ASK!

Kids ASK! about Pets & Animals

Shark’s fin… With the coming of Chinese New Year, some families will choose to have their reunion dinners banquet style—10 course dinners and such. That also means that many poor sharks would have sacrificed their lives to be on these dinner tables.

The move to protect sharks is only something of recent years. Sharks are killed for their fins, which are considered delicacies. Due to its popularity as a dish at wedding banquets and formal Chinese dinners, shark populations are diminishing faster than they can reproduce. As a result, shark populations have plummeted so much that it prompted an international call to action.

Sharks have 5 different kinds of fins:

1) Paired pectoral fins that lift the shark as it swims.
2) Paired pelvic fins that help to stabilize the shark.
3) One or two dorsal fins that stabilize the shark.
4) An anal fin - not all sharks have this but it provides stability for those that do.
5) The caudal or tail fin that moves the shark forward.

Depending on the species, a shark can produce up to 10 fins and all of them can be eaten though they may vary in price depending on what fin it is and the species of the shark. The tail fin of a shark is usually the most expensive, for example, the tail fin of the Basking shark can cost about US$10 000.

This part surprised me. I was under the assumption that only one or two fins from the shark can be eaten but a search through the net proved otherwise. What we are really eating is the cartilage—the shark’s fin is cooked for a long time until the fin breaks up into noodle-like strands and that would be the cartilage of the fin. It is believed that shark’s fin has medicinal properties but there are also others who say that shark’s fin can be harmful if consumed consistently over a long period of time due to high levels of mercury.

However, the strongest case against shark fishing is the practice of finning. Finning is the practice of cutting of the shark’s fins and then throwing the shark’s body back to the sea. Sometimes these sharks are still alive when thrown back and end up either drowning or getting eaten by other fishes. Finning has been made illegal in U.S. fishing waters since the year 2000 but is not necessarily effective due to the high demand for shark’s fin, which encourages fishermen to continue such an act because it saves them money.

Shark’s fin is still very popular is Singapore.

Sources:

Title: Nature's predators: sharks by Kris Hirschmann
Call No.: J 597.3 HIR

Ocean Of Know, Fins. Retrieved January 8, 2008, from Ocean Of Know Web site: http://oceanofk.org/sharks/fin.html

Pellissier, H. (2003, Jan 20). Shark Fin Soup: An Eco-Catastrophe?. Retrieved January 8, 2008, from SFGate.com Web site: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/g/archive/2003/01/20/urbananimal.DTL

Hui, S. (2005, Jun 13). Sellers shrug off shark fin brouhaha as just business. Retrieved January 8, 2008, from The Standard Web site: http://www.thestandard.com.hk/stdn/std/Metro/GF13Ak07.html

Sample, I. (2006, Aug 31). Sharks pay high price as demand for fins soars. Retrieved January 8, 2008, from The Guardian Web site: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2006/aug/31/fish.frontpagenews

If you want to find out more information on sharks

For Children:

What do sharks eat for dinner?: questions and answers about sharks by Melvin and Gilda Berger
Publisher : New York : Scholastic, c2000
Call No. : J 597.3 BER

Nature's predators: sharks by Kris Hirschmann
Publisher : San Diego, Calif. : KidHaven Press, c2002
Call No. : J 597.3 HIR

100 facts on sharks by Steve Parker
Publisher : Great Bardfield, Essex : Bardfield Press, 2007
Call No. : J 597.3 PAR

All websites are last accessed on 9 January 2008. Please refer to the terms and conditions on the homepages for use.
All images used are extracted from http://www.amazon.com and http://www.bn.com.
For the availability of the above book titles, please check the library catalogue.

Originally answered by Stephanie Tan, Librarian, Children's Services

Contributed by Felicia Chan, Librarian, Children’s Services

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Posted by Felicia at 01:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Kids ASK! about Pets & Animals

Sleep… that is a topic close to my heart. I cannot imagine going without sleep. If I don’t get enough sleep, I either get snappy or I take longer than usual to give a reply (my mind goes on power-save mode). In fact, not getting enough sleep each day is actually unhealthy. It affects your ability to concentrate, your appetite and many other side effects, which we will save for another day (if you absolutely must know immediately, just ASK!).

But back to animals… do they sleep? We know that fish sleep with their eyes open but how about the rest?

Actually, all animals have a daily pattern of rest and activity. Some animals are more active during the day and some are more active during the night but they will all need some form of rest. It may be sleep as we know it, with eyes closed, dead to the world, like a dog sprawled on the floor, or it can be a relaxed state of rest and inactivity, which are observed in insects.

So how much time do animals spend sleeping and exactly which are the laziest animals in the world?

The top 5 laziest animals are:

The Koala – sleeps up to 22 hours (can you beat that, sleeping the whole day away?)
Sloth – sleeps up to 20 hours (its name says it all)
Armadillo – sleeps up to 19 hours
Opossom – sleeps up to 19 hours
Lemur – sleeps up to 16 hours

Mind you, there are only 24 hours in a day.

How about those that hardly sleeps?

Giraffe – sleeps about 1.9 hours
Horse - sleeps about 2.9 hours
Donkey – sleeps about 3.1 hours
Sheep – sleeps about 3.8 hours
Cow – sleeps about 3.9 hours

If you want a more comprehensive list of animal sleeping hours, you can check out this website.
How Much do Animals Sleep?

Sources:
The Trustees of Indiana University, (2002, July 22). Do Bugs Sleep?. Retrieved November 8, 2007, from A Moment of Science Web site: http://amos.indiana.edu/library/scripts/bugsleep.html

TIME inc., (1997, October 24). Top 5 Laziest Animals. Retrieved November 8, 2007, from TIME for Kids Web site: http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/class/wr/article/0,17585,92555,00.html

Chudler, E. H. (n.d.). How Much Do Animals Sleep?. Retrieved November 8, 2007, from Neuroscience for Kids Web site: http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/chasleep.html

If you want to find out more information on animals and sleep

For Children:

Why do bears sleep all winter?: a book about hibernation by Mary Englar
Publisher : Mankato, Minn. : Capstone Press, c2007
Call No. : JP 599.78 ENG

Does a baboon sleep in a bed? By Fred Ehrlich; pictures by Emily Bolam
Publisher : Maplewood, NJ : Blue Apple Books, 2006
Call No. : JP 591.5 EHR

Animals sleeping by Wendy Perkins
Publisher : Mankato, Minn. : Capstone Press, c2004
Call No. : J 591.5 PER

Fish sleep but don't shut their eyes: and other amazing facts about ocean creatures by Melvin and Gilda Berger
Publisher : New York : Scholastic, c2004
Call No. : J 591.77 BER

Sweet dreams: how animals sleep by Kimiko Kajikawa
Publisher : New York : Henry Holt, c1999
Call No. : J 519.5 KAJ

All websites are last accessed on 9 November 2007. Please refer to the terms and conditions on the homepages for use.
All images used are extracted from http://www.amazon.com and http://www.bn.com.
For the availability of the above book titles, please check the library catalogue.

Originally answered by Koh Chee Boon, Librarian, Children's Services

Found this question interesting? What do you think? Post your comments.
If you have a different question, please email to ask@nlb.gov.sg instead of sending a comment.

Posted by Felicia at 01:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Kids ASK! about Pets & Animals

The Octopus is another one of those creatures in the animal kingdom that people cannot immediately place into those generic catagories like mammals, insects, birds. To be honest, the actual name of its group is not helpful either. I cannot even pronounce it without wincing.

The octopus, to set the records straight, is not a mammal. It is a cephalopod (octopod) mollusk of the order Octopoda (see what I mean about the name...). The true octopuses are members of the genus Octopus, a large group of widely distributed, shallow-water cephalopods.

Cephalopods, members of the class Cephalopoda, of the phylum Mollusca, are a small group of highly advanced and organized, exclusively marine animals.

The octopus, squid, cuttlefish, and chambered nautilus are familiar representatives.

Source:
Octopus. (2007). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved March 30, 2007, from Encyclopædia Britannica Online: http://search.eb.com/eb/article-9056739

If you want to find out more information on the octopus:

For Children:

The octopus by Miriam J. Gross
Publisher : New York, N.Y. : PowerKids Press, c2006
Call No. : J 594 GRO

Octopus by Lynn M. Stone
Publisher : Vero Beach, Fla. : Rourke Pub., c2006
Call No. : J 594 STO

It's true! an octopus has deadly spit by Nicki Greenberg ; pictures by Nicki Greenberg
Publisher : Toronto, Ont. : Annick Press, 2007
Call No. : J 594 GRE

Cephalopods, a world guide : Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean, Red Sea, Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean, Arctic, Antarctic by Mark Norman
Publisher : Hackenheim, Germany : ConchBooks, c2003
Call No. : Reference 594.5 NOR

All websites are last accessed on 8 October 2007. Please refer to the terms and conditions on the homepages for use.
All images used are extracted from http://www.amazon.com and http://www.bn.com.
For the availability of the above book titles, please check the library catalogue.

Originally answered by Krist Chan, Librarian, Children's Services
By Felicia Chan, Librarian, Children's Services

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Posted by Norasyikin A Ismail at 12:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Kids ASK! about Pets & Animals

All bees, including bumblebees, buzz.

“Bees buzz for two reasons. First, the rapid wingbeats of many species create wind vibrations that people hear as buzzes. The larger the bee, the slower the wingbeat and the lower the pitch of the resulting buzz. This is a phenomenon of the wingbeats and not specifically of bees--some flies, beetles, and wasps also have buzzy flight caused by their wingbeats.

In addition some bees, most commonly bumblebees (genus Bombus), are capable of vibrating their wing muscles and thorax (the middle segment of their body) while visiting flowers. These vibrations shake the pollen off the flower's anthers and onto the bee's body.

When bumblebees vibrate flowers to release pollen, the corresponding buzz is quite loud.”

Source : "Why do bees buzz?" on Scientific American. (The article is found at sciam.com/print_version.cfm?articleID=00072E53-27F5-12C3-A7F583414B7F0178.)

If you want to find out more information on the "Bees", you may refer to the following books :

Bumble bees by Fran Howard
Publisher : Mankato, Minn. : Capstone Press, 2005
Call No. : JP English 595.79 HOW

Bees by Deirdre A. Prischmann
Publisher : Mankato, Minn. : Capstone Press, c2006
Call No. : J English 599.79 PRI

Bees by Judith Jango-Cohen
Publisher : New York : Marshall Cavendish Benchmark, c2007
Call No. : J English 595.79 JAN

All websites are last accessed on 22 September 2007. Please refer to the terms and conditions on the homepages for use.
For the availability of the above book titles, please check the library catalogue.

Answered by Ms Adeline Tan, Librarian, Children's Services

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If you have a different question, please email to ask@nlb.gov.sg instead of sending a comment.

Posted by Norasyikin A Ismail at 03:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Kids ASK! about Pets & Animals

According to the website, "Starfish dissection", "each sea star has hundreds of tiny feet on the bottom of each ray. These are tube feet, or podia. These tiny feet can be filled with sea water. The vascular system of the sea star is also filled with sea water. By moving water from the vascular system into the tiny feet, the sea star can make a foot move by expanding it. This is how sea stars move around.

Muscles within the feet are used to retract them. Each ray of a sea star has a light sensitive organ called an eyespot. Though it cannot see nearly as well as we do, sea stars can detect light and its general direction. They have some idea of where they are going."

Source: Starfish dissection. Retrieved September 14, 2007, from Animal dissections Web site: http://sps.k12.ar.us/massengale/starfish_dissection2.htm

If you want to find out more information about starfishes, you may refer to the following books :

Sea stars by Jody Sullivan
Publisher: Mankato, Minn. : Capstone Press, c2006
Call Number: J P 593.9 RAK
Click here to check our catalogue for item availability.

Starfish, urchins & other echinoderms by Daniel Gilpin
Publisher: Minneapolis, MN : Compass Point Books, 2006
Call Number: J 593.9 GIL
Click here to check our catalogue for item availability.

Starfish by Lloyd G. Douglas
Publisher: Danbury, Conn. : Children's Press, 2005
Call Number: J P 593.9 DOU
Click here to check our catalogue for item availability.

Sea stars by Lynn M. Stone
Publisher: Vero Beach, Fla. : Rourke Pub., c2006
Call Number: J 593.9 STO
Click here to check our catalogue for item availability.

Starfish by Rebecca Stefoff
Publisher: New York : Benchmark Books, c1997
Call Number: J 593.9 STE
Click here to check our catalogue for item availability.

All websites are last accessed on 15 September 2007.

Answered by Ms Joanna Zhang Lin, Librarian, Children's Services

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Posted by Norasyikin A Ismail at 08:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Kids ASK! about Pets & Animals

Adult moths are not able to eat. Their nutrients must be consumed in the larval stage for the adult to complete its life cycle. Larvae then change to an intermediate stage called a pupa and pupate inside silken cases hidden in fabric. This pupul stage may last from 55 days to 4 years, but under normal conditions it's usually 65 to 90 days. An adult clothes moth emerges and the life cycle begins again.

Although we call clothes damaged by clothes moth "moth-eaten", adult moths are not able to eat because they have imperfect mouthparts. It is the moth larvae that “eat” the clothes as they like protein-based materials. Clothes moth larvae may eat either cellulose or synthetic fibers, but they cannot digest materials that are not do not have protein in origin. Sometimes larvae will eat holes in paper or cotton goods, but usually this happens because of a heavy infestation of moth lavae nearby. Due to their complicated digestive system, clothes moths are the only insects capable of digesting keratin, a "hard" protein present in wool, hair, fur, horns, hoofs, and feathers.

Sources: New Mexico State University, (1998, March). Clothes Moths and Their Control. Retrieved July 11, 2007, Web site: http://www.cahe.nmsu.edu/pubs/_g/g-316.html

If you want to find out more information about moths, you may refer to the following books :

The life cycle of a moth by JoAnn Early Macken
Publisher: Milwaukee, WI : Weekly Reader Early Learning Library, 2006
Call Number: JP 595.78 MAC
Click here to check our catalogue for item availability.

Moths by Fran Howard
Publisher: Mankato, Minn. : Capstone Press, c2005
Call Number: JP 595.78 HOW
Click here to check our catalogue for item availability.

A luna moth's life by John Himmelman
Publisher: New York : Children's Press, c1998
Call Number: JP 595.78 HIM
Click here to check our catalogue for item availability.

All websites are last accessed on 11 September 2007.

Answered by Mr Koh Chee Boon, Librarian, Children's Services

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Posted by Norasyikin A Ismail at 06:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ASK! about Pets & Animals

Elephants are the largest land animals in the world. The elephant's trunk is a combination of the upper lip and nose; the nostrils are located at the tip. Breathing, drinking, and eating are all vital functions of the trunk. Elephants drink by sucking as much as 10 litres (2.6 gallons) of water into the trunk and then squirting it into the mouth.

Source: eDatabases:
[1] elephant. (2007). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved August 24, 2007, from Encyclopædia Britannica Online Library Edition: library.eb.com/eb/article-234255
[2] McClung, R. M. (2007). Elephants. The New Book of Knowledge®. Retrieved August 24, 2007, from Grolier Online nbk.grolier.com/cgi-bin/article?assetid=a2009020-h

To find out more about the NLB databases, visit our guide.

Answered by Ms Chui Suet Fen, Librarian, Adult and Young People Services

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Posted by Jillian Lim at 06:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Kids ASK! about Pets & Animals

Although the ancestors of the present day house cat do hunt for fish in the wild, fishing from the banks of ponds or lakes, the idea that cats like fish is possibly a stereotype or a generalization. Although it is likely that fish probably do have a scent that is very appetizing to cats, the more likely reason for cats liking fish could be attributed to people’s popular and widespread belief that cats love fish and as a result, feed their cats fish from very early on in the cat’s life. Eventually, it is only expected that the cat ends up liking to eat fish. Therefore, a cat liking to eat fish is probably the result of how the cat has been taken care of in the home.

Sources :
Of Cats and Fish

If you want to find out more information about cats, you may refer to the following books :

Caring for Your Cat by Erika L. Shores
Publisher : Mankato, Minn. : Capstone Press, c2007
Call No. : JP English 636.8 SHO
Click here to check our catalogue for item availability.

Cats by Jennifer Blizin Gillis
Publisher : Oxford : Raintree, 2005
Call No. : JP English 636.8 GIL
Click here to check our catalogue for item availability.

Cats and kittens by Honor Head
Publisher : London : QED Pub., 2006
Call No. : J English 636.8 HEA
Click here to check our catalogue for item availability.

You Pet Cat by Elaine Landau
Publisher : New York : Children's Press, 2007
Call No. : J English 636.8 LAN
Click here to check our catalogue for item availability.

All websites are last accessed on 10 July 2007.

Answered by Ms Siti Nadiah, Librarian, Children's Services

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Posted by Norasyikin A Ismail at 03:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Kids ASK! about Pets & Animals

Most fish spend part of every day asleep. Being asleep can mean different things to different fish. Some fish (like herring and tuna) are motionless in the water during the night. Other fish, like rockfish and grouper, don't appear to sleep at all. They rest against rocks, bracing themselves with their fins. Because of the nature of their eye (lacking an eyelid), they do not 'close' their eyes when they are sleeping.

Source:
http://www.discoverymagazine.com/digger/d92dd/d9208ddb.html
http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/bio99/bio99047.htm

Materials available at the library for further information:

Fish by Sarah Wilkes
Publisher : London : Hodder Wayland, 2006.
Call No. : J 597 WIL
Click here for item availability.

Freshwater Fish by Tristan Boyer Binns
Publisher : Oxford : Heinemann Library, 2006.
Call No. : J 639.34 BIN
Click here for item availability.

Fish by Ted O'Hare.
Publisher : Vero Beach, Fla. : Rourke Pub., c2006.
Call No. : J 597 OHA
Click here for item availability.

Answered by Ms Lynn Wang Leng Chua, Librarian, Children's Services

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Posted by Yasmin M Asslan at 05:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Kids ASK! about Pets & Animals

Scientists have made recordings of sleep, using an electroencephalograph (a medical instrument that records electric activity generated by the brain). Their research has shown that dreaming most often occurs during REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep.

REM sleep is thought of as “an active brain in an inactive body”. Studies have shown that REM sleep is found in most mammals, like rats, cats, monkeys, elephants and birds. Among the mammals, only the echidna (an animal similar to porcupine) does not have REM sleep.

So like us, some animals do dream!

Source : Brain and mind: Electronic magazine on neuroscience

DID YOU KNOW...
1. Dogs yap, whine and even move their legs as if in a chase, when they dream!
2. Chameleons change colour to match their surroundings even while they are sleeping!
3. Brown bats need almost 20 hours of sleep a day!

Source : Zoo friends

Continue reading "Do animals dream?" »

Posted by Norasyikin A Ismail at 02:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Kids ASK! about Pets & Animals

Most animals (including human beings!) communicate with one another using body language as well as sound and smell. Many animals communicate by smell; they release pheromones (airborne chemicals) to relay messages to others. For example, the amoeba releases such a chemical to attract others to reproduce with it. Another example of body language though, are bees. Once the scout bee has found some nectar, it will dance in the hive and this dance directs other bees to the location of the nectar.

Chimpanzees greet each other by touching hands. Gorillas stick out their tongues to show anger. Swans entwine their long necks when they want to fight or to court. Interestingly, dolphins, whales and porpoises use vocalization, echolocation and ultrasound to communicate with one another. With echolocation for example, dolphins emit and process up to 700 clicking sounds per second to detect the size of an object hundreds of metres away.

Reference:
http://www.sciencenetlinks.com/interactives/animal_resource/html
http://www.darylscience.com/Demos/DolphinCom.html

Materials available at the library for further information:

All about animal behavior & communication [videorecording] produced and directed by Burrud Productions Inc
Publisher : Wynnewood, PA : Schlessinger Media, p2006
Call No. : J AV English 591.5 ALL
Click here for item availability.

How animals communicate by series consultant, Michael Chinery
Publisher : London : Southwater, 2005, c2002
Call No. : J English 591.59 HOW
Click here for item availability.

Animal talk by Lisa Thompson
Publisher : [Philadelphia, Pa.] : Chelsea House Publishers, 2005, c2003.
Call No. : J English 591.59 THO
Click here for item availability.

Answered by Ms Siti Nadiah Sahul Hameed, Librarian, Children's Services

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Posted by Yasmin M Asslan at 03:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ASK! about Pets & Animals

Yes, adult guppies do eat their young. Hence, when rearing guppies, it is advisable to separate the new born from the adults. Why do they do that? In a confined environment such as an aquarium, guppies eat their young to control the population size. This is known as cannibalism. It is an animal instinct to ensure survival of the species by keeping adults that can breed to produce more offspring.

References:
The World Book Encyclopedia Vol 8, Chicago, World Book Inc, 2001, pg 442 (Call No.: YR q031 WOR)

"cannibalism." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2007. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 13 Feb. 2007 .

Apart from guppies, there are other animals that exhibit similar behaviour. For instance, in certain ant species, injured juvenile ants are regularly eaten. When there is a shortage of food, healthy juvenile ants become the food source. Cannibalism also occurs in other forms of animal behaviour, such as animal courtship. A female may eat her mate to obtain nutrients to produce more eggs, which occurs with the praying mantis.
From Exploring the Secrets of Nature, London, Reader's Digest Association, 1994, pg 273, (Call No.: R q591.5 EXP)

To find out more interesting facts about animals or breeding fishes, you may like to read the following books:

Science of animal life compiled by panel authors of Pintar Firus
Call No.: J English 591.5 SCI

The super simple guide to breeding freshwater fishes by Laura Muha
Call No.: 639.34 MUH -[ANI]

Guppies, mollies, platys, and other live-bearers : purchase, care, feeding, diseases, behavior [and] a special section on breeding by Harro Hieronimus ; drawings by Fritz W. Köhler ; consulting editor, Matthew M. Vriends ; [translated from the German by Rita and Robert Kimber]
Call No.: English 639.3753 HIE [ANI]

Please use our online catalogue to find out where you can find these materials. Encyclopaedia Britannica is an online database accessible via our Digital Library.

Answered by Ms Ang Mei Jun, Librarian, Adult and Young People's Services

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Posted by Jillian Lim at 03:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Kids ASK! about Pets & Animals

We managed to locate an answer on the Internet at one of our favourite sites, The MadSci Network. This site allows people to ask science related questions, which will then be answered by qualified scientists. From the MadSci site's post, an expert on wool, Ms Helen Daily was consulted and according to Ms Daily (University of Adelaide) sheep’s wool does not shrink, it felts, which is to mat or press together such that it becomes compact. As a result of being pressed together, it gives the appearance of shrinking. Basically, the wool felts when it is removed from the sheep and not whilst it is still on the sheep.

Sheep’s wool felts because of the raised scales on the cuticle layer of the wool catching on to one another. To put it simply, if you look under a microscope, you would see little scales like hooks on a strand of wool. It is these “hooks” that help keeps the wool together when it is spun into yarn. However, under heat, water and agitation, the contact between the fibers and yarn actually tightens and hence shrinking occurs.

Wool on the sheep does not “shrink” because when wool is on the sheep because the “hooks” are all growing in the same direction and does not get entangled. When wool is removed from the sheep, it no longer has a “top” and bottom” and hence the scales are all in different directions which results in it catching on to one another. Therefore, the wool coat on sheep does not shrink but your own wool coat does.

Reference: MadSci Network

If you are interested to read more about sheep and wool, you can try these books:

Sheep and wool farming by Angela Crocombe
Call Number: J 636 CRO

How we use wool by Chris Oxlade
Call Number: J 677 OXL

From sheep to sweater by Robin Nelson
Call Number: JP 746.43 NEL

Please use our online catalogue to find out where you can get these books.
Image taken from Stock.Xchng, a free stock photo site.
All websites last accessed on 27 Feb 2007.

Answered by Ms Felicia Chan, Librarian, Children's Services

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Posted by Jillian Lim at 02:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Kids ASK! about Pets & Animals

Questions asked:
What were the enemies of the Dodo?
How did the Dodo bird become extinct?
What did the Dodo bird eat?

The enemies of the dodo birds were animals introduced by humans, like pigs, rats and dogs which attacked the dodo's nests.They became extinct due to massive human consumption, since they were easy to catch. Dutch colonialists, sailors and visitors to the islands where these dodos lived (e.g. Mauritius, Reunion and Rodriguez in the Indian Ocean) could easily capture them. Also, the present of predators like the dogs and pigs also affected their population. Similarly, the people who captured these dodos also did not attempt to successfully mate the birds to ensure that young dodos were around.Massive deforestation also caused these birds to lose their habitats and food supply.

Scientists' thought on the dodo’s diet is based on speculation. Some sailors had described as seeing the dodo birds eat fish from water-pools. Visitors to Mauritius had described seeing the dodo birds eat stones and iron with no trouble. It is concluded that perhaps the rocks eased digestion.

Sources:
http://www.uom.ac.mu/Campuslife/clubs/ASME/dodo.html
http://www.mauritius.org.uk/DODO.htm
http://www.birds.mu/Extinct/Dodo.htm

Recommended books on the Dodo :

The Dodo by Tamara Green
Publisher : Milwaukee : Gareth Stevens Pub., 1996.
Call No. : Y English 598.65 GRE
Click here for item availability.

I wonder why the dodo is dead : and other questions about extinct and endangered animals by Andrew Charman
Publisher : Boston, Mass. : Kingfisher, c1996.
Call No. : J English 591.52 CHA3
Click here for item availability.

The almost last Dodo by Geoffrey Patterson
Publisher : Aylesbury, Bucks : Ginn, c1989.
Call No. : JP English PAT
Click here for item availability.

Answered by Ms Siti Nadiah Sahul Hameed, Librarian, Children's Services

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If you have a different question, please email to ask@nlb.gov.sg instead of sending a comment.

Posted by Yasmin M Asslan at 03:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Kids ASK! about Pets & Animals

David Richman from New Mexico State University states that ants do breathe. They rely on a system of tubes called tracheae and tracheoles, which carry atmospheric oxygen to the tissues and almost to the cellular level. The outside openings of the tracheae are called spiracles. Gas exchange is primarily by diffusion, although larger active insects my help this along by contracting and expanding muscles around the tracheae in a process called ventilation. Ants are small enough that they need only a few spiracles and do not use ventilation. These openings usually have valves that allow the spiracle to be open or closed. As noted earlier the blood does not transport oxygen and is not red as it is in vertebrates.

In other words, ants breathe through tiny holes all over their body! The ant's heart is a long tube that pumps colourless blood from the head back to the abdomen and back to the head again.

Sources:
http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/jul99/931925403.Gb.r.html
http://www.kidcyber.com.au/topics/ants.htm

Recommended books on "Ants" :

Ants by Jason Cooper.
Publisher : Vero Beach, Fla. : Rourke Pub., c2006.
Call No. : J English 595.79 COO
Click here for item availability.

The Life Cycle of an Ant by Hadley Dyer & Bobbie Kalman
Publisher : New York, N.Y. : Crabtree Pub. Co., c2006.
Call No. : J English 595.79 DYE
Click here for item availability.

Ant by Karen Hartley.
Publisher : Oxford : Heinemann Library, 2006.
Call No. : JP English 595.79 HAR
Click here for item availability.

Answered by Ms Yasmin Muhammad Asslan, Librarian, Children's Services

Found this question interesting? What do you think? Post your comments.
If you have a different question, please email to ask@nlb.gov.sg instead of sending a comment.

Posted by Yasmin M Asslan at 01:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Kids ASK! about Pets & Animals

Slugs and snails are very similar because they are molluscs (mollusks) - a creature with a soft and slimy body.

The difference lies in their shells. For a snail, the shell is external and spiral-shaped. Most slugs do not have an obvious shell. The shell has become greatly reduced and in most species, it is completely internal. However, in a few species, part of the flat shell is visible.

When a snail encounters danger, it pulls its whole body inside the shell. Some snails have an operculum, which covers the opening when the animal has withdrawn itself.

A slug's body is covered on top by a mantle, which is a layer of soft tissue. When threatened, it shrinks under the mantle, but is does not gives much protection.

Recommended books on "snails and slugs" :

Snails, shellfish & other mollusks by Daniel Gilpin.
Publisher : Minneapolis, Minn. : Compass Point Books, 2006.
Call No. : J English 594 GIL
Click here for item availability.

Slugs and snails by Claire Llewellyn.
Publisher : London : Franklin Watts, 2001.
Call No. : J English 594 LLE
Click here for item availability.

Slugs and snails by Sally Morgan.
Publisher : London : Belitha, 2000.
Call No. : JP English 594 MOR
Click here for item availability.

Snails and slugs by Elaine Pascoe.
Publisher : Woodbridge, Ct: Blackbirch Press, c1999.
Call No. : J English 594 PAS
Click here for item availability.

Slugs and snails by Theresa Greenaway.
Publisher : Hove : Wayland, 1999.
Call No. : J English 594.3 GRE
Click here for item availability.

Answered by Ms Chew Siew San, Librarian, Children's Services

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Posted by Norasyikin A Ismail at 01:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ASK! about Pets & Animals

Insects are attracted to light as they use light to navigate. Scientists "believe that insects that fly at night evolved over millions of years, before humans existed. Before humans existed, there were no artificial lights at night. The only light was the moon, and insects that fly directly towards the moon at night will travel in a straight line. This was therefore a useful behavior for them, helping them navigate in the dark. It is an *instinct*, meaning they don't think about it, they just do it, because over the millions of years they've existed, insects that could navigate at night did better than those that couldn't. Insects that fly towards an artificial light, however, will crash into it, and often hurt themselves. They can't avoid it, because it's an instinct. If we had another few million years to watch the process, eventually insects might stop doing it - but not yet; it's only been a few hundred years."

Taken from http://experts.about.com/q/Entomology-Study-Bugs-665/Insects-Light.htm last accessed 20 Dec 2006

"Light and colour play an important part in the reactions of insects. The reaction to light is called phototropism. It is well known that many insects are attracted to light, the response to which is often greater than life itself. Light of short wavelengths, such as blue and violet, is usually more attractive to insects than other colours. Experiments have shown that all lights of the same colour do not attract insects proportionally. Much depends upon the intensity.

Although moths are attracted to artificial light, they keep away from sunlight. Butterflies on the contrary are attracted to sunlight but are repelled by artificial light. Butterflies are tuned to high intensities of light and moths to low intensities, so that the bright light attracts the butterflies and feeble light attracts the moths.

Insects generally orient themselves with their heads directly toward or directly away from the light source. Scientists observed that the moth is not attracted by the light but is oriented by it and, in constantly adjusting its head to the light, is drawn into it."

Taken from http://www.science.edu.sg/ssc/detailed.jsp?artid=1182&type=6&root=4&parent=4&cat=35, last accessed 20 Dec 2006

If your daughter is interested in reading up on more information on insects, here are some books that are available in our libraries.

My First book of Bugs and Spiders by Dee Phillips
Tunbridge Wells : Ticktock Entertainment, 2006
Call No.: JP 595.4 PHI
Click here for item availability.

Everyday insects by Bobbie Kalman & Rebecca Sjonger
New York, NY : Crabtree Pub. Co., 2006
Call No.: J 595.7 KAL
Click here for item availability.

What is an insect? By Lisa Trumbauer
Mankato, Minn. : Yellow Umbrella Books, c2006
Call No.: J 595.7 TRU
Click here for item availability.

Answered by Lim Shang Nee, Librarian, Children's Services

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If you have a different question, please email to ask@nlb.gov.sg instead of sending a comment.

Posted by Yasmin M Asslan at 11:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

ASK! about Pets & Animals

1) How long can a black hen live?
2) How many eggs can she lay in her life time?
3) How long does she take to grow from a chick to an adult egg-laying hen?
4) How long does an egg take to hatch?

1) Most hens, or chickens, live for about seven years. So, on average, a black hen can live for about seven years.

2) "A hen will lay a new egg about every one to one and a half days. Most hens lay about 250 eggs a year, but some lay as many as 320."

3) It will take about four and a half months to one year for a chick to grow into an adult egg-laying hen.

4) It will take about twenty-one days for an egg to hatch.

Sources: "Chickens" by Hannah Ray, from the QED down on the farm Series, Call No.: J P 636.5 RAY, and "Chickens" by Sharon Dalgleish, from the Farm Animals Series, Call No.: J P 636.5 DAL

Here are some library books on chickens that you and your son might be interested in:

Where do Chicks come from? by Amy E. Sklansky
[New York] : HarperCollins Publishers, c2005
Call No.: JP 636.5 SKL
Click here for item availability.

The hen can't help it : a first look at the life cycle of a chicken by Sam Godwin
Minneapolis, Minn. : Picture Window Books, 2005
Call No.: JP 636.5 GOD
Click here for item availability.

A chick grows up by Pam Zollman
New York, N.Y. : Children's Press, c2005
Call No.: JP 636.5 ZOL
Click here for item availability.

Life on a chicken farm by Judy Wolfma
Minneapolis, Minn. : Carolrhoda Books, c2004
Call No.: JP 636.5 WOL
Click here for item availability.

Answered by Elizabeth San Bao Lee, Librarian, Children's Services

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Posted by Yasmin M Asslan at 02:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

ASK! about Pets & Animals

After reading Wild animals in Singapore, continue your reading journey with Protecting the Wild. Here are some books on wildlife conservation in our library collection. For more titles, you can search our library catalogue, using subject search such as "wildlife conservation" and "endangered species".

Wildlife Protection by Yael Calhoun, series editor
Philadelphia, Pa.: Chelsea House Publishers, c2005
Call No.: Y 333.95416 WIL
Click here for item availability.

Endangered Species by Karin Vergoth and Christopher Lampton
New York: Franklin Watts, c1999
Call No.: Y 578.68 VER
Click here for item availability.

Endangered Species by Russell Roberts
San Diego, CA: Lucent Books, c1999
Call No.: Y 333.9522 ROB
Click here for item availability.

Saving Wildlife by Rufus Bellamy
London: Franklin Watts, c2004
Call No.: J 639.9 BEL
Click here for item availability.

Greenpeace: how a Group of Journalists, Ecologists and Visionaries Changed the World by Rex Weyler
[Emmaus, Pa.]: Rodale, c2004
Call No.: 363.7006 WEY
Click here for item availability.

Answered by Lim Li Sa, Librarian, Adult and Young People's Services

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Posted by Lim Li Sa at 05:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ASK! about Pets & Animals

Upon checking with the Zoology Department from the Singapore Zoo:
the wild pig is the largest mammal found in Singapore. A wild pig can grow to be 1 to 2 metres long and weigh between 125 to 270 kilograms.
the crocodile is the largest reptile and can grow to be 1.5 and 7.5 metres long.
Heron is the tallest bird which stands at about 1 metre tall and despite its large size, it only weighs 0.5 to 1.5 kilograms.
(Source: Singapore Zoo and Encyclopedia of Animals via EBSCO Animals)

Continue reading "Wild animals in Singapore: Do you know what are the largest wild mammal, reptile and tallest wild bird found in Singapore?" »

Posted by Lim Li Sa at 04:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Kids ASK! about Pets & Animals

Yes, dogs do eat meat. In fact, they need meat and cereal to keep them strong and healthy, and to make their coats really shine. You might not expect dogs to like food such as pasta and breakfast cereal, but they do. For a balanced diet, dogs can be fed scrambled egg, rice, fish, cooked or raw vegetables and fruit.

Source:

Me and My Pet Dog / Christine Morley and CaroleOrbell
London : Two-Can in association with Franklin Watts, c1996.
Call No.: J English 636.7 MOR
Click here for item availability.

Some recommended books relating to the subject:

Dogs / Chris Hawkes.
Philadelphia, Pa. : Chelsea House Publishers, 2005.
Call No.: J English 636.7 HAW
Click here for item availability.

Dog / Selina Wood.
London : Franklin Watts, 2005.
Call No.: J English 636.7 WOO
Click here for item availability.

Dogs / June Loves.
Philadelphia, Pa. : Chelsea Clubhouse, 2004.
Call No.: JP English 636.7 LOV
Click here for item availability.

Answered by Ms Kheak Hui Hiang, Librarian, Children's Services

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Post your comments, or send further questions about this or any other topic to ask@nlb.gov.sg

Posted by Norasyikin A Ismail at 06:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)

Kids ASK! about Pets & Animals

An entomologist is a person who specializes in a branch of zoology that deals with insects.

Source: Merriam-Webster Online

Recommended books:

It's a good thing there are insects by Allan Fowler
Chicago : Childrens Press, c1990.
Call Number: JP 595.7 FOW
Click here for item availability.

Insectlopedia : poems and paintings by Douglas Florian
San Diego : Harcourt Brace, c1998.
Call Number: J 811 FLO
Click here for item availability.

Answered by Ms Verena Lee, Librarian, Children's Services

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Posted by Yasmin M Asslan at 05:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Kids ASK! about Pets & Animals

[ASK! Editor: To find out why a whale is classified as a mammal, we would first need to find out what are some of the characteristics of mammals and then compare them with the characteristics of whales.]

Whales by Dan Greenberg
New York : Benchmark Books, 2003
Call No.: J 599.5 GRE
Click here for item availability.

You might want to check out this book available in our libraries, titled Whales by Dan Greenberg. These pages might provide you with the information you need.

Pgs 6 - 9
"First, like all mammals, whales are warm-blooded. Fish are cold-blooded."
"Second, like other mammals, whales breathe air through lungs, while fish take in water through gills to breathe."
"Finally, whales give birth to live babies that drink their mother's milk. Fish give birth to live young or lay eggs...Their mother does not feed them."

Marine mammals by Heather C. Hudak
New York : Weigl Publishers, c2005
Call No.: J 599.5 HUD
Click here for item availability.

You might also want to read this book titled, Marine Mammals by Heather C. Hudak.

Pg 5
"Mammals are warm-blooded animals. They have hair or fur and breathe through lungs. Mammals give birth to live babies. These animals nurse their babies with milk that their bodies produce."

Pg 6
"There are three main groups of marine mammals - pinnipeds, cetaceans and sirenians - where whales, dolphins and porpoises are cetaceans."

Pg 13
"Marine mammals do not hatch from eggs. Like land mammals, marine mammals are born live. Female mammals produce milk to feed their young. Over time, they wean their young."
"Female whales grow their unborn young inside their bodies..."
"Usually, they give birth to a single calf.."

[ASK! Editor: In general, books about whales can be found under the Call No.: 599.5. Look for this number in the Pets and Animals Section if you are looking for adult reading material. Or simply search our catalogue]

Related Links:
The Ocean Channel: What makes whales mammals?
Madsci Network: If a whale is a mammal, where is its hair or fur?

All websites last accessed 28th July, 2006.

Answered by Erlin Amir, Librarian

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Posted by Jillian Lim at 11:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Kids ASK! about Pets and Animals.

Here are some recommended websites which elaborates about hoofed animals and in addition give you a wide variety of examples of hoofed animals.

1) http://www.cpb.ouhsc.edu/okc/okczoo/hoof.html

2) http://www.gel-communications.co.uk/animalfun/html/hoofed.html

3) http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/mammals/classification/Artiodactyls.shtml

For recording the sounds of various animals, you can always proceed to the Singapore Zoo and record the
wide variety of animals of your choice. You can do that with a tape recorder and a cassette or any other audio recording system. In addition, you can also visit these websites which provide recorded sounds of many different type of animals:

1) http://abc.net.au/archives/av/mammals.htm
(a website which play the sounds of mammals in Australia)

2) http://members.tripod.com/Thryomanes/AnimalSounds.html
(a website which play the sounds of a wide variety of animals
from around the world)

3) http://www.esl-lab.com/animal1/animal.htm
(you can also have fun by trying some quizzes here related to animal sounds)

Animals that have a backbone are known as vertebrates.You can find a huge non-comprehensive collection of vertebrate animals here:

http://sln.fi.edu/tfi/hotlists/animals.html

Animals that have no backbone are non as invertebrates. Here ios a website which shows a variety of invertebrates

http://www.kidport.com/RefLib/Science/Animals/AnimalIndexInv.htm

You can find a comprehensive explanation on vertebrates and non- vertebrates animals at this 2 websites :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vertebrates

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invertebrates

All websites last accessed 20th June, 2006.

Here are some recommended titles from the Library:

Animal classification: a guide to vertebrates / by Polly Goodman.
London : Hodder Wayland, 2004
Call No.: J English 596 GOO
Click here for item availability.

Animals without backbones / by Elaine Pascoe; photography by Dwight Kuhn.
New York: PowerKids Press., c2003
Call No.: J English 592 PAS
Click here for item availability.

The animal kingdom: a guide to vertebrate classification and biodiversity / by Kate Whyman.
Hove : Wayland, 1999
Call No.: J English 596 WHY
Click here for item availability.

Answered by Mr Zulkifli Amin, Librarian, Children's Services

Found this question interesting? What do you think?
Post your comments, or send further questions about this or any other topic to ask@nlb.gov.sg

Posted by Yasmin M Asslan at 11:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Kids ASK! about Pets and Animals.

You may refer to the FAQ About Pet Frogs: Species Caresheet section from the following URL: