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There are 5,000 species of sponge, all of which live either in the sea or fresh water. Instead, they use a process called photosynthesis, trapping sunlight energy to turn carbon dioxide and water into food. Most plants do not move actively or feed on other organisms. PLANTS From grasses to giant trees, all plants require water, sunlight, and soil in which to grow their roots. All animals move at least part of their body, and many move around actively to find their food, using one or more senses to detect it. They are all multicellular (made from many cells), and get their food by eating other living things.
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Fungi feed by releasing digestive chemicals called enzymes that break down dead or living matter, then absorb the simple nutrients that are released.ĭespite their diversity, all animals share certain key features. Some resemble plants, but they live in a very different way. They are divided into animal-like protozoa, which take in food from their surroundings, and plantlike algae, which make food by photosynthesis.įUNGI Mushrooms, toadstools, molds, and yeasts are just some of the organisms that make up the fungi. Protists generally live in water or damp places. PROTISTS Like bacteria, most protists also consist of single cells, but they are larger and just as complex as the cells that form animals and plants.
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Some take in food from their surroundings, while others make their own, using sunlight or other sources of energy. Bacteria consist of single cells that, despite being simpler than those in other organisms, work in the same basic ways. BACTERIA These are the tiniest, most abundant, and most widespread life-forms. Each has its own features, as you can see here. Scientists divide life-forms into five distinct groups called kingdoms. They all obtain energy, grow, respond to their surroundings, and reproduce- things that nonliving objects, such as rocks, cannot do. But, despite their obvious differences, all living things share certain common features. These creatures are a tiny sample of the enormous variety of animals found worldwide.įrom microscopic bacteria to massive blue whales, planet Earth is populated by a spectacular variety of life. SAVANNA WILDLIFE At a waterhole in the African savanna, giraffes, zebras, birds, and other thirsty animals gather to drink. Glossary 124 Index 126 Acknowledgments 128 Warnings Competition Instinct Learning Male and female Courtship Eggs Life histories Parental careĮcosystems Food webs Time out Migration Life in the extreme Partnerships Colonies Parasites Alien species New varieties
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Life skills Respiration Feeding Movement Speed Maintenance Senses Vision Hearing Smell and taste Communication Defenses Camouflage Life Animal kingdom Classification Invertebrates Vertebrates Skeletons Symmetry Life spans Mammals Birds Reptiles Amphibians Fish Echinoderms Crustaceans Arachnids Insects Mollusks ISBN: 978-0-7566-5234-0 Hi-res workflow proofed by Altaimage, UK Design and digital artworking by Stefan Podhorodecki Printed and bound by LEO, ChinaĪNIMAL LIFE Written by: Richard Walker Consultant: Kim Bryan For details, contact: DK Publishing Special Markets 375 Hudson Street New York, New York 10014 A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress. DK books are available at special discounts when purchased in bulk for sales promotions, premiums, fundraising, or educational use. Published in Great Britain by Dorling Kindersley Limited. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner. LONDON, NEW YORK, MELBOURNE, MUNICH, AND DELHI Project editor Jenny Finch Senior designer Stefan Podhorodecki Designers Sheila Collins, Katie Knutton, Philip Letsu, Hoa Luc, Marilou Prokopiou, Smiljka Surla Commissioned photography Dave King Creative retouching Steve Willis Picture research Nic Dean Production editor Hitesh Patel Production controller Angela Graef Jacket design Akiko Kato, Junkichi Tatsuki Jacket editor Mariza O’Keeffe Design development manager Sophia M Tampakopoulos Turner US editor Margaret Parrish Managing editor Linda Esposito Managing art editor Diane Thistlethwaite Publishing manager Andrew Macintyre Category publisher Laura Buller First published in the United States in 2009 by DK Publishing 375 Hudson Street New York, New York 10014 09 10 11 12 13 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 WD208 – 04/09 Copyright © 2009 Dorling Kindersley Limited All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions.