot and rainy, The baobab’s thick, This frog’s
and then cool and dry. wide trunk can hold bright-red color
thousands of liters is a warning to
of rainwater. predators that
it is toxic.

Antananarivo

Leaf chameleon ANKARATRA MASSIF This hedgehoglike
animal has spines
Just 1.1 in (29 mm) sticking out of its fur.
long, this tiny species
of leaf chameleon Lowland
remained unknown streaked tenrec
to scientists
until 2012. Baobab

HABITAT KEY

Leaf wchoarlmd’eslesomnsalalerset possibly the Mangoky Mangroves Tropical
reptile. This strange-looking Mountains forests
The lemur taps its long Deciduous
middle finger on trees forests
to find grubs—its
ring-tailed favorite food. Fossa
lemur sunbathes
every morning with Ring-tailed Madagascar’s largest predator is
its arms outstretched. lemur the catlike fossa. It climbs trees and
Aye-aye uses its long tail to help it balance.
Comet moth Fossas hunt many animals, from
lemurs to fish.
The comet moth is also
called the Madagascan
moon moth. It has a
wingspan of 8 in (20 cm)
and its striking tail is 6 in
(15 cm) long. This moth
lives for just a few days.

43

Kruger
National Park

South Africa’s Kruger National Park is filled with
wildlife. More than 140 mammal species and
hundreds of birds live in its savanna, mountains,
and tropical forests. Watering holes provide places
for animals to drink during the dry season.

Giraffe Special valves in
a giraffe’s neck stop blood
from rushing to its head
when it bends over to drink.

The white-backed vulture is the most Honey badger Almost Hippopotamus A hippo’s
commonly seen vulture in Africa. 3 ft (1 m) long, the honey eyes, ears, and nose are on top
badger is one of the most of its head, so it can see, hear,
White-backed vulture fearless animals in Africa. and breathe while the rest of
It even fights lions! it is underwater.
This big vulture eats dead
animals. Up to 1,000 of them Aardvark The aardvark
may gather to feed on an uses its wide, strong claws
elephant carcass, squabbling to dig burrows as well as
and fighting while they eat! find insects to eat.

Secretary bird The aardvark’s nostrils

The secretary bird strides contain lots of hairs to
stop dust from going up
through the savanna on its long its nose when it is digging.
legs, looking for grasshoppers,
44 voles, and mice to eat. It kills

snakes by stomping on them!

Plains zebra Zebra herds African elephant An Bateleur
travel long distances to find elephant’s trunk contains
enough grass to eat. They 40,000 muscles! It uses its This eagle’s name
must also drink at least once trunk to spray water into its means “tightrope
a day. mouth for a drink. walker” because it
rocks its wings from
side to side when it
glides, as if it’s
balancing. Its bright-
red face has no
feathers at all.

African elephants have
much larger ears than
Asian elephants.

African lion In a pride of
lions, females do most of the
hunting. The male is the only
cat with a mane.

Impala To escape predators,
impalas leap forward up to
291⁄2 ft (9m) and as high as 8ft
(2.5m). Sometimes they leap
over each other!

Impalas eat grass in the Cheetahs are instantly recognizable Cheetah Location
rainy season and shrubs from the black spots on their coat.
and herbs at other times. A cheetah’s impressive Kruger National Park
bursts of speed can only covers 7,523 sq miles
last for short distances.
Afterward, it’s tired, so (19,485 sq km) in
other animals can easily northeastern South
steal its kill! Africa. It lies south of
Zimbabwe and west

of Mozambique.
45

Europe ICELAND HABITAT KEY

At first glance, the continent of Europe may seem Deciduous forests IAN
too crowded for wildlife. There are 739 million Coniferous forests SEA
people living here, in 44 countries! But with Scrublands
dense forests, sandy beaches, high mountains, Temperate grasslands
and miles of moorland, animals still have plenty Deserts
of different habitats to choose from. Tundra
Ice
Scottish moorland
AT L A N T I C NORWEG
Northern Scotland has OCEAN N O R WAY
acres of moorland. These
rainy highlands have Faroe Islands
acidic, peaty soil,
formed by sphagnum d
moss. They are full of
a pretty pink- and n
purple-flowering shrub
called heather. Heather S hIestllaa SWEDEN
is home to many insects, s
birds, and small
mammals. d

s n

RTH Öland
SEA
NO DENMARK
IRELAND I sMlaeno f Bornh olm

UNITED ANDS
KINGDOM
NETHERL
C h aIns lnaenld s BELGI G E R M A N Y

UM LUXEMBOURG CZECH

REPUBLIC

BAY OF FRANCE SWITZERLA LIECHTENSTEIN
BISCAY
AUSTRIA
Azore ND
SLOVENIA

SAN MARINO CROATIA

PORTUGAL ADRI

The Camargue Sardinia sicaANDORRAMONACO A

This triangular coastal wetland is found T
where the Rhône River meets the
Mediterranean Sea. Its 359sq miles (930sq I
km) of sandy marshes are home to 400 bird Cor SEA
species, and to animals unique to this area, C
such as the Camargue horse. I

T

A

S PA I N L

Majorca Minorca Y
VATICAN
Ibiza Islands CITY
Balearic
TYRRHENIAN

Gibraltar MEDITERRANEAN SEA
S E A Sicily
46 Madeira

MALTA

SCALE 500 miles 1000 miles Northern taiga
1000 kilometers
0 The coniferous forests of
Norway, Sweden, Finland,
0 Russia, and Iceland have
long, cold winters and mild
summers. Animals like the
Eurasian moose prefer it
that way—they overheat
easily, so the cool taiga is
one of their favorite places!

GULF OF B OT H N I A FINLAND

RUSSIA
(European Russia)

A ESTONIA

E

S

d

tlan LATVIA

IC

Go N
WE
LT
S
A
CAS
B LITH U A

RUSSIA N I

(KALININGRAD) A

BELARUS

POLAND UKRAINE Mediterranean coast

SLOVAKIA M Thousands of people live near the
Mediterranean Sea, and there are
OLDOVA SEA always plenty of visitors. This leaves
HUNGAR R O M A N I AMONTENEGRHOEBRZOSENGIOAVI&NA Crimea PIAN little space for wildlife. However,
larger mammals, such as the
Y BLACK SEA endangered Mediterranean
monk seal, are found on
TURK rocky offshore islands.

SERB IA

KOSOVO B U L G A R I A Carpathian Mountains
(DISPUTED)
MACEDONIA EY The Carpathian Mountains run for
GREECE 932 miles (1,500 km) through central
AEGEAN and eastern Europe. They are home to
ALBANIA SEA wolves, wild boar, and around 8,000
brown bears, mostly in Slovakia,
IONIAN Poland, Ukraine, and Romania.
SEA
47

Crete

Puffins can fly at about NORWEGIAN SEA
55 mph (88 kph) and
swim underwater for In the spring, several
up to one minute. male hares chase a
female, who may turn
Puffins around and box them
ICELAND with her front feet!

Reykjavík

FINLAND

Mountain hare

Predators hunt many of SWEDEN A superb climber, This bat has shaggy
these small rodents, but their the lynx often hides brown fur with
numbers grow quickly. Females in trees and then blond tips. It is the
can have young every 3 to 4 drops down onto an only bat found north
weeks, all year round! unsuspecting deer. of the Arctic Circle.

N Norway
WE lemming

S Northern
bat

The boreal owl Eurasian
has such good lynx
hearing that it
N O R WAY Boreal owl can pinpoint voles
hidden beneath
the snow.

Oslo Helsinki

Northern Stockholm Tallinn
European taiga
ESTONIA
Taiga is the evergreen forest that grows in cool,
wet, mountainous places in the far north of the BALTICotl a n d A
world. Mammals need thick, furry coats, and birds SEG Riga
need to fluff up their feathers to keep warm.
During the cold winters, food can be hard to find. LATVIA

LITHUANIA
BELARUS