Encarta For Kids

Chickens Chickens are birds but they can’t fly very far. Female chickens are called hens. Male chickens are roosters. Listen to this rooster crow! Rooster Combs Hens and roosters have a bit of flesh called a comb on top of their heads. The comb helps them cool off. Combs come in different shapes. Some rooster […]

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Chickens Have you ever watched baby chickens hatch? You can see them on farms and at many children’s zoos. The baby chick is inside a shell. It pecks at the shell for a while, and then it rests. When the chick has pecked away enough of the shell, it breaks out. Baby chickens are covered with soft down. WHY DOES A CHICKEN […]

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Cheetahs Cheetah A cheetah’s body is built for speed. During a high-speed chase, the cheetah’s spine arches in a way that helps the animal take long strides. Its tail helps it stay balanced while running. Cheetah Running The cheetah is one of the fastest animals on Earth, reaching speeds of close to 60 miles per […]

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Cheetahs Can you move as fast as a car? Probably not, unless the car is going very slowly. But a cheetah can keep up with a car. Cheetahs can run as fast as 58 miles (93 kilometers) per hour. That’s as fast as a car on the freeway! Cheetahs are probably the fastest animals on […]

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Centipede Centipede Centipedes are small animals with multiple pairs of legs. They are carnivores (meat-eaters) and they have a poisonous bite. Centipede

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Cat Did you know that your pet cat is related to big cats like lions and leopards? All members of the cat family, including the domestic cat, have similar physical traits. They all have soft fur, sharp claws and teeth, and excellent eyesight and hearing. They also are carnivores—meaning they only eat meat. Wild members […]

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Cats Abyssinian Cat Abyssinian cats are very affectionate. They are one of the oldest domestic cat breeds. Skeleton of a Cat A cat’s skeleton has more than 230 bones. A human skeleton has only 206. Persian Cat Persian cats are one of the most popular cat breeds. They come in many colors, although American Curl […]

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Cats A cat lies on your lap, purring contentedly. Suddenly it snaps to attention. Its whiskers twitch. Its ears stand up. It launches itself at the windowsill. It makes a strange sound and bats at the window. It’s after a squirrel on the back fence. That’s a cat for you. Cats outnumber dogs as the […]

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Moths Moths are close relatives of butterflies, but they differ from butterflies in certain ways. Moths have featherlike antennae, and when perched they fold their wings flat over their backs. Unlike most butterflies, moths also tend to have thick, hairy bodies and dull-colored wings. Moths

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Fooling Predators These four insects look like the same kind of butterfly. But they are actually from different families— and one is not even a butterfly. Because birds and other predators don’t like the taste of the Ithomoiine butterfly, second from top, they avoid similar looking insects, including the Castniid moth, bottom. This survival strategy […]

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