Posts Tagged With: animals

SUPER SURPRISE THURSDAY # 22

Posted on January 19, 2012 by Ellie and Edmond ©

SUPER SURPRISE

THURSDAY# 22

We’re excited for Super Surprise Thursday! We found a fun bird who lives in Europe and Asia. These special birds have long beaks to dig out their prey! Do you have your waders on? Because this bird is the marshes! Let’s meet…

MEET THE EURASIAN CURLEW!

Range/Habitat: Europe-Asia-Africa/marshes, shores, mangroves, grasslands

Diet: Carnivore: invertebrates, crabs, insects

Length/Weight: 20-23”/16-48 oz

Conservation Status: Near Threatened

 

Fun Facts:

  • Eurasian Curlews have long curved beaks that they use to extract prey out of the sand and mud.
  • Eurasian curlews wade in shorelines and mangroves looking for their food.
  • Female Eurasian curlews have longer beaks than the males.
  • They get their name from their call.
  • Eurasian curlews migrate. They go as far as the Arctic Circle to breed.
  • They can live up to 37 years.
  • In Scotland they are called the “whamp”.

 

These pretty birds with their long slender beaks are amazing! We could sit and close our eyes and listen to their funny call all day! In fact, who wants to pretend that they’re in Scotland with us on the shore listening to these birds? We’ve got on our kilts!

Check out their calls here:

http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/c/curlew/index.aspx

 

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

WATERY WEDNESDAY # 22

Posted on January 18, 2012 by Ellie and Edmond ©

WATERY WEDNESDAY# 22

Welcome to another Watery Wednesday! We have a mammal today! Yep, there are mammals that live in the world’s oceans! Neat! Today’s animal lives in the chilly waters of the North Atlantic.  Does everyone have on their wetsuits? Let’s go!

MEET THE WHITE BEAKED DOLPHIN!

Range/Habitat: North Atlantic Ocean/North America-Europe

Diet: Carnivore: fish, squid

Length/Weight: up to 9 ½ ft/ up to 770 lbs

Conservation Status: common

 

Fun Facts:

  • White Beaked Dolphins are large, stocky dolphins.
  • They are dark gray with black and white patches. They can vary in color depending on where they live.
  • White beaked dolphins are found in schools or pods with around 30 individuals. They have been seen in pods with as many as 1,000 individuals.
  • White beaked dolphins are very acrobatic and are often seen jumping out of the water.
  • White beaked dolphins are often seen with pods of fin whales and humpback whales.

 

These stocky dolphins are known to be very acrobatic, breaching (jumping out of the water on their side) and doing flips. We wish we could do such cool stuff in the water! But that’s what dolphins are built for and elephants and horses are not. See, every animal is special! J

 

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REPTILIAN TUESDAY # 22

Posted on January 17, 2012 by Ellie and Edmond ©

REPTILIAN TUESDAY # 22

We have a tiny little lizard with a really loooong tail for this Reptilian Tuesday! They’re pretty cute! Who’s ready to meet them? We are!!!!

MEET THE LONG TAILED SKINK!

Range/Habitat: Southeast Asia/ rainforest

Diet: Insectivore: spiders, insects

Length: 12-14”

Conservation Status: common

 

Fun Facts:

  • Long tailed skinks are olive brown with two black stripes down each side.
  • Long tailed skinks have extremely long tails, as their name implies! They can be 2 times the length of their bodies.
  • They are diurnal (active during the day).
  • Like other lizards they can lose their tails if caught.

 

These cute, little slender bodied lizards are fun with their very long tails! We wonder what they do with those long tails. Edmond thinks they secretly use them as lassos and grab the insects they eat with them- but that is not true!

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FEATHERY FRIDAY # 21

Posted on January 13, 2012 by Ellie and Edmond ©

FEATHERY FRIDAY# 21

We have found a beautiful bird with a very funny name for today’s Feathery Friday bird! We’re heading into the Himalayan Mountains to find this shy little bird! Do you have your hiking shoes and binoculars? Let’s meet…

MEET THE TEMMICK’S TRAGONPAN!

Range/Habitat: Southeast Asia/ mountains-forests

Diet: Omnivore: plants, berries, insects

Length: 25”

Conservation Status: Common

 

Fun Facts:

  • Temmick’s Tragonpans are members of the pheasant family.
  • Temmick’s tragonpans are very shy.
  • Males have beautiful bright red and blue plumage on their wattles (throat area).
  • Males inflate their wattles and shake them to attract females during mating season.
  • Temmick’s tragonpans nest in bushes or low in trees. They make platform nests from sticks.
  • They can be found in high altitudes, as high as 14, 850 ft!

 

These beautiful shy birds like to live high up in the mountains! It would be quite the trek to make it to the top of those mountains to see these neat little birds! Would you like to take such an adventure? We’re ready when you are!

 

Categories: Animals, birds, Children, education, Environment, nature | Tags: , , , , , | 1 Comment

SUPER SURPRISE THURSDAY # 21

Posted on January 12, 2012 by Ellie and Edmond ©

SUPER SURPRISE THURSDAY# 21

My, what big ears you have! We have found a special little mammal with very LARGE ears for today’s Super Surprise Thursday! Get out your sunglasses and sunscreen, because we’re heading to the African desert!

MEET THE FENNEC FOX!

Range/Habitat: Northern Africa-Asia/ desert

Diet: Omnivore: seeds, fruit, termites, eggs, lizards

Length/Weight: 9 ½-16”/ 2 ¼-13lb

Conservation Status: Common

 

Fun Facts:

  • Fennec foxes are the smallest member of the fox family.
  • Fennec fox are nocturnal (active at night).
  • They have unusually large ears that help them keep cool in the desert heat and warm at night.
  • Fennec fox also have fur on the bottom of their paws that protects them from the hot desert sand.
  • They live in small groups in underground dens.
  • They can survive several days without water, but will happily drink it when they find it.
  • Little is known about wild Fennec fox, most of what we know about them is from captive populations in zoos.
  • Fennec fox are the national animal of Algeria! Neat!

 

Wow, aren’t these little foxes really adorable with their large ears? We bet they have excellent hearing too! Did you know other animals use their ears to help them keep cool? Can you guess who that animal is? NO? It’s elephants!!

 

 

 

 

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

WATERY WEDNESDAY # 21

Posted on January 11, 2012 by Ellie and Edmond ©

WATERY WEDNESDAY# 21

Welcome to Watery Wednesday! We have a neat silvery fish that lives in both fresh and salty water for you today! Who knew fish could do that? Well, let’s go meet them…

MEET THE MILKFISH!

Range/Habitat: Indo-Pacific oceans/ shorelines, marshes, mangroves

Diet: Omnivores: algae, invertebrates

Length/Weight: up to 6ft, up to 30lbs

Conservation Status: common

 

Fun Facts:

  • Milkfish have no teeth and are filter feeders.
  • Milkfish have long silvery bodies and unusual forked tails.
  • They are very fast swimmers.
  • Milk fish are found in schools (meaning a group of fish J).
  • They spend most of their lives in freshwaters environments. Then head out to the ocean to spawn.
  • Young milkfish spend the first few weeks of their lives in the ocean before heading back to the mangroves.

 

Milkfish sure are a neat fish because they spend part of their lives in the ocean and part of it in fresh water! Have you ever been to a mangrove before? They are pretty special habitats!

 

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REPTILIAN TUESDAY # 21

Posted on January 10, 2012 by Ellie and Edmond ©

REPTILIAN TUESDAY # 21

Who’s ready to meet a ssssssnake for Reptilian Tuesday? Ssssssshhhh… this snake burrows underground so we need to be very quiet so we can observe this pretty reptile!

MEET THE RED TAILED PIPE SNAKE!

Range/Habitat: Southeast Asia/ wetlands, swamps

Diet: Carnivore: snakes, eels

Length: 28-39”

Conservation Status: common

 

Fun Facts:

  • Red tailed pipe snakes get their name from the red patch on the bottom of their tails.
  • They raise their tails to mimic venomous snakes when threatened by predators.
  • They have shiny black, almost iridescent bodies.
  • Red tailed pipe snakes are excellent swimmers.
  • Red tail pipe snakes burrow underground.
  • They are constrictors and are non venomous.

 

Red tailed pipe snakes are small and beautiful snakes. Snakes are all so diverse in their size, coloration and habitat. They are all so important for their ecosystems too! Have you thanked a snake today? Do so from a distance J!

 

 

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MAMMAL MONDAY # 21

Posted on January 9, 2012 by Ellie and Edmond ©

MAMMAL MONDAY# 21

Who’s up and excited for Mammal Monday? We are! We found a desert loving primate for today! You better have your cameras ready, because this monkey sure is fast! Let’s get moving!

MEET THE PATAS MONKEY!

Range/Habitat: Western-Eastern Central Africa/ desert-grasslands

Diet: Omnivore: seeds, insects, tubers

Length/Weight: 23-35”/ 22-29lb

Conservation Status: Common

 

Fun Facts:

  • Patas Monkeys have long slim bodies, arms and legs.
  • Patas monkeys live in troops of 10-15 individual animals. The troops are made up of females, their offspring and one dominant male.
  • Patas monkeys have a white moustache and beard, that make them look like old men J.
  • They are very fast, probably the fastest primate on earth. They don’t climb trees to escape predators, but can outrun them.
  • Patas monkeys can run up to 34 miles per hour.
  • The male in the troop stands around the edge of the troop and acts as a guard and as a lookout.

 

These fast and regal looking monkeys are very special! Who wants to race a Patas monkey! Both Ellie and Edmond are pretty sure we could outrun one!

 

 

 

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FEATHERY FRIDAY # 20

Posted on January 6, 2012 by Ellie and Edmond ©

FEATHERY FRIDAY# 20

Happy Feathery Friday! We had a great day yesterday celebrating National Bird Day! We found a large bird of prey for today’s animal! They’re beautiful and they love to eat SNAKES! Are you to meet this majestic bird? Let’s do this!

MEET THE BLACK BREASTED SNAKE EAGLE!

Range/Habitat: East-Southern Africa/desert-grasslands

Diet: Carnivore: snakes, lizards, fish

Length/Weight: 26”/ 2 ¼-5 ½ lb

Conservation Status: Common

 

Fun Facts:

  • Black breasted snake eagles are large birds of prey.
  • They have special scales on their legs and feet to protect them from snake bites.
  • Black breasted snake eagles avoid venomous snakes.
  • They have large yellow eyes.
  • Both parents take care of the chicks.

 

Black breasted snake eagles are pretty birds and they sure have interesting taste in food. Can anyone say BBQ snake? Just kidding J!

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SUPER SURPISE THURSDAY # 20

Posted on January 5, 2012 by Ellie and Edmond ©

SUPER SURPRISE

THURSDAY# 20

Tiny is great way to describe today’s Super Surprise Thursday animal! Do you have your night vision goggles out? Are you ready to go walking in a field? Be careful because this little mammal might be right under your feet!

MEET THE NORTHERN PYGMY MOUSE!

Range/Habitat: Southern United States-Central Mexico/grasslands-fields

Diet: Herbivore: plants, seeds

Length/Weight: 2-2 ½”/ 7-10 grams

Conservation Status: Common

Fun Facts:

  • The Northern Pygmy Mouse is the smallest rodent in North America.
  • They are about the size of a chicken egg.
  • Northern Pygmy mice are nocturnal (active at night).
  • They burrow under logs and plants.
  • They are active all year long.
  • Female Northern Pygmy mice can become pregnant at the age of 60 days.

These tiny little rodents sure are cute. Do you think it would be hard to spot one in the wild? We do! That’s why we bring them to you!

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