We wanted to give you a little update on our lack of posts. We here at E&E HQs are dealing with an ill family member. We are taking a sebatical until at least mid-September. Thank you all for your support!
Love,
Ellie & Edmond
Photographer & IT Guy
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Hello Buffalo
Hello Buffalo
We are so excited to meet today’s animal. They are large and in charge and have a pair of horns you don’t want to come close too!
Cape Bufffalo Fun Facts:
- These large bovines can weigh up to 1,500 lbs. They can grow over 5 feet at the shoulder.
- They are considered one of the big 5 species in South Africa. That includes, lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos and Cape buffalo.
- Those large horns are a part of their skeletal structure. Males have larger horns than females and can grow up to 5 feet.
- The large area of the horns on the forehead of male is called the boss.
- These large herbivores may only eat grass, but they are dangerous. They can charge without notice.
- They are fantastic swimmers.
- Cape buffalo live in herds of 50-500 individuals. Younger males form bachelor groups within the herd. Older males may be solitary.
- The are listed as LEAST CONCERN by the IUCN.
We wouldn’t say the Cape buffalo is the cutest animal on the block. You definitely do not want to get too close. A charging buffalo is not a cute buffalo.
Categories: adventure, Animals, Children, conservation, education, endangered species, Environment, horses, insects, lizards, Local, turtles, Uncategorized
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All About Acorns!
All About Acorns!
Categories: adventure, Animals, bears, birds, Children, conservation, elephants, nature, science, squirrels, Uncategorized
Tags: animals, conservation, educatioin, education, nature, nature blogs, science, science blog
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Around the World
Around the World
Well, we hope everyone enjoyed our back to basics month here at the University. We are packing up our trunks, the box not Ellie’s nose – hehehe – and we are getting ready to head around the world to learn more animals and nature.
We did this last year and it was a blast. We are changing up a few things this year. This year, we want you to guess where we are going on the first day of the month! If you are the first to guess it correctly on here on our social media accounts, will receive a special Ellie and Edmond gift!
We are going to learn, not just about the animals- but about the area too. So do you have your backpacks and travel gear ready? We’ll see you Monday for a new adventure!
Where will the next Ellie & Edmond adventure be?
Categories: adventure, Animals, Children, conservation, education, Environment, nature, science, Today's Post, Uncategorized, wildlife
Tags: adventure, animals, children, conservation, education, envrionment, nature, science, wildlife
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Back to Basics- Adaptations
Back to Basics- Adaptations
We’re talking about adaptations today! All animals have adaptations to survive in their environment.
Adaptations are mutations or genetic changes that help the organism survive.
Adaptations can be physical, like a giraffe’s neck has grown longer to reach the leaves no other animal can.
Adaptations can be behavioral. Simang’s mate for life and each pair have their own song they sing to find their mate while they are foraging for food in the trees.
Exaptations are adaptations that developed for one reason and then was used for another. It is believed that dinosaurs developed feathers to keep themselves warm. Those feathers were later used to help their ancestors fly.
Vestigial adaptations are adaptations that are still remain but are useless. Whales still have leg bones on their skeleton. Those won’t help now :)!
Coadaptation is when species adapt together. Certain plants have adapted to appeal to hummingbirds. Those hummingbirds have adapted long beaks to reach that pollen. These adaptations help both organisms, the hummingbird gets food and it helps pollinate those plants!
Adaptations can be simple or crazy! All of our adaptations make us great! What is your favorite animal adaptation?
Categories: adventure, Animals, Children, conservation, education, Environment, nature, science, Today's Post, Uncategorized, wildlife
Tags: animals, children, conservation, education, education blog, envrionment, nature, science
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Back to Basics- Food
Back to Basics- Food
It’s Back to Basics and we’re talking about eats today! Every animal must have food to survive. But each of us needs to eat something a little different. Edmond must eat apples- hehehe! We’re going to go over the terminology for what each animal eats from meat eaters to leaf eaters!
Carnivore: a carnivore is an animal that eats meat. There are many different animals that eat meat as the primary source of their diet. There are even plants that are carnivores.
Lions are true carnivores! They can eat up to 80 lbs in one sitting!
Herbivore: an animal that only eats vegetation and or plant material. Ellie and Edmond are both herbivores! Herbivores come in all shapes and sizes! They can eat everything from grass, roots, bark, seeds, flowers and fruits.
Elephants are herbivores!
Omnivore: an animal that eats both plants and animals. Omnivores are a very diverse group of animals that include; raccoons, crows, pigs, some monkeys and some species of fish!
A crow is an omnivore.
Insectivore: a mammal or plant that primarily eats insects.
Hedgehogs love their bugs!
Frugivores: animals who eat mostly fruit as their main diet.
Orangutans are frugivores! They spend most of the day in the trees looking for fruit!
Folivore: an herbivore that specializes in eating leaves. Some examples of folivores include hoatzin, pandas, koalas, giraffes, sloths, caterpillars and iguanas.
Koalas only eat eucalyptus leaves!
Nectarivore: an animal whose diet primarily consists of nectar. Nectarivores include mammals like bats, insects like butterflies and birds like hummingbirds
Hummingbirds eat nectar! It sure is sweet!
Each animal is fits in its own niche in its habitat! If they all ate the same thing the resources would be scarce! Often we think of the food chain, but it really is a web. All the animals are connected in a web. It is complicated web of animals that eat other animals and animals that eat plants and nectar. Tomorrow we’ll talk a little more about this!
Categories: Uncategorized
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Aye-Aye Captain!
Aye-Aye Captain!
We slept all day after looking for frogs the night before! Our next adventure was at night too. We went looking for a shy and elusive primate that doesn’t look like a primate at all!
Date: 3/14
Location: Madagascar
Aye-Aye Fun Facts:
- Aye-aye’s are the largest nocturnal primate in the world.
- They are members of the prosimian family, which includes lemurs.
- They have one long stick like finger they use to grab grubs out of trees. They also use it to tap on trees and listen for bug tunnels!
- Aye-aye’s are arboreal and rarely if never come to the ground.
- Aye-aye’s have long bushy tails to help them navigate their tree homes. In fact they have the longest tail of any prosimian!
- They sleep during the day in nests of twigs. They rotate nests.
- Aye-aye’s are solitary. They mark their territory with scent glands in their faces, necks and bums.
These wild and weird animals are alien looking! When scientists first discovered them they thought they were rodents! Nope- they are primates- related to apes, monkeys and lemurs. Who knew? The world’s rainforests are full such amazing creatures!
Categories: adventure, Animals, Children, conservation, endangered species, Environment, mammals, nature, science, Today's Post, Uncategorized, wildlife
Tags: adventure, animal, children, conservation, education, education blog, endangered species, envrionment, nature, nature blogs, science, science blog, wildlife
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It’s a Ray! It’s a Bat Ray!
It’s a Ray! It’s a Bat Ray!
We wrapped up our last day on the west coast diving and we found this amazing ray. Rays are such graceful and neat fish and we were super excited to meet the bat ray!
Date: 1/26
Location: Kelp forest
Bat Ray Fun Facts:
- Bat rays belong in the eagle ray family.
- They use their pectoral fins to swim and to stir-up sand and reveal prey.
- When these rays “dig” out holes from the sand, they leave holes that other fish, like the horn shark use to hide in.
- Bat rays have strong crushing plates that they use to crush hard shells.
- Bat rays give live birth. The pups have the venomous spine, but it is soft and covered in a sheath to protect the mother.
- Bat rays have spiracles that move water over their gills when they are resting on the ocean floor.
- Bat rays are mostly solitary.
Wow! We so enjoyed watching the rays swim so gracefully in the waters just off the coast! We couldn’t have picked a better last day! We did miss many animals though; that just means we’ll have to come back! For now, we’ll head back to our HQs at the University and get our things back for the Serengeti! That’s right, we’re going to Africa and back to Ellie’s home! We are so excited!!!
Categories: adventure, Animals, Children, conservation, Environment, fish, nature, science, Today's Post, Uncategorized
Tags: adventure, animals, children, conservation, education, environment, fish, nature, science, sharks, wildlife
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One Big Rodent!
One Big Rodent!
We’ve met the jaguar yesterday and today we’re off to find another animal that calls Brazil home! These super cuties are often called rodents of unusual size! Hahaha! Let’s meet the capybara!
Fun Facts:
- Capybaras can be found in Central and South America in marshes, ponds and lakes.
- They can grow up to 4 feet long and weigh up to 150 lbs.
- Capybaras are herbivores. They eat grasses, plants and fruit. They eat up to 8lbs of vegetation a day.
- They are listed as least concern by the IUCN.
- Capybaras are the largest rodent in the world.
- They have webbed feet.
- They are excellent is swimmers and often spend most of their time in water.
- A capybara’s eyes, nose and ears are on top of their head. This allows them to just have those body parts above the water while their bodies are underwater.
- Their teeth grow throughout their lifetime.
- Capybaras chew their food from side to side.
- Capybaras live in small groups.
- They are very vocal.
- Capybaras got their name from the Tupi people of Brazil, an old native tribe of Brazil. The name means “grass eater”.
These furry little rodent pigs are so fun to watch! Who doesn’t love them? We know we do!!
Categories: adventure, Animals, Children, conservation, education, Environment, mammals, nature, science, Uncategorized, wildlife
Tags: adventure, animals, children, conservation, education, endangered species, environment, mammals, nature, science, wildlife
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TIME TO CATCH FLIES!
TIME TO CATCH FLIES!
We’re meeting another resident of Lake Salamander today! We’ll need to get binoculars though, they live way high up in the trees! Helloooooo, Great Crested Flycatcher!
- Great crested flycatchers live in the Midwestern/Eastern US to Central America in woodlands.
- They can grow up to 8″ and weigh up to 1.5oz.
- They are omnivores. They eat flying insects and fruit.
- They are listed as Least Concern by IUCN.
- Great crested flycatchers are found in the canopies of the trees.
- They are rarely seen on the ground.They fly from one stop to the next rarely hoping.
- They perch on the end of a branch waiting to pick off insects that fly by them.
- Great crested flycatchers are fast and agile flyers.
- Their crests are grey in color and are not very big.
- Great crested flycatchers have very a distinctive call.
- They have brightly yellow colored chests and long tails.
- They are known to weave snake sheds in their nests.
These little birds are so fun to watch- if you can spot them! We need a tree house at camp so we can get up higher to watch birds!
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Today’s Post
The Adventures of Ellie and Edmond 