Whose Ears Are These

Written by Peg Hall

Illustrated by Ken Landmark

Whose Ears Are These? A Look at Animal Ears—Short, Flat, and Floppy Written by Peg Hall Illustrated by Ken Landmark Content Advisor: Julie Dunlap, Ph.D. Reading Advisor: Lauren A. Liang, M.A. Literacy Education, University of Minnesota Minneapolis, Minnesota

Editor: Lisa Morris Kee Designer: Melissa Voda Page production: The Design Lab The illustrations in this book were prepared digitally. Copyright © 2003 by Picture Window Books. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher. The publisher takes no responsibility for the use of any of the materials or methods described in this book, nor for the products thereof. Printed in the United States of America. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Hall, Peg. Whose ears are these? : a look at animal ears—short, flat, and floppy / written by Peg Hall; illustrated by Ken Landmark. p. cm. — (Whose is it?) Summary: Describes how the ears of different animals look and how they function. ISBN 1-4048-0004-2 (library binding : alk. Paper) 1. Ear—Juvenile literature. [1. Ear. 2. Animals.] I. Landmark, Ken, ill. II. Title. QL948 .H33 2003 573.8'9—dc21 2002005735

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Open your ears and hear who’s who. An animal’s ears can be long or short. Ears can be huge. Ears can be tiny. Look closely at an animal’s ears. Ears can tell you how an animal finds food or how it stays safe from an enemy. Some ears even help animals stay cool when it’s hot. Ears don't all look alike , because they don't all work alike. Can you guess who hears with these ears?

back Look in the n facts for more fu . about ears

3

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5

These are an African elephant’s ears. The African elephant’s ears are big and flat. The ears flap like fans to keep the elephant cool in the hot sun.

Fun fa ct: An eleph ant us es its ears t o frigh ten away enem ies. It opens its ea rs out to the sides. That make s the e lepha look b nt igger and more frighte ning.

6

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7

These are a cottontail rabbit’s ears. The rabbit’s long ears stick up straight at the slightest sound. The rabbit waves its ears back and forth to find where danger may be.

e hav s t i rabb ’s f o bbit s a d r n i k k jac ent tail’s e r n h e o f T t t . Dif e co ears ct: h f a t ars f o n e s a d y h Fun n p t ki flop ger ent n s ’ r o t l i e f en dif rabb d e ev ad. e r e r a h a s s e pear of it s e lo e h d T i . he s t ears n w g do n a h

8

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9

These are a brown bat’s ears. A brown bat hunts at night. As it flies about, it makes clicking noises that echo back. The bat listens for the echoes to help it find its way through the dark.

’s ears t a b n w : A bro ch Fun fact d to cat e p a h s ially ho are spec se an ec u n a c t . I g echoes bug flyin y in t a ven to find e

10

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11

This is a gorilla’s ear. A gorilla’s ear looks a lot like a person’s ear. A gorilla has good hearing. It can hear an unwanted visitor, even if the gorilla can’t see the visitor through the dense rain forest. Fun fact: G orillas listen for sig nals from other gorilla s. When the male lea der of a gorilla group thumps his chest, it makes a loud, hollow sound. The sound w arns other male gorillas to stay out of h is way.

12

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13

These are a desert fox’s ears. The desert fox has big, cupped ears that catch a lot of sound. The fox can hear even an insect walking across the sand.

e e larg h T : t c x Fun fa ert fo s e d f the s ears o e fox’ h T . l o it co keep t y hea d o b a e extr ugh th o r h t es r. escap he ea t f o n i thin sk

14

Wh os e litt l e

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15

This is a sea lion ear. A sea lion’s ear is just a little flap, but a sea lion still has good hearing, even under water. It uses its ears to find prey and to stay away from enemies.

a lion e s a f ct: I es its s Fun fa u t i , st ets lo . pup g other m s t i o find n ears t sea lio r e h t mo g Each singin n w o s her make listens p u p . The ecial sound p s s ’ r mothe for its r. nd he i f o t song

16

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17

This is a barn owl’s ear. The barn owl turns its head toward rustling sounds in the grass below. The feathers around its face direct the sound into its ears. The owl’s excellent hearing helps it hunt mice in the dark. wl o n bar a one of d s r n ea s, a e e t h p ha Tha t: T s . c y r t fa he ctl en t n r a o u x e F te the diff u n o e a m. re th o u hav r r g f i e s lf igh me ow o is h e c s th nd u p l o he as e r e wh

18

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This is your ear! Your ears catch a song from the radio or a whisper from a friend. Just like other animals, you use your ears for staying safe and finding things. Your ears don't move in different directions, like a rabbit’s, but some people can wiggle their ears a little. Can you?

20

Fun fact: Yo ur ears help you balanc e. Deep ins ide each ear is a special liquid. The li quid moves around whe n you walk or jump. Tiny h airs in your ear feel the movement and tell you r brain, so you don’t fa ll down.

How Good Are Your Ears? Test your ears. Sit on a chair and cover your eyes with a blindfold. Have a friend stand somewhere in the same room and make a noise. Point to where you think the noise is coming from. Have your friend move to a new spot, then try it again. How did you do? If you were a rabbit and could move your ears, this would be easy!

21

Fun Facts About Ears EARDRUMS Eardrums help carry sounds to your brain. You can’t see your eardrums. They are too far inside your ears. The outside part of your ear funnels sound to the eardrum. People and many animals have hidden eardrums, but the toad has flat eardrums near its eyes. HEAR THE BIRDS Hearing is very important to birds. A bird's song, or call, is how it talks to other birds. Female birds are attracted to a male bird’s song, while male birds hear it and stay away. DOGS’ EARS Dogs can hear sounds that humans cannot. That is how a dog whistle works. It makes a sound too high for a person to hear, but just right for a dog’s ears. NO EARS? A fish does not have ears on the outside of its body. Instead, sounds travel through bones and the liquid in its head. ANGRY EARS When a horse is angry, it points both ears back. Other horses know to stay away.

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EARS WITH SOMETHING EXTRA The bobcat has stiff hairs that stick out from the tips of its ears. Some people think the hairs help the bobcat hear better.

Word s to Know balance A person in balance can stand or move without falling. brain Your brain is inside your head. It tells the rest of your body what to do. eardrum An eardrum is a part of the ear that moves when sound hits it. The eardrum helps send sounds to the brain. echoes Echoes are sounds that bounce off things. Echoes make sounds seem like they are happening over and over again. liquid A liquid is something you can pour. Water is one kind of liquid.

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To Learn More AT THE LIBRARY

ON THE WEB

Arnold, Caroline. Did You Hear That?:

Lincoln Park Zoo

Animals with Super Hearing. Watertown,

http://www.lpzoo.com

Mass.: Charlesbridge, 2001.

Explore the animals at the Lincoln Park Zoo.

Hartley, Karen, Chris MacRo, and Philip Taylor. Hearing in Living Things.

San Diego Zoo http://www.sandiegozoo.org

Des Plaines, Ill.: Heinemann Library, 2000.

Learn about animals and their habitats.

Schwartz, David M. Animal Ears. Milwaukee, Wis.: Gareth Stevens, 2000. Trumbauer, Lisa. Animal Ears. Mankato, Minn.: Yellow Umbrella Books, 2000.

Want to learn more about animal ears? Visit FACT HOUND at http://www.facthound.com

Index

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balance, 20, 23

desert fox, 13–14

elephant, 4–6

owl, 17–18

bat, 9–10

dog, 22

fish, 22

rabbit, 7–8, 20, 21

bird, 22

eardrum, 22, 23

gorilla, 11–12

sea lion, 15–16

bobcat, 23

echoes, 9, 10, 23

horse, 22

toad, 22