mammals

INTERNATIONAL POLAR BEAR DAY!

Posted on February 27, 2013 by Ellie and Edmond ©

INTERNATIONAL POLAR BEAR DAY!

We’re celebrating one of favorite marine mammals on this very special day! These majestic bears call the icy arctic their home. We’re going to share some photos and fun facts about polar bears, as well as some great resources to help these bears as their snowy home disappears.

Polar Bears are excellent swimmers, they have been miles off shore.
They have a thick layer of fur, including on the bottoms of their paws.
Polar bears are carnivores.
Polar bears have black skin that helps them soaks up the warmth of the sun.
Polar bear mothers build a den to have their cubs.
Polar bear cubs stay with their mothers for up to two years.
Polar bears have no natural predators.
Polar bears are the largest land predator on earth.
Adult male polar bears can weigh up to 1,200 pounds.
Polar bears are protected in Norway, Canada, Russia, Denmark and the U.S.

Polar bears are endangered, mainly from habitat loss, as the arctic ice is melting. We can help these fabulous bears! You can adopt a bear (they won’t live at your house), you can donate to organizations that work with polar bears or you can learn what you can do at home to help. Check out Polar Bears International and One World One Ocean.

We love polar bears and we’ll definitely be working to make sure they are around for long time to come!

HAPPY INTERNATIONAL POLAR BEAR DAY!

Categories: adventure, Animals, Children, conservation, education, Environment, mammals, nature, oceans, science, wildlife | Tags: adventure, animals, children, conservation, education, environment, mammals, nature, oceans, science, wildlife | 2 Comments

MAMMAL MONDAY # 61

Posted on February 25, 2013 by Ellie and Edmond ©

MAMMAL MONDAY #61

Are you ready for a new adventure today? We’re going to Africa today to meet a small, cute but stinky little mammal! Grab your safari gear and let’s head out!

MEET THE AFRICAN STRIPED WEASEL!

Range/Habitat: Central-South Africa/grasslands

Diet: Carnivore: mice, rodents

Length/Weight: 10-14”/8-13 oz

Conservation Status: common

Fun Facts:

African Striped Weasels have long slim bodies.
They have long claws for digging.
African striped weasels have long white striped down their back and tails.
African striped weasels live in burrows.
They spray a stinky liquid from glands located on their behinds to defend themselves.

These weasels look like the African version of the skunk! We’ll admire them from a distance in order to not catch a whiff of their defensive spray!

Categories: adventure, Animals, Children, conservation, education, Environment, mammals, nature, science, wildlife | Tags: adventure, animals, children, conservation, education, environment, mammals, nature, science, wildlife | 1 Comment

MAMMAL MONDAY # 60

Posted on February 18, 2013 by Ellie and Edmond ©

MAMMAL MONDAY #60

We are off to meet a mammal who lives in a watery habitat in South America! So hop aboard our boat as we float down a river to find one cool mammal!

MEET THE GREY RIVER DOLPHIN!

Range/Habitat: Central America-Northern South America/rivers,

estuaries, coasts

Diet: Carnivore: fish, squid

Length/Weight: 4 ½-6 ½ ft/ 77-88 lb

Conservation Status: data deficient

Fun Facts:

Grey River Dolphins live in freshwater habitats and estuaries.
They have long prominent beaks.
Grey river dolphins are very acrobatic.
They are small and stocky.
They have large dorsal fins.
Grey river dolphins are solitary or live in pairs.

Grey river dolphins are amazing animals! Did you know that there were dolphins that live in rivers? We had no idea! We continue to be surprised by all the different animals on our planet!

Categories: adventure, Animals, Children, conservation, education, Environment, mammals, nature, rainforests, rivers, science, wildlife | Tags: adventure, animals, children, conservation, education, environment, mammals, nature, science, wildlife | 2 Comments

MAMMAL MONDAY #59

Posted on February 11, 2013 by Ellie and Edmond ©

MAMMAL MONDAY #59

We sure hope everyone enjoyed the Year of the Snake celebration. We’re back to our regular schedule and it’s off to Central America for us, to meet a member of the rodent family! Can you gopher for that? (Edmond loves puns)

MEET THE GIANT POCKET GOPHER!

Range/Habitat: Central-South America/ grasslands

Diet: Herbivore: roots, grasses, vegetation

Length/Weight: 4.7-12”/2.2 lbs

Conservation Status: common

Fun Facts:

Giant Pocket Gophers are the largest member of the pocket gopher family.
They have large cheek pouches that go from their mouth to their shoulders; these pouches are where they get their name.
Giant pocket gophers live in burrows and tunnels.
They have long sharp teeth.
Giant pocket gophers have large claws for digging.
Giant pocket gophers are also called the Mexican pocket gopher.
They are solitary.

Giant pocket gophers are funny looking little creatures with their big teeth and small eyes! They work very hard to dig their burrow homes and hoard the food they eat!

HAPPY GROUNDHOG DAY!!

Posted on February 2, 2013 by Ellie and Edmond ©

HAPPY GROUNDHOG DAY!!

HAPPY GROUNDHOG DAY! Every year on February 2^nd legend has it that if a groundhog comes out of his burrow and sees his shadow then there will be six more weeks of winter. If he doesn’t see his shadow then spring will come early! Neat! We’re celebrating these weather predicting rodents with fun facts, photos and an original coloring sheet drawn by Ellie herself!

Fun Facts:

Groundhogs are also known as the Woodchuck.
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 burrow in the ground.
They gorge all summer on food to fatten up!
Groundhogs hibernate in the winter.
They are known to whistle when threatened.

We love groundhogs and not just for their ability to predict the weather! These cool rodents get to hibernate all winter! Who wouldn’t love a long winter’s nap? Groundhogs are also pretty cute if you ask us!

Click here for more history on Groundhog Day.

Categories: adventure, american, Animals, Children, conservation, education, Environment, groundhog day, mammals, nature, science, wildlife | Tags: adventure, animals, children, conservation, education, environment, groundhog day, mammals, nature, science, wildlife | 2 Comments

MAMMAL MONDAY # 58

Posted on January 28, 2013 by Ellie and Edmond ©

MAMMAL MONDAY #58

It’s that amazing day of the week when we go on an adventure to meet a mammal! We’re packing our bags and heading the Amazonian rainforest to find a small monkey who lives high in trees! Grab your binoculars and let’s head out!

MEET THE SILVERY MARMOSET!

Range/Habitat: South America/rainforest

Diet: Omnivore: fruits, eggs, sap

Length/Weight: 8-9”/12-13 oz

Conservation Status: common

Fun Facts:

Silvery Marmosets have pale silvery fur.
They have black tails.
They are arboreal (spend their lives in the trees).
Silvery marmosets have pink faces and ears.
They live in small family troops.
Every member of the silvery marmoset family takes care of the offspring.

These tiny little monkeys are gorgeous with their silvery coats of fur. We just can’t get enough of them!

Categories: adventure, Animals, Children, conservation, education, Environment, mammals, nature, rainforests, science, wildlife | Tags: adventure, animals, children, conservation, education, environment, mammals, nature, science, wildlife | 1 Comment

SQUIRREL APPRECIATION DAY!

Posted on January 21, 2013 by Ellie and Edmond ©

SQUIRREL APPRECIATION DAY!!

We’re celebrating those adorable and often misunderstood little rodents today! There are more than 200 species of squirrels all over the world! To celebrate these bushy tailed animals we’re going to share some fun facts, pictures and a fun squirrel craft!

We have our squirrel tails!

There are more than 200 species of squirrel in the world.
Squirrels live on every continent except Australia and Antarctica.
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.
The average squirrel eats about a pound of food a week!

Wow! Who knew that squirrels were so fascinating! We had no idea that there were so many species! We’ve only featured two: The Gambian Sun Squirrel and the Prevost’s Squirrel! We had better get to learning about the other 200 species!

In the meantime we’re going to wear our squirrel tails and be honorary squirrels for the day! We’ll also be making these cute squirrel pencil toppers! How will you be celebrating our favorite rodent friends?

Categories: adventure, Animals, Children, conservation, education, Environment, mammals, nature, squirrels, wildlife | Tags: adventure, animals, children, conservation, education, environment, mammals, nature, science, squirrels, wildlife | 11 Comments

SUPER SURPRISE THURSDAY- NEW & IMPROVED!!

SUPER SURPRISE THURSDAY

We spent some time brainstorming here at headquarters about ways to jazz up the blog and we’ve come up with a new and improve Super Surprise Thursday! Instead of going on an adventure we’re going to post an up-close picture and give you a few hints and you’ll have to guess the Surprise Animal! We sure hope you enjoy our new feature!

I live in South America.
My name is derived from a word that means “he who kills in one leap”.
I am a good swimmer.
My spots are called rossets.

WHO AM I?

MAMMAL MONDAY # 56

MAMMAL MONDAY #56

We’re baaaack! We hope everyone had a lovely holiday! We’ve been gearing up here at HQs for a most exciting 2013! Our first adventure of the new year takes us to the deserts of Africa to meet a member of the canine family. Let’s grab our safari hats as we head out to meet our first mammal of the year!

MEET THE GOLDEN JACKAL!

Range/Habitat: Northeast Africa-Southern Asia/ mountains-deserts

Diet: Omnivore: fruits, insects, mammals

Length/Weight: 23 ½-43”/ 15-33 lbs

Conservation Status: common

Fun Facts:

Golden jackals have yellow-golden coats.
They live in pairs and mate for life.
Golden jackals are more closely related to wolves and coyotes than true jackals.
They have long legs.
Golden jackals have life spans of about 15 years.

Golden jackals are gorgeous with their beautiful coats of fur. Unlike most members of the canine family, they live in pairs and not in a pack! Pretty neat!