Posts Tagged With: environment

BLUBBER WEEK- DAY #2

We’ve staying in the E&E sub in the cold Arctic waters for day 2 of blubber week! Today’s marine mammal has quiet the melon!!  Are you ready to meet the white whale? Let’s go…

MEET THE BELUGA WHALE!

   Range/Habitat: Arctic Ocean

   Diet: Carnivore: fish, mollusks, crustaceans

   Length/Weight: 13-18ft/ 1-1 ½ tons

   Conservation Status: Threatened

Fun Facts:

• Beluga whales are white to ivory in color. This helps them blend in with the arctic ice.
• Beluga whales are highly social and can be seen in groups called pods.
• They are very vocal too. They make all kinds of sounds, including clicks, whistles, and squeaks.
• They are often called the sea canary because they are so vocal.
• Beluga whales use echolocation to find prey. Echolocation is when an animal sends out a sound wave and it come back (echoes) to the animal giving them the distance and size of the object.
• Beluga whales have large melons on top of their head that is full of oils, tissue and fats. It is thought that the melons help them with echolocation and sound production.
• Baby beluga whales are gray when they are born and turn white by the age of 5.
• Beluga whales can swim backwards and turn their heads, unlike most other whales.
• They have a mouth full of teeth used to eat their prey, but they also use suction to suck up their prey.

Beluga whales are a very special member of the whale family! Their closest relative is the narwhal. Want to hear some of the sounds they can make? You should try out your Beluga whale impression after you watch the video! Edmond will be trying his all day, much to the dismay of Ellie J!

Listen here.

MAMMAL MONDAY #88

We’re hitting the road to Central America on this fine Mammal Monday! We’re on the lookout for a raccoon who likes to eat shellfish! Pack you backpacks and let’s head in to the forests for an adventure!

MEET THE CRAB EATING RACCOON!

   Range/Habitat: Central-South America/ forest, mountains,

   mangroves

   Diet: Carnivore: shellfish, fish, insects

   Length/Weight: 18-35”/ 4 ½-26 lbs

   Conservation Status: common

Fun Facts:

•          Crab eating raccoons are also called mapache.
•          They are nocturnal.
•          Crab eating raccoons have long, slender bodies.
•          Crab eating raccoons have nimble paws.
•          They have bushy ringed tails and black masks on their faces.

Crab eating raccoons look similar to their cousins the common raccoon (we know those guys)!  There long snouts and brown fur make them stand out. These raccoons aren’t as adapted to urban environments as their common cousins!