Posts Tagged With: mammals

BLUBBER WEEK- DAY 5

It’s the last day of Blubber Week! There will be a an ornament craft tomorrow! We’re extra excited for today’s animal, because it is BIG! And when we say big we mean bigger than elephant big! So are you ready to meet this extreme mammal? Let’s do this…

MEET THE BLUE WHALE!

   Range/Habitat: Oceans worldwide except the Mediterranean-

Arabic Gulf

    Diet: Carnivore: eats only krill

   Length/Weight: 66-98 ft/110-176 tons

   Conservation Status: endangered

Fun Facts:

• Blue Whales are the largest animal on the planet!
• They can have 50 tons of blubber.
• Blue whales have baleen. Baleen is a hair like structure in their mouths that filter out tiny krill from the water. Baleen is made of keratin (the same stuff that makes up your nails and hair).
• They can eat up to 40 million krill a day! Whew, that is a bunch of tiny little animals.
• Blue whales throats can swell to 4 times their normal size when taking in water and krill. They expel the water and swallow the krill.
• They feed mostly in the summer in cold waters and migrate to warmer waters in the winter.
• Blue whales have slender bodies with one small dorsal fin.
• Blue whales can dive to depths of 655 ft.
• The calves (babies) are up to 23ft long and 2 ½ tons when born! That’s about the weight of a car!
• Blue whales also produce the loudest sound of any animal on earth at 180 decibels. That is louder than the jet engine of an airplane. WOW! It’s so loud that it could cause damage to your eardrums!
• Blue whales produce many different sounds, calls and songs!

We could go on all day about the largest animal on our planet Earth! These special giants are endangered, but are protected now! Our oceans wouldn’t be the same without these amazing singing creatures! You can find a few really neat models in museums around the world! The one at the American Natural History Museum even tweets (@NatHistoryWhale).

Here’s a video of researchers catching the songs of blue whales from National Geographic!

BLUBBER WEEK- DAY #3

Do you have your coat on for day 3 of blubber week? Well, if you don’t you better grab it because all this week we are heading to the chilly arctic circle! Today we meet a large and in charge bear! Are you all bundled up? Let’s go!

MEET THE POLAR BEAR!

   Range/Habitat: Arctic/ice, shoreline

   Diet: Carnivore: seals, carrion

   Length/Weight: 7-11ft/800- 1500lb

   Conservation Status: Vulnerable

Fun Facts:

• Polar bears are the largest members of the bear family and the largest land carnivore on earth.
• They have two coats of fur, an outer translucent coat that absorbs the sun’s heat and a dense undercoat.
• Polar bears have black skin that helps them absorb heat.
• They also have a thick layer of blubber to help them stay warm.
• Polar bears have rough pads on their paws that help prevent them from slipping and sliding on the ice.
• They are excellent swimmers and are often seen in open waters.
• They use their large front paws to swim.
• Polar bears can smell a seal from a half mile away.
• Female polar bears dig dens in winter and stay there to give birth to 1 to 3 cubs.
• Polar bear cubs stay with their moms until around the age of 2. They spend that time learning to hunt and be polar bears!

Polar bears are amazing animals! They are built to live in the cold arctic! These large and in-charge bears are a protected species! We hope to have them around for a very long time!