Environment

Snakes in the Ocean

Posted on October 14, 2019 by Ellie and Edmond ©

Snakes in the Ocean

Happy Monday! We’re meeting some more snakes during our Creepy Crawlies month. We know these reptiles can be scary, but let’s remember they are important parts of the environment. Today we’re meeting a snake that lives in the ocean.

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Banded Sea Krait Fun Facts: 

  • Banded sea kraits are found mostly in coral reefs.
  • They do come ashore to drink fresh water, lay their eggs and when they shed their skin.
  • These water going snakes have flatten tails to help them swim.
  • These venomous snakes mostly prey on eels.
  • Their prey- the eels, are bigger than they are and it can often take weeks to fully digest. They will haul on to land to digest their food.
  • They are considered to be shy and fairly docile.
  • Females are larger than males and can grow up to 4 feet long.

 

Who knew the ocean had snakes? And knew it could take weeks to digest your dinner? Crazy!

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Boom!

Posted on October 3, 2019 by Ellie and Edmond ©

Boom!

Today we’re meeting another venomous snake with a funny name- the Boomslang! Come join us as we learn more about another legless reptile!

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Boomslang Fun Facts: 

  • They get their name from the Afrikaans for tree snake.
  • Boomslang as their name implies are arboreal.
  • They are particularly shy and flee from anything large.
  • These snakes call sub-Saharan Africa home.
  • They can grow up to 5 feet long.
  • Boomslangs eat lizards and eggs.
  • They are highly venomous with slow acting venom. They are rarely encounter by humans and most bites occur when they are cornered or when someone attempts to handle them.

 

These snakes have gorgeous coloration. They gain that coloration as they mature.

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

Our New Band Name

Posted on October 2, 2019 by Ellie and Edmond ©

Our New Band Name

We’re meeting another snake today and it’s named the Bandy-bandy! It just may be the best name ever and when we start our own elephant & horse band we’re naming it Bandy-bandy!

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Bandy-bandy Fun Facts: 

  • Of course the bandy-bandy is named after the rings of black & white on it’s body.
  • These small round headed snakes grow up to 2 feet long.
  • Bandy-bandies are residents of Australia.
  • These burrowing snakes are nocturnal.
  • They are venomous and are known to eat other snakes.
  • Bandy-bandies are known for their “stance” when threatened- they form a hoop or u shape to look bigger.

 

We like these cool little snakes. They are rarely seen by humans, due to being mostly nocturnal. Now if you had to name your band after an animal what would it be?

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Ribbons!

Posted on October 1, 2019 by Ellie and Edmond ©

Ribbons!

Today we’re meeting an interesting mostly aquatic snake- called the ribbon snake. Any guess where they got their name from?

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Ribbon Snake Fun Facts:

  • Ribbon snakes call marshes, ponds and lakes home.
  • They are excellent swimmers.
  • They are related to garter snakes.
  • These slender constrictors only eat ectothermic prey including frogs and fish.
  • They use their site and hearing senses when hunting for prey.
  • Ribbon snakes hibernate during the winter.

 

These neat little snakes have small heads and therefore eat smaller prey. Like all snakes they swallow them whole.

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Creepers Month!

Posted on September 30, 2019 by Ellie and Edmond ©

Creepers Month!

It’s October tomorrow and that is the traditional month for creepy crawlers- you know the usual suspects; bats, spiders, bugs, blacks cats and snakes! We had a request to share more about that last one- so we’re meeting some snakes from around the world.

Today we’re meeting the black rat snake- a constrictor and helpful snake.

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Black Rat Fun Facts: 

  • They are also known as Eastern Rat Snakes.
  • These large constrictors can grow up to 7 feet long.
  • They call suburbs, woodlands and farms home.
  • Their favorite prey are eggs, amphibians and birds.
  • Black rat snakes are excellent swimmers and climbers.
  • They can release a foul order to deter predators, including hawks.

 

These snakes are harmless to humans and are helpful to keep rodent populations in check. If you see one, just let them be and wave from a distance.

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What’s a Mata Mata You?

Posted on September 26, 2019 by Ellie and Edmond ©

What’s a Mata Mata You?

We’re meeting a funny looking reptile with a funny name. Are you ready to learn more about the Mata Mata turtle?

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Mata Mata Fun Facts:

  • Mata mata turtles call rivers and streams in the Amazon home.
  • They rarely leave the water, except to lay eggs.
  • They are pretty sedentary.
  •  Mata Matas grow to about the size of a dinner plate- up to 20 inches.
  • Their necks are longer than their vertebrae. They can stretch them to breath while they stay on the bottom.
  • These turtles can not pull their heads into their shells, but they can turn them sideways.

These weird and wild turtles are always one of our favorites to learn more about. Would you like to “snorkel” with one?

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It’s Here!

Posted on September 23, 2019 by Ellie and Edmond ©

It’s Here!

We’re so very excited to share with you that the coloring book our Photographer drew and we helped do the research for is now on sale on Amazon. There are 50 pages of animals and their relatives and even those who may not have any relatives at all. There are some basics on classification, but wow we would need a text book to do that subject justice.

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We hope it inspires you to learn more about animals and their relatives while have fun coloring! Oh and we recommend using colored pencils or crayons in the book so the colors won’t bleed! And as always THANK YOU for your support!

Categories: adventure, Animals, birds, Children, conservation, crafts, education, endangered species, Environment, fish, frogs, mammals, nature, oceans, Puppets, reptiles, science, Today's Post, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Fairies!

Posted on September 19, 2019 by Ellie and Edmond ©

Fairies!

We are meeting one last animal from our coloring book today- the Pink Fairy Armadillo. These crazy looking animals are fascinating and we can’t wait to learn more about them with you!

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Pink Fairy Armadillo Fun Facts:

  • They are also known as the pichiciego.
  • These little animals are about 4 1/2 inches long.
  • Their pink shells are only attached by a thin membrane.
  • They call sandy plains their home.
  • Pink fairy armadillos have long digging claws on their front claws. They can bury themselves in the sand in a matter of minutes.
  • These omnivores eat insects and plant materials.
  • They are nocturnal and solitary.
  • Pink fairy armadillos spend most of their time underground. They make a swimming motion in the sand with their long front claws.

 

These alien looking little armadillos are so cool. We had never heard of them until recently. They call Argentina home.

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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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Heading to the Moon?

Posted on September 17, 2019 by Ellie and Edmond ©

Heading to the Moon?

Did we get you? We are not heading to the moon, but we are meeting animal named the moonrat today. Let’s learn more about this animal with the funny name.

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Moonrat Fun Facts: 

  • Moonrats are not rodents, but actually relatives of the hedgehog. 
  • These insectivores are found in Southeast Asia and spend their nights foraging for food.
  • They have mostly white faces and grey bodies, but some individuals are all white.
  • They can grow to be up to 16 inches long. 
  • Fossils similar to the moonrat were found to be 16 million years old.
  • Moonrats produce a strong ammonia scent when threatened and when marking their territory.
  • They are solitary and highly territorial.
  • Moonrats are listed as Least Concern by the IUCN.
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