Posts Tagged With: mammals

Heading to the Moon?

Posted on September 17, 2019 by Ellie and Edmond ©

Heading to the Moon?

Did we get you? We are not heading to the moon, but we are meeting animal named the moonrat today. Let’s learn more about this animal with the funny name.

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Moonrat Fun Facts: 

  • Moonrats are not rodents, but actually relatives of the hedgehog. 
  • These insectivores are found in Southeast Asia and spend their nights foraging for food.
  • They have mostly white faces and grey bodies, but some individuals are all white.
  • They can grow to be up to 16 inches long. 
  • Fossils similar to the moonrat were found to be 16 million years old.
  • Moonrats produce a strong ammonia scent when threatened and when marking their territory.
  • They are solitary and highly territorial.
  • Moonrats are listed as Least Concern by the IUCN.
Categories: adventure, Animals, Children, conservation, education, Environment, mammals, nature, science, Today's Post, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

That’s a Big Nose

Posted on September 16, 2019 by Ellie and Edmond ©

They That’s a Big Nose

We are excited to get back to regular posts today- for the next two weeks we’re featuring animals from the coloring book and then October will be all about those animals that people fear most!

Today we are meeting the Saiga antelope in depth. These crazy looking antelope have one big nose! Let’s learn more about them.

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Saiga Antelope Fun Facts: 

  • They live in Asia, in Russia in grasslands and semideserts.
  • Their of fossils of saiga found from the pleistocene era.
  • That big nose helps keep out dust out.
  • Those noses can also heat and cool blood during the winter and summer.
  • Only the males have the ringed horns.
  • These critically endangered antelope live in large herds that migrate.
  • These critically endangered animals are losing habitat and they are poached for their horns.

 

Have you ever seen such a strange looking nose on an antelope? We sure haven’t and we know scientists and conservationists are working to protect this species for future generations to see.

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

Ox

Posted on December 10, 2018 by Ellie and Edmond ©

Ox

We are meeting an animal that spends most of their life in the cold- the musk ox. These large mammal are so cool with their thick coats and horns! Let’s learn more about them.

 

 

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

Otters!

Posted on June 26, 2018 by Ellie and Edmond ©

Otters!

We hanging out on the dock today, ready to meet some otters! Come join us campers as we say to some super cute residents of Lake Salamander!

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North American River Otter Fun Facts: 

  • These members of the weasel family can grow up to 31 inches long and weigh up to 30 lbs.
  • Otters love burrows. They live in burrows near the body of water they call home. Often the burrow allows them to directly enter the water too.
  • Otters are predators and carnivores. They eat fish, amphibians and shellfish.
  • They are known for their playful behavior. They love to slide and interact with each other.
  • Even though they play with each other, otters prefer to live in their burrow alone or with offspring while they are young.
  • They have long powerful tails that make up about 40% of their body length. Those tails help propel them through the water.
  • Otters are known to be very vocal.
  • They are listed as Least Concern by the IUCN.

 

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We love the otters that call this area home! They often visit us while we are out canoeing on the lake. They are quiet chatty and so much fun!

 

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

Hello Armadillos

Posted on January 10, 2018 by Ellie and Edmond ©

Hello Armadillos

Aaaah the armadillo, an animal many in the southern United States associate with road kill. But there are 20 species of armadillos in the world, each one neat in their own respects. We went looking for the biggest armadillo of the them all- the giant armadillo! This species is not to be confused with the extinct Glyptodon – a car sized relative of the armadillo that lived during the Pleistocene epoch! Our giant armadillo friend is not that big- but they are cool!

 

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Giant Armadillo Fun Facts: 

  • The giant armadillo has 11-13 bands.
  • They can grow up to 39 inches long and weigh up to 72 lbs. There have been a few found that weigh 180 lbs.
  • They have the most teeth of any mammal- 80 to 100 per armadillo!
  • These solitary nocturnal animals live in burrows.
  • Giant armadillos are insectivores. They eat termites, ants, worms and spiders. They can consume the entire population of one termite mound.
  • They have the proportional claw of any mammal. This is their 3rd curved claw.
  • Giant armadillos can not roll up completely in to a ball.
  • Due to hunting, giant armadillos are listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN.

 

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These giant armadillos are so amazing! Little is known about them in the wild. No scientists have ever seen a juvinelle giant armadillo in the wild!

Categories: adventure, Animals, Children, conservation, education, endangered species, Environment, mammals, nature, science, Today's Post, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Seal of Fur

Posted on December 12, 2017 by Ellie and Edmond ©

Seal of Fur

We are meeting another wonderful inhabitant of Antarctica today- a large and in charge mammal- the fur seal. Good thing they have blubber because it is cold! Bbbbbrrr…

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Antarctic Fur Seal Fun Facts: 

  • These seals can grow up to 6 1/2 feet and weigh up to 475 lbs. Males are larger than females.
  • These carnivores eat up to a ton of food in a year! That is a lot of krill and fish.
  • The seals that call South Georgia Island home are the most dense population of marine mammals on earth.
  • Females spend most of their lives at sea. They come ashore to breed and raise their pups. Juvinelles will also spend most of their time at sea until they are mature enough to breed.
  • They can dive around 590 ft deep and remain underwater for about 10 minutes.
  • Males are very territorial of their breeding females. They are known for their fights between each other.
  • These seals are listed as Least Concern by the IUCN.

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We loved seeing these seals. This is their summer, so they are pups out and about. They begin to spend their time at sea at around 4 months! Wow- you grow up fast when you are an Antarctica Fur Seal.

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

Sheep!

Posted on October 16, 2017 by Ellie and Edmond ©

Sheep!

We headed to the mountains today to find one neat and large mammal. We had fun climbing all around the trails and looking for these sheep that can climb mountains.

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Desert Bighorn Sheep Fun Facts: 

  • Bothe male and females have horns. The males are large and curved while the females are smaller.
  • It can take a male up to 8 years to have fully formed horns. Their horns can weigh up to 30 lbs.
  • They can weigh up to 280 lbs.
  • Males are known for their head to head combat during mating season.
  • They have excellent eyesight.
  • They live in small herds, made up females and offspring. The males live in bachelor groups.
  • These herbivores are diurnal.
  • They use their horns and hooves to removes spines from cactus so they can eat them.

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These agile sheep and so amazing! They are built to climb and to survive in the scrub land. Watching the males go head to head can be quiet impressive and a bit scary!

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

Doggies of the Desert!

Posted on October 9, 2017 by Ellie and Edmond ©

Doggies of the Desert!

We headed out from camp today to meet on the residents for the prairie and the desert. We were excited to find these rodents. Can you guess who were are meeting?

Let’s learn more about the prairie dog!

Prairie Dog

Black Tailed Prairie Dog Fun Facts: 

  • Prairie dogs live in groups called coteries. These family groups include a male or two and several females. The females stay in their group for their whole lives.
  • Their prairie dog towns give shelter to other animals. Their towns also attract insects which birds depend on.
  • They are vocal. Scientists are just beginning to realize how complicated their language is.
  • Prairie dog populations have fallen by 95%, this is mainly due to habitat loss.
  • These prairie dogs do not hibernate.
  • Prairie dogs are herbivores.
  • Black tailed prairie dogs are listed as Least Concern by the ICUN.
  • They get their name from the barking noises they make.

29820FC6-4FBF-44D5-AEE7-AB759AF5D153These rodents and cousins of the common grey squirrel are one of our favorites. There are five species of these little dudes. Scientists are working to protect their habitat and them as they are important for the survival of many species.

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

Back to Basics- Classifications

Posted on September 19, 2017 by Ellie and Edmond ©

Back to Basics- Classifications

We are back! Sorry for the delay in posts- we had some issues with the Irma. The University is in Atlanta. And then we headed on a short vacation to see our friend TourGuide Ted- the touring bear!

Today we are talking about classification! How do we classify animals? Well we are going to tell you! Let’s start out from top to bottom with classification! Animal classification starts with the Kingdom- which includes all animals on earth! In order to explain classification we are going to break down how Edmond is classified!

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Kingdom – includes all animals! Edmond is an animal!

Phylum- includes more than one class of animals. Chordata is the phylum for animals with a back bone or vertebrate. Edmond definitely has a backbone. 

Class- includes all the animals that go together- such as mammals, birds, insects, etc… Edmond is a mammal.

Order-  included more than one class of animals. Edmond belongs to the perissodactyla order- which means odd toed ungulate. Other odd toed ungulates include tapirs and rhinos. These animals have one large middle toe or just symmetrical toe- like Edmond’s hoof!

Family– is often named after one of its common members. Edmond belongs to the horse family, which includes zebras and donkeys.

Genus– ranks below family, but includes one or more species. Edmond’s genus is Equus. There are seven species in this genus.

Species– a group of animals that have common characteristics and can usually mate with each other. Edmond is a domestic horse (quarter horse). The other species in the Equus genus include; three species of asses, and three species of zebra.

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Classification of animals can get very complicated. It is most often based on the animal’s anatomy. There are some animals that even have their classification changed as scientists learn more about them. Take the giant panda- they were once classified with raccoons and the red panda, but scientists realized that giant pandas are carnivores and belong to the bear family. Pretty crazy right?

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

One Large Bat

Posted on May 8, 2017 by Ellie and Edmond ©

One Large Bat

We decided to explore some of the islands this week. We do love our oceans, but the islands have some really neat creatures to meet too! Today we are meeting one of the largest flying mammals in the world and we couldn’t be more excited!

flying fox

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Date: 5/8

Location: Raja Ampat Islands

Large Flying Fox Fun Facts:

  • Large flying fox live in large colonies.
  • They are able to hang upside down just as smaller bats do.
  • Large flying foxes have long tongues to help them eat nectar and fruit.

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  • Large flying foxes are pollinators and seed disperses. Their poop contains seeds that they disperse and they get pollen on their fur when they eat nectar. They spread the pollen from plant to plant.
  • They feed in the upside down position.

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These large bats are so cool to see! We spotted a whole tree full just roosting and came back at night to watch them head out to find food! They fly silently, but they are a noisy bunch when they are eating! Edmond can be a loud eater too!

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

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