education

SUPER SURPRISE THURSDAY#4

What you say- it’s Thursday! And we have an awesome amphibian for your surprise! Can you name some animals that are amphibians? If you said frogs, salamanders or toads you’re right! Hhhmmm… we wonder which one we’ll meet today….

MEET THE AFRICAN CLAWED TOAD!

Range/Habitat: Southern Africa/lakes, ponds

Diet:  Carnivore: fish, invertebrates

Length: 2 ¼”-5”

Conservation Status: Common

Fun Facts:

• The African Clawed Toad has 3 “fingers” on its front legs that they use to dig prey out of mud.
• They have flat bodies and extra large webbed back feet to help them swim.
• They’re often found on the bottom of lakes and ponds.
• Their eyes and nostrils are on top of their heads.
• African clawed toads have stitch-like marks on their backs that detect vibrations made by prey. This helps them locate prey in murky dark waters.

These terrific toads have some neat adaptations to help them survive in their habitats. We also think they’re kind of cute! Do you?

WATERY WEDNESDAY#4

It is Wednesday and what a wild looking animal have we found today! This fish lives in cold waters and is named after a very famous predator that lives on land! Who is this fish? Let’s find out…

MEET THE NORTHERN WOLFFISH!

Range/Habitat: North Atlantic-Arctic Oceans from Canada to Iceland/offshore rocky and soft bottoms

Diet:  Carnivore: mollusks, sea urchins, crabs and lobsters

Length/Weight: up to 5 ft/ up to 53lb

Conservation Status: Common/Near Threatened in Canada

Fun Facts:

• The Northern Wolffish has large pointy incisors and a bony plate in its upper mouth to crush its prey.
• They are solitary predators.
• They have a large head with a menacing look.
• They prefer rocky or muddy sea floors to live in.
• Male Wolffish guard the eggs until they’ve hatched.

With big scary looking teeth, it’s no wonder that the wolfish is named after a wolf. We wouldn’t want to meet one of these guys in a back alley of the ocean, even though they are harmless to humans.

REPTILIAN TUESDAY#4

Whew! Did everyone make it through yet another Monday? We hope learning about the narwhal helped! We have another crazy animal for Reptilian Tuesday! This one FLIES! You heard us; this lizard glides through the trees! First you met a whale with a giant tusk and now a flying lizard! Who knew nature could be so awesome?

MEET THE KUHL’S FLYING GECKO!

Range/Habitat: Southeast Asia (including Thailand, Indonesia, and India)/Tropical forests

Diet:  Carnivore: insects

Length: 7-8”

Conservation Status: Common

Fun facts:

• The Kuhl’s Flying Gecko has special flaps of skin down its body that it uses to help it glide from one tree to another.
• They also have webbed that help them glide.
• Their tails are flat and frilly! This adaptation also helps them glide around in the trees!
• Kuhl’s flying gecko are arboreal (they live in the trees).
• These geckos also have special toe pads that allow them to grip to almost any surface!
• Their coloration helps them blend in or camouflage with the trees that they live in.

Who knew there was a flying lizard in the world? We were so excited to learn about this amazing reptile! Do you think an elephant and horse could ever fly?

WATERY WEDNESDAY#3

Watery Wednesday has arrived; and we have a wild looking sea creature for you today! This funny looking animal is called a dragon but it doesn’t breathe fire! It’s actually a member of the seahorse family! So let’s meet this not ferocious dragon!

MEET THE WEEDY SEA DRAGON!

Range/Habitat: South Australia/reefs and rocky shores

Diet: Carnivore: tiny crustaceans, zooplankton

Length: up to 18”

Conservation Status: Common

Fun facts:

• The Weedy Sea dragon is one of the largest members of the sea horse family.
• They have “leaf-like” flaps that help them blend in with sea weed and plants.
• They don’t have a prehensile tail like other sea horses, so they cannot hold on to plants!
• They use their large dorsal fin (on their back) to swim and tiny fins on the side of their heads to balance. Weedy Sea Dragons are not very good swimmers though.
• The male Weedy sea dragon carries the fertilized egg on the undersurface of his tail. He carries them until they hatch.

We just love the Weedy Sea Dragon! It looks like it’s from another planet! But it’s not, it’s from Australia!

REPTILIAN TUESDAY#3

It’s Tuesday and that means it is time meet another rocking reptile! And it’s a snake! Did some of you just scream and go hide? There’s no need to run and hide from our snake friends! Snakes aren’t scary; they’re very beneficial and are very important part of the food web. So have you uncovered your eyes? Come meet….

MEET THE SIDEWINDER!

Range/Habitat: Southwest US-North Mexico/Desert

Diet: Carnivore: lizards, small rodents

Length: 18-32”

Conservation Status: Common

Fun facts:

• The Sidewinder is a rattlesnake. They have a rattle on the end of their tale they use to ward off predators.
• Sidewinders are venomous.
• Their color can vary from cream to yellowish-brown to pink, depending on their specific habitat.
• Female sindwinders are smaller than males.
• Instead of sliding forward like other snakes, sindwinders throw themselves forward making a diagonal path.
• They are nocturnal during the hot summer months and diurnal during the cooler months.

See snakes can be really cool? Look at the pattern these animals make in the sand!

MAMMAL MONDAY#3

Woohoo, it is Mammal Monday and we have a funny faced primate for today’s animal. Primates are mammals that include prosimians (includes lemurs, lorises and tarsiers) and monkeys and apes. Primates are pretty awesome group of mammals and we’re going to post a whole blog about primates very soon! Let’s meet today’s red faced monkey first!

MEET THE RED UAKARI!

Range/Habitat: South America (Brazil and Peru)/ Amazon River Basin-flooded forests

Diet:  Omnivore: seeds, fruits, flowers, and insects

Length/Weight: 15-22 ½ “/ 6 ½-7 ½ lb

Conservation Status: Endangered

Fun facts:

• The Red Uakari is diurnal (active during the day) and arboreal (spends most of its time in trees).
• They have hairless faces and foreheads.
• The color can vary from pink to red. They also have long shaggy coats of fur that can vary in color from red to brown to orange!
• The Uakari have very broad short tails, unlike most monkeys that live in trees.
• They live in troops of up to 100 individuals, but will split up into smaller groups to look for food during the day.

These are some very unusual and colorful monkeys! They are also endangered… Can you think of anything we could do to help them?

FEATHERY FRIDAY #2

Who’s ready for another Feathery Friday? WE ARE! Today’s bird has long powerful legs and funny crest of feathers on top of its head. Have a clue yet? Nope? Well look right here…

MEET THE SECRETARY BIRD!

Range/Habitat: Sub-Saharan Africa/grasslands, desert and savannahs

Diet: Carnivore: snakes, large insects, frogs, lizards and small mammals

Height/Weight: 4 ½ ft-5ft/ 5 ½ – 10lb

Conservation Status: Common

Fun facts:

• Secretary birds are diurnal (they’re active during the day) and nests in Acacia trees at night.
• They have long powerful legs that they use for striking prey.
• It’s thought that they were named after English secretaries because the crests on their heads look like quills that secretaries used to write with, but it’s now thought that is it comes from an Arabic word meaning “hunter bird”.
• Secretary birds walk more than they fly. They can walk up to 15 miles a day in search of food.
• It is admired in Africa for its hunting skills, especially its ability to kill venomous snakes.
• It’s even part of the Coat of Arms for South Africa.

The Secretary bird is one excellent predator! We love a bird that walks all day (elephants walk lots too). How much do you walk a day?