Showing posts with label Animals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Animals. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 30, 2022

Freyella Elegans


We just learned about the Nepanthia Belcheri.

Another type of starfish is the Freyella Elegans.

This is a type of starfish that lives in very deep sea, at around 10,000 ft deep in the Atlantic ocean.

Their arms grow to about 8 inches long.


(from: wikipedia - freyella elegans)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Greater Dwarf Lemur

Wednesday, November 23, 2022

Nepanthia Belcheri


We just learned about the Red Knobbed Sea Star.

Another kind of starfish is the Nepanthia Belcheri.

This type of starfish lives near Australia, and grows to be a few inches wide.
One very interesting thing about this starfish is that it can split itself in half and turn itself into two starfishes.


(from: wikipedia - nepanthia belcheri)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Philippine Tarsier

Wednesday, November 16, 2022

Red Knobbed Sea Star


We just learned about the Magnificent Star.

Another kind of starfish is the Red Knobbed Sea Star, also called the protoreaster lincki, red spine star, or African sea star.

These starfish grow to be about 12 inches, and has bright re tubercles sticking up.
They have gray bodies with red stripes, and a big central disk.

The only place to find these starfish is in the Indian Ocean, in sandy or muddy sea beds.


(from: wikipedia - protoreaster lincki)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Brown Woolly Monkey

Wednesday, November 9, 2022

Magnificent Star


We just learned about the Brisingida.

Another type of starfish is the Magnificent Star, or luidia magnifica.

This starfish lives in the Pacific Ocean.
It has 10 arms, and comes in colors like yellow and red, or brown and olive.


(from: wikipedia - luida magnifica)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Red-Faced Spider Monkey

Wednesday, November 2, 2022

Brisingida


We just learned about the Crown of Thorns Starfish.

Another type of starfish is the Brisingida.

These animals can have up to 20 arms, and they live in the deep seas over 1,000 meters deep.


(from: wikipedia - brisingida)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Black Howler

Wednesday, October 26, 2022

Crown of Thorns Starfish


We just learned about the Sunflower Sea Star.

Another type of starfish is the Crown of Thorns Starfish, also called acanthaster planci.

This starfish grows to be about 14 inches, and his sharp spikes on top that hurt and sting if the starfish is stepped on.
They live around Australia, and come in colors of purple, blue, red, grey, brown, green or yellow.

The name crown of thorns comes from the Bible story of Jesus wearing a crown of thorns.
Because the starfish kind of looks like a thorny crown the people named it that.



(from: wikipedia - crown of thorns starfish)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Colombian Red Howler

Wednesday, October 19, 2022

Sunflower Sea Star


We just learned about the Eight Armed Sea Star.

Another type of starfish is the Sunflower Sea Star also called the pycnopodia helianthoides.

These starfishes live in the pacific, and are the biggest starfish in the world growing to be about 3 feet wide.
They can have up to 24 arms, and can come in many colors like orange, yellow, red, brown, or purple.
If they get attacked by another animal, they can regrow them within a few weeks.


(from: wikipedia - sunflower sea star)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Mantled Howler

Wednesday, October 12, 2022

Eight-Armed Sea Star


We just learned about the Necklace Starfish.

Another type of starfish is the Eight-Armed Sea Star.

This animal lives in the pacific, and it's coloring could be brown/green, brown/orange or brown/black.
It has pointed arms, a flat top and is usually about 10 inches wide.

These starfish live underwater in the muddy sand, burying themselves so they can't be seen.
They eat things like sea urchins, sand dollars, sea cucumbers or snails.


(from: wikipedia - luidia maculata)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Black Bearded Saki

Wednesday, October 5, 2022

Necklace Starfish


We just learned about the Antarctic Sun Starfish.

Another type of starfish is the Necklace Starfish, also called the Fromia Monilis or Tiled Starfish.

This starfish lives in the Indian or Pacific oceans, near Australia and Japan.
They can grow to be around 12 inches wide, they have a red circle in the middle, their arm tips are red, and the rest of their arms are white.

These starfish are sometimes used in aquariums, but they have to actually keep them dirty for the starfish to eat the algea or the starfish will starve to death.
In the wild they can eat on other things like sponges or very small sea creatures.


(from: wikipedia - fromia monilis)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: White Faced Saki

Wednesday, September 28, 2022

Antarctic Sun Starfish


We just learned about the Astropecten Aranciacus.

Another type of starfish is the Antarctic Sun Starfish, also called the wolftrap starfish or labidiaster annulatus.

This type of starfish comes from the very cold waters around Antarctica.

Most starfish usually have five arms, but this type of starfish can have over 40 arms!
They grow to be about 24 inches wide.


(from: wikipedia - labidiaster annulatus)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Bald Uakari

Wednesday, September 21, 2022

Astropecten Aranciacus


We just learned about the American Hog-Nosed Skunk, and a lot of other animals in that same family.

Let's learn about some different kinds of starfish!

One type of starfish is the Astropecten Aranciacus.

This starfish lives in the east part of the Atlantic ocean, and also in the Mediterranean Sea.
It lives right by the coast, and when the water goes out for low tide it buries itself into the sand.

The top of this animal is reddish orange with some yellow, and the bottom is all white.
It has two sets of spiney pokey parts on the outside of its legs called inferomarginal spines and superomarginal spines.

For food these starfish eat molluscs by crawling over them and then using their mouth on the bottom to eat them.


(from: wikipedia - astropecten aranciacus)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Azaras Night Monkey

Wednesday, September 14, 2022

American Hog-Nosed Skunk


We just learned about the Striped Skunk.

Another animal in the same family is the American Hog-Nosed Skunk, or the conepatus leuconotus.

This is one of the biggest skunks in the world, growing over 80 centimeters long.
Sometimes this skunk is called the rooter skunk, because it likes to overturn rocks and look under things, which is sometimes called rooting.

These skunks have a big white back and totally white tail. It's not just a stripe on their back, the whole top of their back is white.

Just like other skunks these animals can spray a smelly liquid at someone if they are scared.
Even though they are skunks they are a lot like badgers and are really good at clawing and digging things.


(from: wikipedia - american hog-nosed skunk)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Grey Bellied Night Monkey

Wednesday, September 7, 2022

Striped Skunk


We just learned about the South American Coati.

Another animal that is related to the Coati is the Striped Skunk.

These animals live in North America, in Mexico, the US and Canada.
They grow to be about 60 centimeters, and weigh around 4 kilograms.
Striped skunks have black fur with a white stripe going down their back.

Skunks are very well known for the way they can spray someone with a stinky liquid if they are defending themselves.
They can spray several meters away, to keep themselves safe!


(from: wikipedia - striped skunk)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Black Capped Squirrel Monkey

Wednesday, August 31, 2022

South American Coati


We just learned about the Northern Olingo.

Another animal in the same family is the South American Coati, also called the ring-tailed coati or the nasua nasua.

This animal is about 10 pounds, and has about 40 inches long.
It can be in a few different colors like black or brown, with rings on its tail and some white marks on its face.

These coati live in South America, mostly in the forests.


(from: wikipedia - south american coati)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Tufted Capuchin

Wednesday, August 24, 2022

Northern Olingo


We just learned about the Ringtail.

Another type of animal in the same family is the Northern Olingo, also called the bushy-tailed olingo or the bassaricyon gabbii.

This small animal only grows to be about 40 centimeters, and weighs a little over 1 kilogram.

They live mostly in the trees of Central America area in countries like Nicaragua and Panama.


(from: wikipedia - northern olingo)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Wedge Capped Capuchin

Wednesday, August 17, 2022

Ringtail


We just learned about the Raccoon.

Another animal in the same family is the Ringtail, also called ringtail cat, miner's cat, civet cat, mountain cat, cat squirrel, Pacific cat, band-tailed cat, raccoon fox, night monkey, cacomistle or bassariscus astutus.

These animals grow to be about 35 centimeters, and weigh about 1 kilogram.
Some people have kept these ringtails as pets, which is where it gets the nickname miner's cat because it was kept by miners who were exploring the west.


(from: wikipedia - ringtail)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Golden Lion Tamarin

Wednesday, August 10, 2022

Raccoon


We just learned about the Long-Tailed Weasel.

Another animal that is like the weasels is the Raccoon.

Raccoons are part of the procyonid family, which is like a cousin to the mustelid family of the other weasels.

They are usually about 60 centimeters long, and weigh about 20 kilograms.
These animals live in North America, with another type of raccoon also living in South America.

Raccoons are well known for having a black mask across their eyes, and a ringed tail.
The name raccoon came from the Powhatan word meaning "animal that scratches with its hands.

One interesting thing about raccoons is that they are very good with their hands, and can even open some doors and locks that are meant to keep other critters out.


(from: wikipedia - racoon)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Brown-Mantled Tamarin

Wednesday, August 3, 2022

Long-Tailed Weasel


We just learned about the Haida Ermine.

Another animal in the same family is the Long-Tailed Weasel also called the bridled weasel, masked ermine, big stoat, or Neogale frenata.

These animals live in North and South America, weigh about 9 ounces and are about one foot long.

They grow a brown coat in the summer, and it turns white in the winter.

These weasels give off a strong smell to leave a mark in places sometimes, by dragging their smelly body across rocks or other things.



(from: wikipedia - long-tailed weasel)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Emperor Tamarin

Wednesday, July 27, 2022

Haida Ermine


We just learned about the Ferret.

Another animal in the same family is the Haida Ermine, also called mustela haidarum.

This small animal only lives on a tiny island on the west side of Canada called Haida Gwaii.

It changes its fur color from brown in the summer to white in the winter.
When it is brown the local Haida people call it daayáats’, and when it is white they call it tlag.


(from: wikipedia - haida ermine)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Cotton Top Tamarin

Wednesday, July 20, 2022

Ferret


We just learned about the Yellow Bellied Weasel.

Another kind of animal in the same family is the Ferret, also called the Mustela furo.

These animals grow to be about 20 inches long, and weigh about 4 pounds.
Their fur comes in either black, brown or white.

Just like dogs and cats, these animals are called domesticated meaning they can be kept as pets.
Long ago people kept them as pets to help out with hunting, for other animals like rabbits.

Sometimes when these pets are playing they get excited and jump around in what is called the "weasel war dance".
People think that they did this in the wild to confuse or scare other animals, but as pets they do it when they are having fun.



(from: wikipedia - ferret)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Common Marmoset