nature

Hawaii!!

Posted on February 1, 2018 by Ellie and Edmond ©

Hawaii!

Hellooooo!! We’ve made it to the lovely islands of Hawaii! Now while it would be fun to sit on the beach drinking straight from a coconut, this horse and elephant have animals to meet and habitats to explore! Let’s get started by learning more about this amazing place!

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Hawaii Fun Facts: 

  • Hawaii is the world’s longest archipelago (a group of islands). It has 132 islands. Eight of those make up the main inhabitated islands.
  • The Big Island has the most land space.
  • Hawaii has many awesome features, including the world’s most active volcano. Kilauea (the volcano’s name) is on the big island. It has been spewing lava for the last 30 years.
  • Mauna Kea is a dormant volcano on the Big Island. It is twice the size of Mt Everest! Most of it is underwater though. This volcano is often seen with snow on it during the winter.
  • Humpback whales, green sea turtles and hawksbill turtles all come to Hawaii to give birth or lay their eggs.
  • Hawaii has tropical wet (rain) and tropical dry forests!
  • The coral reefs of Hawaii are some of the most diverse in the world.

 

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

Where will the next E&E adventure be?

Posted on January 31, 2018 by Ellie and Edmond ©

Where will the next E&E adventure be?

Are you ready for another E&E adventure? We left the Pantanal a little early for a winter break and to pack up for a different climate!

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Can you guess where our adventure will be from the clues?

As we pack our bags, we are heading out west to a land of myth and reality.

There can be warm tropical winds and snow capped volcanos all in one place. 

There are coral reefs and rainforests.

Lava flowing keeps the islands growing! 

 

Do you know where we are heading? 

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

Red Crest

Posted on January 25, 2018 by Ellie and Edmond ©

Red Crest

We have northern cardinals at the HQs! They are such colorful songbirds! It turns out there are cardinals here in the Pantanal. These birds don’t have a full body of red, but they are gorgeous! Let’s learn more about them.

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Red-crested cardinal fun facts:

  • Red-crested cardinals have red heads, white chests and black wings and bodies.
  • These little birds grow up to 7 1/2 inches and weigh up to 1 1/2 oz.
  • They are omnivores. They eat fruit, seeds and insects.
  • A pair of cardinals is very territorial, especially during breeding season.
  • They are listed as Least Concern by the IUCN.

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We loved meeting this little bird who looks like one of our favorite backyard species! We had no idea there were other kinds of cardinals out there!

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

Piranha Relative

Posted on January 24, 2018 by Ellie and Edmond ©

Piranha Relative

We decided to take a boat ride today to find some fish today! These funny round relatives of the piranha do not have the reputation of their cousins, but they’re no less cool!

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Pacu Fun Facts: 

  • Pacu are a fresh water fish.
  • They are herbivores and feed on aquatic plants.
  • They are famous for their square teeth that resemble human teeth.
  • Pacu can grow up to 3 1/2 feet and weigh up to 88 lbs.
  • Some of them have red on their bellies and some of them do not.

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These fish are popular in the aquarium trade. Unfortunately they can be dumped in local rivers where they are not native. They can interrupt a local ecosystem though.

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

What did you say birdie?

Posted on January 23, 2018 by Ellie and Edmond ©

What did you say birdie?

We were exploiting the area and all of the sudden heard a loud funny call! We dissolved it was a bird called the great kiskadee! And yes, they get their name from the funny call they make!

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Great Kiskadee Fun Facts: 

  • These little birds grow up to 10 inches long  and weigh about 2 oz.
  • They are members of the flycatcher family.
  • These common birds sit and wait for their insect prey to come by, when they fly out to catch it! They are also known to eat some small vertebrates and fruit.
  • They are territorial and will even attack raptors.
  • Male and females build the nest. Females incubate the eggs.
  • They are listed as Least Concern by the IUCN.

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These gregarious little birds are spotted all around here! We have never met a member of the flycatcher family. Who else pictures a bird with a fly swatter in the wing? Hehehehe!

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

That is Not a Pig!

Posted on January 22, 2018 by Ellie and Edmond ©

That is Not a Pig!

We went in search a small ungulant today! What is an ungulant you ask? Ungulant are animals that have hooves- like Edmond! We were looking to meet a collared peccary. These mammals look like pigs, but they are only distantly related. Let’s learn more about them.

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Collared Peccary Fun Facts: 

  • Collared peccarys grow up to 5 ft long and weigh up to 60 lbs.
  • These herbivores eat plants, fruits, nuts and small invertebrates.
  • They live in small family groups.
  • Collared peccarys have sharp tusks that face downward. They use these to protect themselves from predators.
  • They also give off a strong musky odor when threatened.
  • These diurnal animals spend their nights in burrows.
  • They are also called the javelina.

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These funny looking animals are so cute! Have you ever heard of them? It’s fun to learn about all new animals!

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That is a Falcon!

Posted on January 18, 2018 by Ellie and Edmond ©

That is a Falcon!

We met one gorgeous bird today! This big member of the falcon family is known to hang with vultures and look more like a hawk!

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Southern Crested Caracara Fun Facts: 

  • Crested caracaras can grow up to 22 inches and weigh up to 3 lbs.
  • Their wing span is almost 50 inches.
  • These carnivores eat incsects, small reptiles and fish. They are also known to push vultures away from carion.
  • They have long thin legs.
  • They are mostly solitary.
  • It is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN.

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These gorgeous birds have a northern cousin that lives in Mexico and in Arizona and Texas. We love these raptors!

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

Otter Otter

Posted on January 17, 2018 by Ellie and Edmond ©

Otter Otter

We set out to meet one of the rarer animals of the Pantanal today! We located a few having a snack. These amazing members of the mustelid family are soooo cool!

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Giant Otter Fun Facts: 

  • These large carnivores can get up to 6 ft long and weigh up to 75 lbs.
  • They have powerful tails and webbed feet for a life in the water.
  • These territorial giants live in small family groups.
  • Giant otters can eat up to 9lbs of fish a day.
  • They live in dens in the banks of the rivers they call home.
  • Giant otters are very vocal and use a variety of squeaks and screams. They are considered to be the most vocal otter species on earth.
  • They are often called the river wolf.
  • They are diurnal.
  • Giant river otters are listed as Endangered by the IUCN.

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We enjoyed seeing these amazing animals. They are now protected from the poaching that led to their decline. They are becoming important for tourism in the areas they call home.

 

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We Are Fanimaly- Anteater/Sloth

Posted on January 16, 2018 by Ellie and Edmond ©

We Are Fanimaly- Anteater/Sloth

We are starting up a feature from the past this week! We’ll be post a segment we call     We Are Fanimaly once a month. This feature will spotlight animals that are related. Some of these you may know and some of them may surprise you! This month’s features our giant anteater from last week. 

 

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Anteaters and sloths are relatives! Can you believe it? Our Giant Armadillo from a few days ago also belongs in their Fanimaly! They look nothing alike! Hehehehe!

  • Their superorder is Xenartha.
  • These animals only live in the Americas.
  • They have been around for about 59 million years.
  • Remember the Glyploton- the giant armadillo? Well there were giant ground sloths too!
  • The name Xenarthra means “strange joints”.
  • The name was chosen because anteaters, sloths and armadillos have vertebral joints unlike any other mammals on earth.
  • Anteaters and sloths are more closely related to each other than their armadillo cousins.
  • The animals in the Xenartha surperorder are either insectivores (anteaters & armadillos) or herbivores (sloth).
  • There are 6 sloth species and four anteater species.
Categories: adventure, Animals, Children, conservation, education, endangered species, Environment, mammals, nature, science, Today's Post, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

That is One Big Snake

Posted on January 11, 2018 by Ellie and Edmond ©

That is One Big Snake

We are meeting another amazing animal of the Pantanal today! This reptile is largest snake by weight in the world. That’s why we are glad we saw it from a boat!

 

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Green anaconda fun facts: 

  • Green anacondas are giants! They can get up to 29 ft long and weigh over 500 lbs. Just to give you an idea of how long that is- a school bus is 45 ft- so they would take up 2/3 of it.
  • Females are larger than males!
  • The constrictors are carnivores. They eat small mammals, caiman and some reptiles.
  • Like other snakes, they have stretchy ligaments in their jaw that allow them to open wide and swallow large prey whole.
  • These reptiles can go weeks after eating a big meal.
  • They are mostly nocturnal!
  • Female anacondas give birth to live young, that hatch in her body! They are independent of their mothers immediately after being born.

These giants are amazing! We know people fear snakes, but we think they are awesome! These predators have been around for 100 million years, so maybe it’s time to take a new look at our legless friends and start appreciating how truly great they are!

 

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

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