WILD ANIMALS

People have been taming animals for 10,000 years. Since prehistoric times, people have kept cattle for meat, milk and leather, and sheep for wool. Horses and camels have learned to carry people and cargo, and dogs have been trained to hunt and stand watch. But the vast majority of the world’s animal species are wild, even today. Want to learn more about all kinds of animals? Use the direct links on The Times Launch Point Web site.

https://www.latimes.com/launchpoint/

LEVEL 1

Kids Only Virtual Zoo: Visit baby animals at this Virtual Zoo that has pictures you can print out and color.

https://www.vulcan-net.com/zoo/kidsmain.html

Virtual Safari: Photos of animals in the wild. Just click on the pictures to learn interesting facts about them.

https://www.period.com/safari/

Cyber Tiger: Pretend that you’re a zookeeper and try your hand at making a safe and nurturing environment for the largest cat on Earth--the Siberian tiger.

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/features/97/tigers/maina.html

LEVEL 2

Virtual Zoo: More than two dozen animals are housed here, all accompanied by photos and descriptions. Includes links to other wildlife sites.

https://www.vulcan-net.com/zoo/main.html

The Birmingham Zoo: This site not only features animals from the zoo, it also includes a search engine and links to other animal sites. You can ask the staff of the zoo questions about animals or zoos by sending an e-mail message.

https://www.birminghamzoo.com/

Cats! Wild to Mild: Based on the exhibit at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, this site follows the lives of cats in the wild and their domesticated cousins. It includes information on cat biology and behavior and pet care.

https://www.lam.mus.ca.us/cats/

LEVEL 3

Gorillas: Photos, field studies and scientific articles covering a wide variety of topics related to gorillas. https://www.selu.com/~bio/gorilla/

Discover the Zoo: Facts and photos on a wide range of animals from the Oakland Zoo. You can find animals alphabetically, by type or by ecosystem. Includes some video and audio clips, as well as educational games in the “Cool Stuff” section.

https://www.oaklandzoo.org/oz/zoo/discover.html

Tour of the San Antonio Zoo: Detailed descriptions of more than 80 well-known and not-so-familiar creatures--from giant anteaters and armadillos to hairy-nosed wombats and Grevy’s zebras. https://www.sazoo-aq.org/zootour.htm

Launch Point is produced by the UC Irvine department of education, which reviews each site for appropriateness and quality. Even so, parents should supervise their children’s use of the Internet. This week’s column was designed by Ronni Rowland.

EXPLORER’S QUEST

Free Times T-shirt

The answer to this Internet quiz can be found in the sites at right.

Elephants don’t perspire--they have no sweat glands. So what do they use to cool themselves?

Clue: See Virtual Safari

How It Works: Answer three questions correctly in the Explorer’s Quest Web Challenges by Sept. 29, and you’ll get a free T-shirt. Just clip and fill out the form on Page B5, or make up your own handwritten form. You can also find the form on The Times Launch Point Web site, https://www.latimes.com/launchpoint/

Answer to last week’s Quest: A political document, a letter, a speech or a work of fiction is an example of a primary source.