mammals

THREE CHEERS FOR HEDGIES!

Edmond grabbed his pom poms and a University of Ellie and Edmond student- Henrieta,  to do a cheer for Hedgehogs!

                GIVE US AN H!
H is Hedge! Hedgehogs root around hedges for food.

             GIVE US AN E!
E is for Eats! Hedgehogs eat insects!

                GIVE US A D!
D is for Danger! Hedgehogs roll up in a ball when they are in danger!

                 GIVE US A G!
G is for Groundhog! Europeans used hedgehogs for weather predictions, but there were none in North America, so they used the groundhog.

              GIVE US AN E!
E is for Eats! Hedgies are immune to adder venom and we known to occasionally eat them.

               GIVE US AN H!
H is for Hog! We get our name from rooting around hedges and making grunting sounds like a hog.

               GIVE US AN O!
O is for One! Hedgehogs are one of the three animals that hibernate in the UK!

               GIVE US A G!
G is for Ground! We live in shallow burrows in the ground or nest under logs and bushes.

WOOHOO! WHAT DOES THAT SPELL? HEDGEHOG!! WE LOVE HEDGEHOGS!!

GROUNDHOG DAY!!

How much wood does a woodchuck chuck? Let’s find out today! It’s Groundhog day in the United States and we’re celebrating these famous animals today! Come learn about these plump critters and all since how much wood does a woodchuck chuck!

• Groundhogs are also known as the woodchuck or mouse bear.
• Groundhogs are around 20″ long and weigh up to 20 lbs.
• Groundhogs live in North America in woodland and grassland habitats.

• They are herbivore and eat seeds, fruits, grasses and the occasional insect.
• Groundhogs are rodents and are the largest member of the ground squirrel or marmot family.
• They are excellent at climbing and swimming.
• Groundhogs dig burrow in the ground. Their burrows average 6 feet deep.
• They gorge all summer on food to fatten up!
• Groundhogs are one the true hibernators of the animal kingdom. Their body temperature can drop from 99 degrees to 37 and their hear beat goes from 80 to 5 beats per minute.

• They are known to whistle when threatened and during the beginning of mating season.

Groundhog day is always the 2nd day of February! The tradition says if the groundhog sees its shadow then winter will last for 6 more weeks. If the groundhog doesn’t see their shadow, spring will arrive early! Groundhog has been around since the 1880s. There are many famous groundhogs in the U.S., including the most the famous Punxsutawney Phil.

GET SQUIRRELY!

Happy Squirrel Appreciation Day! Let’s celebrate the gregarious and precocious little critters today!

• There are more than 200 species of squirrel in the world.
• Squirrels live on every continent except Australia and Antarctica. Wow Australia has all those crazy animals and no squirrels!
• Squirrels are rodents.

• The African Pygmy Squirrel is the smallest species of squirrel. They are 5 inches long.
• The Indian Ground Squirrel is the largest at 3 feet long!

• There are tree squirrels, ground squirrels and flying squirrels.
• Flying squirrels do not actually fly, but glide using a flap of skin on each side.

• Some squirrels can run as fast as 20 mph.
• A squirrel’s teeth grow throughout their lifetime.
• Squirrels are omnivores. They eat bugs, eggs, nuts, seeds and fruit.

• Squirrels that bury their food for winter, find it by rubbing their scent on it first. They use their keen noses to find it later.
• When a squirrel forgets part of the winter cache, those seeds can turn into trees. Squirrels are responsible for the growth of many trees!
• The average squirrel eats about a pound of food a week!

Come make a great squirrel to top your pencils or pens!

FAT AND TOOTHY!

We’ve heard of the legend of a little man with elves that live in the north pole that gives presents out once a year! That sure sounds cool, but it is not as great as the animal that we are going to meet today! This arctic dweller is rotund and has tusks similar to Ellie’s! Let’s meet this marine mammal!

MEET THE WALRUS!

Fun Facts:

• Walrus live in the Arctic on the icy shoreline of the ocean. There are Atlantic and Pacific Walruses.
• They can get up to 12ft long and weigh up to 2 and 1/4 tons.
• They are carnivores; they eat shrimp, crustaceans and fish.
• Walrus eat prey off the bottom of the oceans and use suction to eat.
• They can stay underwater for up to 25 minutes and can dive down to 330ft deep.
• They are highly social and often are seen in large groups, called herds.
• Male walruses are twice the size of females.
• They have rough wrinkly skin and very whiskery faces.

• Walruses have tusks of ivory. They can grow up to 3 ft 3” long.
• Walrus babies can weigh up to 174lbs when born.
• Like seals, they lack external ears.

Walruses sure are huge and cute! How can you not like their whiskery faces? These blubbery mammals are loud, social and full of personality! They are one of our favorites!

THREE CHEERS FOR TAMANDUAS!

We love Tamanduas yes we do! We love Tamanduas- how bout you? For World Tamandua/Anteater! We’re celebrating our Professor Tamandua with a cheer! Edmond got his pom poms out and he’s cheering on tamanduas!

GIVE US A T!

Tamanduas live in South America.

GIVE A US AN A!

Anteaters- tamanduas are also called lesser anteaters.

GIVE ME A M!

Mounds- tamanduas love termites! They use their large claws to dig in to termite mounds!

GIVE ME AN A!

A tamandua has a sturdy prehensile tail.

GIVE ME A N!

NO TEETH- Tamanduas have no teeth. They have a 16″ long tongue they use to eat ants and termites!

GIVE ME D!

DARK- Tamanduas are nocturnal.

GIVE ME A U!

UP IN THE TREES- Tamanduas are arboreal! They live in trees, but forage for food on the ground.

GIVE ME AN A!

A STINKER- Tamanduas have a strong odor to help protect them from predators! They are called the stinkers of the forest!

What’s that spell? TAMANDUA! We love our dear professor and we hope you love tamanduas as much as we do!

LEMUR MANIA- PART 2

We’re super excited for Lemur Mania- Part 2!!

This is our pal Less the Ring Tailed Lemur!

All lemurs, like this Diademed Sifaka live on the island of Madagascar on the east coast of Africa.

The Indri is the largest species of lemur!

Each species of lemurs occupy a different niche of Madagascar. This crowned lemur lives in the dry deciduous forest.

The Brown collared brown lemur is a frugivore.

This is a female black lemur, the male is all black.  Not all species of lemurs have females and males that look different.

The Aye-Aye is one of the strangest looking lemurs. They are nocturnal and have long skinny fingers they use to get grubs out of the holes of trees!

Wow! The more we learn about lemurs the more amazed we are by them! From the cute to the bizarre looking, each species is special!