conservation

FEATHERY FRIDAY #57

Posted on January 25, 2013 by Ellie and Edmond ©

FEATHERY FRIDAY #57

It’s Feathery Friday and we’re going to meet a little bird who calls the wetlands of Europe home. So let’s grab our binoculars and wellies and head off for some bird watching fun!

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MEET THE SPOTTED CRAKE!

spotted crake   Range/Habitat: Europe-Asia-Africa/wetlands, marshes

   Diet: Omnivore: algae, insects, aquatic animals

   Length/Weight: 9-9 ½”/ 2-5 oz

   Conservation Status: common

 

 

Fun Facts:

  • Spotted Crakes are small secretive bird.
  • Their feathers camouflage with the reeds and plants of the wetlands.
  • Spotted Crakes bob their heads while they walk.
  • Spotted crakes are crepuscular (active at dawn and dusk).
  • They are not very vocal.
  • Spotted crakes use their bills to find food in the mud.

Spotted Crakes are cute little birds. They fit in perfectly in their habitat. If you were a bird what habitat would you decide to live in?

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Categories: adventure, Animals, birds, Children, conservation, education, Environment, nature, science, wetlands, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

SUPER SURPRISE THURSDAY #57

Posted on January 24, 2013 by Ellie and Edmond ©

SUPER SURPRISE THURSDAY # 57

We’re back to our regular new and improved Super Surprise Thursday!

We’ll give you a cropped picture and a few hints and you tell us what animal it is!

clownfish

  • My habitat is the coral reef.
  • I live among the tentacles of an anemone.
  • There was a famous movie starring one of my cousins.

WHAT AM I?

Categories: adventure, Animals, Children, conservation, education, Environment, nature, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

WATERY WEDNESDAY # 57

Posted on January 23, 2013 by Ellie and Edmond ©

WATERY WEDNESDAY # 57

We’re going scuba diving this Watery Wednesday to meet a master of camouflage! We better keep our eyes peeled and look amongst the corals to see if we can find…

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MEET THE SARGASSUM FISH!

sargassum fish   Range/Habitat: Tropical-sub-tropical oceans/ worldwide

   Diet: Carnivore: fish

   Length/Weight: up to 7 ½”/ up to 14 oz

   Conservation Status: common

 

Fun Facts:

  • Sargassum fish are members of the frog fish family.
  • Sargassum fish have variable patterns and colors to match their surroundings.
  • They are covered in spiny like protrusions.
  • Sargassum fish use their dorsal fin spine to lure prey.
  • They are ambush predators.
  • Sargassum fish have leg-like pectoral fins.

 

These crazy looking fish are so awesome! We think they look a bit like aliens! What do you think? What color would fit in with your habitat?

sargassum fish2  sargassum fish3

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

REPTILIAN TUESDAY # 57

Posted on January 22, 2013 by Ellie and Edmond ©

REPTILIAN TUESDAY #57

We’re back to our regular schedule after celebrating black and white birds and small fluffy tailed rodents! We’re off to the deserts of South Africa today to meet one cute reptile! Grab your sunscreen and khakis and let’s head out on today’s adventure!

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MEET THE WEB FOOTED GECKO!

web footed gecko   Range/Habitat: Western Southern Africa/ desert

   Diet: Carnivore: insects

   Length: 4 ¾-5 ½”

   Conservation Status: common

 

 

Fun Facts:

  • Web Footed Geckos are pink with dark markings.
  • They have webbed feet that helps them run across the sand.
  • Web Footed Geckos have large eyes.
  • They dig long tunnels in the sand for shelter.
  • They drink water that condenses on their skin overnight.
  • Web footed geckos have wide range of vocalizations.

We really think these awesome little reptiles are cute! They have some amazing adaptations for living in a harsh desert environment.

web footed gecko2  web footed gecko3

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

SQUIRREL APPRECIATION DAY!

Posted on January 21, 2013 by Ellie and Edmond ©

SQUIRREL APPRECIATION DAY!!

We’re celebrating those adorable and often misunderstood little rodents today! There are more than 200 species of squirrels all over the world! To celebrate these bushy tailed animals we’re going to share some fun facts, pictures and a fun squirrel craft!

We have our squirrel tails!

We have our squirrel tails!

  • There are more than 200 species of squirrel in the world.
  • Squirrels live on every continent except Australia and Antarctica.
  • The African Pygmy Squirrel is the smallest species of squirrel. They are 5 inches long.
  • The Indian Ground Squirrel is the largest at 3 feet long!
  • There are tree squirrels, ground squirrels and flying squirrels.
  • Flying squirrels do not actually fly, but glide using a flap of skin on each side.
  • Some squirrels can run as fast as 20 mph.
  • A squirrel’s teeth grow throughout their lifetime.
  • Squirrels are omnivores. They eat bugs, eggs, nuts, seeds and fruit.
  • Squirrels that bury their food for winter, find it by rubbing their scent on it first. They use their keen noses to find it later.
  • The average squirrel eats about a pound of food a week!

squirrel

Wow! Who knew that squirrels were so fascinating! We had no idea that there were so many species! We’ve only featured two: The Gambian Sun Squirrel and the Prevost’s Squirrel! We had better get to learning about the other 200 species!

In the meantime we’re going to wear our squirrel tails and be honorary squirrels for the day! We’ll also be making these cute squirrel pencil toppers! How will you be celebrating our favorite rodent friends?

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Categories: adventure, Animals, Children, conservation, education, Environment, mammals, nature, squirrels, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

JANUARY CRAFT!

Posted on January 17, 2013 by Ellie and Edmond ©

JANUARY CRAFT

We’re starting off our monthly craft feature with a penguin coloring sheet. It is an original Ellie drawing! We know penguins are black and white, but we want to see them in color and glitter :)!

Download and print this penguin trio and then show us your best stuff! As always we love it when you share your artwork with us on Facebook or Twitter!

Image

Categories: adventure, Animals, birds, Children, conservation, crafts, education, Environment, nature, penguins, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

PENGUIN WEEK DAY # 3

Posted on January 16, 2013 by Ellie and Edmond ©

PENGUIN WEEK DAY #3

We’re off to South Georgia Island to meet a crested penguin who spends most of their life in the ocean, but form gigantic colonies during breading season! So let’s grab our coats and head down towards the south pole!

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MEET THE MACARONI PENGUIN!

macaroni penguin   Range/Habitat: South Chile, South Atlantic/ rocky islands-oceans

   Diet: Carnivore: krill

   Length/Weight: 28”/ 7 ¾-14 lb

   Conservation Status: vulnerable

 

 

Fun Facts:

  • Macaroni penguins have a yellow crest of feathers on their head.
  • They were named after the macaroni hat of the 1800s.
  • Macaroni penguins are very vocal.
  • Macaroni penguins spend most of their time at sea.
  • They come ashore and form large breeding colonies.
  • Macaroni penguins form lifelong pair bonds.
  • Both male and female macaroni penguins incubate the egg.

 

We just love these little penguins with their fun name and their yellow crest of feathers on their head! We must see what we would look like with a fun crest on our heads!

macaroni penguin2  macaroni penguin3

 

 

 

 

 

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Categories: adventure, Animals, birds, Children, conservation, education, Environment, nature, penguins, science, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

PENGUIN WEEK DAY # 2

Posted on January 15, 2013 by Ellie and Edmond ©

PENGUIN WEEK DAY #2

For day two of Penguin Week we’re going South America! That’s right; we’re going to the temperate climates of South America to meet one cute little bird! Are you ready for today’s adventure?

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MEET THE HUMBOLDT PENGUIN!

humboldt penguin   Range/Habitat: Western South America/ coasts-oceans

   Diet: Carnivore: anchovies, sardines

   Length/Weight: 22-26”/10-11 lb

   Conservation Status: vulnerable

 

 

 

Fun Facts:

  • Humboldt penguins were named after a cold weather current that goes in their habitat.
  • They have a black u shaped stripe on their chest.
  • Humboldt penguins have pink faces at the base of their beaks.
  • Humboldt penguins nest in underground burrows.
  • They form monogamous pairs.

Humboldt penguins are adorable! It’s so cool that they live in rocky outcrops on the coasts and not on an icy continent!

humboldt penguin2   humboldt penguin3

 

 

 

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

PENGUIN THEME WEEK!

Posted on January 14, 2013 by Ellie and Edmond ©

PENGUIN WEEK!!

It is theme week and this year we’ve decided to focus theme weeks on one group of animals! Because it’s winter our first theme week is focusing on a flightless and well feathered bird that we associate with coooooold habitats.  Ironically, only eight species of penguins live in cold weather habitats. All other species of penguins live in temperate habitats. Our first adventure of penguin week is taking us to islands off of Antarctica! So let’s grab a jacket and head out to meet…

e e arctic

MEET THE CHINSTRAP PENGUIN!

chinstrap penguin   Range/Habitat: Antarctica/ rocky outcrops-oceans

   Diet: Carnivore: krill, shrimp, fish

   Length/Weight: 28-30”/ 6 ½-10 lbs

   Conservation Status: common

 

 

Fun Facts:

  • Chinstrap penguins have thing black lines that run ear to ear.
  • They live on islands off the continent of Antarctica.
  • Chinstrap penguins breed in large colonies.
  • They build their nests with stones.
  • Both female and male chinstraps incubate the eggs.

Chinstrap penguins are so cute with their black and white attire and little straps. These little birds are one of our favorites!

chinstrap penguin2   chinstrap penguin3

 

 

 

 

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

FEATHERY FRIDAY # 56

Posted on January 11, 2013 by Ellie and Edmond ©

FEATHERY FRIDAY #56

We’re so excited for the first Feathery Friday of the year! We’re off to China today to meet one handsome bird! Let’s get out there and go bird watching!

e e grasslands

MEET THE RING-NECKED PHEASANT!

ring necked pheasant Range/Habitat: North America-Europe-Asia/ grasslands-farmlands

Diet: Omnivore: grains, seeds, insects

Length/Weight: 35”/1 ¾-4 ½ lb

Conservation Status: common

 

 

 

Fun Facts:

  • Male Ring-necked Pheasants have bright green heads and white rings around their necks.
  • Female ring-necked pheasants are drab brown.
  • They have long tails.
  • Ring-necked pheasants tend to stay, feed and nest on the ground.
  • The young fly within two weeks of being born.

Ring-necked pheasants are really neat birds. We love the males’ bright green heads. They must look good to attract the lady birds! Hehehehe!

ring necked pheasant2 ring necked pheasant3

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

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