Environment

Halloween Week

Posted on October 23, 2017 by Ellie and Edmond ©

Halloween Week

We are taking a break from our usual programming to share some fun animals that remind us of Halloween- one of our favorite holidays! We’re sharing a Not So True Halloween Facts and then we’ll share some true facts about the animal!

 

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Goblin Shark Fun Facts: 

  • Goblin sharks live in the deep ocean.
  • They are able to thrust their jaws forward out of their mouth by 3 inches.
  • They can grow up to 12 ft long.
  • Goblin sharks are found mostly off the coast of Japan.
  • They are thought to be solitary.
  • Their upper jaw contains up to 53 teeth and their lower jaw can contain up to 62 teeth!

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Categories: adventure, Animals, Children, conservation, education, endangered species, Environment, fish, nature, oceans, science, sharks, Today's Post, wildlife | Leave a comment

What the Quail?

Posted on October 18, 2017 by Ellie and Edmond ©

What the Quail?

We are so excited to meet today’s bird! We have never met a quail before and of course we have to find the ones with the cutest feathers around!

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Gambel’s Quail Fun Facts: 

  • Both males and females have the topknot of feathers on their head. Males have a black patch on their bellies.
  • They are about the size of a basketball.
  • Gambel’s quails are ground dwellers. You can see them running around the ground.
  • They live in groups called coveys.
  • They are omnivores. They eat insects as chicks and graduate to mostly plant material as adults.
  • Females chirp to their eggs before they  hatch and the chicks cheep back to her.

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These funny little quails can fly, but they mostly run around looking for food! They are so neat to watch in their little family groups.

Categories: adventure, Animals, birds, Children, conservation, education, Environment, nature, science, Today's Post, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Slow Mover

Posted on October 17, 2017 by Ellie and Edmond ©

Slow Mover

We headed to the heart of the Mojave Desert in search of one of two species of tortoises! These desert tortoises call this their home and we were thrilled to learn more about them!

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Desert Tortoise Fun Facts:

  • These tortoises spend most of their time in burrows and shelters. They are inactive most of the year. They stay in cool areas to avoid losing water during the heat and they hibernate during the winter.
  • You’ll find them mostly after a rain.
  • They can live up to 80 years.
  • Desert tortoises have sharp claws that help them dig burrows. They can spend 95% of their lives in burrows.
  • Desert tortoises are slow growing. They still are only around 8 inches at 16 years old. They can reach up to 30 inches total.
  • These herbivores are listed as threatened and vulnerable- depending on the population.
  • Their biggest threat is habitat loss.

Desert Tortoise

These amazing creatures are made for the desert. They can survive a year without direct access to water! WOW!!

Categories: adventure, Animals, Children, conservation, education, endangered species, Environment, nature, reptiles, science, Today's Post, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Sheep!

Posted on October 16, 2017 by Ellie and Edmond ©

Sheep!

We headed to the mountains today to find one neat and large mammal. We had fun climbing all around the trails and looking for these sheep that can climb mountains.

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Desert Bighorn Sheep Fun Facts: 

  • Bothe male and females have horns. The males are large and curved while the females are smaller.
  • It can take a male up to 8 years to have fully formed horns. Their horns can weigh up to 30 lbs.
  • They can weigh up to 280 lbs.
  • Males are known for their head to head combat during mating season.
  • They have excellent eyesight.
  • They live in small herds, made up females and offspring. The males live in bachelor groups.
  • These herbivores are diurnal.
  • They use their horns and hooves to removes spines from cactus so they can eat them.

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These agile sheep and so amazing! They are built to climb and to survive in the scrub land. Watching the males go head to head can be quiet impressive and a bit scary!

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Bird in the Burrow

Posted on October 12, 2017 by Ellie and Edmond ©

Bird in the Burrow

We had a great adventure looking for an unusual bird today. This owl doesn’t live in trees it lives in burrows underground. Neat!

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Burrowing Owl Fun Facts: 

  • Burrowing owls live in burrows they dig themselves or ones that other animals have made, like prairie dogs.
  • Burrowing owls are carnivores. They eat small mammals, insects, lizards and birds.
  • They hunt day or night.
  • Burrowing owls line their burrow entrances with animal poop. This marks their territory and it attracts insects that the owls eat.
  • They stow food to have during the incubation period of their eggs.
  • Burrowing owls spend most of their time near the ground.

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Burrowing owls are so gorgeous. They are more tolerant of Co2 because they live underground where the gas can be more concentrated. This bird’s adaptations are so cool.

Categories: adventure, Animals, birds, Children, conservation, education, Environment, nature, science, Today's Post, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Armadillo Armadillo

Posted on October 11, 2017 by Ellie and Edmond ©

Armadillo Armadillo

We headed out to find one of the most iconic animals of the southwest today! We didn’t have to travel far- these funny armored mammals were hanging out right in our camp! Often only seen as roadkill it was fun to observe one wandering around in the wild.

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Nine banded armadillo fun facts: 

  • Armadillos are related to sloths and anteaters. Their relatives, including the giant armadillos have been on earth for around 50 million years.
  • They are carnivores. They can eat up to 40,000 ants at a time!
  • Unlike other mammals who must maintain a high body temperature, they keep their temp at around 90 degrees.
  • They can grow up to 30 inches long.
  • Not all nine banded armadillos have nine bands- they can have anywhere from 8 to 11 bands.
  • These nocturnal animals are covered in a keratin based armor, except on their ears, legs and underside.
  • Nine banded armadillos live in burrows that they dig.
  • These armadillos are unable to curl up in to a ball to avoid predators.

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Armadillos are definitely odd looking with their built in suit of armor, their pig like snouts and their clawed feet. We always love seeing them forage for grubs. And can you believe they are related to sloths?

 

Categories: adventure, Animals, Children, conservation, education, Environment, mammals, nature, science, Today's Post, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Blue Spines

Posted on October 10, 2017 by Ellie and Edmond ©

Blue Spines

After encountering a prairie dog town yesterday, we met a little reptile who calls these parts home! It’s always good to see so many species and this unusual looking lizard definitely caught our eye.

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Blue Spiny Lizard Fun Facts: 

  • These lizards can grow up to 14 inches long.
  • They have spiny scales,
  • Males are more blue-green in color. Both males and females have a black ring around on their neck.
  • These relatives of the iguana spend much of their day under rocks and crevices to avoid the hottest part of the day.
  • Blue spiny lizards are carnivores. They eat insects.
  • They are listsed as Least Concern by the IUCN.

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These interesting lizards are so neat looking with bumpy scales. We think they are quiet handsome.

Categories: adventure, animal rescue, Children, conservation, education, Environment, nature, reptiles, science, Today's Post, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Doggies of the Desert!

Posted on October 9, 2017 by Ellie and Edmond ©

Doggies of the Desert!

We headed out from camp today to meet on the residents for the prairie and the desert. We were excited to find these rodents. Can you guess who were are meeting?

Let’s learn more about the prairie dog!

Prairie Dog

Black Tailed Prairie Dog Fun Facts: 

  • Prairie dogs live in groups called coteries. These family groups include a male or two and several females. The females stay in their group for their whole lives.
  • Their prairie dog towns give shelter to other animals. Their towns also attract insects which birds depend on.
  • They are vocal. Scientists are just beginning to realize how complicated their language is.
  • Prairie dog populations have fallen by 95%, this is mainly due to habitat loss.
  • These prairie dogs do not hibernate.
  • Prairie dogs are herbivores.
  • Black tailed prairie dogs are listed as Least Concern by the ICUN.
  • They get their name from the barking noises they make.

29820FC6-4FBF-44D5-AEE7-AB759AF5D153These rodents and cousins of the common grey squirrel are one of our favorites. There are five species of these little dudes. Scientists are working to protect their habitat and them as they are important for the survival of many species.

Categories: adventure, Animals, Children, conservation, education, endangered species, Environment, mammals, nature, science, Today's Post, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Run Bird Run!

Posted on October 5, 2017 by Ellie and Edmond ©

EepRun Bird Run!

We are meeting one of the coolest birds in the southwest today- the greater roadrunner! Luckily this one didn’t have a coyote chasing it!

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Greater Roadrunner Fun Facts: 

  • Roadrunners have X shaped feet. The Pueblo people consider this shape sacred as it is thought to ward off evil spirits.
  • They are carnivores. They spent most of our time on the ground hunting small mammals, reptiles and toads.
  • These fierce predators slam their prey against rocks. They are also known for their ability to kill rattlesnakes, scorpions and venomous lizards.
  • Roadrunners can reach speeds of up to 20 mph.
  • They have a special gland by their eye to help excrete excess salt!
  • Roadrunners are territorial.
  • They are not good fliers.

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These funny looking birds are suited for the terrestrial habitat. Those fast feet give them an advantage in finding food and staying away from predators. Once only found in the southwest, these birds are moving east can be found as far as Louisiana now.

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Hello Kitty!

Posted on October 4, 2017 by Ellie and Edmond ©

Hello Kitty!

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We are excited to meet our first animal of this year’s travels. We unpacked our gear at our camp. We’ll be exploring several kinds of habitats here the Southwest. We spent our first evening looking for a wild cat, the ocelot. These spotted cats roam in the southern most regions of the southwest. They are not easy to spot, but we were lucky and found one!

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Ocelot Fun Facts: 

  • Ocelots are mostly nocturnal. Like all cats, they are carnivores. They eat rabbits, rodents, birds and reptiles.
  • Ocelots can swim well.
  • Ocelots are mostly solitary. They scent mark their territories.
  • They are kept as pets, which is a very bad idea. They are not like your domestic housecat, They are strong and destructive. These cats belong in the wild.
  • They are know to be shy.
  • Females give birth to a litter in a den, where the cubs will stay til they around 3 months old.

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These small big cats are gorgeous. The were once listed as threatened by the IUCN because they were hunted for their coats. They still are losing habitat, but for now their populations are stable. Yay!!!

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