hello my name is Kylie and welcome to fur feathers scales or skin all living
things have different types of things covering their bodies let's learn about
the different kinds ready to go undercover to find out more let's get
started
do you know what the covering or outside of your body is called it's not a
sweater t-shirt dress or pants its skin humans have skin covering our
bodies take a look at the skin on your arm what do you notice what are some
words you can use to describe your skin did you say smooth our skin is smooth
most of the time because it is not bumpy it can be a little bumpy if you get
goosebumps goosebumps happen when we get a chill or get excited we call them
goose bumps because they look like the skin of a goose without their feathers
we have skin to protect our bodies from the outside world and to keep us from
getting sick our skin also helps us to keep warm in the winter and cool in the
summer what about the skin of different kinds of animals let's take a look at a
rabbit what do you notice rabbits yes have fur covering their skin
fur is made up of a lot of hair we have hair on our bodies too
but not as much as a rabbit rabbit fur is soft and cuddly they have this fur to
keep them warm in the winter and protected from rain and bugs in the
summer here is an antelope they have hair covering the skin on their bodies
but their hair is not very soft if you were to rub it it would feel rough then
not cuddly at all this rough hair helps the antelope keep dry and cool in the
summer like a sunshade and warm in the winter like a warm coat they don't have
to change clothes like us neat let's see hmm
what has feathers did you say birds right good job birds have covering
feathers all over them their feathers grow out of their skin
and are made out of the same stuff as fingernails feathers do a lot of
different things most birds like this blue jay use their feathers to fly I bet
you know the name of this bird that uses its feathers to swim and not fly yes
you're right it's a penguin penguins also use their feathers to stay
warm and dry too ducks use their feathers to fly and to help them stay
afloat on top of the water lizards snakes and fish have very different
coverings and humans rabbits birds and other animals they have scales scales
are also made up of the same thing our fingernails are made up of snake scales
are not slimy like most people think they're smooth and can be made of very
beautiful colors snake skin has scales to help protect the snake if it were to
get attacked or rub up against something rough their scales are like armor on a
knight lizards also use their skin in this way
as lizards and snakes grow they must shed their skin and grow new skin their
scales cannot grow bigger and that is why they must grow new ones fish also
have scales they do not shed their skin like snakes and lizards their scales
grow as they get bigger look at this fish called a tarpon in an older tarpon
scales can be as big as your hand
insects do not have skin feathers fur or scales as a covering they wear their
skeletons on the outside wow they're covering is called an exoskeleton EXO
means outside so the next time you see a cricket like this one you are seeing her
skeleton insects use their exoskeleton to stay safe
they shed or moult's this outer skeleton like snakes because it doesn't grow
bigger than the insect learning about the different types of animal coverings
sure is interesting what kinds of living things are near you do you know what
type of coverings they have fur feathers scales or skin practice what you learned
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