american

Prickly

Posted on September 18, 2019 by Ellie and Edmond ©

Prickly

Today we are meeting a prickly animal who is the 2nd largest rodent in North America. Any guesses who it is?  Well let’s find out!

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North American Porcupine Fun Facts:

  • Porcupine backs are covered in quills.
  • They can not throw my quills, but if a predator like a wolf tries to attack they can release the quills.
  • They have around 30,000 quills!
  • Quills are made of keratin, the protein that make up human nails & hair.
  • Porcupines are excellent climbers and swimmers.
  • These herbivores eat a variety of plants, bark, berries and roots.
  • When porcupines are born their quills are soft. They grow harder in just a few days.
  • These nocturnal creatures also give off a strong odor to deter predators.
  • Porcupines have a natural antibiotic in their skin to help protect them if they fall and accidentally poke themselves with their quills.

 

There are old world (Asia, Africa & Europe) porcupines and new world (the Americas) porcupines. All have those famous quills.

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HAPPY GROUNDHOG DAY!!

Posted on February 2, 2013 by Ellie and Edmond ©

HAPPY GROUNDHOG DAY!!

HAPPY GROUNDHOG DAY! Every year on February 2nd legend has it that if a groundhog comes out of his burrow and sees his shadow then there will be six more weeks of winter. If he doesn’t see his shadow then spring will come early! Neat! We’re celebrating these weather predicting rodents with fun facts, photos and an original coloring sheet drawn by Ellie herself!

 

Fun Facts:

  • Groundhogs are also known as the Woodchuck.
  • Groundhogs live in North America in woodland and grassland habitats.
  • They are herbivore and eat seeds, fruits, grasses and the occasional insect.
  • Groundhogs are rodents and are the largest member of the ground squirrel or marmot family.
  • They are excellent at climbing and swimming.
  • Groundhogs burrow in the ground.
  • They gorge all summer on food to fatten up!
  • Groundhogs hibernate in the winter.
  • They are known to whistle when threatened.

We love groundhogs and not just for their ability to predict the weather! These cool rodents get to hibernate all winter! Who wouldn’t love a long winter’s nap? Groundhogs are also pretty cute if you ask us!

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Click here for more history on Groundhog Day.

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Categories: adventure, american, Animals, Children, conservation, education, Environment, groundhog day, mammals, nature, science, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Year in Review!

Posted on December 31, 2012 by Ellie and Edmond ©

2012 YEAR IN REVIEW!

Wow! We have one exciting year here at Ellie and Edmond headquarters! We’ve been to every continent on the planet in search of amazing animals and wow did we find some! We’ve met reptiles, mammals, fish and birds in almost every kind of habitat on earth! We sat down and looked over all our stats to see our most viewed post of the year and we’re re-posting it for you today! So let’s take one more adventure in 2012 and head out to meet one nifty reptile again!

AMERICAN ANIMALS WEEK DAY #2

It’s day two of American Animals week and we drove the RV down to the Southwestern United States to find a really cool reptile! Grab your sunscreen or mud and your sunglasses, because it’s going to be a hot one!

MEET THE GILA MONSTER!

   gila monsterRange/Habitat: Southwestern US-desert, scrub, rocky outcrops

   Diet: Carnivore: eggs and small animals

   Length: 14-20 “

   Conservation Status: threatened

 

 

 

Fun Facts:

  • Gila Monsters are one of two venomous lizards in the whole world (the other is the Guatemalan Beaded Lizard.)
  • They brightly colored to ward of predators.
  • Gila Monsters have a forked tongue like a snake and it helps them “smell” for prey.
  • They inject venom into their prey when they bite. They have special glands in their lower jaw that stores the venom.
  • Gila monsters’ tails store fat so they can survive when food is scarce or when they hibernate in the winter.
  • Gila monsters have bumpy heads. Those bumps are part of their skull.
  • They are not harmful to humans, despite their bad reputation! So Gila Monsters aren’t so monstrous after all!

We think Gila monsters are super cool! These amazing reptiles are protected here! That is good news, because it sure would be a shame if we didn’t have this neat lizard to see!

  


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REPTILIAN TUESDAY # 54

Posted on December 4, 2012 by Ellie and Edmond ©

REPTILIAN TUESDAY #54

It’s that wondrous day of the week, where we go on an adventure to meet a reptile and today we are off to the marshes of North America to find one colorful turtle! Apparently they like painting! Hahahaha!

e & e wetlands

MEET THE PAINTED TURTLE!

painted turtle   Range/Habitat: North America/lakes, rivers, ponds

   Diet: Omnivores: bugs, plants

   Length: 6-10”

   Conservation Status: common

 

 

Fun Facts:

  • Painted turtles are freshwater turtles.
  • They have a flat, smooth carapace (top shell).
  • Painted turtles have yellow stripes on their necks and orange coloration on their bottom shells.
  • Painted turtles bask in the sun in groups.
  • They sleep on the bottom of the river at night.
  • In colder climates Painted turtles hibernate during the winter.

Painted turtles are so gorgeous. They are great additions to any watery habitat! We love to count turtles piled on logs and rocks in the summertime! How about you?

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Categories: adventure, american, Animals, Children, conservation, education, Environment, nature, reptiles, rivers, science, turtles, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

AMERICAN ANIMALS WEEK DAY # 5

Posted on July 6, 2012 by Ellie and Edmond ©

AMERICAN ANIMALS WEEK DAY #5

It’s the last day of our celebration of American Animals week! We’ve packed up the RV and headed to the woods of the Northeast to find our national bird! These majestic birds now fly over most of our country after almost being lost. Bring your binoculars and your best bird watching skills and let’s do this!

MEET THE BALD EAGLE!

   Range/Habitat: North America/ woodlands, near marshes or bodies of water

   Diet: Carnivore: fish, small birds, carrion

   Length/Weight: 28-38”/ 6 ½- 14 lbs

   Conservation Status: least concern

 

 

 

 

 

Fun Facts:

  • Bald Eagles have been the National Bird since 1782.
  • They have a wingspan of up to 8 ¼ feet.
  • Bald Eagles mate for life. They reinforce their pair bonds with spectacular flights that they do together.
  • Pairs build their large nests and raise their chicks together.
  • They are the only eagle native to North America.
  • Bald Eagles have excellent eyesight.
  • They can live for up to 28 years!
  • Bald eagles don’t develop their white feathers until around the age of 5!

We just love Bald Eagles and think they make a fine national bird! They are so regal. Unfortunately we almost lost these birds to pollution and habitat loss and they were near extinction in the mid 1900s. After much human effort to save them they are now living in almost every state! YAY!!!

  

 

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AMERICAN ANIMALS DAY # 4

Posted on July 5, 2012 by Ellie and Edmond ©

AMERICAN ANIMALS WEEK DAY # 4

We hope everyone had a lovely holiday yesterday and for those of you in other countries, we hope you had a nice WednesdayJ! We’re taking the RV to the California coast to meet a vocal and social mammal today! Grab your wetsuits because the water is cold!

MEET THE CALIFORNIA SEA LION!

   Range/Habitat: Western US-Galapagos islands/ oceans-coastlines

   Diet: Carnivore: fish, squid

   Length/Weight: up to 7 ¾ ft/ 610-860 lbs

   Conservation Status: common

 

 

 

 

 

Fun Facts:

  • California Sea lions are large and have a thick layer of blubber.
  • They live in large groups with a dominate male and numerous females.
  • California sea lions are very social and very vocal.
  • They are faster than any other member of the seal or sea lion family and can swim up to 25 mph.
  • California sea lions can rotate their rear flippers.
  • California sea lions can stay under water for up to 10 minutes.
  • Male California sea lions are larger and dark brown, whereas the females and juveniles are tan.
  • They can live up to 30 years.

We just love California Sea lions! They are so full of personality and smarts! We even met a one who knew to stick out his tongue! Do you love sea lions too? Here’s a great video of some divers swimming with them!

  

Categories: american, Animals, Children, education, Environment, mammals, nature, oceans, science, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Happy 4th of July!!

Posted on July 4, 2012 by Ellie and Edmond ©

HAPPY 4th of JULY!!

We hope everyone has a fantastic & safe holiday and to our international friends Happy Wednesday! We hope you have enjoyed meeting a few native animals so far! We’ll be back on the road tomorrow! Until then enjoy these photos of us with a bald eagle & an American alligator :)!

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Categories: american, Animals, Children, education, Environment, nature, science, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

AMERICAN ANIMALS DAY #2

Posted on July 3, 2012 by Ellie and Edmond ©

AMERICAN ANIMALS WEEK DAY #2

It’s day two of American Animals week and we drove the RV down to the Southwestern United States to find a really cool reptile! Grab your sunscreen or mud and your sunglasses, because it’s going to be a hot one!

MEET THE GILA MONSTER!

   Range/Habitat: Southwestern US-desert, scrub, rocky outcrops

   Diet: Carnivore: eggs and small animals

   Length: 14-20 “

   Conservation Status: threatened

 

 

 

Fun Facts:

  • Gila Monsters are one of two venomous lizards in the whole world (the other is the Guatemalan Beaded Lizard.)
  • They brightly colored to ward of predators.
  • Gila Monsters have a forked tongue like a snake and it helps them “smell” for prey.
  • They inject venom into their prey when they bite. They have special glands in their lower jaw that stores the venom.
  • Gila monsters’ tails store fat so they can survive when food is scarce or when they hibernate in the winter.
  • Gila monsters have bumpy heads. Those bumps are part of their skull.
  • They are not harmful to humans, despite their bad reputation! So Gila Monsters aren’t so monstrous after all!

We think Gila monsters are super cool! These amazing reptiles are protected here! That is good news, because it sure would be a shame if we didn’t have this neat lizard to see!

  

 


 

 

 

 

 

Categories: american, Animals, Children, education, Environment, lizards, nature, reptiles, science, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

AMERICAN ANIMALS WEEK!

Posted on July 2, 2012 by Ellie and Edmond ©

AMERICAN ANIMALS WEEK

We’re celebrating all American animals this week in honor of July 4th! So we’ve packed up our RV and we’ll be driving all around our country looking for animals that are native to our home! We have room for everyone, so join us! Our first stop on this tour in the western plains to meet a very large mammal!

MEET THE AMERICAN BISON!

   Range/Habitat: Western-Northern United States/plains, mountains,

woodlands

   Diet: Herbivore: grasses, buds, shoots

   Length/Weight: 7-11ft/ 770-2000 lbs

   Conservation Status: common

 

Fun Facts:

  • American Bison are also known as the American Buffalo.
  • They are tall and can reach up to 6 ½ ft high at the shoulder.
  • American bison are very fast and can run up to 37 mph.
  • They have small short horns on their heads.
  • American bison have excellent hearing and sight.
  • American bison migrate to find food.
  • Female American bison live with maternal family groups with a dominate female in charge.
  • Male American bison live in bachelor groups.

These majestic bison almost went extinct in this country. Efforts were made to save them and they now roam the American West, but there are only two truly wild herds left in Yellowstone National Park and Wood Buffalo Park in Canada. We are so glad that they’re still around! Buffalo are just too cute to miss :)!

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