Amazing Animals - Grade 2

ARTICLE-A-DAY
Amazing Animals
6 Articles
Check articles you have read:
Ready for Cold Weather

153 words
Ants in Action
248 words
Amazing Animals
235 words
Scaly or Slimy?
207 words
The Silk Mystery

258 words
Web Weavers
221 words
© 2018 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.

Page 1 of 12

Slowing Down
Hedgehogs sleep in winter.
A hedgehog gathers leaves. It carries them in

its mouth and makes a pile. Why? The animal
is making a winter nest. It will
soon hibernate (HIGH-behr-nayt). That
means it goes into a long, deep sleep.
Some hedgehogs live in places where winter

is cold. Food is hard to find. The hedgehogs
E A Jones/Photo Library eat a lot of food in the fall. They store fat in
their bodies. When the animals hibernate,
they live off the extra fat.
During their long winter sleep, the animals use

very little energy. They do not move. Their body
temperatures drop. Their hearts beat slowly.
They breathe slowly too.
When the weather gets warmer in March or

April, the hedgehogs are hungry. They leave
their nests to eat again. What do hedgehogs like
best? Insects, worms, snails, and slugs!
Terry Button/Getty Images
A hedgehog eats an earthworm.
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Page 2 of 12
Ants in Action
Ants in Action
An Ant's Life
Welcome to the world of ants.
Ants are busy insects. They live and work

together in groups called colonies.
Millions of ants can live in one colony!
Each colony has at least one queen. The
Graphic Science/Alamy
queen lays eggs. The other ants have
work to do. Here are just a few of their
jobs.
Worker Ants
Most ants live in underground nests. Worker ants dig the nests using their
jaws. They take the extra dirt outside. That dirt forms an anthill above the
nest.
Each nest has many rooms. They are connected by tunnels. Some rooms
are places to rest. Other rooms are used to take care of the young ants.
Food is stored in some rooms.
Scout Ants
Some ants are scout ants. They hunt for food. When a scout ant finds food,
it goes back to the nest. The ant leaves a scent trail along the way. Other
ants follow the trail to find the food. They carry the food back to the nest and
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Page 3 of 12
Ants in Action
share it with the colony.
Ants eat different foods. Many ants eat seeds and

fruits. Other ants eat insects. Some ants even eat
small animals.
Soldier Ants
Some ants are soldiers. Their job is to protect the nest.

They stand near the nest's entrance and guard it. They
fight off enemy insects that try to enter the nest.
Graphic Science/Alamy
Some soldier ants have large heads. They use their

heads to block the entrances to the nest.
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Page 4 of 12
Amazing Animals
Amazing Animals
Wild About Animals

These animals can do amazing things.
Chameleons Are Reptiles
A reptile is an animal that has hard, dry skin.

Reptiles are cold-blooded. Their body temperature
changes as the temperature of the air or water they Cathy Keifer/Shutterstock
live in changes.
Amazing facts: Chameleons can move their eyes

separately and look in two different directions at the same time!
Chameleons can also change colors. They might be green one moment and
brown 20 seconds later.
Cheetahs Are Mammals
A mammal is an animal that has hair on

its body. Mammals are warm-blooded.
Frank Lane/Parfitt/Getty Images
Their bodies stay about the same warm
temperature in both hot and cold weather.
Amazing facts: Cheetahs are the world's

fastest land animals. They can run as fast as 70 miles per hour. That is
faster than most cars driving on a highway! Cheetahs can reach highway
speeds in just a few seconds. However, they can run fast for only a short
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Page 5 of 12
Amazing Animals
time.
Frogs Are Amphibians (am-FIH-bee-uhnz)
An amphibian is an animal that lives part of its life in water and part on
land. Amphibians are cold-blooded. Most have smooth, wet skin.
Amazing facts: The American bullfrog is the largest frog in North America.
It can grow up to eight inches long. How did this frog get its name? The
frog's call sounds like a cow. A bull is a male cow.
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Page 6 of 12
Scaly or Slimy?
Scaly or Slimy?
a rattlesnake a frog
Reptile or Amphibian?
What is the difference between the two groups?
What Is a Reptile?
A reptile is an animal that has hard, dry skin. Turtles are the only reptiles
that have shells.
Most reptiles have clawed feet and walk on four legs. Can you name a
reptile that has no legs? A snake! Other reptiles include alligators,
crocodiles, and lizards.
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Page 7 of 12
Scaly or Slimy?
Most reptiles lay eggs on land. Baby reptiles hatch from the eggs. A leaf-
tailed gecko lays two eggs at a time. The corn snake lays up to 30 eggs at
once! The boa constrictor is a snake that does not lay eggs. It gives birth to
baby snakes.
What Is an Amphibian?
An amphibian is an animal that spends part of its life in water and part on
land. Most have smooth, wet skin. Frogs, toads, newts, and salamanders
are amphibians.
Most amphibians hatch from eggs. The eggs are usually in or near water.
Young amphibians breathe through gills. When they get older, they breathe
with lungs. Most adult amphibians live on land.
For example, young frogs that hatch from eggs are called tadpoles.
Tadpoles live in water and move like fish. After they grow legs, they can hop
on land.
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Page 8 of 12
The Silk Mystery
The Silk Mystery
a spider on its web
Web Wonders
Scientists work to create spider silk.
If you think spider webs are weak, think again! Spider webs are made of
silk. That is one of the strongest materials. In fact, silk is stronger than the
same amount of steel!
A spider squeezes a sticky liquid from its body. That liquid hardens into a
strong silk thread. Scientists are working to make silk that is as strong as a
spider's. They are getting closer to learning how.
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Page 9 of 12
The Silk Mystery
What Did Scientists Learn?

"We use lots of different machines to see how spiders make their silk," says
scientist Chris Holland. "The machines can show us how strong the silk is
and what it is made of."
Holland says, "We recently discovered that to make silk like a spider's, we
have to start with the right material. We have been using a material that was
too runny. In spiders, it is thick like mayonnaise [MAY-uh-nayz]."
Scientists hope their work will help produce, or make, a stronger silk. It may
be used to make clothes that are strong but light in weight. The clothes may
one day protect soldiers and astronauts.
How Do Spiders Use Silk?

Spiders use silk in several important ways.
A grass spider uses silk to make a shelter. A shelter is a place where an

animal lives.
An orb weaver spider makes a sticky web to trap prey. A spider's prey is any
animal that it eats.
A female candy-stripe spider wraps silk around her eggs to protect them.
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Page 10 of 12
Web Weavers
Web Weavers
Building a Web
See how spiders use silk.
A spider squeezes liquid from its body. The liquid hardens into a strong silk
thread. It can be thin or thick. It can also be smooth or sticky.
All spiders spin silk. Some spiders hang from their silk. Some use their silk
to protect their eggs. Many spiders use their silk to build webs. Learn about
three kinds of web builders. They each build a different kind of web.
Sticky Silk
An orb weaver builds a round web. It is made of
thin silk. Some of the silk is sticky. Insects fly into
the web and get caught. The spider feels the web
move. It knows that food is there.
Gary W. Carter/Corbis
Hide and Grab

A funnel weaver builds a web near the ground. It
is shaped like a cone. The spider hides in the narrow end. The web moves if
an insect walks over the wide end. The spider feels the web move. It rushes
out and grabs its meal.
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Page 11 of 12
Web Weavers
Net Drop
A web thrower builds a small web. It is
shaped like a rectangle. The spider hangs
upside down. It holds the web and uses it like
a net. The spider waits for an insect to crawl
by. It drops the web over the insect to trap it.
Kevin Schafer/Corbis
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Page 12 of 12

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ARTICLE-A-DAY

Check articles you have read:

Ready for Cold Weather

The Silk Mystery

© 2018 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.

Ready for Cold Weather

Hedgehogs sleep in winter.

A hedgehog gathers leaves. It carries them in

Some hedgehogs live in places where winter

During their long winter sleep, the animals use

When the weather gets warmer in March or

A hedgehog eats an earthworm.

Ants are busy insects. They live and work

share it with the colony.

Ants eat different foods. Many ants eat seeds and

Some ants are soldiers. Their job is to protect the nest.

Some soldier ants have large heads. They use their

Wild About Animals

Chameleons Are Reptiles

A reptile is an animal that has hard, dry skin.

Amazing facts: Chameleons can move their eyes

Cheetahs Are Mammals

A mammal is an animal that has hair on

Amazing facts: Cheetahs are the world's

Frogs Are Amphibians (am-FIH-bee-uhnz)

What is the difference between the two groups?

The Silk Mystery

a spider on its web

Scientists work to create spider silk.

What Did Scientists Learn?

How Do Spiders Use Silk?

A grass spider uses silk to make a shelter. A shelter is a place where an

See how spiders use silk.

Hide and Grab

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