READING LEVEL O: Where's Your Hair?

Where’s Your Hair? LEVELED BOOK • O A Reading A–Z Level O Leveled Book Word Count: 682 Where’s Your Hair?

Written by Charles C. Hofer

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Photo Credits: Hairless All Around Us Glossary Front cover, pages 9, 15: © Jean-Michel Labat/ardea.com; back cover: © Eddie Boldizsar/REX USA; title page, page 8: © GlobalP/iStock/Thinkstock; page 3: © Jacqueline Hunkele/iStock/Thinkstock; page 4: © GROSSEMY VANESSA/ Hairless animals are everywhere . They adapted (v.) c hanged to fit a new or specific Where’s Alamy; page 5: © Juniors Bildarchiv GmbH/Alamy; page 6: © Tierfotoagentur/ Alamy; page 10: © Phil Yeomans/REX USA; page 11 (top): © krechet/iStock/ situation or environment (p .12) Thinkstock; page 11 (bottom): © allesalltag/Alamy; page 12: © Wade Payne/AP can be wild animals or cuddly pets . Images; page 13: © Frans Lanting Studio/Alamy; page 14 (top): © Peter Zigich/ Hemera/Thinkstock; page 14 (bottom): © Andrey Nekrasov/imagebroker/Corbis Some hairless animal breeds are breeds (n.) g roups of animals or plants Your Hair? Back Cover: A Chinese crested dog enjoys (?) a bath. thousands of years old, while others are that are alike as a result of Front Cover: The fantastic (and hairless) four: a Mexican xolo dog, sphynx cat, brand new . Who knows what kind of controlled reproduction (p .4) guinea pig, and rat hairless animal will pop up next? Title Page: A Chinese crested puppy shows us its good side. bred (v.) c ared for an animal or plant Page 3: A sphynx cat nuzzles her kitten. in order to produce a certain kind of offspring (p .4)

genes (n.) tiny carriers of information by which living things transfer traits from one generation to the next (p . 6)

mammals warm-blooded animals with (n.) a backbone and hair or fur that nurse their young and have babies that are born live (p .4)

mutation a change in the genes from Where’s Your Hair? Level O Leveled Book Correlation (n.) o ne generation to the next that © Learning A–Z LEVEL O Written by Charles C. Hofer may change how an offspring Written by Charles C. Hofer Fountas & Pinnell M Who you calling hairless? Three hairless breeds—Peruvian Inca orchid, All rights reserved. Reading Recovery 20 Mexican xolo, and Chinese crested—are ready to stand up for hairless grows and what it can do (p . 8) DRA 28 www.readinga-z.com www.readinga-z.com pets everywhere.

Where’s Your Hair? • Level O 15 16 Photo Credits: Front cover, pages 9, 15: © Jean-Michel Labat/ardea.com; back cover: © Eddie Hairless All Around Us Glossary Boldizsar/REX USA; title page, page 8: © GlobalP/iStock/Thinkstock; page 3: © Jacqueline Hunkele/iStock/Thinkstock; page 4: © GROSSEMY VANESSA/ Where’s Alamy; page 5: © Juniors Bildarchiv GmbH/Alamy; page 6: © Tierfotoagentur/ Hairless animals are everywhere . They adapted (v.) changed to fit a new or specific Alamy; page 10: © Phil Yeomans/REX USA; page 11 (top): © krechet/iStock/ Thinkstock; page 11 (bottom): © allesalltag/Alamy; page 12: © Wade Payne/AP situation or environment (p .12) Images; page 13: © Frans Lanting Studio/Alamy; page 14 (top): © Peter Zigich/ can be wild animals or cuddly pets . Hemera/Thinkstock; page 14 (bottom): © Andrey Nekrasov/imagebroker/Corbis Some hairless animal breeds are breeds (n.) groups of animals or plants Your Hair? Back Cover: A Chinese crested dog enjoys (?) a bath. thousands of years old, while others are Front Cover: The fantastic (and hairless) four: a Mexican xolo dog, sphynx cat, that are alike as a result of guinea pig, and rat brand new . Who knows what kind of controlled reproduction (p .4) Title Page: A Chinese crested puppy shows us its good side. hairless animal will pop up next? Page 3: A sphynx cat nuzzles her kitten. bred (v.) cared for an animal or plant in order to produce a certain kind of offspring (p .4)

genes (n.) tiny carriers of information by which living things transfer traits from one generation to the next (p .6)

mammals warm-blooded animals with (n.) a backbone and hair or fur that nurse their young and have babies that are born live (p .4)

Where’s Your Hair? mutation a change in the genes from Level O Leveled Book Correlation © Learning A–Z LEVEL O (n.) one generation to the next that Written by Charles C. Hofer Written by Charles C. Hofer Fountas & Pinnell M may change how an offspring All rights reserved. Reading Recovery 20 Who you calling hairless? Three hairless breeds—Peruvian Inca orchid, DRA 28 Mexican xolo, and Chinese crested—are ready to stand up for hairless grows and what it can do (p .8) www.readinga-z.com www.readinga-z.com pets everywhere.

Where’s Your Hair? • Level O 15 16 hairless and longhair Chinese crested dogs

What Makes a Mammal? All mammals have certain things in

Asian elephant common . They are warm-blooded, they Table of Contents Hairless Adaptations nurse their young, and most—not all— Some mammals have adapted to What Makes a Mammal? ...... 4 have hair . Some mammals have lots of live in places where they don’t need a hair, while others have almost none at all . When two naked mole rats want to pass each other in a tunnel, the smaller lot of hair. Elephants and rhinoceroses Hairless Dogs ...... 5 one usually crouches down so the larger one can crawl over. have thick skin to help protect them Some mammals—normally hairy—have from the sun and heat where they live. Naked mole rats spend their entire life Whales and dolphins live in the ocean. Cool Cats ...... 8 been bred to be hairless . Many common below the ground in tunnels . To control Instead of hair, a thick layer of blubber, pets include hairless breeds . There are or fat, helps these mammals stay Skinny Pigs and Fancy Rats . . . . . 10 their body temperature, they move warm in the chilly water. beluga whale hairless dogs, hairless cats, and even around . When it’s warm out, naked mole Humans are nearly hairless, too. Hairless in the Wild ...... 12 hairless guinea pigs . Hairless mammals Instead of fur, we wear coats when we’re cold and shorts when rats move to deeper tunnels where it’s can be found in the wild, too . Look we’re hot. We heat our homes during winter and cool them during Hairless All Around Us ...... 15 cooler . When it’s cold, the mole rats summer. Like these other mammals, we’ve adapted to live without around you . Hairless animals are group together to keep each other warm . (much) hair. Glossary ...... 16 everywhere!

Where’s Your Hair? • Level O 13 14 Where’s Your Hair? • Level O 3 4 hairless and longhair Chinese crested dogs

What Makes a Mammal? All mammals have certain things in

common . They are warm-blooded, they Asian elephant Table of Contents nurse their young, and most—not all— Hairless Adaptations What Makes a Mammal? ...... 4 have hair . Some mammals have lots of Some mammals have adapted to hair, while others have almost none at all . live in places where they don’t need a Hairless Dogs ...... 5 When two naked mole rats want to pass each other in a tunnel, the smaller lot of hair. Elephants and rhinoceroses Some mammals—normally hairy—have one usually crouches down so the larger one can crawl over. have thick skin to help protect them from the sun and heat where they live. Cool Cats ...... 8 been bred to be hairless . Many common Naked mole rats spend their entire life Whales and dolphins live in the ocean. pets include hairless breeds . There are below the ground in tunnels . To control Instead of hair, a thick layer of blubber, Skinny Pigs and Fancy Rats . . . . . 10 or fat, helps these mammals stay hairless dogs, hairless cats, and even their body temperature, they move warm in the chilly water. beluga whale Hairless in the Wild ...... 12 hairless guinea pigs . Hairless mammals around . When it’s warm out, naked mole Humans are nearly hairless, too. Instead of fur, we wear coats when we’re cold and shorts when can be found in the wild, too . Look rats move to deeper tunnels where it’s Hairless All Around Us ...... 15 we’re hot. We heat our homes during winter and cool them during around you . Hairless animals are cooler . When it’s cold, the mole rats summer. Like these other mammals, we’ve adapted to live without Glossary ...... 16 everywhere! group together to keep each other warm . (much) hair.

Where’s Your Hair? • Level O 3 4 Where’s Your Hair? • Level O 13 14 Hairless in the Wild Hairless Dogs Hairless animals are found in the wild, Hairless dogs have a long history . The too . These animals have adapted to live xolo (SHOW-low) is a hairless dog breed without a lot of hair . The naked mole that has been around for more than rat is a funny-looking rodent that doesn’t three thousand years . Some believe xolos furry and hairless rat have thick fur like most rats . Instead followed early humans when they first Another hairless rodent is a rat known it is covered in wrinkly pink skin . moved to Central America . Today, the as the “fancy rat ”. Rats are mostly social xolo is the national dog of Mexico . animals—they like to be around other Peruvian Inca orchid rats . Putting hairless fancy rats together with furry rats (fancy or not so fancy) Peru is home to hairless Inca orchids, helps keep them happy and in good one of the rarest dog breeds in the world . health . Most hairless Inca orchids have a little tuft of hair on their head . It almost looks A Hairless Solution? like a furry wig! Not all Inca orchids are An allergy is your body’s reaction to something it doesn’t like. hairless, though . Both hairy and hairless Sneezing, itchy eyes, sore throat—these can all be caused by allergies. Some people are allergic to hairy Inca orchids can be found in the same pets. An allergic reaction to a pet is litter . usually caused by the animal’s dander, or small flakes of skin. All pets have How can that be? The answer is genes. dander, but hairless pets don’t have a thick coat of fur to trap the dander. Genes are instructions for your cells . Regular cleaning of a hairless pet—and They help make you who you are, from your home—may reduce the sniffling Neither rat nor mole, it turns out naked mole rats aren’t entirely naked, the color of your hair to how tall you and sneezing caused by pet allergies. either. Hairs between their toes help them sweep away dirt while they Mexican xolo are digging tunnels. will grow .

Where’s Your Hair? • Level O 11 12 Where’s Your Hair? • Level O 5 6 Hairless Dogs Hairless in the Wild Hairless dogs have a long history . The Hairless animals are found in the wild, xolo (SHOW-low) is a hairless dog breed too . These animals have adapted to live that has been around for more than without a lot of hair . The naked mole three thousand years . Some believe xolos rat is a funny-looking rodent that doesn’t furry and hairless rat followed early humans when they first have thick fur like most rats . Instead moved to Central America . Today, the Another hairless rodent is a rat known it is covered in wrinkly pink skin . xolo is the national dog of Mexico . as the “fancy rat ”. Rats are mostly social Peruvian Inca orchid animals—they like to be around other rats . Putting hairless fancy rats together Peru is home to hairless Inca orchids, with furry rats (fancy or not so fancy) one of the rarest dog breeds in the world . helps keep them happy and in good Most hairless Inca orchids have a little health . tuft of hair on their head . It almost looks like a furry wig! Not all Inca orchids are A Hairless Solution? hairless, though . Both hairy and hairless An allergy is your body’s reaction to something it doesn’t like. Sneezing, itchy eyes, sore throat—these can all be caused by allergies. Inca orchids can be found in the same Some people are allergic to hairy litter . pets. An allergic reaction to a pet is usually caused by the animal’s dander, How can that be? The answer is genes. or small flakes of skin. All pets have dander, but hairless pets don’t have Genes are instructions for your cells . a thick coat of fur to trap the dander. They help make you who you are, from Regular cleaning of a hairless pet—and your home—may reduce the sniffling the color of your hair to how tall you Neither rat nor mole, it turns out naked mole rats aren’t entirely naked, Mexican xolo and sneezing caused by pet allergies. either. Hairs between their toes help them sweep away dirt while they will grow . are digging tunnels.

Where’s Your Hair? • Level O 5 6 Where’s Your Hair? • Level O 11 12 Genes Behind the Scenes

Russia is home to the peterbald . Though Skinny Pigs and Fancy Rats If a kitten gets Cool Cats regular (hairy) a hairless gene gene it may look like a grouchy space alien, Guinea pigs are a popular hairless rodent . from one parent, Unlike hairless it’s a friendly hairless gene it can pass that One hairless breed of guinea pig is called hairy hairy gene along to its dogs, hairless cat and very kittens someday. the “skinny pig ”. This guinea pig looks If a kitten gets breeds have only playful breed a hairless gene skinny because it doesn’t have a thick from both been around for of hairless cat . parents, it will coat of fuzzy fur like regular guinea pigs . be hairless. a few decades . Because it’s hairy hairy hairy hairless Unlike their furry cousins, skinny pigs The beautiful so active, the Genes are passed down from parents need special care . Without a coat of fur sphynx cat is a peterbald has to children, but not every child gets the to protect them, skinny pigs can easily result of a gene’s a high body same genes . That’s why siblings often injure their skin or get sick . They need natural mutation . temperature . look like their mother and father, but in to stay indoors where it’s safe . That mutation led This makes different ways . the peterbald to a new breed a warm and In the animal world, a hairless dog of cat . Today, the cuddly pet or cat is also the result of genes . If the sphynx is the peterbald cat year round! same hairless gene is passed down most popular of over several generations, it can lead to all hairless cats . Hairless cats are happy to seek out a a new hairless breed . sphynx cat warm lap to sit on . Although they lack a thick coat of fur, most actually have Hairless breeds sometimes need help to Mutant Magic a very fine coat . When petted, a hairless survive . Since hair helps keep a mammal Sometimes a gene can change unexpectedly. That change is called a mutation. Most hairless animal breeds are caused by such a cat feels like a fuzzy peach . warm, many pet owners use sweaters to mutation. The gene that was supposed to instruct the body to grow warm their hairless pets . They also take hair changed. That gene was then passed down to the children . . . skinny pig care to protect their pets from sunburn . and a hairless breed was born!

Where’s Your Hair? • Level O 9 10 Where’s Your Hair? • Level O 7 8 Genes Behind the Scenes

If a kitten gets Cool Cats Russia is home to the peterbald . Though Skinny Pigs and Fancy Rats regular (hairy) a hairless gene gene from one parent, Unlike hairless it may look like a grouchy space alien, Guinea pigs are a popular hairless rodent . hairless gene it can pass that it’s a friendly hairy hairy gene along to its dogs, hairless cat One hairless breed of guinea pig is called kittens someday. and very If a kitten gets breeds have only the “skinny pig ”. This guinea pig looks a hairless gene playful breed from both been around for skinny because it doesn’t have a thick parents, it will of hairless cat . be hairless. a few decades . coat of fuzzy fur like regular guinea pigs . hairy hairy hairy hairless Because it’s The beautiful Unlike their furry cousins, skinny pigs Genes are passed down from parents so active, the sphynx cat is a need special care . Without a coat of fur to children, but not every child gets the peterbald has result of a gene’s to protect them, skinny pigs can easily same genes . That’s why siblings often a high body natural mutation . injure their skin or get sick . They need look like their mother and father, but in temperature . That mutation led to stay indoors where it’s safe . different ways . This makes to a new breed the peterbald In the animal world, a hairless dog of cat . Today, the a warm and or cat is also the result of genes . If the sphynx is the cuddly pet peterbald cat same hairless gene is passed down most popular of year round! over several generations, it can lead to all hairless cats . Hairless cats are happy to seek out a a new hairless breed . sphynx cat warm lap to sit on . Although they lack Hairless breeds sometimes need help to Mutant Magic a thick coat of fur, most actually have survive . Since hair helps keep a mammal Sometimes a gene can change unexpectedly. That change is a very fine coat . When petted, a hairless called a mutation. Most hairless animal breeds are caused by such a warm, many pet owners use sweaters to mutation. The gene that was supposed to instruct the body to grow cat feels like a fuzzy peach . warm their hairless pets . They also take hair changed. That gene was then passed down to the children . . . skinny pig care to protect their pets from sunburn . and a hairless breed was born!

Where’s Your Hair? • Level O 7 8 Where’s Your Hair? • Level O 9 10