Laura Marsh - National Geographic Readers: Ugly Animals

Children are naturally curious about the world around them, and
curiosity is a powerful motivation for reading. Studies show that
informational reading is critical to success in school. National
Geographic Kids Readers allow you to feed your childrens interests
and create readers who not only can read, but also want to read!

To sustain childrens excitement about reading, we have created a
special program called NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS SUPER READERS.
As kids read each National Geographic Kids Reader, they cross
off its picture on a free National Geographic Kids Super Readers
poster that parents can download from kids.nationalgeographic.com/
superreaders.

Throughout the process, kids and parents go to the website and
download specially designated prizes that reward their effort. Kids
can have even more reading fun online, with lively book-related
activities, quizzes and games, fascinating excerpts, and sneak
previews of upcoming books.

The National Geographic Kids Super Readers program appeals to
kids love of accomplishment while providing them with incentives
to keep reading. When the reading experience is fun, children learn
more and achieve more. What could be better than that?

Sincerely,

Mariam Jean Dreher
Professor of Reading Education
University of Maryland, College Park

For the scientists and researchers
who spend their lifes work helping animals
on our planet. L. F. M.

Copyright 2015 National Geographic Society

Published by the National Geographic
Society, Washington, D.C. 20036.

All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in
part without written permission of the publisher is
prohibited.

eBook ISBN: 978-1-4263-2132-0
Trade paperback ISBN: 978-1-4263-2129-0
Reinforced library binding ISBN:
978-1-4263-2130-6

Editor: Shelby Alinsky
Art Director: Amanda Larsen
Editorial: Snapdragon Books
Designer: YAY! Design
Photo Editor: Lori Epstein
Design Production Assistants: Sanjida Rashid and
Rachel Kenny

The publisher and author gratefully acknowledge
the expert content review of this book by Sharon
Glaeser, research associate of the Oregon Zoo,
and the literacy review of this book by Mariam
Jean Dreher, professor of reading education,
University of Maryland, College Park.

Cover photo: king vulture; title page: pangolin

Photo Credits

MP = Minden Pictures; NPL: Nature Picture Library
Cover, George Cleminte/Shutterstock; 1, epa
European Pressphoto Agency/Alamy; 3, David
Tipling/NPL; 4-5, Birgitte Wilms/MP; 6, Jiang

Hongyan/Shutterstock; 7, Frans Lanting/National
Geographic Creative; 8, Tomatito/Shutterstock;
9, John Cancalosi/Alamy; 10-11, Frans Lanting/
National Geographic Creative; 12, Dembinsky
Photo Assoc./FLPA/MP; 13, Piotr Naskrecki/MP;
14, Orhan Cam/Shutterstock; 15 (UP), Tim Laman;
15 (LO), Andrew Snyder/NPL; 16 (UP), Pete Oxford/
MP; 16 (CTR), Sandesh Kadur/NPL; 16 (LO), Albert
Lleal/MP; 17 (UP), Stephen Dalton/MP; 17 (LO),
Daniel Heuclin/NPL; 18-19, Paul Nicklen/National
Geographic Creative; 20, Cyril Ruoso/MP; 21,
David Kearnes/Innerspace Visions/Seapics; 22,
Norbert Wu/MP; 23 (UP), Norbert Wu/Science
Faction/Corbis; 23 (LO), Kerryn Parkinson/NOR
FANZ/Caters News/Zuma Press; 24, javarman/
Shutterstock; 25 (UP), Mark Carwardine/Photo
library RM/Getty Images; 25 (LO), David Haring/
DUPC/Oxford Scientific RM/Getty Images; 26,
Ronald Messemaker/Buiten-beeld/MP; 27, Piotr
Naskrecki/MP; 28-29, Oxford Scientific/Getty
Images; 30 (UP-1A), Gerry Ellis/MP; 30 (UP-1C),
Michael and Patricia Fogden/MP/MP; 30 (UP-1D),
yzoa/Shutterstock; 30 (UP-1B), Lynn M. Stone/
NPL; 30 (CTR), Frans Lanting/Corbis; 30 (LO),
Chua Han Hsiung/Shutterstock; 31 (UP), NPL/
Alamy; 31 (CTR RT), Mark Carwardine/Photo
library RM/Getty Images; 31 (CTR LE), image
BROKER/Alamy; 31 (LO), Tim Laman; 32 (UPLE),
Nashepard/Shutterstock; 32 (UPRT), kajornyot/
Shutterstock; 32 (CTR LE), Albert Lleal/MP; 32
(CTR RT), Image Source/Getty Images; 32 (LOLE),
Art Wolfe/Iconica/Getty Images; 32 (LORT),
Dembinsky Photo Assoc./FLPA/MP; Top border
(throughout), EV-DA/Shutterstock; Vocabulary box
art, Val_Iva/Shutterstock

National Geographic supports K12 educators with ELA Common Core Resources.
Visit natgeoed.org/commoncore for more information.

tarsier

On the ground.
In the air.
In the water.

There are
ugly animals
everywhere.
These animals
might not be
pretty. But their
strange bodies
help them live
on Earth. Lets
find out how!

Why do some fish live
in salt water?

Because pepper
makes them sneeze!

rosy-lipped batfish

You can find lots of weird- looking
creatures. Try looking down near
the ground.

The praying mantis gets its name
from its front legs. They look bent in
prayer. Yet those legs are used to hunt.
Tiny spikes hook on to
prey so it cant get away.

PREY: an animal
that is eaten by another animal

praying mantis

tapir

Is it a pig? Is it an elephant? No, its
a tapir (TAY- pur)! A tapirs trunk
grabs leaves and fruit to eat. It makes
a great snorkel in the water, too.

jumping spider

Some jumping spiders can jump up to times their own body length.

You can find this critter on the
ground... but not for long!
A jumping spider spots prey with
its eight eyes. Then it jumps on
its meal.