Posts Tagged With: science

AMPHIBIAN TUESDAY #88

AMPHIBIAN TUESDAY # 88

We’re celebrating amphibians today! Our adventures are taking us the northwestern corner of the United States to find a salamander! You know we love our amphibian friends! Grab your gear and your wellies and let’s head out!  

e e woods (2)

MEET THE PACIFIC GIANT SALAMANDER!

pacific giant salamander   Range/Habitat: Northwestern U.S.A.-South west Canada

   Diet: Carnivore: invertebrates and small aquatic vertebrates

   Length: 6 ½-13”

   Conservation Status: unconfirmed

 

Fun Facts:

  •          Giant Pacific Salamanders are nocturnal.
  •          They are usually found by streams.
  •          Giant pacific salamanders excrete mucus from their tail when threatened.
  •          Giant pacific salamanders stay in their juvenile aquatic stage their whole life.
  •          They either become terrestrial or they stay aquatic with gills.
  •          Giant pacific salamanders are the largest terrestrial salamander in the world.

These gorgeous salamanders can be over a foot long. How weird is that some of these salamanders stay in their aquatic stage their whole lives?

 pacific giant salamander2  pacific giant salamander3

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

MAMMAL MONDAY # 88

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!

e & e night rainforest

MEET THE CRAB EATING RACCOON!

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!

 crab eating raccoon2   crab eating raccoon3

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

GUESS THE ANIMAL!

GUESS THE ANIMAL!!

We’re finishing off this holiday week with a guess the animal! Check out the picture, read the clues and tell us who you think it is!

turkey

  • I am a large bird.
  • Benjamin Franklin called me a noble bird.
  • I have a red waddle on my neck.

WHO AM I?

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

GIVE THANKS TO THE ANIMALS WEEK- DAY 3

GIVE THANKS TO THE ANIMALS WEEK- DAY 3

It’s Day 3 of our Give Thanks to the Animals Week and we’re celebrating a really cool fish! If you have traveled to the Caribbean then you have this fish to thank for the white sand beaches there!

parrotfishparrotfish2

  • Parrotfish live in the Caribbean ocean, around coral reefs.
  • They crush coral with their teeth.
  • Parrotfish eat algae in coral.
  • They crush the coral to get the algae out.
  • The waste that the parrotfish produce makes up a great deal of the sand in the Caribbean.
  • You can hear these amazing fish when snorkeling or diving. They making a clicking sound while eating!
  • Parrotfish vary in color.
  • Some species of parrotfish coat themselves in a mucus every night.
  • Scientists think this mucus coating helps mask the parrotfish’s smell.

WOW!! Who knew that the sand on those beautiful beaches in the Caribbean was actually fish poop!? We have been on several trips to the area and we met some parrotfish! It is so fun to hear their clicking in the water. Thanks for the sand parrotfish!!

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

GIVE THANKS TO THE ANIMALS WEEK- DAY #2

GIVE THANKS TO THE ANIMALS WEEK- DAY #2

We’re celebrating predators today! Without these great predators the world’s ecosystems would be out of whack! Often these predators get a bad rap or are unnecessarily feared. So let’s give it up for the animals and give them thanks!

SNAKES

snake

Snakes are feared, hated and misunderstood. Snakes are not human killers. They do not seek out people, but they do eat rodents. Without these predators there would be too many rodents around. Snakes also are preyed upon by other animals, like hawks. Snakes are very important part of the food web.

SHARKS

great white shark

Sharks are amazing animals. They have skeletons made of cartilage and mouths full of teeth. They come in all sizes and there is one shark in particular that is most feared- the Great White. These apex predators are not mindless killing machines and they do not seek out humans. They do like fatty seals and fish though. The oceans wouldn’t be the same without these sharks.

WOLVES

wolves

Wolves are gorgeous members are the canine family. Wolves have been portrayed badly in myths and stories for years. These predators are thought to also prey on people- yet another belief that is untrue. Wolves help control deer and rabbit populations. Wolves should be respected not feared!

We love these predators and give them thanks for their place in the natural world! Do you have a favorite predator?

Categories: adventure, Animals, Children, conservation, education, Environment, nature, science, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

GIVE THANKS TO THE ANIMALS WEEK!!

GIVE THANKS TO ANIMALS WEEK!!

We’re giving thanks to all the animals this week! We’re going to share some amazing animals that help our planet each day! So let’s give a shout out to the seed dispersing animals out there!

SQUIRRELS!!

squirrelEach fall and winter squirrels gather nuts to eat. They bury their catches to eat during the winter. Often they forget some of the places they bury those acorns and nuts and thus, a new tree is planted! Way to go squirrels!!

FRUIT BATS!!!

fruit bat

Fruit bats are amazing creatures. They are true flying mammals! Unlike their insect eating cousins, fruit bats eat fruit! And when these inhabitants of the forests poop, they disperse the seeds of the fruit! Those seeds then grow into new fruit trees!

HORNBILLS

hornbills

Hornbills live in the rainforests and like our friends the fruit bats, they eat fruit! They especially like figs! After a full day of eating figs, our friend the hornbill will poop out fig seeds and start the cycle of growing a fig tree all over again!

 

Wow! Did you know that animals help grow trees? Either through burying those seeds or dropping them around in their poop, these animals help our planet! We say thank you squirrels, fruit bats and hornbills!

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

FEATHERY FRIDAY # 87

FEATHERY FRIDAY #87

 We’re going to meet a lovely little duck today! These guys live in North America, so we’ll be taking a road trip to Michigan to see if we can find this bird! Grab your binoculars, cameras and your best bird watching eyes!

E & E lake

MEET THE GREEN WINGED TEAL!

green winged teal   Range/Habitat: Green winged teal/ wetlands, forests, lakes

   Diet: omnivore: plants, mollusks, insects

   Length/Weight: 13 ½-15”/ 13 oz

   Conservation Status: common

 

Fun Facts:

  •          Green winged teals are small ducks.
  •          Both male and females have a green patch on their wing.
  •          Male green winged teals are more brightly colored.
  •          Green winged teals nest on the ground.
  •          Green winged teals are dabbler ducks. They feed by submersing their heads in the water.

Green winged teals are gorgeous ducks. We like to watch them feed, because their bums stick out of the water! Hahahaha!

green winged teal2   green winged teal3

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

SUPER SURPRISE THURSDAY # 87

SUPER SURPRISE THURSDAY # 87

It’s that great day of the week where you get to guess the animal! Look at the picture, read the clues and tell us who you think it is!

galapagois tortoise

  • I live on some islands in the Pacific Ocean.
  • I am a large reptile.
  • I was made famous by Charles Darwin’s research!

WHO AM I?

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

REPTILIAN TUESDAY # 87

REPTILIAN TUESDAY # 87

We’re off to woods near our headquarters today! We’re in search of a really cool reptile! We’ll be looking in the local rivers, so grab your wellies and your hats and let’s head out on today’s adventure.

e & e wetlands

MEET THE COMMON SNAPPING TURTLE!

common snapping turtle3   Range/Habitat: Central-Eastern North America-Central America/

   wetlands, rivers

   Diet: Omnivore: small mammals, fish, plants, invertebrates

   Length: 10-18”

   Conservation Status: common

 

Fun Facts:

  •          Common snapping turtles have large heads.
  •          Their carapaces are often covered in algae.
  •          Common snapping turtles often lie on the bottom of a body of water buried in the mud.
  •          The actively forage for food or they ambush prey using a small appendage in their mouth as a lure.
  •          Common snapping turtles are very territorial.

Common snapping turtles are smaller than their larger alligator snapping turtle cousins. They are pretty sneaky when they lay on the bottom on the river waiting for prey to come swimming by! SNAP!!

common snapping turtle2   common snapping turtle

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

MAMMAL MONDAY #87

MAMMAL MONDAY #87

It’s off to South America for us today! Are you packed and ready to join us? We’re off to find a large mammal with an extraordinarily looooong tongue! Do you have a guess on who it might be? Grab your gear and let’s head out on today’s adventure!

e e grasslands2

MEET THE GIANT ANTEATER!

giant anteater    Range/Habitat: Central- South America/ grasslands, forests,

   swamps

   Diet: Insectivore: termites, ants

   Length/Weight: 5 ½-7 ¼ ft/ 60-90 lbs

   Conservation Status: vulnerable

 

Fun Facts:

  •          Giant anteaters have long tubular snouts with tiny mouths.
  •          They have 2 ft long tongues.
  •          Giant anteaters have poor eyesight.
  •          Giant anteaters have an excellent sense of smell.
  •          They have large front claws to dig in termite mounds.
  •          Giant anteaters are excellent swimmers.

Giant anteaters are such great creatures! They are related to sloths! Who knew that? When baby anteaters are born, they ride on their mothers backs!

giant anteater2    giant anteater3

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

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