Environment

SUPER SURPRISE

THURSDAY# 16

Happy Super Surprise Thursday! We’ve featuring a very special mammal and a member of the canid (dog) family. This mammal looks like a raccoon, but they’re not! So let’s get to it and meet…

MEET THE RACCOON DOG!

Range/Habitat: Europe-Central Asia-Japan/rivers, lakes, woodlands

Diet:  Omnivore: fruit, mice, crabs and fish

Length/Weight: 20-23 ½”/ 17lbs

Conservation Status: Common

Fun Facts:

• Raccoon Dogs are members are the canid family. They are related to wolves and foxes.
• They look like raccoons with their dark fur mask on their face.
• Raccoon dogs live in pairs or small family groups.
• Raccoon dogs are nocturnal (active at night).
• They have two coats of fur in the winter, an under coat and a top coat to keep them warm in cold climates!
• They are excellent climbers.
• Raccoon dogs are the only members of the canid family that hibernates (a long sleep).  They can increase their body weight by 50% for winter.

Raccoon dogs are a cool mammal. They are built to live in cold weather climates with their think fur. And isn’t it cool that they hibernate! Sometimes we wish we could hibernate all winter and wake-up in time for spring! Can you name another animal that hibernates?

MAMMAL MONDAY# 16

We’re back! We hope everyone had a lovely holiday! We sure did! We’re starting out this week with a primate! Don’t know what a primate is? Well if you can read this- than you’re probably a primate J! Primates include lemurs, monkeys and apes and people are apes! Neat, huh? Today’s mammal is a monkey and a pretty cute one too. Are you ready to meet them?

MEET THE CELEBES MACAQUE!

Range/Habitat: Southeast Asia-North Sulawesi/rainforest

Diet: Omnivore: fruit (up to 70% of their diet), seeds, bird eggs

Length/Weight: 20-22 ½”/up to 22lb

Conservation Status: critically endangered

Fun Facts:

• Celebes Macaques are all black with hairless faces.
• They have crests on their heads. They look like they have mohawks J!
• Celebes macaques live in troupes of up to 50 individuals with 3 to 4 dominate males.
• Celebes macaques are also called black crested macaques.
• They spend most of their day on the ground looking for food.
• They spend their nights in trees.

These funny looking monkeys are very curious and awesome. A photographer recently had an encounter with them in the wild where they took photos of themselves! Pretty smart!

Read all about that here:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jul/04/shutter-happy-monkey-photographer

MAMMAL MONDAY# 15

Happy Mammal Monday! We have traveled to the land down under-Australia to find today’s animal! Australia is a large continent with wild and strange animals that are found no other place on earth and today’s mammal is no exception! In fact this mammal is a rare exception to the rule, instead of giving birth to live young it lays eggs! WHAAAAT? You heard right, this mammal lays eggs! Let’s meet…

MEET THE PLATYPUS!

Range/Habitat: Eastern Australia-Tasmania/rivers-streams-rainforest

Diet: Carnivore: worms, shrimp, crayfish

Length/Weight: 16-23 ½”/ 1 ¾-5 ½ lbs

Conservation Status: common

Fun Facts:

• Platypus are strange looking mammals, with long slender bodies, webbed feet and a duck-like bill for a mouth.
• They have long tails that look like beaver tails.
• Platypus are built for water. They are excellent swimmers and can dive to deep depths looking for prey.
• They eat about 20% of their body weight a day (about 2lbs), so they can spend up to 12 hours a day feeding.
• Platypus have no teeth!
• Male platypus have venomous spurs in the back feet. The venom is not fatal to humans, but can be very painful.
• Platypus can detect the electrical fields of other animals. They use this extra sense to find their prey!
• They are one of two mammals on earth that lay eggs. Do you know the other one?
• Platypus moms to provide milk to their offspring.

Platypus are one of our favorites, with their crazy looking bill mouths and their webbed feet! They are much loved in Australia too! You can find a platypus on the back of their 20 cent coins! Neat! Edmond wants to be on a coin! Ellie told him he’d have to learn to lay eggs first!