Posts Tagged With: children

PENGUIN WEEK DAY # 3

Posted on January 16, 2013 by Ellie and Edmond ©

PENGUIN WEEK DAY #3

We’re off to South Georgia Island to meet a crested penguin who spends most of their life in the ocean, but form gigantic colonies during breading season! So let’s grab our coats and head down towards the south pole!

MEET THE MACARONI PENGUIN!

Range/Habitat: South Chile, South Atlantic/ rocky islands-oceans

Diet: Carnivore: krill

Length/Weight: 28”/ 7 ¾-14 lb

Conservation Status: vulnerable

Fun Facts:

Macaroni penguins have a yellow crest of feathers on their head.
They were named after the macaroni hat of the 1800s.
Macaroni penguins are very vocal.
Macaroni penguins spend most of their time at sea.
They come ashore and form large breeding colonies.
Macaroni penguins form lifelong pair bonds.
Both male and female macaroni penguins incubate the egg.

We just love these little penguins with their fun name and their yellow crest of feathers on their head! We must see what we would look like with a fun crest on our heads!

Categories: adventure, Animals, birds, Children, conservation, education, Environment, nature, penguins, science, wildlife | Tags: adventure, animals, birds, children, conservation, education, environment, nature, oceans, science, wildlife | 4 Comments

PENGUIN WEEK DAY # 2

Posted on January 15, 2013 by Ellie and Edmond ©

PENGUIN WEEK DAY #2

For day two of Penguin Week we’re going South America! That’s right; we’re going to the temperate climates of South America to meet one cute little bird! Are you ready for today’s adventure?

MEET THE HUMBOLDT PENGUIN!

Range/Habitat: Western South America/ coasts-oceans

Diet: Carnivore: anchovies, sardines

Length/Weight: 22-26”/10-11 lb

Conservation Status: vulnerable

Fun Facts:

Humboldt penguins were named after a cold weather current that goes in their habitat.
They have a black u shaped stripe on their chest.
Humboldt penguins have pink faces at the base of their beaks.
Humboldt penguins nest in underground burrows.
They form monogamous pairs.

Humboldt penguins are adorable! It’s so cool that they live in rocky outcrops on the coasts and not on an icy continent!

Categories: adventure, Animals, birds, Children, conservation, education, Environment, nature, oceans, penguins, science, wildlife | Tags: adventure, animals, birds, children, education, environment, nature, oceans, penguins, science, wildlife | Leave a comment

PENGUIN THEME WEEK!

Posted on January 14, 2013 by Ellie and Edmond ©

PENGUIN WEEK!!

It is theme week and this year we’ve decided to focus theme weeks on one group of animals! Because it’s winter our first theme week is focusing on a flightless and well feathered bird that we associate with coooooold habitats. Ironically, only eight species of penguins live in cold weather habitats. All other species of penguins live in temperate habitats. Our first adventure of penguin week is taking us to islands off of Antarctica! So let’s grab a jacket and head out to meet…

MEET THE CHINSTRAP PENGUIN!

Range/Habitat: Antarctica/ rocky outcrops-oceans

Diet: Carnivore: krill, shrimp, fish

Length/Weight: 28-30”/ 6 ½-10 lbs

Conservation Status: common

Fun Facts:

Chinstrap penguins have thing black lines that run ear to ear.
They live on islands off the continent of Antarctica.
Chinstrap penguins breed in large colonies.
They build their nests with stones.
Both female and male chinstraps incubate the eggs.

Chinstrap penguins are so cute with their black and white attire and little straps. These little birds are one of our favorites!

Categories: adventure, Animals, birds, Children, conservation, education, Environment, nature, science, wildlife | Tags: adventure, animals, children, conservation, education, environment, nature, science, wildlife | Leave a comment

FEATHERY FRIDAY # 56

Posted on January 11, 2013 by Ellie and Edmond ©

FEATHERY FRIDAY #56

We’re so excited for the first Feathery Friday of the year! We’re off to China today to meet one handsome bird! Let’s get out there and go bird watching!

MEET THE RING-NECKED PHEASANT!

Range/Habitat: North America-Europe-Asia/ grasslands-farmlands

Diet: Omnivore: grains, seeds, insects

Length/Weight: 35”/1 ¾-4 ½ lb

Conservation Status: common

Fun Facts:

Male Ring-necked Pheasants have bright green heads and white rings around their necks.
Female ring-necked pheasants are drab brown.
They have long tails.
Ring-necked pheasants tend to stay, feed and nest on the ground.
The young fly within two weeks of being born.

Ring-necked pheasants are really neat birds. We love the males’ bright green heads. They must look good to attract the lady birds! Hehehehe!

Categories: adventure, Animals, birds, Children, conservation, education, Environment, nature, science, wildlife | Tags: adventure, birds, children, conservation, education, environment, nature, science, wildlife | Leave a comment

SUPER SURPRISE THURSDAY- NEW & IMPROVED!!

Posted on January 10, 2013 by Ellie and Edmond ©

SUPER SURPRISE THURSDAY

We spent some time brainstorming here at headquarters about ways to jazz up the blog and we’ve come up with a new and improve Super Surprise Thursday! Instead of going on an adventure we’re going to post an up-close picture and give you a few hints and you’ll have to guess the Surprise Animal! We sure hope you enjoy our new feature!

I live in South America.
My name is derived from a word that means “he who kills in one leap”.
I am a good swimmer.
My spots are called rossets.

WHO AM I?

Categories: adventure, Animals, Children, conservation, education, Environment, mammals, nature, science, wildlife | Tags: adventure, animals, children, conservation, education, environment, mammals, nature, science, wildlife | 6 Comments

WATERY WEDNESDAY # 56

Posted on January 9, 2013 by Ellie and Edmond ©

WATERY WENESDAY # 56

Today we’re jetting to South America to meet one large and unusual fish! These guys don’t have any top fins and they can electrocute a human! Best if we stand next to the river to catch a peek, don’t you think?

MEET THE ELECTRIC EEL!

Range/Habitat: Northern South America/ rivers, streams

Diet: Carnivore: fish, amphibians, birds

Length/Weight: 6-8 ft/ up to 44 lbs

Conservation Status: common

Fun Facts:

Electric eels are not true eels; they are actually members of the knifefish family.
They are one of the largest fresh water fish in South America.
Electric eels have one long fin on their underside. They have no top or tail fins.
Electric eels have poor eyesight.
They have specialized cells that store electricity like batteries.
They use electrical pulses to help them find their way around in murky rivers and streams.
Electric eels also use jolts of electricity to stun prey. They can produce jolts up to 600 volts at one time.

WOW! Electric eels are amazing animals. Who knew there were fish out in the world that could light things up? We just never ceased to be amazed by all the cool animal adaptations there are on earth! We do wonder if an electrical eel could light our lamp for us! Hahahaha!

Categories: adventure, Animals, Children, conservation, education, Environment, fish, nature, rivers, science, wildlife | Tags: animals, children, conservation, education, environment, fish, nature, science, wildlife | Leave a comment

REPTILIAN TUESDAY #56

Posted on January 8, 2013 by Ellie and Edmond ©

REPTILIAN TUESDAY #56

We’re off to the rainforests of East Africa on this first Reptilian Tuesday of 2013. We’ll be heading towards the canopy of the rainforest! Keep your eyes peeled, because we’ll need to observe today’s reptile from a distance!

MEET THE EAST AFRICAN GREEN MAMBA!

Range/Habitat: Eastern-Southeastern Africa/ forests-rainforests

Diet: Carnivore: rodents, birds

Length: 5-8 ½ ft

Conservation Status: common

Fun Facts:

East African Green Mambas are bright green.
They have long bodies and tails.
East African green mambas are arboreal (spend most of their time in trees).
They are fast moving and agile among the branches.
East African green mambas are highly venomous.
They have smooth scales.

East African green mambas are gorgeous snakes. They are best when watched from a distance though. Best to leave venomous snakes alone in their habitats!

Categories: adventure, Animals, Children, conservation, education, Environment, nature, reptiles, science, wildlife | Tags: adventure, animals, children, conservation, education, environment, nature, reptiles, science, wildlife | Leave a comment

MAMMAL MONDAY # 56

Posted on January 7, 2013 by Ellie and Edmond ©

MAMMAL MONDAY #56

We’re baaaack! We hope everyone had a lovely holiday! We’ve been gearing up here at HQs for a most exciting 2013! Our first adventure of the new year takes us to the deserts of Africa to meet a member of the canine family. Let’s grab our safari hats as we head out to meet our first mammal of the year!

MEET THE GOLDEN JACKAL!

Range/Habitat: Northeast Africa-Southern Asia/ mountains-deserts

Diet: Omnivore: fruits, insects, mammals

Length/Weight: 23 ½-43”/ 15-33 lbs

Conservation Status: common

Fun Facts:

Golden jackals have yellow-golden coats.
They live in pairs and mate for life.
Golden jackals are more closely related to wolves and coyotes than true jackals.
They have long legs.
Golden jackals have life spans of about 15 years.

Golden jackals are gorgeous with their beautiful coats of fur. Unlike most members of the canine family, they live in pairs and not in a pack! Pretty neat!

“FLIGHT OF THE BUTTERFLIES”

“FLIGHT OF THE BUTTERFLIES”

Giant Screen!

We had the privilege to catch a sneak preview of “Flight of the Butterflies” IMAX at Fernbank Museum of Natural History on Friday! Edmond was beyond excited because butterflies are his favorite!

Here we are getting ready to watch the movie!

This wonderful movie tells the story of Fred Urquhart, a scientist who worked for decades to discover the mystery of Monarch Butterflies and their migration. Fred and his wife Norah gathered a network of citizen scientist in the 1960s and 70s. They tagged and tracked butterflies from Canada to all over the United States and eventually to their migration home in Mexico.

The movie not only tells Fred Urquhart’s story, but it follows three generations of monarch butterflies in a year’s time. It is that third generation of butterfly that will make the journey from Canada to Mexico in one of nature’s longest migrations. Monarchs are just amazing!

Check out some of the fun facts we learned:

Monarch Butterflies love milkweed, it is the only plant they’ll lay their eggs on.
One female Monarch butterfly lays around 300 eggs.
Monarch butterflies can fly up to one mile high.

These fun facts are just a few things we learned watching “Flight of the Butterflies”. This amazing story is told with beautiful visuals and of course a giant IMAX screen full of Monarch Butterflies is the icing on the cake! We highly recommend you take a trip over to Fernbank Museum of Natural History to check out this great movie! You can also learn more about monarch butterflies on the movie’s website!

We made our own Monarch Butterflies!

Categories: adventure, Animals, butterflies, Children, conservation, education, Environment, movies, nature, science, wildlife | Tags: adventure, animals, children, conservation, education, environment, movies, nature, science, wildlife | Leave a comment

HAPPY NATIONAL BIRD DAY!!

HAPPY NATIONAL BIRD DAY!!

It’s National Bird Day and we’re celebrating our favorite avian friends! Every Friday here at Ellie and Edmond Headquarters we go on an adventure to meet a feathery friend! Birds come in every shape and size! They eat everything from seeds, insects, nectar to carrion. They live on every continent on the planet, including Antarctica! Most birds can fly, but a few species are flightless and penguins fly in the water! Our favorite thing about birds is that scientist think that they are the distant relatives of the long extinct dinosaurs! Wow! We’re celebrating these awesome animals today by sharing some great pictures and some of our favorite posts! Tell us your favorite bird?

To learn more about National Bird Day visit their website! Also check out your local Audubon Society to learn more about birds in your area!