First Children Encyclopedia

Making a baby The womb.^119 Divide again You don’t grow much in the first few days. The two cells divide to make four, then eigh ...

Amazing facts about YOU! Human body 120 Your smallest bone is the stapes in your ear, which is smaller than a rice grain. Weight ...

Amazing facts 121 Many germs are not harmful, but some cause illness, and even death. Bacteria are so small that a thousand coul ...

122 Our amazing world is filled with millions of species, or types, of living thing. They can be as big as an elephant or so sma ...

123 Fungi Fungi (like toadstools, mushrooms, and moulds) are neither plants nor animals, but they’re more like plants than anima ...

124 A key definition of an animal, as opposed to a plant, is that most animals can move voluntarily. Animals must also eat other ...

125 Making babies Most animals reproduce when a female egg is fertilized by a male sperm. Some animals give birth to babies, whi ...

126 There are so many different types, or species, of animals that scientists put them in groups so it’s easier to study them. M ...

127 Birds All birds have wings, and most (but not all) can fly. They have feathers and a beak. Baby birds hatch from eggs. Fish ...

How many mammal families are there? 128 The living world Mammals include animals such as the whale, the kangaroo, and you and me ...

There are about 4,500 different types of mammal in the world.^129 The world of mammals Hairy beasts All mammals are hairy – some ...

Which are bigger, wallabies or kangaroos? The living world 130 A marsupial is a mammal with a pocket called a pouch for carrying ...

Marsupials Kangaroos look like wallabies, but they are bigger.^131 In the pouch Most marsupials have pouches. When the babies ar ...

What noise do seals make? The living world 132 Water mammals Underwater lives Seals spend most of their lives in water, but retu ...

Water mammals Seals bark like dogs! Otters of the sea The sea otter is the smallest sea mammal. It has luxurious, thick fur that ...

What is the world’s smallest bird? The living world 134 Only a few animals in the world are able to fly – insects, bats, and bir ...

The world of birds The smallest bird in the world is the bee hummingbird.^135 Flight A bird can fly because it has wings and a v ...

What is the longest snake in the world? The living world 136 Reptiles are egg-laying animals that have a tough skin covered in s ...

The world of reptiles The reticulated python can reach lengths of 10 m (33 ft).^137 Become an expert 138-139 The world of amphib ...

What is the world’s most poisonous frog? The living world 138 Amphibians are different from reptiles in that they have smooth sk ...