You can learn more about predator-friendly ranches, like Will Holder's ranch, and organic beef at www.ervins.com/ (Ervin's) and www.mailtribune.com/archive/2004/0725/biz/stories/01biz.htm (Mail Tribune, Jackson County, Oregon).

Learn more about gray wolves at www.kidsplanet.org/factsheets/wolf.html (Defenders of Wildlife) and www.nwf.org/wildlife/graywolf/ (National Wildlife Federation). Information about research on wolf behavior is available at www.wildlifesciencecenter.org/WolfBehavior.html (Wildlife Science Center).

You can learn more about mountain lions in the United States at www.mountainlion.org/facts_faq.asp (Mountain Lion Foundation).

Information about the reintroduction of the Mexican gray wolf to Arizona can be found at www.kaet.asu.edu/wildaz/wolf/facts/reintro.html (Arizona State University) and ifw2es.fws.gov/mexicanwolf/FAQ.cfm (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service).

For a school project on wolf reintroduction in Yellowstone National Park, see www.powayschools.com/projects/
mt&r/ConflictYellowstoneWolf.htm (Poway Unified School District).

Sohn, Emily. 2004. Ganging up to grab more food. Science News for Kids (March 31). Available at http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20040331/Note3.asp .

______. 2004. Missing tigers in India. Science News for Kids (Feb. 25). Available at http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20040225/Feature1.asp .

Books recommended by SearchIt!Science:

Once a Wolf: How Wildlife Biologists Fought to Bring Back the Gray Wolf — Stephen R. Swinburne Published by Houghton Mifflin Co., 1999. Wolves have often had a bad reputation. So, no one thought that there was anything wrong with killing them. That was until the 20th century. Learn what made conservationists turn that attitude around. See the resistance they met. Read how they successfully reintegrated wolves into Yellowstone National Park.

Coyote: North America's Dog — Stephen R. Swinburne Published by Boyds Mills Press, 1999. Coyotes thrive like no other animal in North America. Learn why some people fear them while others think they are an important part of the ecosystem. Find out how coyotes behave and survive.

Predator! — Bruce Brooks Published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1991. Imagine a spider that can run as fast as a trotting horse or one that looks like a bird dropping. There are many successful strategies for predation. Every food web includes predators. This book describes the behavior of a number of predators, especially their special hunting and killing skills. It also explains how some would-be prey are able to escape. The well-written text and the many full-color photographs make each predator's hunt come alive.

biodiversity The number and variety of plants and animals that are found in ecosystems.

extinct 1. No longer existing or living. Plants and animals become extinct because of changes in climate, destruction of their habitat, natural disasters, or disease. 2. No longer active or burning. An extinct volcano is not able to erupt anymore.

predator An animal that hunts another animal for food. Lions, eagles, frogs, and sharks are predators.

Copyright © 2002, 2003 Houghton-Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Used with permission.