Aquarium

An aquarium is a tank for keeping fish and other marine life in a home or in a museum. A museum for fish is called an aquarium. In a public aquarium, visitors may watch fish. Some of the fish are as large as sharks.

Scientists study these fish. The first public aquarium was built in London, England, in 1853.

The fish kept as pets in home aquariums are often fish that live in tropical rivers in nature. They are small enough to live in a tank. And they are usually colorful and beautiful. Pet stores may have as many as 150 different kinds of fish for home aquariums.

Arabs

Arabs are a group of people who speak the Arabic language and follow the Arabic way of life. Over 100 million Arabs live in 19 countries fourths of them live in Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Sudan, Syria, and Morocco. Most Arabs are Muslims, that is, follower of the Islamic religion. But about 100 million are Christians.

The name Arab was first given to the nomadic tribes that lived in the Arabian desert. About 610 A.D., the prophet Muhammad united the desert tribes of the Arabian peninsula. After his death, the Arab empire spread all across the Middle East and into Africa and Europe. The Islamic religion and Arab culture spread with the empire.

Today, the oil industry has brought great wealth and change to many Arab nations. Yet Muslims still follow closely Muhammad’s teaching in their daily life.

Ape

Apes are large animals that look like monkeys. They have no tails, and they can stand up and walk on the feet. There are four types of apes: chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans, and gibbons.

Chimpanzees are the smallest apes. They use long sticks to get honey, ants, and termites from nests. They crack nuts using stones.

Gorillas are the biggest apes. They grow as tall as men but are heavier and stronger. Although gorillas look mean, they are really peaceful and shy. Chimpanzees and gorillas live in Africa. Orangutans live on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra. Orangutans are forest animals. They have arms that are almost as long as their bodies. They feed on fruit during the day. At night they sleep in trees.

Gibbons, the smallest of the apes, live in Southeast Asia. They swing from tree to tree, and run along on branches. Their feet grip like hands. Gibbons eat fruit, insect, and eggs.

Aphid

Aphids are small insects about the size of a pin head. They drink sap from the stems of plants. Aphids can kill plants by sucking out all the plant sap with their sharp beaks.

When they are only a few days old, aphids start laying eggs. One aphid can lay thousands of eggs. Most of these eggs are eaten by other insects and birds. If this didn’t happen, the world would be filled with aphids.

Many kinds of ants take care of aphids. The ants drink a sweet juice that drips out of aphids. The juice is called honeydew. To get honeydew, ants “milk” aphids by patting their backs. In this way, ants are “farmer” and aphids are their “cows.”

Anthropology

Anthropology is the scientific study of man. An anthropologist studies everything about people. This includes how people live, how they behave, and what their ancestors were like. There are four branches or types of anthropology:

Archaeology. This branch studies the way people lived long ago. Archaeologists explore ruined buildings and towns and dig up objects that were buried thousands of years ago. They study the ruin and objects to find out about the people who created them.

Physical anthropology. This branch studies the physical changes in people’s bodies. These anthropologists study the bones of prehistoric people. They want to know how people have changed over thousands of years.

Cultural anthropology. This branch studies everything about the way people in a certain place live. What do they eat? How do they do? What are their religions? These are few of the things that cultural anthropologist want to know.

Linguistics. This is the study of languages. An anthropologist can learn a great deal about a group of people by studying its language

Antelope

Antelope are animals that have hoofs and horns. They look like deer, but they are not. They are related to cattle. Like cows, they chew their cud. This means that they chew their food before it goes to their stomachs. Then they bring it up and chew it again.

Antelope live in Africa and Asia. Most live in groups in grasslands and forests.
Antelopes vary greatly in size. The royal antelope is only about 10 inches (24.4 cm) tall at the shoulder. The eland is over six feet (1.8 m) tall at the shoulder.
Some antelope have horns that look like corkscrews or spirals. The horns of the kudu antelope sometimes grow to a length of five feet (1.5 m). Unlike deer, antelope never shed, or lose, their horns.

Antelope are peaceful, shy animals. They travel together in herds, and they warn each other of danger. They can outrun most of their enemies. Some antelope can run 40 miles per hour (64 kph). Also, they can keep running longer than most other animals can. The impala can jump six feet (1.8 m) high. In one leap it can cover 30 feet (9 m).

Anteaters

The giant anteater is an odd-looking animal. It can grow to 6 feet (1.8 m), but its mouth is the size of a button. Its skinny head is shaped like a tube.

Giant anteaters don’t have any teeth. They eat ants and termites without chewing them.
Anteaters catch insects with their tongues, which can be 20 inches (50.8 cm) long.

Anteaters rip open ant and termite nests with their sharp claws. Then they stick their tongues inside the nests to lap up the insects. Anteaters also use their claws to fight other animals. Giant anteaters hunt for food at night and sleep in the grass during the day.

When they sleep they cover themselves with their tails. The tails hide them from other animals and shade them from the sun