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ANIMALS IN THE USA

Activity 1: How many animals that live in the USA can you name? Watch the
following videos:

Activity 2: Read the following text and do the activities below:

The fauna of the United States of America is all the animals living in the
Continental United States and its surrounding seas and islands, the Hawaiian Archipelago,
Alaska in the Arctic, and several island-territories in the Pacific and in the Caribbean. The
U.S. has the most diverse fauna in the world and has many species found nowhere else on
Earth. The fauna of the continental U.S. include around 432 species of mammals, more
than 800 species of birds and more than 100 000 species of insects. There are 311
reptiles, 295 amphibians and 1154 fish species, too.
Huge parts of the most beautiful parts of the country with the most distinctive
indigenous wildlife are protected as national parks. The first national park was
Yellowstone National Park in the State of Wyoming, established in 1872. Yellowstone
National Park is widely considered to be the finest megafauna wildlife habitat in the U.S.
There are 67 species of mammals in the park, including the gray wolf, the threatened
lynx, and grizzly bears.
Typical animals of the Western United States are mule deers, American badgers
and coyotes. Along the West Coast are several species of whales, sea otters and California
sea lions. In the dry desert areas in states like California, Nevada, Arizona and New
Mexico are some of the worlds most venomous lizards, snakes and scorpions. In the
Southern parts of the United States are animals such as the ring-tailed cat, armadillos
and the American alligator. In the Central United States there are animals adapted for
living in grasslands, such as the American bison, black-tailed jackrabbit, black-tailed
prairie dog, muskrat, raccoon, prairie chicken, wild turkey, and several species of ground
squirrels. In the Eastern United States are many forest animals. That includes deers,
rabbits, rodents, squirrel, owls, foxes and bears. The New England region is particularly
famous for its crab and the American lobster lives along most of the Atlantic Coast.
Text adapted from Wikipedia.
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a. What is the fauna of a place?
b. What is special about the fauna of the USA?
c. What is Yellowstone?

Activity 2.c.: Locate these animals on the map and then identify their picture:
Activity 2.a.: Answer the questions below:
Activity 2.b.: Say whether the following sentences are true (T) or false (F) and
correct the false ones so that they become true:
a. In the USA there are more species of mammals than birds.
b. In the USA there are more fish species than reptile species.
c. In the USA there are fewer amphibians than insects.

coyote
badger
whale
scorpion
armadillo
alligator
bison
raccoon
wild turkey
squirrel
deer
owl
bear
crab
lobster
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a. .
b. .
c. .
d. .
e. .
f. . g. . h. . i. . j. .
k. . l. .
m. . n. . o. .
Activity 3: Watch the following video, listen carefully, and answer the questions:

c. What makes the bald eagle special?
d. Whats the bald eagles favourite climate?
e. How much fish does the bald eagle eat in a year?
f. Where was the largest bald eagle nest found?
g. How old was the oldest bald eagle?

a. Name the five states where the bald eagle lives.
b. Which values does the bald eagle represent?
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ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT
The Endangered Species Act (ESA) was passed in 1973 in order to protect those
plant and animal species that are at risk of becoming extinct. Species that receive
protection under the ESA are classified into two categories, "Endangered" or
"Threatened," depending on their status (how many are left in the wild) and how severely
their survival is threatened. A species that is listed as Endangered is in danger of
becoming extinct throughout a significant portion of its habitat range (the areas where it
lives). Threatened species are those that are likely to become Endangered in the
foreseeable future.
The US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), a bureau of the Department of the
Interior, is responsible for listing, delisting, and reclassifying the species protected by
the ESA. When it is proposed that a species be listed or delisted as Threatened or
Endangered, the FWS announces the proposal in the Federal Register, a publication of
the US government. The public is then allowed to comment on the proposal for a period of
time, letting the FWS know whether or not they agree or disagree.
The Endangered Species Act outlines a number of protective measures that are
designed to preserve species that have been listed as Endangered or Threatened. These
measures include restrictions on hunting, transporting and trading (buying and selling) the
species. Also, the USFWS is authorized to develop recovery plans for Endangered and
Threatened species.


Activity 4: Read the following text and answer the questions below:

a. What is the Endangered Species Act?
b. What is the difference between and endangered species and a threatened species?
c. Who is responsible for classifying species as endangered or threatened?
d. Name some measures to protect endangered or threatened species.

Text adapted from
www.kidsplanet.org/factsheets/esa.html
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ENDANGERED SPECIES IN THE USA
Activity 5: The bald eagle used to be an endangered species in the USA. Read its
passport and description, choosing the correct words:


PASSPORT
NAME: Bald Eagle
LENGTH: 70-102 cm
WEIGHT: 3-6.3 kg.
WINGSPAN: 1.8-2.3 metres
FEEDING: Carnivorous (mainly fish)
HABITAT: North America (near large
bodies of open water and old trees
COLOUR: Brown with white head and tail
LOCOMOTION: Flying
OTHER FEATURES: Females are larger
than males
OTHER ASPECTS: It was in the list of
endangered and threatened species until
2007.


The bald eagle is a reptile/ bird / mammal of prey in Australia /
North America. It lives near large bodies of open water / deserts and
old trees. The males grow up to 70 / 102 centimetres long / tall and
weigh up to 6.3 / 3 kg. The females are about 25% larger than males. The
typical wingspan can be 2 / 3 metres long. The bald eagle is a carnivore /
herbivore, and it eats mainly fish / meat / grasses. It has got brown fur
/ feathers and its head and tail are white / yellow. Its means of
locomotion is hopping /crawling / flying. It builds the largest nests in the
world. They can be 4 metres deep and 2.5 metres wide. They can weigh up
to 1 ton. The bald eagle was an endangered species twenty-five years ago.
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Activity 6: Working in teams, do a project on one of the animals below. All of them
are or were endangered or threatened species. The project must include the
following aspects:
a. Complete passport
b. Short written description of the animal
c. Oral presentation of the species
d. Presentation of pictures to show the animal and its habitat
To do the project you must visit this website:
http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/animals/creaturefeature/


Salamander Beaver Peregrine falcon American bison
American alligator Blue whale Brown bear

PASSPORT
NAME: ........................................
LENGTH/HEIGHT: .......................................
WEIGHT: .......................................
FEEDING: ........................................
HABITAT: ........................................
COLOUR: ........................................
LOCOMOTION: ........................................
OTHER FEATURES: .....................................
OTHER ASPECTS: ........................................
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ANIMAL LENGTH/
HEIGHT
WEIGHT FEEDING HABITAT COLOUR LOCOMOTION OTHER
INFORMATION





















Activity 7: Listen to your classmates presentations and fill in this table:

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