Published in Great Britain in MMXXII by The Salariya Book Company Ltd 25 Marlborough Place, Brighton BN1 1UB www.salariya.com ISBN: 978-1-913971-46-5 © The Salariya Book Company Ltd MMXXII All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system or transmitted in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
135798642 A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Printed and bound in Malta. This book is sold subject to the conditions that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consent in any form or binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
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Author: Alex Woolf studied history at Essex University in England. He is the author of many books for children on science topics, including previous titles in the You Wouldn’t Want To Live Without and Science Of series. Artist: Diego Vaisberg works as a designer and illustrator. He has previously worked in the product and design department for the Ink-co kids’ accessories brand, and has been professor of Editorial design and Illustration at Palermo University, Buenos Aires since 2014. Editor: Nick Pierce
Contents What are city animals?
4
Do city rats spread disease?
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Why are there rats in our cities?
6
Where in the world are city animals?
10
Why are there so many city pigeons?
14
What animals live in the suburbs?
18
What makes a successful city animal? What other birds live in cities?
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Are city animals pests?
20
Why are squirrels so successful?
25
Why do squirrels live in cities? Are city animals dangerous?
What dangers do city animals face?
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Why do we hate cockroaches?
30
How do animals find food in the city?
34
Why do raccoons cause so much trouble?
38
What new animals have moved into cities?
42
What can we do about cockroaches?
How have animals adapted to the city?
How have raccoons adapted to the city? How do city animals help us? Animals in the city facts
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36 41
44 46
Glossary 47 Index 48
What are city animals?
T
he animals we’ll be looking at in this book are wild animals that make their homes in cities. A wild animal is any animal living in its natural state – not one that’s looked after or controlled by humans. Pets or farm animals are not wild animals.
Old and new Some wild animals have lived with humans for many thousands of years and have come to depend on us, like house mice and house sparrows. Others have arrived in cities more recently, like baboons and penguins in Cape Town, South Africa; mountain lions in Los Angeles, USA; or wild boars in Rome, Italy.
Global and local Some wild animals are found in cities all around the world. They include cockroaches, rats, house sparrows and pigeons. Others, like the leopards of Mumbai, are only found in one or a few cities.
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Food and shelter Wild animals are attracted to cities because there’s plenty of food, much of which has been thrown out by humans. Cities also have plenty of places to shelter and hide from predators.
Did you know? Some animals were introduced to cities by humans and have thrived there. In 1974, around 50 green parakeets were released in the city of Brussels, Belgium. Today, around 8,000 of these birds have made their homes in the city’s parks.
5
Why are there rats in our cities?
T
he brown rat is the most common rat found in cities today. It originated on the Asian steppes, and spread to Europe by around 1500, and to North America by the 1750s. It thrives in cities mainly because humans throw out a lot of waste food, and rats will eat almost anything!
Fast breeders
Adaptable
Brown rats reach sexual maturity at 12 weeks and can have between 2 and 14 pups at a time, so populations can expand very fast. The more shelter and food in an area, the bigger their litters.
Rats have adapted brilliantly to the city because they are clever, quick and agile. They are widest at the skull, so can slip into very narrow spaces, including the insides of sewage pipes. In Seattle, several have been found poking their noses out of toilet bowls!
Week 46 = 5,922 rats Week 0 = 9 rats
Week 52 = 11,907 rats Week 30 = 270 rats
K
VISION
Hold the page opposite up to the light to see the rat’s skeleton.
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7
8
Do city rats spread disease?
T
he black rat, cousin of the brown rat, was responsible for spreading perhaps the worst pandemic in human history – the bubonic plague of the Middle Ages – which, between 1347 and 1352, killed one-third of Europe’s population. The plague germ lives inside fleas that live on rats and then spread to humans.
Awful ailments
Rats and mice living in cities are also carriers of other diseases that can spread to humans, including: • h antavirus – fever caused by contact with rodent urine, droppings and saliva • leptospirosis – blood infection spread through contact with rodent urine • tularemia – disease causing fever and skin ulcers, spread through parasites living on rodents and rabbits • salmonella – disease causing diarrhoea, fever, cramps and vomiting, spread through contact with animal, including rodent, droppings.
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