SEA HORSE COLORS!
Since we’ve been talking about biomes and habitats, we’d thought it would be fun to share a coloring sheet of a sea horse in its habitat- the coral reef.
We would love to see your art work when you print it out and color it! As always- you can find us on Facebook and Twitter or Instagram!
WORLD PENGUIN DAY!!
We just love these flightless birds! Edmond was so inspired to by penguins he wrote a poem for them on World Penguin Day! You can check out last year’s post with fun drawings here! Ellie drew a wonderful penguin coloring sheet too! Make sure to check out our Instagram account (@ellieandedmond) for our How to Draw a Penguin video too!
Penguins
by Edmond Horse
Penguins! We love you for your formal attire; even though you aren’t great fliers!
Penguins! We love the way you waddle; you have no time to dawdle!
Penguins! We love your little hidden knees! We wish we could see them- pretty please?
Penguins! We love that you sneeze salt; this adaptation we exalt!
Penguins! We love that you are big fish eaters and you can dive many meters!
Penguins! We love the largest of your species; those Emperors live where it freezes!
Penguins! We love it when your feathers molt, it’s as if they all revolt!
Penguins, penguins, penguins so many reasons to love you and these have been just a few!
NATIONAL DOLPHIN DAY!
Ok, we’re a day late celebrating these amazing aquatic mammals, but better late than never! Dolphins are members of the toothed whale family and their largest member is the Orca- we bet you didn’t know that! We’re celebrating dolphins by featuring one of the better known dolphins- the Bottlenose Dolphin! Come learn about these amazing and intelligent creatures!
Have you ever spotted dolphins at the beach?
MEET THE BOTTLENOSE DOLPHIN!
Range/Habitat: Oceans worldwide, except for the polar regions
Diet: Carnivore: fish, mollusks, crustaceans
Length/Weight: 6 ¼- 13 ft/ up to 1,110 lbs
Conservation Status: common
Fun Facts:
Researchers are really just beginning to understand the depths of their intelligence, both in institutions and in the wild. We sure wish we knew how to speak dolphin! Squeak, click, whistle!
NARWHALS! NARWHALS!
We visited our local aquarium the other day and we reminded how much we love the unicorns of the sea! These amazing creatures are often thought of as mythical creatures, but trust us they are not! Come learn all about them with us!
MEET THE NARWHAL!
Range/Habitat: Arctic/Arctic Ocean
Diet: Carnivore: cod, mollusks, crustaceans
Length/Weight: 13-20 ft/ 2000-3,500 lbs
Conservation Status: Near Threatened
Fun facts:
Narwhals are amazing animals! They survive in very cold waters and grow this awesome long tusk that makes them look unique! If you could pick a crazy adaptation like tusks what would it be? We’re still deciding on what we would like! Look for our narwhal Christmas ornament craft later this week too!
This is Urchin…
Hehe! We just love a good pun! While we were exploring the kelp forests of Monterey Bay, we discovered these amazing creatures! They look like pin cushions, but they are live animals!
Range/Habitat: Southern Canada to Southern California/ coastal oceans, kelp forests
Diet: Herbivore: kelp, algae
Length: up to 3 inches in diameter
Conservation Status: vulnerable
Fun Facts:
Sunflower stars can swallow a purple urchin whole!
Sea otters who consume large amounts of purple urchins have purple teeth!
Purple sea urchins are so cool! They are integral parts of the kelp forest habitat. They even have five segments, kind of like sea stars! We think we’ll stay away from those pointy spines though!
SEA OTTERS!!
We know we are aware of how stinking cute otters are! These comical creatures have faced being endangered over the years, but with the help of conservationists their numbers are increasing. Come learn some fun facts about these ottertastic mammals!
Sea Otter Fun Facts:
There are so many reasons to love sea otters and to protect them! There are many organizations that are working hard to make sure otters have a future in our oceans! Monterey Bay Aquarium has a great sea otter program.
What do you love about otters?
SCIENCE WORD OF THE WEEK!
Welcome back to class! We have a great word for you this week- it’s a habitat and a pretty fantastic one at that! Are you ready to learn our word?
Today’s word is Kelp Forest: a kelp forest is a habitat that is found in cold coastal ocean waters. Kelp forests are made up of giant kelp that attaches itself to rocky ocean floors and grows to the surface of the water. The kelp requires sun to grow. Many animals including sea otters, fish, crustaceans and urchins call the kelp forest their home!
Have you guessed where Ellie and Edmond will be visiting this week? They are heading to the kelp forest of Monterey Bay, California! Be on the lookout for the fun animals that they met! 
GETTING WORMY!
Who thought we would say that so close to the holiday? Well we found a most fabulous creature in the coral reef and these worms are called Christmas Tree Worms! Come learn about these colorful creatures!
We love these feathery looking worms! Ocean dwelling creatures never fail to amaze us! Now if we could just get some of these trees for HQs; we know they would brighten up our holiday decor!
Oh Sea Krait, how we like thee..
We thought it would be fun to meet a snake today! Snakes get such a bad rap and often are very feared. Snakes are very important to the environment! Without them, rodents would overrun the earth! Did you know that some snakes live in the oceans? We went snorkeling to meet one! Come join us!
MEET THE BANDED SEA KRAIT!
Range/Habitat: Southern-South Eastern Asia/ tropical
oceans-coral reefs
Diet: Carnivore: fish, eels
Length: 3 ¼-6 ½ ft
Conservation Status: Common
Fun Facts:
Sea kraits are incredible snakes! We saw one while we snorkeling in Indonesia! It was awesome! If you could go snorkeling what animals would you like to see?
GUESS THE ANIMAL!
Do you have your thinking cap on? Can you guess the animal in the picture?
This animal lives in the ocean and is known for a cool adaptation that it has to protect itself.
WHO IS IT?
The Adventures of Ellie and Edmond 