Kaleidoscope of Creatures: The Colors of Nature Explained

66 Pages·2021·80.303 MB·English

by  Cath Ard, Greer Stothers (illustrator)

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Written by Cath Ard
Illustrated by Greer Stothers
WIDE EYED EDITIONS
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Welcome to a World of Color 4–5
Animal Family Tree 6–7
Feathers, Fur, Scales, and Skin 8–9
Red 10–11
Orange & Pink 12–13
Yellow 14–15
Green 16–17
Blue 18–19
Indigo & Violet 20–21
Black 22–23
White 24–25
Black & White 26–27
Rainbow 28–29
Iridescent 30–31
Stripes 32–33
Spots 34–35
Changing Color 36–37
Stand Out 38–39
Blend In 40–41
Warn Off 42–43
Faking It & False Eyes 44–45
Clever Disguises 46–47
Light Up 48–49
Dazzle & Shock 50–51
Males & Females 52–53
Babies to Grown–Ups 54–55
Wild Cities 56–57
Caring for Creatures 58–59
Glossary 60–61
Index 62–63
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The world is a kaleidoscope of creatures!
This book will take you on a rainbow safari, where
you will meet the most colorful creatures from the
skies, woods, jungles, and seas.
Over eight million different animals swoop, swim,
stalk, and slither across our planet, and they come in
every imaginable shade and pattern under the sun.
But what is the reason behind their beautiful colors?
From rainbow-feathered birds and cats with fancy fur to
fish with glittering scales and frogs with deadly skin—these
incredible coverings all have a job to do. Color and pattern
help animals to survive and thrive.
While some animals blend into their background, others
prefer the art of disguise, imitating another animal or object
to stay safe or to trick prey. Bold patterns and glowing
colors can help creatures to charm a mate—or to flash
a warning to enemies.
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Many animals go for a full coat of color, while others have just
one eye-catching splash. Different coverings can be good for
warming up or cooling down, gripping or sliding, protecting
or defending.
There are creatures that change their appearance as they grow
and others that can switch their look in the blink of an eye.
Sometimes coverings can help us tell males from females,
young from old, weak from strong.
Whatever their purpose, creature colors and patterns make our
world a more interesting and beautiful place. So, let’s celebrate
every shade, speckle, and fleck of this wild kaleidoscope, from
the tiniest, shimmering wings to the biggest, stripy skins!
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animal family tree
We share the planet with millions of different
living things, from tiny bugs to mega beasts.
Scientists make sense of them all by sorting
animals into groups. An elephant and a mouse
look different, but they have things in common
that mean they are
both mammals.
mammals birds reptiles Amphibians fish
• Usually have • Covered in feathers • Have dry, scaly skin • Live in damp • Live in water
hair or fur • Have wings, beaks, • Most lay eggs places • Breathe
• Give birth to and scaly legs • Fully formed young hatch out • Breathe through slits
live young • Breathe with lungs • Breathe with lungs with lungs and called gills
• Breathe with • Young hatch from through their • Have scaly
lungs hard-shelled eggs skin skin
• Feed young • Young hatch • Have fins
with their milk from eggs and tails for
swimming
warm-blooded
These animals can control their cold-blooded
body temperature These animals need the sun’s heat to warm their bodies
Vertebrates
Animals that have a backbone
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animal family tree
Echinoderms annelids mollusks bugs Crustaceans arachnids
• Sea animals • A long, thin • A soft, muscular • Have • Live in water • Have eight legs
• Echinoderm body divided body two feelers • Have jointed legs • Two body parts
means “spiny skin” into rings • No legs called • Have a hard and no wings
• Often with legs • Often live • Some have antennae external shell
growing out from in the soil a hinged shell • Six legs
the center and three
body parts
• Some
have wings
inVertebrates
Animals that don’t have a backbone
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Damp skin
Amphibians breathe through their thin, moist skin. These
Feathers,
animals need to stay damp to survive.
• Some have smooth skin, others have lumpy skin.
• Brightly colored skin acts as a warning to predators.
• Deadly poison oozes from the skin of some amphibians.
Fur, Scales
and Skin
fur
All mammals have some fur or hair on their bodies for warmth.
But fur can do more than just keep a mammal warm.
• Patterned and colored fur can provide camouflage.
• Oil in fur helps to keep animals dry.
• Strong, sharp hairs help some animals to defend themselves.
reptile scales
Most reptiles have scales. All scales are waterproof, so
swimmers don’t get soaked and desert reptiles don’t dry out.
• Colored scales help animals to blend in.
• Thick, prickly scales act like a coat of armor.
• Smooth scales slide and rough scales grip.
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