Posts Tagged With: animals

REPTILIAN TUESDAY #13

Posted on November 15, 2011 by Ellie and Edmond ©

REPTILIAN TUESDAY # 13

Welcome to Reptilian Tuesday! We have stumbled upon a fascinating lizard today! They get their name from a mammal who is known to roll up when threatened! It’s a pretty neat adaptation! Are you excited to meet this funny lizard? Come on and…

MEET THE ARMADILLO LIZARD!

Range/Habitat: Southern Africa/scrub-rocky outcrops

Diet: Carnivore: spiders, insects

Length: 6 ½-8 ½”

Conservation Status: Vulnerable

 

Fun Facts:

  • Armadillo lizards are covered in hard plates and spines on their neck and tails.
  • Armadillo lizards are named after armadillos, because of their special adaptation to protect themselves.
  • Armadillo lizards grab their tails with their mouths and curl up into balls when threatened.
  • They also hide in large cracks and crevices.
  • They live in small family groups. Females feed their young, a trait you don’t normally see in lizards.
  • Armadillo lizards hibernate in the winter.
  • They can live up to 25 years in captivity.

 

Armadillo lizards are bizarre looking lizards with their spikes and bony plates! How cool is that they grab their tails and ball up to hide from predators? Neat! These lizards are popular as pets! If you decide to get a lizard as a pet, make sure to do your homework, they have special needs to keep them happy! Also make sure you get your lizard from a good breeder. These lizards numbers are dwindling in the wild because of the pet trade, so let’s keep them there.

 

 

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MAMMAL MONDAY #14

Posted on November 14, 2011 by Ellie and Edmond ©

MAMMAL MONDAY# 14

Is it chilly outside or is it just us? We’ve traveled up into the cold arctic to find today’s animal! So put on your coats, gloves, scarves and hats and let’s meet this very furry mammal! Snow shoes ready? Come meet…

MEET THE MUSK OX!

Range/Habitat: Northern Canada-Greenland (Arctic)/tundra

Diet: Herbivore: grasses

Length/Weight: 6 ¼-7 ½ ft/450-900lbs

Conservation Status: common

Fun Facts:

  • Musk Ox get their names from their strong odor.
  • They have double coats to keep them warm in the cold arctic. The outer coat protects them from snow and rain. The soft undercoat provides insulation.
  • Musk Ox look larger than they are, because of their thick fur coats.
  • Both female and male musk ox have large, broad, curved horns.
  • Musk Ox are more closely related to goats and sheep than other oxen.
  • They live in herds that are led by a dominant female.
  • Musk ox form circles around their calves when threatened by predators.

Musk ox are large extra furry mammals! You need all that fur to stay warm in the cold arctic winters! They are not animals you want to challenge either, being charged by a musk ox does not look like fun!

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FEATHERY FRIDAY # 13

Posted on November 11, 2011 by Ellie and Edmond ©

FEATHERY FRIDAY# 13

Happy Feathery Friday! Who loves woodpeckers? We do! We have a very different and special woodpecker for you today! To find this little bird, you must look down and not up! Are you ready to meet them?

MEET THE NORTHERN FLICKER!

Range/Habitat: North-Central America/ woodlands, yards, parks

Diet: Herbivore: ants, insects and berries

Length/Weight: 30-35 cm/100-175 g

Conservation Status: Common

 

Fun Facts:

  • Northern Flickers are members of the woodpecker family.
  • They have long slightly curved bills that they use to get their favorite food item- ants!
  • Northern flickers often feed on the ground, drilling into the ground to find ants.
  • They have long tongues to help them get insects from the ground.
  • Both male and female Northern flickers take care of the eggs and chicks.
  • In the eastern part of their range they have yellow bottoms and in the west they have red bottoms.

 

Nothern Flickers are really neat woodpeckers! We love that instead of pecking into trees for food they peck into the ground! Each animal finds its own niche in the food chain! What would happen if birds all ate the same food? They would run out! So they each have their own way of finding and eating tasty things like ants!

 

Here’s what they sound like!

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_flicker/sounds

 

 

 

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SUPER SURPRISE THURSDAY # 13

Posted on November 10, 2011 by Ellie and Edmond ©

SUPER SURPRISE THURSDAY# 13

Is it hot in here on this Super Surprise Thursday? We have a hot little amphibian for today’s animal! Ok, they’re not really hot to the touch, but they are toxic! Are you ready to meet this little guy? Come on…

MEET THE FIRE SALAMANDER!

Range/Habitat: Europe/forests, woodlands, mountains

Diet:  Carnivore: slugs, insects, worms

Length: 7-11”

Conservation Status: Common

 

Fun Facts:

  • Fire Salamanders have warning coloration. Their bright yellow or orange spots warn predators that they are poisonous.
  • They have poisonous glands behind the eyes and on other parts of their body. They secret toxins when threatened.
  • They are amphibians. They live part of their lives in water and part of it on land.
  • Fire salamanders often hide under moss, leaves, limbs and stones.
  • They are nocturnal (active at night).
  • Fire salamanders spend the winter underground.
  • They are known to have long life spans, up to 55 years old! Hello, grandpa salamander!

 

Fire salamanders are a great little amphibian! They sure are pretty with their shiny black bodies and bright yellow spots! Those beautiful colors are great at warning off predators too! Aren’t animals great?

 

 

 

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WATERY WEDNESDAY # 13

Posted on November 9, 2011 by Ellie and Edmond ©

WATERY WEDNESDAY# 13

We’ve dived deep to the bottom of the ocean floor to find today’s Watery Wednesday animal! We had to look hard to find this fish too because they are masters of camouflage! Are you ready to find this crazy looking fish? Come meet…

MEET THE ANGLERFISH!

Range/Habitat: North Atlantic-Mediterranean-Black Sea

Diet: Carnivore: small fishes

Length/Weight: up to 6 ½ ft/up to 88lbs

Conservation Status: Common

 

Fun Facts:

  • Anglers are also known as the monkfish.
  • They have large flat bodies with frills all over.
  • Anglers are brownish-green. Their coloration helps them camouflage with the ocean floor.
  • Anglers wait in the sand and use a fleshy lure attached to their dorsal (top) fin to attract prey.
  • They are ambush predators.
  • They have specialized pectoral fins that have “elbows”. They use these to walk along the sea floor.

 

These strange looking fish have some pretty neat adaptations for surviving in the ocean. How neat is it that they a fishing lure attached to their bodies? They are related to other anglerfish, who live deep in the ocean and can be even stranger looking! Think we need to go diving again!

 

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REPTILIAN TUESDAY # 13

Posted on November 8, 2011 by Ellie and Edmond ©

REPTILIAN TUESDAY # 13

Who loves reptiles? We do and we hope you do too! Today’s reptile isn’t what we could call cuddly though, but they are magnificent and beautiful! Are you ready to meet our reptile? Let’s do it!

MEET THE GABOON VIPER!

Range/Habitat: West-Central Africa/rainforests

Diet: Carnivore: birds, rodents and small mammals

Length/Weight: 4 ft- 6 ½ ft/ up to 18ft

Conservation Status: Common

Fun Facts:

  • Gaboon vipers have thick bodies and are the heaviest snake in the viper family.
  • They also have the longest fangs of all venomous snakes, up to 2” long!
  • Gaboon vipers are known to be very docile and will only strike as a last resort. They are still best left alone.
  • They have beautiful geometric patterns in brown, tan and gold. Their coloration and pattern are excellent at helping them camouflage.
  • Gaboon vipers have large triangular heads and two tiny horns in-between their nostrils.
  • They are nocturnal (active at night).

Gaboon vipers are spectacular with their beautiful patterns.  We’re happy to observe them from a distance since they have such big fangs with venom!

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MAMMAL MONDAY # 13

Posted on November 7, 2011 by Ellie and Edmond ©

MAMMAL MONDAY# 13

Happy Mammal Monday! We’re extra excited for today’s animal, because it is BIG! And when we say big we mean bigger than elephant big! So are you ready to meet this extreme mammal? Let’s do this…

MEET THE BLUE WHALE!

Range/Habitat: Oceans worldwide except the Mediterranean-Arabic Gulf

Diet: Carnivore: eats only krill

Length/Weight: 66-98 ft/110-176 tons

Conservation Status: endangered

 

Fun Facts:

  • Blue Whales are the largest animal on the planet!
  • Blue whales have baleen. Baleen is a hair like structure in their mouths that filter out tiny krill from the water. Baleen is made of keratin (the same stuff that makes up your nails and hair).
  • They can eat up to 40 million krill a day! Whew, that is a bunch of tiny little animals.
  • Blue whales throats can swell to 4 times their normal size when taking in water and krill. They expel the water and swallow the krill.
  • They feed mostly in the summer in cold waters and migrate to warmer waters in the winter.
  • Blue whales have slender bodies with one small dorsal fin.
  • Blue whales can dive to depths of 655 ft.
  • The calves (babies) are up to 23ft long and 2 ½ tons when born! That’s about the weight of a car!
  • Blue whales also produce the loudest sound of any animal on earth at 180 decibels. That is louder than the jet engine of an airplane. WOW! It’s so loud that it could cause damage to your eardrums!
  • Blue whales produce many different sounds, calls and songs!

We could go on all day about the largest animal on our planet Earth! These special giants are endangered, but are protected now! Our oceans wouldn’t be the same without these amazing singing creatures! You can find a few really neat models in museums around the world! The one at the American Natural History Museum even tweets (@NatHistoryWhale).

Here’s a video of researchers catching the songs of blue whales from National Geographic! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8MTsgdWuU0

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FEATHERY FRIDAY # 12

Posted on November 4, 2011 by Ellie and Edmond ©

FEATHERY FRIDAY# 12

It’s another fabulous Feathery Friday and we have a resident of the Amazon rainforest for today’s animal. Are you ready this little bird with two different names? Well, let’s do this…

MEET THE RED FANNED PARROT!

Range/Habitat: Northern South America/Amazon Rainforest

Diet: Herbivore: fruit, seeds, flowers, nuts

Length/Weight: 14”/ 8 oz

Conservation Status: Common

 

Fun Facts:

  • Red Fanned Parrots are also known as the Hawk-headed parrot.
  • They have red feathers on the back of their necks. They raise the feathers up when threatened or alarmed. It gives them an appearance of being larger than they are.
  • They have long tail feathers also that resemble some birds of prey.
  • Red fanned parrots are found in pairs or small groups.
  • They often nest in tree hollows.

 

Red Fanned Parrots are really neat little birds! We think they look like lions with their feathers up! We wonder if they know how to roar? We doubt it J!

 

 

 

 

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SUPER SURPRISE THURSDAY #12

Posted on November 3, 2011 by Ellie and Edmond ©

SUPER SURPRISE THURSDAY# 12

Happy Super Surprise Thursday! We’ve gone back to the ocean today to find an amazing animal friend for you to meet! This large, slow moving fish is pretty special, because you won’t see any fish like them! Let’s meet…

MEET THE OCEAN SUNFISH!

Range/Habitat: Tropical-Temperate Waters Worldwide

Diet:  Carnivore: jellies, squid, crustaceans

Length/Weight: 6 ft-13 ft/ 1-2 tons

Conservation Status: Common

 

Fun Facts:

  • Ocean Sunfish are the heaviest bony fish in the world.
  • They have disk shaped bodies and elongated dorsal (top) and anal (bottom) fins.
  • Ocean sunfish have beak like mouths for snipping at jellies.
  • Their skeletons are made up of lots of cartilage (the tissue in your ears and nose) as well as bone.
  • Ocean sunfish are fairly slow moving and clumsy looking when swimming.
  • Ocean sunfish can be seen basking in the sun near the surface of the ocean.
  • Ocean sunfish scientific name is Mola Mola. It comes from the Latin that means millstone, because they look like giant round stones!

 

Mola mola or Ocean Sunfish sure are some crazy looking fish! And isn’t mola mola fun to say? We continue to be fascinated by the different creatures who inhabit our oceans!

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WATERY WEDNESDAY # 12

Posted on November 2, 2011 by Ellie and Edmond ©

 WATERY WEDNESDAY# 12

Today’s Watery Wednesday animal doesn’t come from the ocean, this fish lives in freshwater! That’s right you can find them in the waters of the Amazon River. Come meet this special fish…

MEET THE FRESHWATER STINGRAY!

Range/Habitat: South America/Amazon River

Diet: Carnivore: small fishes, invertebrates

Length/Weight: up to 3 ¼ ft/ 6 ½ lbs

Conservation Status: Common

 

Fun Facts:

  • Freshwater stingrays are small rounded shaped stingrays.
  • They only live in freshwater environments and not in the salty oceans.
  • Freshwater stingrays have short tails with no fin on the top.
  • They have few predators.
  • Their brown coloration with dark spots that help them camouflage.

 

Who knew that there were stingrays that live in rivers? We didn’t know that! The planet has so many neat animals in all different kinds of habitats!

 

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