Posts Tagged With: animals

Another Ocean Giant

Posted on May 24, 2017 by Ellie and Edmond ©

Another Ocean Giant

We met another giant of the ocean on our snorkeling trip- the Giant Manta Ray! These graceful creatures are so fun to watch “fly” through the water!  They are truly magical.

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Date: 5/24

Location: Raja Ampat Islands

Giant Manta Ray Fun Facts:

  • Giant Manta Rays are the largest member of the ray family.
  • They are filter feeders and use their front lobes to push food in their mouths. Recent discoveries have shown that they also eat larger deep sea fish!
  • Scientists guess that they can live up to 50 years.
  • Mantas get their name for the Spanish word that means blanket.

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  • Manta rays are covered in a protective mucus coating.
  • Manta rays do not have the venomous barb.
  • It is thought they have been around 5 million years.

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giant manta

Our time here in these amazing islands is done and we are bummed. There is so much more to see and do! We head back to the University and get ready for camp to start in June! We will definitely be back!

 

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

Barracuda!

Posted on May 22, 2017 by Ellie and Edmond ©

Barracuda!

We had a blast snorkeling the next day after our night drive. We saw one of the coolest fish in all of the oceans- the barracuda! They even have their own song! We bet you don’t much about these long predators. Well it’s time to change that!

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Date: 5/22

Location: Raja Ampat Islands

Barracuda Fun Facts:

  • Barracuda have underbites- hehehe!
  • They have large powerful jaws.

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  • They are known to hunt in groups and gather a school of fish in a area to guard them when they are hungry.
  • Barracuda have a reputation for being aggressive to divers, but that reputation in unwarranted.
  • It is not a good idea to go spear fishing around barracuda though, as they make away with your meal.
  • They have few natural predators.

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It is always fun to spot some barracuda! We like to wave and swim the in the other direction. They may not be aggressive, but those teeth don’t say let’s be friends.

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

Firefish!

Posted on May 18, 2017 by Ellie and Edmond ©

Firefish!

We saw of the most amazing fish on our night dive trip today! The one we are meeting toady was so crazy looking and a bit scary! You think sharks are scary? Wait to til you meet a venomous fish!

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Date: 5/18

Location: Raja Ampat Islands

Blackfoot Firefish Fun Facts:

  • Blackfoot firefish are members of the scorpionfish family. Other members include the famous lionfish.
  • They use their flashy fins and spines to ward away predators.
  • They also use those fins to corner prey.
  • Blackfoot firefish are mostly nocturnal.
  • They are know to bury themselves in the the sand to ambush predators.
  • Their spines are venomous.

 

We were surprised to see one of these amazing fish! We have spotted lionfish before, but not this species! Believe us, this is one fish you want to spot from a good distance! And don’t touch those spines!

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

Feeling Blue

Posted on May 16, 2017 by Ellie and Edmond ©

Feeling Blue

Who’s feeling blue? Not us, but we are meeting a very blue echinoderm (sea stars, sand dollars & sea urchins)! That’s right- we’re meeting the blue sea star!

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Date: 5/16

Location: Raja Ampat Islands

Blue Sea Stars Fun Facts:

  • Blue sea stars come in several different shades of blue.
  • They have short yellow tube feet.
  • Blue sea stars are slow movers.
  • Blue sea stars can regenerate body parts.
  • They are also known as the Blue Comet sea star.

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There were numerous blue sea starts in the reef we were exploring! They are so gorgeous and brighten up the reef!

 

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

King Bird in Paradise

Posted on May 11, 2017 by Ellie and Edmond ©

King Bird in Paradise

We decided to do some bird watching while we were on land. There are so many amazing birds here and it was hard to pick a favorite. But we did love the Paradise Kingfisher with it’s long tail and bright blue colors.

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Date: 5/11

Location: Raja Ampat Islands

Paradise Kingfisher Fun Facts:

  • A pair of kingfishers in highly territorial.
  • They make their nests out of termite mounds on trees. IMG_4047
  • Paradise kingfishers do not migrate.
  • Both parents care for the chicks.

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These adorable birds are just one of the island inhabitants we enjoyed meeting! We head back to the boat and the coral reef next week to meet more ocean dwellers!

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

Cuscus or Couscous?

Posted on May 9, 2017 by Ellie and Edmond ©

Cuscus or Couscous?

We went on a little night tour near the camp where we are staying this week! We were looking for a super cute animal that calls the forest home! They have a funny name- that sounds similar to that delicious side dish coucous!

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Date: 5/9

Location: Raja Ampat Islands

Ground Cuscus Fun Facts:

  • Ground cuscus are marsupials.

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  • They have prehensile tail. They use it to grip branches.
  • Even ground cuscus are still mostly arboreal, but nest in burrows during the day.
  • They have little to no fur on their ears.
  • Ground cuscus are solitary and mark their territories with urine.
  • Because they are fruit eaters, they disperse seeds throughout the forest causing new growth! Seed dispersers are important for the ecosystems.

We had such a great time watching this little marsupial in the trees. They are quiet and slow moving, but sooooo cool!

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

Coral Basics

Posted on May 2, 2017 by Ellie and Edmond ©

Coral Basics

We have talked about coral at the University before, but we thought it would be good to have a refresher about these amazing tiny animals.

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Coral Fun Facts:

  • Each animal is attached to the next by a hard exoskeleton.
  • The large coral colonies are fixed to one spot. The individual animals can pull their tentacles into their exoskeleton for protection.
  • They have tentacles with stinging cells that help them catch their prey!
  • Coral are related to jellies and anemones.
  • Coral share their homes with zooxanthella  (zō′ə-zăn-thĕl′ə), a type of algae. The zooxanthella and coral polyp help each other survive.
  • The coral provide a home for the zooxanthella and the zooxanthella provide oxygen and nutrients for the coral.
  • The zooxanthella also give the corals their colors!
  • Because the zooxanthella need sun to make energy (photosynthesis), coral reefs are located in shallow waters.
  • As coral grow, they help build shelter for many kinds of animals in the reef. Those calcium carbonate bodies build the reef.
  • Some fish, like parrotfish eat coral. The fish’s poop then becomes sand. Much of the sand in the Caribbean is parrotfish poop!
  • You can often see new growth on a coral by seeing the white tips!

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Now that we all know more about corals! We will get our diving equipment ready for exploring these amazing habitats!

 

 

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

We Call Fowl!

Posted on April 27, 2017 by Ellie and Edmond ©

We Call Fowl!

We met our last animal of our visit to the Great Victorian Desert! We will be heading to the coral reefs of the Raja Ampat Islands for the last month of the school year! We can hardly wait! And then- we head off to Camp E & E for the summer- where you are all invited!

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Date: 4/27

Location: Great Victorian Desert

Malleefowl Fun Facts:

  • Malleefowl tend to stay on the ground. They only fly when threatened.
  • They are distantly related to chickens.
  • Malleefowl are mostly solitary.
  • Malleefowl can also freeze when they spot a predator, causing them to blend in with their surroundings.
  • Males build large nest mounds on the ground. The building is complicated and it done so the eggs are kept at a constant temperature.
  • Chicks are born in their underground nest and must dig their way out when they hatch. It can take 2-15 hours for the chick to reach the surface.
  • Chicks tend to hatch one at a time and then they do not interact with the adults or their siblings.

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We spotted a few of these stout birds and they do indeed stop motionless when they see you! It’s amazing that the little chicks have to survive with no parental help or care!

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

What’s a Bibly?

Posted on April 26, 2017 by Ellie and Edmond ©

What’s a Bibly?

We headed out to find one of Australia’s neatest little animals! These crazy looking marsupials are so cool and we couldn’t believe we met one! Are you ready to meet them too?

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Date: 4/26

Location: Great Victorian Desert

Greater Bibly Fun Facts:

  • Greater biblies are also known as bandicoots.
  • Bilbies have long snouts, large ears, back legs like a kangaroo and black & white tails! In other words- they are crazy looking!
  • They are nocturnal.

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  • Greater biblies are mostly solitary.
  • Their pouches face backward to keep dirt out of it.
  • Greater bilbies do not drink water, they get all the moisture they need from the food they eat.

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Bilbies are neat little critters! They are listed as vulnerable though. Again, their populations have dropped from predation from animals such as fox and feral cats. There are great conservation efforts happening to reintroduce bilbies in habitats where they were once gone.

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

The Parrot with a Crown!

Posted on April 25, 2017 by Ellie and Edmond ©

The Parrot with a Crown!

We met a feathered friend in the outback! This shy green bird is not always easy to spot, but we were lucky!

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Date: 2/25

Location: Great Victorian Desert

Princess Parrot Fun Facts:

  • Princess parrots were named after Princess Alexandra of Denmark.
  • They are quiet colorful, with bluish heads, pink throats and blue tails.
  • Males have longer tails and brighter colors than females.

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  • They make loud calls.
  • Princes parrots are known to live around 30 years.

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We were so excited to find a few of these chatty little birds! They tend to gather in a group for mating and then disappear again!

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

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