Posts Tagged With: animals

REPTILIAN TUESDAY # 34

Posted on May 15, 2012 by Ellie and Edmond ©

REPTILIAN TUESDAY # 34

It’s the day of the week to meet a reptile friend! We’re off to the Mediterranean today to find a little lizard who loves to crawl up walls! Get your flash lights out because these lizards like to hunt bugs in the dark! Let’s go!!!

MEET THE MOORISH GECKO!

   Range/Habitat: North Africa-Mediterranean/ scrub, dry stone

   Diet: Insectivore: moths, insects

   Length: 4-6 ½”

   Conservation Status: common

 

 

 

Fun Facts:

  • Moorish Geckos are also known as crocodile geckos.
  • They have flat heads and bodies.
  • They love to climb vertical surfaces, such as walls of homes or stone walls.
  • Moorish geckos have adhesive toe pads to help them climb.
  • They are nocturnal (active at night).
  • Moorish geckos are known to bask in the sun, especially in the winter.
  • Female Moorish geckos are known to lay eggs in a communal nest with other geckos.

 

These little geckos sure are cute! It would be fun to share your house with them, especially because they are great at eating pests! Yes, Mr. Moorish Gecko come in and have a meal J!

 

Categories: Animals, backyard, Children, education, Environment, gardens, lizards, reptiles, science, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

MAMMAL MONDAY # 34

Posted on May 14, 2012 by Ellie and Edmond ©

MAMMAL MONDAY # 34

We’re back to regular schedule today! We hope you enjoyed Moms week! We’re off to the savannas of Africa today to meet a sturdy little mammal! These social mammals are full of personality and spunk! Grab your safari outfit and your sunscreen and let’s head out!

MEET THE BANDED MONGOOSE!

   Range/Habitat: Central-South Africa/ grasslands

   Diet: Carnivore: beetles, eggs, termites

   Length/Weight: 12-18”/ 3 ¼-5 ½ lb

   Conservation Status: common

 

 

 

Fun Facts:

 

  • Banded Mongooses have coarse fur with tan bands down their back.
  • They live in social groups of 15-20 individuals.
  • They live in dens or abandoned termite mounds. They change dens every few days.
  • Banded mongooses forage for food in groups at dawn and dusk.
  • Clans of banded mongooses are territorial.
  • They are known to live among troops of baboons, foraging together.
  • Banded mongooses have also been seen cleaning bugs off warthogs!

Wow! Banded mongooses are really neat little animals! They are very social and smart!  There’s a really cool banded mongoose research project too! Check out their website!

 

 

 

 

 

Categories: africa, Animals, Children, education, Environment, mammals, nature, science, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!!

Posted on May 13, 2012 by Ellie and Edmond ©

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!

We wish all the moms of all shapes, sizes and species a very Happy Mother’s Day!

Categories: Animals, Children, Environment, mammals, moms, mother's day, nature, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , | 1 Comment

MAY CRAFT- MOTHER’S CARDS!

Posted on May 11, 2012 by Ellie and Edmond ©

MAY CRAFT!

MOTHER’S DAY CARDS!

Matertials:

  • Printable cards
  • Cardstock
  • Construction Paper
  • Crayons, Markers or Colored Pencils
  • Double sided tape or glue stick
  • Glitter/Glue-optional

 

Instructions:

Print out which card you like on card stock. Glue or tape to a piece of construction paper. Color you card! You can add glitter if you want to make it extra special!

Then give to mom with a BIG HUG!

Categories: Animals, Children, crafts, education, Environment, moms, mother's day, nature, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

MOMS FEATHERY FRIDAY

Posted on May 11, 2012 by Ellie and Edmond ©

MOMS FEATHERY FRIDAY

We’re off to the country of India to meet our last amazing animal mom! It is Feathery Friday, so that means this mom is a bird! These unusual and beautiful birds work hard with their males to make sure chicks are safe and sound. We’re going into the rainforest, so grab your bug repellant and let’s meet this mom!

MEET THE GREAT INDIAN HORNBILL!

   Range/Habitat: Southeast Asia/ rainforest

   Diet: Omnivore: figs, reptiles, frogs

   Length/Weight: up to 5 ft/ up to 6 ½ lbs

   Conservation Status: Lower risk

 

 

 

 

Fun Facts:

  • Great Indian Hornbills live in the canopy of the rainforest.
  • They are large birds with magnificent bills and casks on top of the bills.
  • Great Indian Hornbills build nests in the hollow of a tree.
  • They seal off the opening of the nest with mud, except for a small hole.
  • Great Indian Hornbill males feed the female through the small hole.
  • She stays in the enclosed nest until the chick hatches, for about 3 months.
  • Once the chick hatches, mom breaks out and then reseals the opening for another month, feeding the chick through a small hole.

 

We met some amazing moms this week and now we have a bird that seals itself into a tree to incubate its egg! That is crazy! Thank goodness there is a male around to feed her nibbles while she hangs out! Way to go Great Indian Hornbills!

We hope you enjoyed our moms week and that you are able to give your mom a big hug for all that she does for you!

Categories: Animals, birds, Children, education, Environment, moms, nature, rainforests, science, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

MOMS SUPER SURPRISE THURSDAY

Posted on May 10, 2012 by Ellie and Edmond ©

MOMS SUPER SURPRISE  THURSDAY

We’re going to Southeast Asia today to meet a primate mother who spends years teaching their young! Get your climbing gear on, because these moms spend most of their lives in the canopy of rainforests.  Be on the lookout for their orange-red hair!

MEET THE ORANGUTAN!

   Range/Habitat: Southeast Asia- Borneo/Sumatra/ rainforest

   Diet: Fruigivore: fruit

   Length/Weight:  3 ½-4 ½ ft/ 80-175 lbs

   Conservation Status: Endangered

Fun Facts:

  • Orangutans are members of the great ape family.
  • They are highly intelligent and mostly solitary.
  • Orangutans are arboreal (spend most of their lives in trees).
  • Mother orangutans give birth in the trees.
  • The babies hang on to their mom’s bellies when they are first born.
  • Orangutan babies stay with their moms for about 8 years.
  • Orangutan moms must teach their young how to find fruit, build nests and how to survive a life in the trees.
  • Young orangutans must learn a mental map of the forest. They have to know where the fruit is and when it is ripe!
  • Even after orangutans leave their moms; it is not uncommon for them to meet up in the rainforest to secure a meal.

Orangutans are very patient mothers. They have much to teach their babies.  We bet you thought it was just human children that take a long time to learn! Orangutans must to attend school and learn, their school is just in the rainforest! These special apes are critically endangered and there are some amazing groups working to save them and their habitat! Check out Save the Orangutan!

Categories: Animals, Children, education, Environment, mammals, moms, nature, science, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

MOMS WATERY WEDNESDAY

Posted on May 9, 2012 by Ellie and Edmond ©

MOMS WATERY WEDNESDAY

We’re diving down to the depths of the ocean to meet today’s fabulous mom! The ocean is full of moms large and small, some that give live birth and some that lay eggs and go about their way! This cephalopod lays her eggs and then protects them until they hatch! But it’s not that simple, so let’s grab our diving gear and meet these special animals!

MEET THE COMMON OCTOPUS!

   Range/Habitat: Mediterranean- North Atlantic/ rocky bottoms

   Diet: Carnivore: crabs, crustaceans, mollusks

   Length: Head 9” arms up 3 ft

   Conservation Status: Common

 

 

Fun Facts:

  • Common octopi are cephalopods.
  • They have no skeleton and four pairs of arms.
  • Common octopi are considered very intelligent.
  • Common octopus moms lay up to 50,000 eggs in a dark cave.
  • They stay with the eggs while they develop, generally around 2-6 months.
  • Common octopus moms take care of the eggs, by cleaning, holding and blowing oxygen over them.
  • They will not hunt or eat while they are taking care of the eggs.
  • Common octopus moms pass away soon after the babies hatch.

Wow, octopus moms give their life to make sure that their babies hatch safely! That is one amazing mom! We thought octopi before and now we love them even more!!

 

 

 

Categories: Animals, Children, education, Environment, moms, oceans, octopus, science, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

MOMS REPTILIAN TUESDAY

Posted on May 8, 2012 by Ellie and Edmond ©

MOMS REPTILIAN TUESDAY

Reptiles often aren’t known for their motherly care. Most reptile babies are on their own from the minute the egg is hatched or the day they are born. One famous exception is the members of the crocodile and alligator family! We’re heading to South Georgia (our home state) to meet one responsible reptile mom! These large and in charge reptiles mean business! Are you ready to meet them?

MEET THE AMERICAN ALLIGATOR!

   Range/Habitat: Southwestern United States/ wetlands, swamps,

rivers,lakes, ponds

    Diet: Carnivore: fish, deer, mammals

    Length/Weight: 9 ½-16 ft/ 200-500 lbs

    Conservation Status: common

 

Fun Facts:

  • Alligators are large, territorial and fierce reptiles.
  • They have been on the planet for millions of years.
  • Male alligators bellow or roar to attract females.
  • Female alligators lay 25- 60 eggs in a nest build of mud and vegetation.
  • They guard the nest from predators, such as raccoons.
  • When the baby alligators hatch they are all female or male.  The temperature of the nest determines the sex of the babies.
  • Once they begin to hatch, the mother helps dig open the nest.
  • She protects them from predators by carrying them around on her head or in her mouth.
  • Baby alligators stay with their moms for around 3 years.

Wow, you don’t want to mess with a momma alligator, especially with all those teeth! They work very hard protecting their young from a whole host of predators! Way to go alligator moms!

Categories: Animals, Children, education, Environment, moms, nature, reptiles, science, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

FEATHERY FRIDAY # 33

Posted on May 4, 2012 by Ellie and Edmond ©

FEATHERY FRIDAY# 33

We just love our feathery friends and there are so many birds in the world! They come in all sizes and shapes and colors. They have common names and funny names, like today’s Feathery Friday bird! We’re off to Europe and Asia to meet a cute bird with a funny name.

MEET THE CORNCRAKE!

   Range/Habitat: Europe-Asia

   Diet: Omnivore: invertebrates, grass, seeds

   Length/Weight: 10 ½-12”/ 4-7 oz

   Conservation Status: Common

 

 

 

Fun Facts:

  • Corncrakes have strong pointy bills.
  • Corncrakes are also called Landrails.
  • They are known for their loud raspy calls.
  • Corncrake’s calls can be heard from a mile away.
  • They can be heard calling up to 20,000 times in a night during the mating season.
  • Corncrakes migrate to Africa in the winter.
  • They migrate at night.
  • Corncrakes are often heard but not seen. They usually stay well hidden.

These birds are just adorable and their calls are so fun! Our Twitter pal @catchthetoucan who is a bird keeper in the UK, she sent us a corncrake call, sadly we could not download it :(. We did find it on this website: http://www.hark.com/clips/mlhhmctfdy-corncrake-call

Categories: Animals, birds, Children, education, Environment, nature, science, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

SUPER SURPRISE THURSDAY # 33

Posted on May 3, 2012 by Ellie and Edmond ©

SUPER SURPRISE

THURSDAY# 33

It’s another Super Surprise Thursday and we’re going flying today! So let’s get our hang gliding gear on because we’ll need to go hang gliding to catch these agile birds!

MEET THE COMMON SWIFT!

   Range/Habitat: Europe-Western Asia/ forest, grasslands

   Diet: Insectivores: Insects

   Length/Weight: 6 ½-7”/ 1- 1 ¾ oz

   Conservation Status: Common

 

 

Fun Facts:

  • Common swifts have long narrow wings.
  • They are fast and agile fliers.
  • Common swifts are small noisy birds.
  • They spend most of their lives in the air. They eat, mate and even sleep in the air.
  • Common swifts look like a boomerang when flying in the air.
  • Common swifts migrate to Africa during the winter.
  • Young swifts remain airborne for up to 3 years before landing to bread.

 

Common swifts are amazing birds! Can you imagine flying for up to 3 years without landing? Phew, that would be exhausting! They are such graceful birds too! We just love them!

 

Categories: Animals, birds, Children, education, Environment, nature, science, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

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