by Donald M. Silver and Patricia J. Wynne N e w Y o r k T o r o n t o L o n d o n A u c k l a n d S y d n e y M e x i c o C i t y N e w D e l h i H o n g K o n g B u e n o s A i r e s
Contents Introduction... 4 Cave... 5 City...10 Coral Reef...15 Desert...20 Grassland... 25 Island...30 Marsh... 35 Mountain...40 Ocean... 45 Polar Regions...50 Pond... 56 River...61 Seashore...66 Tropical Rain Forest...71 Tundra...76
Cave Starting at the entrance, delve deeper into this mini-book to see what lives inside the cave. Habitat Hallmarks A cave is a large, open space underground or inside a mountain. Most caves were formed over thousands of years as underground water slowly dissolved limestone to create the open spaces. Inside a cave, water containing dissolved minerals may continue to seep through cracks in the rock. As the water evaporates, the minerals it leaves behind crystallize and form stalactites (icicleshaped rocks that hang from the ceiling) and stalagmites (rounded rocks that rise from the cave floor). Where stalactites and stalagmites meet, they form a column. Some animals, such as deer, raccoons, and skunks, might sometimes wander in and out of a cave. Daylight can penetrate only the opening part of the cave, where ferns, mosses, and a few other plants can make food and grow. Swallows, barn owls, and phoebes often build nests on the cave walls. Wood rats nest here, too. These animals move in and out of the cave to hunt. In places with cold winters, snakes, frogs, and bears might also seek shelter in a cave. Deeper inside, very little to no light reaches the rest of the cave. No plants can grow there. A few animals, however, have adapted to life in total darkness. Blind cave beetles and daddy longlegs feel their way around using antennas or other body parts. Blind cavefish find food by sensing movement in the water. Bats emit very high-frequency sounds that echo back to their ears. From these echoes, bats are able to fly in and out without hitting the cave walls or one another. Millions of bats live in very large caves. They sleep by day hanging upside down from the cave ceiling and fly out by night to feed on moths, mosquitoes, and other insects. Making the Mini-book 1 Photocopy pages 7 9. 2 Cut out all the pieces along the thick, solid lines. Fold pages 1 to 4 of the mini-book along the dashed lines lengthwise. Then fold again, as shown. Repeat for pages 5 to 8. Materials Reproducible pages 7 9 Scissors Tape Crayons, colored pencils, or markers (optional) 5
CCave e More to Do World of Caves Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico and Mammoth Cave in Kentucky are two of the most famous caves in the world. So are the Lascaux Cave in France and the Waitomo Caves in New Zealand. Challenge students to research one of these caves and report on what kinds of animals live there or why the cave is famous. 3 Unfold the pages and cut out the center sections of pages 1 and 3 to 8 along the thick, solid lines. Fold the mini-book pages again. 4 Stack pages 1 to 4 on top of pages 5 to 8 and tape together at the left along the folded spine. Tape page 9 to page 8 along the spine. 5 Insert one flying bat into the opening on page 1 and tape in place. Tape the barn owl to page 4; the cave swallow, phoebe nest, and scorpion to page 5; and the remaining bats around the opening on pages 7 and 8. Resources Hello, Bumblebee Bat by Darrin Lunde and Patricia J. Wynne (Charlesbridge, 2007). Readers follow an inch-long bat as it flies in and out of a cave, answering questions about where it lives and what it does. http://www.mostateparks. com/onondaga/animals.htm This unusual site describes the five main groups of cave animals. Click on the link food chains and pyramids to learn about bats and a cave food pyramid. 6 Fold the stalactite and stalagmite pieces along the dashed lines. Tape the folded flap of the stalactite to the back of page 9, as shown. Repeat with the stalagmite at the bottom of the page. Teaching With the Mini-book Invite students to color, assemble, and read the text on their mini-books. Then check for understanding by asking them these questions: 1 What is a cave? (A large open space underground or inside a mountain) 2 Which part of a cave receives some light? (The part just inside the cave entrance) 3 How can bats fly around without hitting cave walls or one another? (They use echo sounds to tell them where to fly.) 4 Can all cave animals see? (Some, such as bats, can; others, such as cavefish, are blind.) 6
Cave Eastern phoebe Orb spider A cave is a large, open space underground or inside a mountain. Bats and birds fly in and out of a cave s opening. Bears sometimes enter, too. Black bear Cave swallows Cricket 2 Red cave salamander 3 Barn owlets What s in a Cave? A little daylight shines just inside the opening of a cave. Look! A barn owl flew in with food for its young. Hungry baby phoebes wait for their parents to bring them food. Snail 4 1 Centipede American toad 7
Cave Deep inside the cave, there is no light. That s okay. Bats use echo sounds to tell them where to fly. Blind cavefish swim in a stream. Blind animals feel their way around. 6 7 8 Wood rat Cave swallow nests Daddy longlegs 5 White cave cricket Blind cavefish Blind cave salamander Bats 8