WE SPY!!
We’re back with an all new we spy! Today’s clue will be given by Sylvia the Seahorse! Get those thinking caps on and tell us who we spy!
adventure
WE SPY!!
Categories: adventure, Animals, Children, conservation, education, Environment, nature, science, wildlife
Tags: adventure, animals, children, conservation, education, environment, fish, nature, oceans, science, wildlife
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WORLD RHINO DAY!!!
WORLD RHINO DAY!
We’re celebrating our friends the rhinoceros today! These magnificent animals are one of our very favorites, with their large bodies, hairy ears and fabulous horns!
We’re going to give you some fun rhino facts, a coloring sheet and some great resources to help our friends!
RHINO FUN FACTS:
- There are 5 species of rhinos, the Black Rhino, the White Rhino (the African species), the Northern India Rhino, the Sumatran Rhino and the Javan Rhino (the Asian species).
- Rhinoceros is Greek for nose and horn!
- All rhinos have poor eyesight.
- White rhinos have a large broad mouth for grazing grass.
- Black rhinos have a narrow prehensile lip to help them grasp leaves.
- Rhino horns are made of keratin, the same protein that makes up your hair and fingernails.
- Rhinos’ ears can move and rotate independently of each other. This adaptation helps the rhino hear.
- Rhinos are herbivores.
- Rhinos are related to horses, tapirs and zebras! Woohoo!
- The Sumatran Rhino is the smallest rhino weighing around 1,700 lbs and the White rhino is the largest weighing around 5,000 lbs.
- A group of rhinos is called a crash!
- All rhinos are endangered. Many organizations, like Saving Rhinos are working very hard to save and protect these amazing animals. Check them out and see how you can help!
We have a cute rhino for you to color! As always, remember to share your pictures when you color them!
Categories: adventure, Animals, Children, conservation, education, Environment, nature, science, wildlife
Tags: adventure, animals, children, conservation, education, environment, mammals, nature, science, wildlife
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INTERNATIONAL RED PANDA DAY!!
INTERNATIONAL RED PANDA DAY!!!
Who loves Red Pandas? We love Red Pandas! And today on International Red Panda Day we’re celebrating the original panda! That’s right folks, red pandas were discovered and named panda before the Giant Panda was discovered!
- Red pandas are classified in their own families, but are related to raccoons.
- They are nocturnal.
- They live in mountainous forests in parts of Southeast Asia.
- Red pandas are arboreal.
- They are solitary.
- Red pandas are also called The Fire Fox or the Red Cat Bear.
- Red pandas eat bamboo, grass, fruit and eggs.
- They have very thick fur and very bushy tails to keep them warm.
- Red pandas have a psuedo thumb that helps them grasp bamboo.
These adorable little red pandas are endangered, mainly due to habitat loss. There is a great organization working very hard to protect our favorite red pals! The Red Panda Network celebrates Red Panda Day, conserves forests and educates people about the fire fox!
SLIGHT DELAY!
SLIGHT DELAY!
Well folks, we’ve had a slight delay with the University of Ellie and Edmond website. We’re having some host site issues that we hope to have fixed within the week… We appreciate your patience and we’ll leave you with a Kiwi coloring sheet to enjoy today, because who doesn’t love a small flightless bird! We’ll be still be putting up content til the site is switched.
Thanks for your support!
-Ellie and Edmond!
Categories: adventure, Animals, Children, conservation, education, Environment, nature, science, wildlife
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INTERNATIONAL VULTURE DAY!
INTERNATIONAL VULTURE DAY!!
We’re celebrating vultures today! We bet you aren’t ready for your International Vulture Day party are you? Well, we have you covered! We’ve got pictures, fun facts and a coloring sheet!
Our pal Vinny!
FUN FACTS:
- There are 23 species of vultures in the world. Fourteen of them are listed as endangered.
- Vultures are classified as Old world (Europe, Asia, Africa) and New world (Americas).
- Recent DNA shows that Old world and New world vultures are not related and probably have different ancestors.
- Vultures eat carrion (dead animals). We like to call them the garbage birds of the world as they can eat things no other animal can.
- Vultures are social animals.
- Vultures have an excellent sense of smell and sight!
- Vultures have featherless heads. This keeps them free of bacteria and parasites!
- Vultures also urinate on their legs to keep them cool and free of bacteria. Eeeeewwww!
- The Andean Condor is the largest species of vulture. They have a 9-10 foot wingspan!
- The Hooded condor is the smallest species of vulture. They are about the size of a crow.
- When threatened vultures throw up! Double eeeeeeeewww!!!
Categories: adventure, Animals, birds, Children, conservation, education, Environment, nature, science, wildlife
Tags: adventure, animals, birds, children, conservation, environment, nature, science, wildlife
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SYLVIA THE SEAHORSE!
SYLVIA THE SEAHORSE!
Hi everyone! I’m Sylvia the Seahorse! I’m the last of the new professors to introduce myself here at the University of Ellie and Edmond! I’m named after Sylvia Earl, the famous ocean explorer! I’ll be here to teach you all about the fish of the world’s oceans and freshwater habitats. Fish come in all sizes and shapes and we live at the very deepest parts of the oceans to the rivers at the tops of mountains! Some of us are colorful and oddly shaped and others of us are plain.
Most people don’t know that I am a fish, but I am! I live in the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia! I’m not the strongest swimmer as my dorsal fin is very small, so I stay close to the corals, where I hang on with my tail. I eat small plankton and crustaceans that I suck into my snout. I must constantly eat because I have no stomach. I can eat up to 3,000 shrimp a day! They sure are tasty. I have a mate who incubates our young. That’s right the male seahorse has a pouch that he carries the eggs in until the hatch.
I am so excited to share more about myself and my fish friends here at The University! I hope you’re excited too!
GRACIE THE GRASSHOPPER!
GRACIE THE GRASSHOPPER!
Hellooooo!!! I’m Gracie the Grasshopper! I am the new professor of insects and invertebrates here at the University of Ellie and Edmond. I’m hoping with excitement to share the world of my insect friends with you. I know Carl the Chameleon and Rita the rat think they get no respect, well try being a small multi-legged animal that people think are gross, horrifying or yucky!!
I’ve got a big job ahead of me to teach you about all the amazing insects of the world. Ok, it may not be all the insects of the world, because there are nearly 1 million species of insects and scientists estimate that number is only about 80% of what has been discovered. That’s right folks, we insects rule the earth!! And without us you couldn’t survive!!
I live right near the University! Ellie and Edmond were out taking a stroll and we struck up a conversation! I was so elated when they asked me to take this position. Along with my other grasshopper relatives I am an herbivore. I have large compound eyes and antennae on my head. I also have a nifty exoskeleton and I can camouflage to hide myself rom predators! Man can I jump! I love jumping! I jump from plant to plant munching away! I’m ready to jump into the world of insects and I hope you come along!!!
Categories: adventure, Animals, Children, conservation, education, Environment, insects, nature, science, wildlife
Tags: adventure, animals, children, conservation, education, environment, nature, science, wildlife
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WHALE SHARK DAY!!
WHALE SHARK DAY!!
Today it International Whale Shark Day! So let’s celebrate these gentle giants of the oceans!
- Whale sharks are the largest fish in the oceans!
- They are sharks, with full cartilaginous skeletons!
- Whale sharks are filter feeders! They eat plankton that they filter out of the water.
- Whale sharks prefer temperate to tropical waters.
- Whale sharks are listed as vulnerable on the IUCN list.
- Whale sharks can live up to 70 years!
- Every whale shark has a unique spot pattern.
- Whale sharks are classified as carpet sharks, which include nurse sharks and our favorite the wobbegong!
Answer: A) 3 feet
Categories: adventure, Animals, Children, conservation, education, Environment, fish, nature, oceans, science, wildlife
Tags: adventure, animals, children, conservation, education, environment, fish, nature, oceans, science, wildlife
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RITA THE RAT!!
RITA THE RAT!!
Hello everyone! My name is Rita the Rat. I am the new professor of geography and habitats at the University of Ellie and Edmond! I am so super excited to be teaching everyone about habitats around the world! We animals live in extremes, from the driest desert to the coldest Antarctic homes. I get to tell you about these types of habitats and where they are located on the planet. I’ll even be sharing some of the local customs and languages of the people that may share the habitat with the animals.
I’m a Norwegian rat and my relatives live all over the world. We’re also know to be kept as pets and I must say we are generally a very friendly lot! We are very social animals and usually live in large family groups. We get a bad reputation, but we are very important! We are scavengers and help keep things clean and many of my wild relatives are a big part of the food web! Did you know that there are rats who help humans detect land mines? That’s right, we are extremely helpful and I must say- adorable! I look forward to sharing the world with you here at the University!
CARL THE CHAMELEON!
CARL THE CHAMELEON!
Howdy! I’m Carl the Chameleon! I’m the new professor of reptiles and amphibians here at the University. I know my reptile and amphibian friends don’t get the same love as the mammals or birds, but we are a very important part of habitats of the earth. Along with Ellie and Edmond we want everyone to love reptiles and amphibians!
I’m a Panther Chameleon and I’ve traveled all the way from home on the island of Madagascar to be here. That’s right I lived on the island off the coast of Africa that is famous for lemurs, see it’s always the mammals that get all the attention. Well, I live in the same forests that some of those guys did and I too am an important part of the ecosystem. I love to eat insects! I use my lightning fast and super long tongue to catch them! Deeeelicious!
I have two toes that are fused together and three more that fused together, these toes help me grip and climb! My eyes rotate separately from each other and they give me a 360 degree view of the world. I can also see ultraviolet light, I bet most of you mammals can’t do that!
And yes I can change color, but I do not do it to match my surroundings. My color is changes when the temperature changes or according to my mood. It’s not easy being green or yellow or orange!
Today’s Post
The Adventures of Ellie and Edmond 