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1. Read the next 3 articles.
Lee los siguientes 3 artículos.
Lesson 20
California Condor
Gymnogyps californianus: Vulture Culture
Look, up in the sky! (We mean WAY up, as in 15,000 feet!)
It's a bird, all right—the mighty California condor! And with all due
respect to that tall dude with yellow feathers on Sesame Street, this
high flyer holds the title of the largest bird in North America. Weighing
up to 25 pounds, he's got a wingspan of 9 1/2 feet and can glide for
hours at 55 mph without once beating his wings. If that sounds hard,
well.
..it is. It takes a year for young condors to sharpen their soaring
skills. The California condor is a vulture, a type of bird recognizable
by his big size and bald head. And like his vulture cousins, the
California condor chows down on carrion. That's the meat of dead
animals, such as cattle, sheep, deer and horses. It may sound gross
to you, but just think—he's part of nature's clean-up crew. And
besides, he always washes up after dinner by rubbing his head and
neck
against
grass,
rocks
and
trees.
No
rinsing
needed!
_californiacondor
Elephant: “Nose-Y” Neighbor
Loxodonta africana
Imagine if you had a machine that could prepare all your meals,
give you a shower, carry your backpack and provide sound
effects for a variety of social occasions.You may not be able to
find one in stores, but the African elephant is lucky enough to
carry one with him at all times. If you haven’t already guessed it,
we’re talking of the
trunk
—and this big guy is really kind of
attached
to his! The African elephant’s trunk is actually an
extension of his upper lip and nose, and he uses it for drinking,
greeting friends, trumpeting, lifting and grasping. And like any
self-respecting nose, this one’s good for smelling, too. But most
importantly, the elephant uses his trunk to gather and bring food
to his mouth. And we don’t mean a berry here and a blade of
grass there. To keep his 13,000-pound self strong and healthy,
an African elephant needs to consume more than 300 pounds of
grass, shrubs, leaves and fruit a day. Pass the salad, please!
ephant
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