Posts Tagged With: environment

Don’t Let Them Get the Squeeze on You!

Posted on September 13, 2016 by Ellie and Edmond ©

Don’t Let Them Get the Squeeze on You!

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Date: 9/13

Location: Amazon River

  • Green anacondas are members of the boa constrictor family.
  • They love swamps and marshes and spend most of their time in the water. They are very slow on land due to heavy bodies.

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  • They can swallow their prey whole, due to flexible ligaments in their jaws.
  • They can go weeks without eating.
  • Females incubate eggs inside and then give birth to live young.
  • Babies are almost 2 feet long when born and can take care of themselves.
  • Females can be 5x as big as the males.
  • They are nocturnal.
  • Their scientific name means “good swimmer” in Greek.

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We barely spotted this anaconda- hehehe- we rhymed! They are nocturnal and we were out during the day on our boat trip! We just caught a glimpse of its nostrils! These giants are amazing creatures, but we’ll stay away if they ask for a hug!

Categories: adventure, Animals, Children, conservation, education, Environment, nature, reptiles, science, Today's Post, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

That’s No Piranha!

Posted on September 12, 2016 by Ellie and Edmond ©

That’s No Piranha!

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Date:9/12

Location: Amazon river

 

  • Pacu are fresh water fish.
  • They are related to piranha, but they are not carnivores like piranha.
  • They grow much larger than piranha.
  • Young pacu look very similar to piranha and will hide in schools of piranha for protection. Once they are bigger they will go off on their own.
  • They have flat molar like teeth. Pacu use those teeth to crush nuts.

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  • These teeth are famous for their human like appearance, which can be startling. 
  • Pacu are popular fish in the pet trade.
  • They are sold as small fish, but grow larger than expected and are then released into wild habitats where they don’t belong. They have been found in Southeast Asia, parts of North America and even in the UK.
  • It is illegal to dump non-native wildlife in most of those places and the Pacu can out compete local fish and wildlife.

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We enjoyed taking a boat down the Amazon river to see some of the amazing animals that call it home! We spotted several pacu and some other creatures who’ll meet later this week! This place is awesome!

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Categories: adventure, Animals, Children, conservation, education, Environment, fish, nature, science, Today's Post, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The King of Vultures!

Posted on September 8, 2016 by Ellie and Edmond ©

The King of Vultures!

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Date:9/7

Location: Amazon Rainforest

Observations:

  • They are one of the most brightly colored vultures  on earth.
  • They have mostly white feathers with bright red bald heads. The bald head protects them from getting bacteria in their feathers.
  • King vultures fly high above the trees using the wind currents to glide, rarely flapping their wings.
  • They have keen eyesight and a great sense of smell. They use these to find food or spot other vultures at a carcass.
  • King vultures are the largest new world vulture.

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  • They let other vultures tear open carcasses first and then take over.
  • Females and males look identical.
  • Both parents incubate the egg and help raise the chick.
  • A king vulture doesn’t get it’s full plumage until it is 5 years old.

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Name from old Mayan legend that the king vulture was a carrier of message between humans & the Gods

We went to same spot on the edge of the forest to see if we could spot any vultures. We saw a carcass of a large animal across the open grass field the day before and were hoping the vultures would come today. It didn’t take long before the turkey vultures showed up! And then finally a king vulture swooped in and everyone else moved out its way. They definitely are kings of the carcass! Hahahaha!

 
Categories: adventure, Animals, birds, Children, conservation, education, Environment, nature, science, Today's Post, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Giant in the Rainforest!

Posted on September 7, 2016 by Ellie and Edmond ©

Giant in the Rainforest!

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Date: 9/6

Location: Amazon rainforest

Observations:

  • The giant anteater has no teeth. They have 2 foot long tongues that extract termites and ants.
  • One giant anteater can eat up to 35,000 insects a day.
  • They can flick their tongue up to 160 times per minute. Giant anteaters must be fast to avoid ant bites.
  • Giant anteaters have a keen sense of smell. They use it to find the ant mounds.

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  • Giant anteaters walk on their wrists. They have long sharp claws (about 4 inches) that they can not walk on.
  • Those claws are used for ripping into ant and termite mounds.
  • Giant anteaters are excellent swimmer. Their long snouts make great snorkels!
  • They can use their long sturdy tails to help them stand on two legs. They do this to look for predators or to fight off a predator!

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We had a wonderful time waiting on the edge of the forest to see a giant anteater wander up. They look so clumsy when they move, but we think they are awesome! Those claws not only help them break-in to breakfast, but they are critical in helping them protect themselves. Mother anteaters carry babies on their backs, so they use those small claws for holding on! These may be our favorite animal, but we have a whole month here in the rainforest. Time to head back to camp and figure out who we can find tomorrow!

Categories: adventure, Animals, Children, conservation, education, Environment, mammals, nature, science, Today's Post, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Welcome Back!

Posted on September 6, 2016 by Ellie and Edmond ©

Welcome Back!

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Hello everyone! Welcome back to another great year at the University of Ellie and Edmond! We are so excited to have all our old students return and we are super excited to meet some new ones! You may notice some changes in our site! Each professor has their own page, where you can learn some basics about mammals, reptiles and amphibians, insects, birds and fish! The post of the day, will be found under Today’s Post now too.

This year, we are going on field expeditions every month. Each month we’ll be visiting a different area. We met with Rita the Rat, our professor of geography and culture and picked our route and our stops!

 

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We picked different habitats, from deserts to rainforests to coral reefs. We’ll be starting in the Amazon rainforest then heading to the Galapagos islands in October! We hope you like our new journal type entries too. You’ll spot the professor that is works with that type of animal at the top, plus our vital information and then what we learned about our new friend! It’s all very exciting! We’re packing our bags and we’ll be in the rainforest tomorrow! Let’s get ready to do some field work and make new animal friends!

Categories: adventure, Animals, Children, conservation, education, Environment, nature, science, Today's Post, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

News and Happenings!

Posted on August 22, 2016 by Ellie and Edmond ©

News and Happenings!

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Hello everyone! We’re here to give you an update on all things Ellie and Edmond! We’re taking a two week break from regular posts as we prepare some more content and get ready to head back to the University of E & E after Labor Day. You’ll see some new things on the site when we return and we’ll be changing the look of the daily posts! Each month the staff at the University will join us as we visit a habitat somewhere in the world! For that entire month- we’ll meet the animals of that area and learn all about them! We are so excited for the new school year and we hope you are too!

We do ask that our readers make sure they are following us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter!

And we please ask that you share our site with friends! We’ll even send you cards to give out or buttons & stickers if you like! Just let us know!

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

An Alligator of a Different Name

Posted on August 18, 2016 by Ellie and Edmond ©

An Alligator of a Different Name

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We’re meeting our last Brazilian animal today! This reptile has some nice chompers and can get to be one big dude! Are you ready to meet this caiman?

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Black Caiman Fun Facts:

  • Black caiman are found in the Amazon Basin and other part of South America in rivers, lakes and marshes.
  • They can grow up to 16 feet long and weigh up to 600 lbs. They are the largest member of the alligator family in South America.
  • Black caiman are carnivores. They eat fish, mammals and other large prey.
  • Black caiman are listed as least concern by the IUCN.
  • Caiman are a subfamily of the alligator family. Black caiman are bigger than their cousins the American Alligator.
  • The black caiman is the largest predator in its habitat.

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  • They are also ambush predators.
  • They have dark, almost black scales.
  • Black caiman are nocturnal.
  • Caiman have a bony ridge down their eyes to their snout.
  • Like other members of the alligator and caiman family, females protect their nests and their hatchlings.

caiman3 These relatives of the American alligator definitely look like their cousins. As apex predators we definitely will just visit from a distance!

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

One Big Rodent!

Posted on August 16, 2016 by Ellie and Edmond ©

One Big Rodent!

We’ve met the jaguar yesterday and today we’re off to find another animal that calls Brazil home! These super cuties are often called rodents of unusual size! Hahaha! Let’s meet the capybara!

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Fun Facts:

  • Capybaras can be found in Central and South America in marshes, ponds and lakes.
  • They can grow up to 4 feet long and weigh up to 150 lbs.
  • Capybaras are herbivores. They eat grasses, plants and fruit. They eat up to 8lbs of vegetation a day.
  • They are listed as least concern by the IUCN.
  • Capybaras are the largest rodent in the world.
  • They have webbed feet.
  • They are excellent is swimmers and often spend most of their time in water.

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  • A capybara’s eyes, nose and ears are on top of their head. This allows them to just have those body parts above the water while their bodies are underwater.
  • Their teeth grow throughout their lifetime.
  • Capybaras chew their food from side to side.
  • Capybaras live in small groups.
  • They are very vocal.
  • Capybaras got their name from the Tupi people of Brazil, an old native tribe of Brazil. The name means “grass eater”.

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These furry little rodent pigs are so fun to watch! Who doesn’t love them? We know we do!!

Categories: adventure, Animals, Children, conservation, education, Environment, mammals, nature, science, Uncategorized, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

There’s a Big Cat in the Jungle!

Posted on August 15, 2016 by Ellie and Edmond ©

There’s a Big Cat in the Jungle!

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This week we are featuring animals native to Brazil, where the Olympics are continuing this week. Brazil is an amazing place, with savannas to rainforests. It is home to the largest part of the Amazonian rainforest, that houses 10% of world’s known species. Brazil ranks number 3 in the number of species of birds that call it home! Wow! This place is definitely amazing!

Today we are going to meet one of Brazil’s felines! This big cat is an icon known around the world- let’s meet the jaguar!

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Fun Facts:

  • Jaguars are found in Central and South America in rainforests, savannas and swamps.
  • They can reach up to 6 feet long and weigh up to 200 lbs.
  • Jaguars are carnivores. They eat deer, caiman, tapirs and other animals.
  • Jaguars are listed as near threatened.
  • Jaguars are the largest big cat in the Americas.
  • They are excellent climbers and excellent swimmers.
  • Jaguars have spots with spots in those. Those spots are called rosettes because of their rose appearance.

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  • Jaguars are efficient predators and kill their prey with a bite to the head of their prey.
  • They are solitary and territorial.
  • There are occasional jaguars with melanism. They have all black fur. In light you can see their spots.
  • Jaguars are revered in their native lands. Their was even a jaguar god who ruled the underworld.
  • The name jaguar comes from a Native American word that means “he who kills with one leap”.

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These gorgeous cats are amazing! They have it all, good looks, great athleticism and those classic cat whiskers! Hehehehe!

 

 

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

WORLD ELEPHANT DAY!

Posted on August 12, 2016 by Ellie and Edmond ©

WORLD ELEPHANT DAY!

It’s World Elephant Day and Ellie is sharing just a few of the reasons elephants are so awesome! She’ll also be sharing some reasons why they need your help!

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IMG_1288We lose an elephant to poachers every 15 minutes. That’s 96 elephants every day!

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These magnificent creatures are killed for their tusks! Tusks that are used to make trinkets, carvings and jewelry. We must all work to stop this! There are ways you can help!

Educate others! Donate to David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust.

Get involved- make your voice heard! Check out 96 elephants to learn more about wildlife crime and how you can help stop it! Together we can protect elephants!

Categories: adventure, Animals, Children, conservation, education, elephants, endangered species, Environment, mammals, nature, science, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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