Posts Tagged With: children

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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REPTILIAN TUESDAY #12

Posted on November 1, 2011 by Ellie and Edmond ©

REPTILIAN TUESDAY # 12

We hope everyone had a wonderful Halloween and enjoyed the pictures we posted on Facebook and all the tweets we posted about bats and owls! We’re excited to finish the week off with all kinds of wonderful animals and today we have a very flat one! Flat you say? Flat! Come meet….

MEET THE PANCAKE TORTOISE!

Range/Habitat: E Africa (Tanzania/Kenya)/rocky outcrops and savannas

Diet: Herbivore: grasses, leaves, fruit

Length/Weight: 5 ½”-7”/ 1 lb

Conservation Status: Vulnerable

 

Fun Facts:

  • Pancake Tortoises have flat carapaces (top shell) that are flexible. This is a very unusual adaptation.
  • Pancake tortoises can squeeze into narrow crevices. This helps protect them from predators.
  • They don’t move to far from their shelter.
  • Pancake tortoises are actually quick and agile climbers.
  • They live in small colonies and share their shelters.
  • They can live up to 25 years old.
  • Pancake tortoises are crepuscular (most active at dusk and dawn).

Pancake tortoises are really neat little tortoises with their flat shells and ability to climb. And they have pancake in their name and who doesn’t love pancakes!

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FRIGHTENING FEATHERY FRIDAY # 11

Posted on October 28, 2011 by Ellie and Edmond ©

FRIGHTENING

FEATHERY FRIDAY # 11

Phew! We’ve made it through our week of SCARY animals! Now we have Frightening Feathery Friday and a dark and beautiful bird! Don’t worry this bird is not really scary, but they are often associated with Halloween. So let’s meet this bird…

MEET THE COMMON RAVEN!

Range/Habitat: North & Central America-Europe-Asia and North Africa/woodlands, open fields and urban areas

Diet: Omnivores: small mammals, insects, fruit

Length/Weight: 26”/ 2 ½ lbs

Conservation Status: Common

 

Fun Facts:

  • Common Ravens are the largest member of the crow family in North Hemisphere.
  • They are highly intelligent and very social.
  • Common ravens have very large brains and are known to be great at problem solving.
  • Common ravens mate for life. They can live up to 15 years old in the wild and have been known to live longer in captivity.
  • They have large bills to eat many different types of prey.
  • Common ravens are admired in many cultures. They are even kept by royalty at The Tower of London!

 

These beautiful birds are really smart and have adapted well to live near and around people! It’s easy to see why people love them so much with their haunting calls and shiny black feathers! Did you know that there is a very famous poem about them by Edgar Allan Poe called “The Raven”? We hope you have enjoyed our week of spooky, creepy and awesome animals! We sure had fun learning about them!

Here are some of the many sounds that ravens make!

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

Learn about the Tower of London Ravens:

http://www.castles.me.uk/ravens-in-the-tower-of-london.htm

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CREEPY CRAWLY THURSDAY # 11

Posted on October 27, 2011 by Ellie and Edmond ©

CREEPY CRAWLY

THURSDAY # 11

Super Surprise Thursday has turned into Creepy Crawly Thursday and we have a spider for you! This is our first! So are you ready to meet this creepy crawly creature?

MEET THE RED KNEED TARANTULA!

Range/Habitat: West coast of Mexico/tropical forests

Diet: Carnivore: insects, frogs, mice

Length/Weight: 4 ½”/15 grams

Conservation Status: Near threatened

 

Fun Facts:

  • Red Kneed Tarantulas are nocturnal (active at night).
  • Like other spiders they have 8 legs and an exoskeleton.
  • Red kneed tarantulas have hair all over their bodies. They rub their back legs together if threaten. The hairs can cause a rash or even blindness if release in the eyes.
  • Red kneed tarantulas are venomous. They bite their prey with fangs and then inject the venom.
  • They burrow in the ground.
  • They don’t have a backbone like you instead they have a hard exoskeleton on the outside of their bodies. Because they have an exoskeleton they must molt 2-3 times a year as they grow.
  • Red kneed tarantulas can live up 20-30 years old.

 

Ellie is afraid of spiders, but learning about them helps her not to be afraid! Red kneed tarantulas are not harmful to humans or elephants J! We definitely think they’re kind of pretty with their bright colors!

 

 

 

 

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WEIRD WATERY WEDNESDAY # 11

Posted on October 26, 2011 by Ellie and Edmond ©

WEIRD WATERY

WEDNESDAY # 11

We know that our oceans, lakes and rivers have tons of wild and crazy creatures. Some of these animals are pretty creepy, especially in the deep dark depths of our oceans. We’ve found a very spooky fish for you today! So let’s go meet him!

MEET THE SPOOKFISH!

Range/Habitat: tropical- sub-tropical ocean waters/deep oceans

Diet: Carnivore: crustaceans, copepods, and anything they can get

Length: 3 ¼”

Conservation Status: unknown

Fun Facts:

  • Spookfish have a very odd shape.
  • They have transparent white bodies and long thin transparent pectoral (side) that are half the length of their bodies.
  • The Spookfish most spectacular adaptation is their eyes. They are tubular and point upwards.
  • Spookfish have a second eye on the side of their eye. It looks like a black spot.
  • The second eye is actually part of the primary eye and points downward. It acts as a mirror and is thought to help the spookfish find animal are bioluminescent. (They have chemicals in their body that give of light.)

It’s only been in the last few years that scientist figured out how the Spookfish’s eye works. They aren’t seen very often because they live so deep in the ocean! Wow! There sure is an almost alien world down in the deep dark depths of ocean! We wonder what other monsters live there!

 

Check out these crazy creepy fish from National Marine Life Center!

http://nmlc.org/2011/10/13-spooky-sea-creatures/

 

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ABOMINABLE AMPHIBIAN TUESDAY #11

Posted on October 25, 2011 by Ellie and Edmond ©

ABOMINABLE AMPHIBIAN TUESDAY # 11

We’ve changed things up for our normal Reptilian Tuesday! In keeping with our scary and creepy theme this week, we’re spotlighting an amphibian! (You’ve met other amphibians such as the South American Bullfrog) This little animal is often referred to in stories about witches, or at least their eyes are! Ever heard of the eye of newt? Well this one doesn’t have scary eyes, but they have scary skin! Come meet them…

MEET THE ROUGH SKINNED NEWT!

Range/Habitat: Western United States-Canada/ woodlands and ponds

Diet: Carnivore: aquatic invertebrates, tiny fish

Length: 3 ½”- 7 ½”

Conservation Status: Common

Fun Facts:

  • The Rough Skinned Newt is an amphibian. Other amphibians also include frogs, toads and salamanders.
  • Rough skinned newts have rough, bumpy skin as implied by their name.
  • They are extremely toxic. They produce a strong toxin that can cause death if eaten. It can also be absorbed through the skin if you have an open cut or wound.
  • They are brownish-black in color with yellow to orange bellies.
  • Rough skinned newts feed at night.
  • They can live as long as 12 years!
  • The common garter snake is the rough skinned newt’s only predator. The snakes have developed immunity to their toxin.

Wow! Who knew a cute little newt could be so poisonous? Well we think they are pretty awesome! We think this animal is best seen and not eaten J!

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MONSTROUS MAMMAL MONDAY #11

Posted on October 24, 2011 by Ellie and Edmond ©

MONSTROUS MAMMAL MONDAY# 11

We’re featuring animals this week that are considered creepy or scary in honor of Halloween coming up. People often get so scared of our animal friends and they get a bad reputation.  Sometimes they may even be a little scary, but we love all animals! Sometimes we just love them from a distance J! Today’s animal is a bat with sharp pointy teeth and a really bad reputation! Let’s meet them! And by the way they’re not monsters!

 

MEET THE COMMON VAMPIRE BAT!

Range/Habitat: Mexico-South America/roost in caves, mines, trees

Diet: Hematophagy: blood of mammals such as cattle, pigs and tapirs

Length/Weight: 2 ¾”-3 ¾”/ around 1 oz

Conservation Status: common

 

Fun Facts:

  • Common Vampire Bats are one of three bats that’s only source of food is the blood of other animals.
  • They have sharp thin-pointed teeth they use to bite animals.
  • Their teeth are so sharp that often the animals do not feel the bite.
  • Common vampire bats are strong fliers.
  • They have strong forelimbs and legs that help them get around on the ground. In fact they are very agile and speedy.
  • Common vampire bats have heat seeking receptors in their nose to help them locate veins closest to the skin.
  • Common vampire bats are nocturnal (active at night).
  • Common vampire bats live in large groups of usually several hundred individuals. They are known to have strong family bonds. There is even evidence of females adopting young bats that are orphaned.

We’ll admit these bats are a little creepy. But all animals have a place in this world. So we respect them all, again from a distance!

 

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FEATHERY FRIDAY # 10

Posted on October 21, 2011 by Ellie and Edmond ©

FEATHERY FRIDAY # 10

It’s Feathery Friday yet again and we have wild and crazy bird for you today! Ok, they may not be very crazy but they are wild and wonderful! Who is this loony bird? Come find out!

MEET THE COMMON LOON!

Range/Habitat: North America-Greenland-Western Europe/sea coasts and large lakes

Diet: Carnivore: fish

Length/Weight: 28-35”/6 ½-10lbs”

Conservation Status: Common

 

Fun Facts:

  • Common loons are also known as the Great Northern Loon.
  • Common Loons are made for life in the water. They have webbed feet and water proof feathers.
  • They are excellent swimmers and divers. They can dive to great depths.
  • They take extra care to keep their dense feathers clean, this is called preening. They have to do this because the feathers keep them warm in the cold waters where they live.
  • Common loons are often found in pairs.
  • They are very clumsy on land.
  • Common loons use their bills to spear fish.
  • Both the female and male take care of the chicks. Chicks can swim at a very young age. Sometimes you’ll even see the chicks riding on the back of the mothers back.
  • Common loons are very vocal birds and make several different types of calls.
  • Common loons are the provincial bird of Ontario, Canada and are the state bird of Maine.

These noisy birds are very pretty with their black heads and spots.  We love the special adaptations they have for living in cold waters. People, elephants and horses don’t do well in cold water! What do you do stay warm when it gets cold? We like to put on scarves!

Here are two loons calling to each other:

 

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SUPER SURPRISE THURSDAY #10

Posted on October 20, 2011 by Ellie and Edmond ©

SUPER SURPRISE THURSDAY #10

We love frogs; yes we do! We love frogs, how about you? We sure hope! Today’s Super Surprise Thursday animal is a frog if you haven’t guessed it by now. Are you ready to meet this special amphibian?

MEET THE SOUTH AMERCIAN BULLFROG!

Range/Habitat: Central-South America/ponds, lakes

Diet: Carnivore: insects and invertebrates

Length: 3 ¼”-9”

Conservation Status: Common

Fun Facts:

  • South American Bullfrogs are large and powerful frogs.
  • They are yellow-brown with dark markings.
  • South American Bullfrogs are nocturnal (active at night).
  • Male frogs have spines on their thumbs to fight off other males for territories.
  • South American bullfrogs make a loud “scream” if picked up by predator!

Wow, we’d put him down to if you screamed at usJ! South American bullfrogs are quiet as big as their American cousins, but we think they’re pretty neat all the same! Do you know what sound a bullfrog makes? Try and imitate it! RIBBBIT! RIBBIT!

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