Animals

A Painted Bug?

Posted on October 5, 2016 by Ellie and Edmond ©

A Painted Bug?

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Date: 10/5

Location: Galapagos Islands

  • Large painted locusts can be found on all the islands except one.
  • They are easy to spot due to their bright coloration.
  • These locusts are a favorite of the lava lizard and the Galapagos Hawk.

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  • The locust are bright orange and lime green in coloration.
  • Like other locusts they can fly.
  • They can also jump as high as 9 feet! WOW!

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Many explorers forget to look at all the inhabitants of the place they visit. While many may find these insects gross, we think they are gorgeous. They habitats of the Galapagos are fairly drab, even most of the animals here are too. They all match their surroundings. It was neat to find these bright bugs in the brush! And without them, several predators wouldn’t have any dinner.

Categories: adventure, Animals, Children, conservation, education, Environment, insects, nature, science, Today's Post, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

That is One Big Tortoise

Posted on October 4, 2016 by Ellie and Edmond ©

That is One Big Tortoise

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Date: 10/3

Location:  Galapagos Islands

  • Galapagos tortoises are the largest tortoise species on earth.

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  • These large reptiles can spend up to 16 hours a day sleeping.
  • They can also go up to a year without food or water, due to slow metabolisms.
  • The Galapagos Islands were actually  named after these gentle giants. Galapago is Spanish for tortoise!
  • There are 11 subspecies of Galapagos tortoise. They can be found on the different islands.
  • Galapagos finches are known to “clean” the tortoises by eating parasites off their skin. This mutual symbiotic relationship benefits the birds and the tortoise.

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We found a guide to help us through our tour of these special islands. Most of the Galapagos are now protected and people and horse & elephant adventurers can not just go exploring around on their own. These magnificent animals, were once hunted to near extinction with only 3,000 of them left. Conservationists have worked with captive breeding programs to bring those numbers up to around 19,000. Thank goodness we have such great people to protect these old reptiles!

We can not wait to go on to our next island to see an insect! We’ll need to get Edmond some sea sickness medicine first!

Categories: adventure, Animals, Children, conservation, education, endangered species, Environment, nature, reptiles, science, Today's Post, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Galapagos- Here We Come!

Posted on October 3, 2016 by Ellie and Edmond ©

Galapagos- Here We Come!

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Wow! We enjoyed our trip to the Amazon rainforest. Everyone was so accommodating and amazing. We saw so many amazing animals too. We could spend a whole year there and not even begin to meet all of the creatures that call that habitat home. Sadly, it was time for us to move on and head to the Galapagos Islands where we will be spending the  month of October.

The Galapagos Islands are located on the equator just west of Ecuador in South America. These iconic islands became famous after the famous Charles Darwin stopped there in the 1830’s. He used his studies of the island’s animals to form his theory of evolution through natural selection.

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The islands were formed by volcanoes millions of years ago. There are 19 islands in total. The habitats on the on the islands include beaches, rocky shores, volcanic mountains and lush forests. Around 25,000 people call the islands their home. The Galapagos islands are also a World Heritage Site. This title helps protect these amazing habitats from development. We will be taking the SS Ellie and Edmond boat all around the islands with the other professors in tow. As we island hop we’ll be meeting some of the islands most famous critters! We are ready to get this adventure started!

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Categories: adventure, Animals, Children, conservation, education, Environment, nature, science, Today's Post, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Military Style!

Posted on September 29, 2016 by Ellie and Edmond ©

Military Style!

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Date:9/29

Location: Amazon rainforest

  • Military macaws get their name from their green plumage, which reminded someone of green military uniforms.
  • They are not fully green though; they have blue flight feathers and a red bar around the face and a red lined tail.
  • Military macaws live in large flocks.
  • Like other macaws they are very vocal.
  • Those large beaks are perfect for breaking open even the hardest nut.

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  • Military macaws live in higher elevations than most macaws.
  • They nest at the tops of trees or on cliffs.
  • Military macaws can live up to 65 years in the wild.

We had another high climb today. Whew! We are tired and ready to head back to the University for a few days! Watching the military macaws fly in their large flocks was worth the sore fluff- hehehe! These magnificent birds belong in the wild though. We know macaws are popular pets, but they are high maintenance and often are loud, stressed and can outlive their owners! 

 

Categories: adventure, Animals, birds, Children, conservation, education, Environment, mammals, nature, science, Today's Post, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Is That a Lion in the Tree?

Posted on September 28, 2016 by Ellie and Edmond ©

Is that a Lion in the Tree?

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Date: 9/28

Location: Brazilian Rainforest

 

  • Golden Lion Tamarins have beautiful golden coats and fluffy manes around their faces.
  • They are diurnal (active during the day) and arboreal (live in the trees).
  • Golden Lion Tamarins live in small family groups led by a female-male breeding pair.
  • Mother Golden lion tamarins give birth to 1 or 2 offspring.
  • Father Golden lion tamarins take care of the babies and carry them on their backs. They give them to their mom when it’s time for feeding.

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Golden lion tamarins are adorable, but they are endangered. We saw a group because ranchers have saved parts of their land to give the monkeys a home. Zoos in America are raising these tamarins and sending them back to the wild to be released. They are tagged with radio collars and followed by scientists! This is conservation at work. It takes all of us!

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A Frog You Can See Through

Posted on September 27, 2016 by Ellie and Edmond ©

A Frog You Can See Through

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Date: 9/27

Location: Cloud forest

  • Northern glass frogs like other glass frogs have clear or transparent skin on their bellies.
  • The top of the Northern glass frog is a pale green.

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  • They have yellow suction pads on their toes for gripping and yellow irises in their eyes.
  • Northern glass frogs are also known as the Fleischmann’s glass frog.
  • They are nocturnal.
  • Female glass frogs lay eggs under a leaf over running water. When the eggs hatch, the tadpoles fall into the water to develop.
  • Males guard the eggs until they hatch.
  • They are arboreal.

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It was not easy to climb high up in to the cloud forest today, but it was worth it. Edmond kept saying he wished we’d had frogs to eat all the bugs in our group. Professor Carl did eat a few!  We’ll need heavier mud to cover ourselves next time. But after our long, bug-filled hike, we spotted those cute little frogs. It was totally exciting. 

Categories: adventure, amphibians, Animals, Children, conservation, education, Environment, nature, science, Today's Post, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Fish with a Bite!

Posted on September 26, 2016 by Ellie and Edmond ©

A Fish with a Bite!

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Date: 9/26

Location: Amazon River

  • Red Bellied Piranha  are also known as red piranha.
  • They live in shallow waters of the Amazon river.
  • Red bellied piranha have a mouth full of triangular sharp teeth.
  • They can bite with enormous force.
  • Red bellied piranha rarely feed in groups. Feeding frenzies are rare.
  • If a feeding frenzy does take place, it happens when the fish are starving.
  • Attacks on humans are rare.
  • Red piranha make sounds using muscles associated with their swim bladder.

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  • They use these sounds to communicate with each other.

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Piranha have such a bad reputation, but that is mostly a myth. They are mostly solitary and they even eat nuts and seeds! We learned quiet a bit about these misunderstood fish on our boat trip today. Tomorrow we head up in to the cloud forest to meet a tiny amphibian.

Categories: adventure, Animals, Children, conservation, education, Environment, fish, nature, science, Today's Post, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Stork Spotting

Posted on September 22, 2016 by Ellie and Edmond ©

Stork Spotting

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Date: 9/22

Location: Edge of the rainforest

  • Jaribu storks are the tallest flying bird in South & Central America.

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  • Storks are mute. They click their beaks to communicate.
  • They gather in flocks in shallow water to feed in groups.
  • Jaribu storks use the red pouch on their neck to filter out water when scooping up food.

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  • Females and male jaribu storks build large nests that they use every year. They often add to the nests each year.
  • Females and male jaribu storks incubate the eggs.
  • They can live up to 35 years.

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We sat near the edge of a swamp and watched these graceful long-legged births go fishing! They are quiet impressive. Those gorgeous markings are easy to spot on the marshes too! No one thinks storks are pretty, but we do now!

 

 

Categories: adventure, Animals, Children, conservation, education, Environment, nature, science, Today's Post, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Soooooo Slow!

Posted on September 21, 2016 by Ellie and Edmond ©

Sooooo Slow!

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Date: 9/21

Location: Amazon Rainforest

  • Sloths are related to armadillos and anteaters.
  • Two-toed sloths are arboreal. They spend most of their lives in the tops of the trees.
  • They only come down once a month to use the bathroom.
  • Like other sloths, they have algae and insects growing in their fur.

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  • Toe-toed sloths are nocturnal, they spend their evenings eating flowers and leaves.
  • They are excellent swimmers.
  • Two-toed sloths are larger than their cousins the three-toed sloths.
  • Two-toed sloths have no canines or incisor teeth.

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Sloths have always been a favorite of ours. It was a treat to find one on our adventures in the rainforest this week. Of course, we needed binoculars to look so high up in the trees. Can you imagine spending most of your life hanging upside down in the trees? It works for the sloth!

Categories: adventure, Animals, Children, conservation, education, Environment, mammals, nature, science, Today's Post, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Walks on Water!

Posted on September 20, 2016 by Ellie and Edmond ©

Walks on Water!

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Date: 9/19

Location: Amazon rainforest

 

  • Common basilisks are also called the Jesus lizard for their ability to run on water.
  • Common basilisks can run up to 7 mph. The average is 5 mph.
  • They stand erect and run on their back feet. Younger, lighter lizards can run longer distances than adults.
  • They are also excellent swimmers and can stay in the water for up to a 1/2 hour.

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  • Common basilisks have large crests down their backs.
  • The males have crests on their heads and tails.
  • Commons basilisks are excellent climbers too.
  • These carnivores have a mouth full of sharp teeth.

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We happened upon a basilisk escaping from a predator as we walking around today. It ran so fast over the water before taking a swim. These lizards are amazing and those fast feet are a great adaptation to get away from predators.

 

Categories: adventure, Animals, Children, conservation, education, Environment, nature, reptiles, science, Today's Post, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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