Animal Encyclopedia (2nd Edition): 2,500 Animals with Photos, Maps, and More! (National Geographic Kids)

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Inbreeding is reproduction with close family members. Groups of species that have a tendency to inbreed usually have little genetic variation, because no new genetic information is introduced to the group. Disease is much more common, and much more deadly, among inbred groups. Inbred species do not have the genetic variation to develop resistance to the disease. For this reason, fewer offspring of inbred groups survive to maturity. Accuracy/ Authority/ Bias: National Geographic is a well-known and well respected publisher. They are also known for their work with animals and wild life from their National Geographic Magazine.

Biologists, anthropologists, meteorologists, and other scientists have developed complex ways to determine a species’ probability of extinction. These formulas calculate the chances a species can survive, without human protection, in the wild.

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Spelman, L. (2013). Animal encyclopedia: 2500 animals with photos, maps, and more! Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society. A species is vulnerable if its population has declined at least 50 percent and the cause of the decline is known. Habitat loss is the leading known cause of population decline.

Most zoos have specializedenclosures and habitats for specific animals. Zoos in cold climates, such as Novosibirsk, Russia, must recreate warm ecosystems for animals like lemurs. Lemurs are a type of primate native to the island of Madagascar, off Africa’s east coast. The summer temperatures of both Siberia and Madagascar are about the same—around 21 degrees Celsius (70 degrees Fahrenheit). Threatened categories have different thresholds for these criteria. As the population and range of the species decreases, the species becomes more threatened. Species with fewer than 10,000 mature individuals are vulnerable. The species is also vulnerable if that population declines by at least 10 percent within 10 years or three generations, whichever is longer. Accessibility/Diversity: This book contains a wide-range of animals from all over the world. All students would enjoy reading about different types of animals and looking at the various photographs and maps. A species is classified as endangered when its population is restricted to less than 250 mature individuals. When a species’ population is this low, its area of occupancy is not considered.Accuracy/Authenticity/Bias: Author Lucy Spelman is a biologist. National Geographic is considered a world leader in nonfiction resources. Content/ Scope: This book contains over 2,500 different animals with images and maps to show students location of the animals. It also has facts about each animals they display. This is one of the most comprehensive animal encyclopedias for students today. Containing everything a student would need to get started on their research of an animal. Spelman, L. (2012). Animal encyclopedia: 2,500 animals with photos, maps, and more!. National Geographic. Species that are not threatened by extinction are placed within the first two categories—least concern and near-threatened. Those that are most threatened are placed within the next three categories, known as the threatened categories—vulnerable, endangered, and critically endangered. Those species that are extinct in some form are placed within the last two categories—extinct in the wild and extinct. This book is one that will be a welcome addition to any child’s or adult’s bookshelf, so long as that child or adult has a love of animals of any type. There is so much out there to know more about, and this, while maybe just the tip of the iceberg, is a great way to get started in learning more.

A globe is a three-dimensional scale model of the Earth or other round body. Because it is spherical, or ball-shaped, it can represent surface features, directions, and distances more accurately than a flat map. On the other hand, a globe may be less practical for travelers, since globes are much bulkier than flat maps and often carry less detailed information. Like most early terrestrial globes, most early celestial globes were made of metal. Metalglobes are usually cast in two halves, or hemispheres. These halves are then welded together with hot metal, creating a seam, or raised line, in the middle of the sphere. It is nearly impossible to create seamlessglobes—globes that are made of a single piece of metal. Nevertheless, astronomers and metalsmiths in what is today India and Pakistan created such celestial globes in the 1500s. Brief Description: This encyclopedia is all about animals and it covers 2,500 different species. It includes animal profiles, animal records, and from-the-field reports. Probability of extinction in the wild is at least 50 percent within 10 years or three generations, whichever is longer.A zoo is a place where animals live in captivity and are put on display for people to view. The word “zoo” is short for “ zoological park.” Zoos contain wide varieties of animals that are native to all parts of the Earth. A near threatened species is one that is likely to qualify for a threatened category in the near future. The Tahiti reed-warbler is also endangered because of human activity. The tropical weed Miconia is a non-native species that has taken over much of Tahiti’s native vegetation. The reed-warbler lives almost exclusively in Tahiti’s bamboo forests. The bird nests in bamboo and feeds on flowers and insects that live there. As development and invasive species such as Miconia destroy the bamboo forests, the population of Tahiti reed-warblers continues to shrink.

Early zoos like the Menagerie du Jardin des Plantes were more like museums of living animals than natural habitats. Animals were kept in small display areas, with as many species as space would allow. The San Diego Zoo, in southern California, is the largest zoo in the United States. It is a suburbanzoo that houses more than 4,000 animals (800 different species) in its 0.4 square kilometers (100 acres). Landscape immersion divides animals into their natural habitats, such as the tundra (with reindeer and polar bears) or bamboo forest (featuring pandas.) The San Diego Zoo also includes a wild animal park, which is even more expansive (almost 8 square kilometers or 2,000 acres.) Only recently has a single zoo, Gondwana Game Reserve in South Africa, offered all Big Five animals in one place. Gondwana sits on 10,000 hectares (24,710 acres) near the center of South Africa’s southern coast. Like many large game reserves, Gondwana has diverse ecosystems that occur naturally and has no need for landscape immersion. In Gondwana, grasslands coexist with shrubland called fynbos. Visitors to Gondwana, like many game reserves, can stay in hotels right in the park. The definitions of the three threatened categories (vulnerable, endangered, and critically endangered) are based on five criteria: population reduction rate, geographic range, population size, population restrictions, and probability of extinction.Relation to other works: This library currently has one multi-volume set of encyclopedias. The library does not have currently have a subject encyclopedia. Students who are interested in animals may enjoy looking through this encyclopedia. Additionally, the Next Generation Science Standards places an emphasis on animal and plant structures and their functions. This encyclopedia would supplement some of these standards. The Ethiopian banana frog ( Afrixalus enseticola) is a small frog native to high- altitude areas of southern Ethiopia. It is a vulnerable species because its area of occupancy is less than 2,000 square kilometers (772 square miles). The extent and quality of its forest habitat are in decline. Threats to this habitat include forest clearance, mostly for housing and agriculture. A species is classified as endangered when there are fewer than 2,500 mature individuals. When a species population declines by at least 20 percent within five years or two generations, it is also classified as endangered. Larger than urban and open-range zoos, safari parks are areas where tourists can drive their own cars to see non-native wildlife living in large, enclosed areas. These attractions allow the animals more space than the small enclosures of traditional zoos. Beth Rodgers, Author of ‘Welcome to Chanu-Con!,’ a Children's Picture Book, and ‘Freshman Fourteen’ and ‘Sweet Fifteen,’ Young Adult Novels