adopt an animal 2012

7/31/2019 Adopt an Animal 2012

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Name _________________

Our class will be selecting one or two animals to adopt from the Columbus Zoo. You will need to

choose one animal from the list below that you would like our class to adopt:

- it is a type of fish that is closely related to sharks

- they have spines on their tails that can deliver poison

- the color of rays varies widely as does the size

- they are on the verge of extinction due to loss of habitat

- adult males can eat about 50 lbs. of food a day

- live in Africa in small family groups

- they are aquatic mammals and slow swimmers

- they can each up to 150 lbs. of vegetation every day- a manatee can live up to 60 years

- the white tiger is very rare in the wild

- these cats are usually solitary animals

- they are in extreme danger of becoming extinct

- they use echolocation to see their way

- these bats eat fruit, some bats eat insects

- they are very large bats in size with a fox-face


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Using the information provided on a fact sheet, you will need to write a persuasive

essay trying to convince your classmates to vote for the animal you would like to

see our class adopt.

Include interesting information about the animal you have chosen in your essay,and try to use words that grab the attention of a reader.

You will meet in a group of other students who also want to adopt this animal and

as a small group you will need to decide whose persuasive essay you will read aloud

to the class. You also have the option of including parts and pieces of everyones

essay in the essay you read to the class.

Write some information that you would like to include about your animal in your

essay below. This information can come from the information sheets you havebeen given and/or your own knowledge about this animal.

Complete the BOLD BEGINNING SHEET BEFORE YOU WRITE YOUR ESSAY!

Information to Include:


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Adopt-An-Animal Persuasive Essay Name __________________

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The Bengal tiger is a large, striped cat from India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan,

and Burma. It lives in a variety of habitats, including rainforests and dense grasslands.

The Bengal tiger can live to about 18 years in captivity, and probably a few years less

in the wild. Bengal tigers are mostly solitary, but sometimes travel in groups of 3 or 4.

These tigers are in danger of extinction due to over-hunting by poachers.

Anatomy: Male Bengal tigers are up to 10 ft long; females are up to 9 ft long. The tail

is about 3 feet long. The fur is usually orange-brown with black stripes. The fur on the

belly is white with black stripes. White Bengal tigers (with white fur and black

stripes) are very rare in the wild. Tigers have long, sharp teeth in powerful jaws.

Diet: The Bengal tiger is a carnivore (meat-eater). The tiger often kills its prey with a

bite on the neck. It eats deer, pigs, antelopes, cattle, young elephants, and buffalo.
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The White Rhinoceros (meaning "nose horn") is a large, gray-colored rhino with two

nose horns. It is a large, thick-skinned mammal that roams hot, grassy plains in

Africa. The only animals that can kill adult rhinos are people. Poachers sell rhino

horns to use in folk medicine. Rhinos are an endangered species because of hunting

and the loss of habitat. The scientific name of the White Rhino is Ceratotherium

simum (genus and species).

The Horns: The nose horns are made from a hairlike substance that grows throughout

the rhino's life. If the horn is broken off, it will grow back. The horns can grow from 1

to 3 inches (2.5 to 8 cm) each year. The longest-known rhino horn was over 5 feet (1.5

m) long!

Anatomy: The White Rhinoceros is up to 6 1/2 feet (2 m) tall at the shoulder and

weighs roughly 5,000 pounds (2300 kg). Rhinos areperissodactyls, odd-toed

ungulates(hoofed mammals), related to horses.

Diet and Behavior: Rhinos are herbivores (plant-eaters) who graze on grass as they

walk. The White Rhinoceros is nocturnal, it is most active at night and during sunrise

and sunset. During the hot African day, it lies in mud or dust.
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Rays are a type of fish. They are very flat and have no bones, only cartilage.

Rays are closely related to sharks and live in seas all over the world.

Stingrays are rays have spines on their tail which can poison other animals

when stung. Some rays have long, whip-like tails, other species have short tails.

Some rays have a series of thorns on their body as a defense against predators. The

color variation among rays is huge; color even varies from male to female in some

species.

The smallest ray is the Short-nose electric ray, which is the size of a

pancake; it is only 4 inches across and weighs about 1 pound. The biggest ray is

the Manta ray which is over 22 feet wide and weighs many tons (thousands of

pounds).
http://members.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/sharks/rays/Mantaprintout.shtmlhttp://members.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/sharks/rays/Mantaprintout.shtml


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Fruit bats (Family Pteropodidae) are flying mammals that live in dense forests in

Africa, Europe, Australia, and Asia. There are about 166 species of fruit bats. Fruit

bats are sometimes known as flying foxes. These bats live in huge colonies, known

as "camps." These nocturnal (most active at night) animals rest during the day

while hanging upside down from their feet.

Pollination and Seed Dispersal: As fruit bats fly from plant to plant getting food,

they also pollinate the plants they visit. In addition, they disperse the plants' seeds

as they eat. Many plants, including some avocados, dates, mangos, and peaches,

are dependent on these bats for either pollination or seed dispersal.

Anatomy: Fruit bats are relatively large bats. Their wings are long fingers covered

by thin skin, and the body is furry. Males and females look alike. Like all bats,

they have weak legs and don't walk very well. Livingstone's Fruit Bat (Pteropus

livingstonii, from Africa) is one of the largest fruit bats; it has a wingspan of up to

6 ft (1.8 m). The long-tongued fruit bat (Macroglossus minimus) is one of the

smallest fruit bats; it has a wingspan of 5-6 inches (13-15 cm).

Senses and Diet: Fruit bats mostly eat fruit juice and flower nectar. They chew the

fruit, then spit out the seeds, peel, and pulp. Fruit bats, like other Megachiropteran

bats, use the sense of smell to find their food, fruit and/or nectar. Although they

have large eyes and can see well, fruit bats do not use sight as their primary sense.
http://members.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/mammals/bat/Batcoloring.shtmlhttp://members.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/mammals/bat/Batcoloring.shtml


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adopt an animal 2012

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