Posts Tagged With: animal

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.

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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!

 

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

Civet Civet

Posted on March 29, 2017 by Ellie and Edmond ©

Civet Civet!

We spent the last nights of our adventure here in Madagascar looking for some really neat nocturnal animals! (And for those who asked- we are working on a glossary.)  We found the first of our discoveries on the forest floor looking for eats. This strange animal is so cool! We could hardly contain our excitement when we spotted it!

malagasy civet

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Date: 3/29

Location: Madagascar forest

Malagasy Civet Fun Facts:

  • Malagasy civets are shy animals.
  • They can be territorial. They scent mark their territories.
  • Malagasy civets are very vocal. They make a series of noises including grunts.
  • They spend their days asleep in trees and crevices.

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  • They are related to mongooses and fossa.
  • Malagasy civets are the second largest natural predator on Madagascar- the fossa is the largest.

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We love these unusual little animals. They remind of us a raccoon and a fox put together! What do you think?

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

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

Aye-Aye Captain!

Posted on March 14, 2017 by Ellie and Edmond ©

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!

aye aye

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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.

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  • 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.

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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: , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Don’t Eat That Tomato

Posted on March 13, 2017 by Ellie and Edmond ©

Don’t Eat That Tomato

We went exploring in the forest last night. We were looking for a brightly colored frog. It’s been a while since we went on the hunt for amphibians, so it was a treat to find these guys. They weren’t hard to find, since it’s still frog breeding season and these little chippers are loud!

tomato frog2

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Date: 3/13

Location: Madagascar

Tomato Frog Fun Facts:

  • Tomato frogs are bright orange or red.
  • They are brightly colored to warn predators that they are toxic. They secrete a white substance that acts like a glue.
  • Tomato frogs can also inflate when threatened.
  • They are ambush predators.

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  • Tomato frog tadpoles are only 6 millimeters long when born!
  • Tomato frogs can live up to 8 years.

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Tomato frogs are near threatened due to habitat loss and collection of frogs for the pet trade. While frogs make neat pets, it is best to get one from a breeder. Taking animals from the wild damages delicate ecosystems. Keep these tomatoes in the forest.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

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