Animals

One Big Rodent!

One Big Rodent!

We’ve met the jaguar yesterday and today we’re off to find another animal that calls Brazil home! These super cuties are often called rodents of unusual size! Hahaha! Let’s meet the capybara!

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Fun Facts:

  • Capybaras can be found in Central and South America in marshes, ponds and lakes.
  • They can grow up to 4 feet long and weigh up to 150 lbs.
  • Capybaras are herbivores. They eat grasses, plants and fruit. They eat up to 8lbs of vegetation a day.
  • They are listed as least concern by the IUCN.
  • Capybaras are the largest rodent in the world.
  • They have webbed feet.
  • They are excellent is swimmers and often spend most of their time in water.

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  • A capybara’s eyes, nose and ears are on top of their head. This allows them to just have those body parts above the water while their bodies are underwater.
  • Their teeth grow throughout their lifetime.
  • Capybaras chew their food from side to side.
  • Capybaras live in small groups.
  • They are very vocal.
  • Capybaras got their name from the Tupi people of Brazil, an old native tribe of Brazil. The name means “grass eater”.

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These furry little rodent pigs are so fun to watch! Who doesn’t love them? We know we do!!

Categories: adventure, Animals, Children, conservation, education, Environment, mammals, nature, science, Uncategorized, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

There’s a Big Cat in the Jungle!

There’s a Big Cat in the Jungle!

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This week we are featuring animals native to Brazil, where the Olympics are continuing this week. Brazil is an amazing place, with savannas to rainforests. It is home to the largest part of the Amazonian rainforest, that houses 10% of world’s known species. Brazil ranks number 3 in the number of species of birds that call it home! Wow! This place is definitely amazing!

Today we are going to meet one of Brazil’s felines! This big cat is an icon known around the world- let’s meet the jaguar!

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Fun Facts:

  • Jaguars are found in Central and South America in rainforests, savannas and swamps.
  • They can reach up to 6 feet long and weigh up to 200 lbs.
  • Jaguars are carnivores. They eat deer, caiman, tapirs and other animals.
  • Jaguars are listed as near threatened.
  • Jaguars are the largest big cat in the Americas.
  • They are excellent climbers and excellent swimmers.
  • Jaguars have spots with spots in those. Those spots are called rosettes because of their rose appearance.

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  • Jaguars are efficient predators and kill their prey with a bite to the head of their prey.
  • They are solitary and territorial.
  • There are occasional jaguars with melanism. They have all black fur. In light you can see their spots.
  • Jaguars are revered in their native lands. Their was even a jaguar god who ruled the underworld.
  • The name jaguar comes from a Native American word that means “he who kills with one leap”.

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These gorgeous cats are amazing! They have it all, good looks, great athleticism and those classic cat whiskers! Hehehehe!

 

 

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WORLD ELEPHANT DAY!

WORLD ELEPHANT DAY!

It’s World Elephant Day and Ellie is sharing just a few of the reasons elephants are so awesome! She’ll also be sharing some reasons why they need your help!

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IMG_1288We lose an elephant to poachers every 15 minutes. That’s 96 elephants every day!

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These magnificent creatures are killed for their tusks! Tusks that are used to make trinkets, carvings and jewelry. We must all work to stop this! There are ways you can help!

Educate others! Donate to David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust.

Get involved- make your voice heard! Check out 96 elephants to learn more about wildlife crime and how you can help stop it! Together we can protect elephants!

Categories: adventure, Animals, Children, conservation, education, elephants, endangered species, Environment, mammals, nature, science, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Going the Distance

Going the Distance!

Today we’re showing you humans that the marathon is a walk in the park for these gold medal distance animals! These amazing creatures travel thousands of miles each year! Let’s give them a round of applause as they take the stand for top distance!

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Arctic terns make the longest migration of any animal on earth. They travel from one pole to the other, around 44,000 miles a year.

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Gray whales travel the world’s oceans and migrate from Arctic waters that are rich with food to warmer waters to mate and give birth. They travel on average 12,000 miles per year.

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We all know the famous monarch butterfly! Those beautiful insects travel 2,000 miles from Canada to Mexico. No one butterfly completes the migration, it is done by several generations. 

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Sooty Shearwaters travel 40,000 miles per year. Just losing out to the gold medal in distance to the Arctic tern. Sooty terns start their journey in Ne Zealand and head to the northern hemisphere.

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Salmon migrate upstream- against the current. Some species like the chinook salmon travel nearly 2,000 miles during this challenging swim.

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Gnus or wildebeest make a 1000 mile migration across the Serengeti in giant herds. They leave the dry plains to find food and water. 

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Red crabs of Christmas Island travel from the inland forests to the beach to breed. They migrate in huge groups and go up 3 miles during their journey.  

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Gold Medals for Extra Senses

Gold Medal for Extra Senses

It takes human athletes a lot of work, practice, concentration and focus for them to excel at their sport. Animals often come with built in adaptations to help them excel at survival! Today we’re meeting some gold medal winning animals who have amazing senses!

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Some raptors can detect UV light. Urine trails left by their prey such as mice absorbs UV light. So guess what? Some raptors track their prey by the UV light given off by pee trails they leave!

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A rats nostrils work independently of each other. They smell in stereo!

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 A platypus is the only mammal that has the ability to detect electrical impulses. Those special nerves exist in their bills.

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 Pit vipers can also detect the heat given off of their prey or infrared. This allows them to “see” the animal without using their eyes.

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Bees have a ring of magnetic iron on their bodies that they use to detect the earth’s magnetic field. This helps guide the bee back to the hive.

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Buzzards have such excellent eyesight they can spot a rat from 15,000 feet in the air.

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The star-nosed mole has 100,000 touch receptors in the appendages on their nose. That is 6x more than the human hand.

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Octopus have taste receptors on each of its suckers. They can reach out and taste something without leaving the safety of a hiding place.

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Gold Medal Swimmers and Divers!

Gold Medal Swimmers and Divers!

Today we’re meeting the gold medal winning animals who take water sports to a whole new level! Those humans have nothing on these amazing aquatic creatures!

Some species of manta ray breach! Scientists aren’t sure why, but seeing them fly is amazing!

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Otters close their nostrils & ears when they swim. They don’t need nose plugs or hair caps! Their fur keeps the water from their skin too!

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Alligators have nictitating membrane that allows them to see underwater. No goggles needed for these reptiles.

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Sperm whales can make dives that can last up to 90 minutes! This beats every mammal record on earth!

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Sailfish can reach up to 70 mph. Now- that is fast!

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Emperor penguins can dive to depths of 210 feet. And they dive from icy platforms in formal wear. Hehehehe!

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Cape gannets can dive into the ocean at speeds of up to 60mph. Those fish below better watch out- these birds are fast and graceful! 10s from all the judges for them!

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The ultimate in synchronized swimmers are certain fish species that move in groups in a coordinated manner. No flashy suits, just amazing behaviors to help them survive!

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These are just a few of the awesome aquatic animals who have jaw dropping skills! We know who would win the free style swimming if they let in the sailfish though! Hehehe!
Categories: adventure, Animals, Children, conservation, education, Environment, nature, oceans, science, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Animal Olympics

Animal Olympics

GO USA!!

GO USA!!

We are excited for the Olympics that are happening in Rio for the next two weeks! Tomorrow we are starting a series of posts of where we will be presenting the wildest, best and craziest animals in our own Olympic categories! We’ll have the animal Olympic swim team, the distance team, the extra senses and the harsh habitats crew! We’ll also be celebrating the best of the beasts on Friday with World Elephant Day this Friday! Woohoo! Finally we’ll wrap up the Olympics by meeting some of Brazil’s native animals!

We hope you are as excited as we are for the next two weeks! See you then!

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THIEF IN THE NIGHT!

THIEF IN THE NIGHT

We’re meeting one more local of Salamander Woods. Are you ready? This animal is coming over during our last big bonfire as he is nocturnal! Let’s all be on the lookout for a little racoon!

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Raccoon Fun Facts:

  • Raccoons live in North America. They are common.
  • They grow up to 28″ long and can weigh up to 20lbs.
  • Raccoon are omnivores. They will eat almost anything, from invertebrates to plants to small animals.
  • Raccoons have 40 teeth!
  • They live in all kind of habitats, from swamps to forests to cities.
  • Raccoons are famous for their masked faces.
  • Raccoons are nocturnal.

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  • They are known to wash their food off in creeks or streams.
  • Raccoons do not hibernate, but they do store fat before the winter and lose up to 50% of their body weight.
  • Raccoons have 5 digits on their front paws. These fingers act like human hands in a way.
  • They are excellent climbers and swimmers!

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Raccoons are intelligent critters! They get a bad rap, but they are amazing! And you know you can’t resist those cute little faces!

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CHIPPIE!

CHIPPIE!

We’re back! Ellie had a cavity in one of her teeth so we took a few days off! Today we’re meeting another small resident of Camp E&E- Chippie the Chipmunk!

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Chipmunk Fun Facts:

  • Chipmunks can grow up to 11″ long and can have a 5″ long tail.
  • All but one of the 25 species of chipmunks live in North America.
  • They live in forests to deserts.
  • Chipmunks are omnivores. They eat insects, seeds and nuts.
  • They cache food for the winter.
  • Chipmunks do hibernate.

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  • They don’t store fat, like other animals such as bears. Instead, chipmunks get up a few times during the winter to eat their cache.
  • Chipmunks are diurnal.
  • One chipmunk can gather 165 acorns in one day!

chipmunk2We love to see the chipmunks scurry around camp gathering food for winter! We love the story of the Great Chipmunk Races! We’ll have to tell you the story soon!

 

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Oh Bear!

Oh Bear!

We have a fun comic/coloring page for you today! Enjoy and share your artwork with us!

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

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