Environment

Give That Frog a Glass of Water

Posted on April 7, 2017 by Ellie and Edmond ©

Give That Frog a Glass of Water

We had no internet yesterday! Darn-it! Well we spent that extra time looking for an unusual amphibian who calls the desert home! The water holding frog is soooo cool!

water holding frog

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Date: 4/7

Location: Great Victorian Desert

Water Holding Frog Fun Facts:

  • They have webbed toes.
  • Water holding frogs live underground.

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  • When they bury themselves, they cocoon themselves in a mucus to protect themselves.
  • Water holding frogs eat that mucus when they emerge from their dormant state.
  • Water holding frogs can hold water in their bladder and send it back to their mouths to drink. They can also store in pockets under their skin!
  • They come out of their sandy burrows to mate during rainy season.

Woohoo! Animals have the neatest adaptation ever! Even if they seem kind of gross! Hehehehe!

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

Tiny Marsupial

Posted on April 5, 2017 by Ellie and Edmond ©

Tiny Marsupial

Well it doesn’t get much cuter than today’s animal! These tiny marsupials look like rodents, but they are not!

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Date : 4/5

Location: Great Victorian Desert

Sandhill Dunnart Fun Facts:

  • They are one of the largest members of the Dunnart family.
  • Sandhill dunnart have stiff black hairs on the underside of the tail.
  • These little marsupials are carnivores!
  • Their tails are longer then their bodies.

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  • They live in burrows under the spinifex hummocks shrubs.
  • Sandhill dunnarts store fat in their tails.

sandhill dunnart

These little marsupials are threatened unfortunately. There are efforts in Australian zoos to increase their numbers! Woohoo!

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

A Skink not a Skunk!

Posted on April 4, 2017 by Ellie and Edmond ©

A Skink not a Skunk!

After we settled in at camp we decided where we should go on our first adventure! We wanted to meet a neat little lizard we knew lived in this habitat! We headed off for the day with our day packs full of snacks and MUD SPF 30 sunscreen!

great desert skink

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Date: 4/3

Location: Great Victorian Desert

Great Desert Skink Fun Facts:

  • Great desert skinks vary in color from tan to grey or dark brown.
  • They store fat in their tales during the winter.
  • Males are slightly larger than females.
  • Great desert skinks live in complex burrows with several entrances and areas.

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  • A family group occupies the burrow. Babies stay with their family for up to three years.
  • They generally hunt at night in the hotter months.

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We had such fun going to look for these little short legged lizards! They remind us of another Australian skink- the blue tongued skink! They are both so cool! And they aren’t slimy at all- very smooth!

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

Desert Down Under

Posted on April 3, 2017 by Ellie and Edmond ©

Desert Down Under

We have backed our bags again and headed off to the great island nation of Australia! It is a long way from HQs. We unpacked at camp just at the edge of the Great Victorian Desert. After getting over our jet lag. We set out to learn more about this vast and interesting habitat!

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Great Victorian Desert Fun Facts:

  • It is the largest desert in Australia.  It’s about 135,000 square miles.
  • It is located in the Southwest of Australia.
  • Temps can range from 104 degree Fahrenheit in summer to 64 in the winter.
  • The Mamungari Conservation Park lies within the Great Victorian Desert.

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  • Only very hard plants survive in the desert, but there is a great variety of plants.
  • There is quiet a variety of animals in the desert that are adapted to live in the harsh environment!

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We are super excited to meet some of the inhabitants of this great desert! We’ll be meeting an interesting lizard tomorrow! See you then!

 

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Old Bright Eyes!

Posted on March 23, 2017 by Ellie and Edmond ©

Old Bright Eyes!

We spent our last day at camp this week looking for a small amphibian with big bright eyes. Good thing we have binoculars, because spotting these tiny frogs was not easy!

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Date: 3/23

Location: Madagascar

Green bright-eyed frog fun facts:

  • Green bright eyed frogs have a blue ring around the outer iris.
  • They are green with little spots and can change their color to a more reddish tone.
  • Green bright eyed frogs have webbed feet.

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  • During breeding season males call during the night to look for a mate.
  • Females lay their eggs in water.

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We had lovely time exploring the forest for these tiny frogs. So many sightings of them and other fascinating creatures! We really love this place!

 

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

Give us a V for Parrot!

Posted on March 22, 2017 by Ellie and Edmond ©

Give us a V for Parrot!

We wanted to meet one of the parrots of Madagascar! We were lucky enough to spot them in the trees on our afternoon trek yesterday! Let’s all get to know this bird together!

vasa parrot

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Date: 3/22

Location: Madagascar

Greater Vasa Parrot Fun Facts:

  • Vasa Parrots are dark grey to black in color.
  • Their dark beaks turn bright white during breeding season.

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  • Females are dominate and live with 3 to 8 males. This social set-up is highly unusual in parrots.
  • Vasa parrot eggs only incubate for 18 days. It’s the shortest incubation period for any parrot.
  • They are known to be voracious eaters.
  • Vasa parrots are vocal and intelligent.

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We loved watching this interesting birds! They are not heard of much in the US or in the pet trade. We love to see parrots in the wild!

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

Ghostly Sounds!

Posted on March 21, 2017 by Ellie and Edmond ©

Ghostly Sounds!

Today, we met another super awesome lemur today! They aren’t as crazy looking as the aye-aye we met last week, but they are just as cool.

indri

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Date: 3/21

Location: Madagascar

Indri Fun Facts:

  • Indri are the largest lemur on earth.
  • They are arboreal and diurnal.
  • The native Malagasy name for them is babakoto.
  • Indri leap in a upright position from tree to tree.

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  • Indri mate for life and live in small family groups.
  • Indri are known for their loud songs that can be sung several times a day! These songs/calls are as haunting as they are beautiful!
  • Indri are considered sacred among the native people of Madagascar.

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We so enjoyed watching these amazing lemurs. Those calls are so loud! Unfortunately, Indri are critically endangered mostly due to habitat loss. It is crucial that we all work together to use our resources wisely! Let’s all recycle as much as possible!

 

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

One Tiny Lizard!

Posted on March 20, 2017 by Ellie and Edmond ©

One Tiny Lizard!

We headed into the forest to look for one of smallest lizards in the world! Madagascar is home to many species of chameleons. We wanted to find some of the smaller ones- the brown leaf chameleon. It takes a good eye, some nice binoculars and a great guide to find these cute reptiles!

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Date: 3/20

Location: Madagascar

Brown Leaf Chameleon Fun Facts:

  • Brown leaf chameleons resemble dried up leaves on the forest floor.

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  • When threatened, they curl up their legs and tail and roll over on their side and stay perfectly still.
  • Like other chameleons their eyes move independently of each other.
  • Male brown leaf chameleons attract a female by rocking their body and nodding their head.
  • Professor Carl is showing us how long the brown leaf chameleon is!

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  • Brown leaf chameleons are not always brown! They can be olive, green, beige or red!
  • They have a stiff ridge running down their spine.
  • Brown leaf chameleons are diurnal.

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We had a lovely day exploring the forest. We had to walk carefully to watch for these small reptile predators. We love chameleons and their crazy eyeballs and funny feet!

 

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Hello Little Tenrec!

Posted on March 16, 2017 by Ellie and Edmond ©

Hello Little Tenrec!

We spent our last day of the week in search of a very small mammal that looks like a hedgehog, but it’s not. The tenrec is found only in Madagascar and while they are similar they are not hedgehog relatives.

common tenrec

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Date: 3/16

Location: Madasgascar

Common Tenrec Fun Facts:

  • They are also known as the tailess tenrec. They are the largest tenrec species.
  • Common tenrecs do have a tail- up to 1 1/2 cm in length.
  • Tenrecs are related is not related to hedgehogs. It is thought that is related to elephants, aardvarks and manatees.
  • Tenrecs roll in a ball and have spines similar to hedgehogs, but they do not have the same strong muscle structure of a hedgehog.

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  • Tenrecs roll in sand to help them keep clean.
  • They can have up 32 babies at at time. All of the babies are born without spines.

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We love hedgehogs and their non cousin the tenrec! Can you believe that they might be related to Ellie? Who doesn’t love those cute little feet and funny ears!

 

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Don’t Buzz Off Buzzard!

Posted on March 15, 2017 by Ellie and Edmond ©

Don’t Buzz Off Buzzard!

After sleeping in after our last two night adventures, we got up and did a little bird watching! We were happy to find one of Madagascar’s raptors!

madagascar buzzard2

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Date: 3/15

Location: Madagascar

Madagascar Fun Facts:

  • Madagascar buzzards are old world buzzards.

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  • They call many parts of the island home, including forests, open forest and rocky hillsides.
  • Some lemurs have alarm calls for the buzzard, so some scientists think they may prey on them.
  • Madagascar buzzards have broad wings for soaring.
  • They have yellow eyes and talons.
  • Madagascar buzzards chicks are born in September and October.

madagascar buzzard

We had a lovely time watching a few of these buzzards soar in the skies. Raptors will never cease to amaze us!

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