Flying Foxes!!..?

Spectacled flying-foxes are megabats, also known as fruit bats, that live in Australia, Papua New Guinea, and the surrounding islands.   They are social animals that live in large groups called camps. These bats are very vocal, often chattering all day. The camp I observed in Australia sounded like a school lunchroom.  In February 2019 theContinueContinue reading “Flying Foxes!!..?”

Tiny Turtles

ENDANGERED! The black-breasted leaf turtle is one of the smallest turtles in the world. Adults are a maximum of 5 inches. They can move their brilliant eyes independently, like a chameleon.  This is especially useful when they are looking for prey. Leaf turtles are omnivores that eat earthworms, insects, and small fruit.  Unlike most turtles,ContinueContinue reading “Tiny Turtles”

A Duck known around the World

Fulvous whistling ducks are one of the most widespread ducks in the world. They live on four continents, South and North America, Africa, and Asia. These ducks live in freshwater marshes with tall grasses and vegetation.  They forage, often at night, eating mainly seeds from aquatic plants. As you might have guessed by the name theseContinueContinue reading “A Duck known around the World”

Flying Monkeys

White-faced sakis are nicknamed “flying monkeys” because of their impressive leaps between trees. They can leap up to 33 ft in a single bound.  Only the males have a white face, the females have a black/gray face.  These monkeys live in the northern part of South America. Their diet consists of fruit, seeds, leaves, andContinueContinue reading “Flying Monkeys”

On one island

The San Esteban Chuckwalla is an endangered species. These lizards live only on the small Mexican island of San Esteban in the Gulf of California. Chuckwallas are mainly herbivores that occasionally eat insects. They don’t drink water, instead, they get water from the plants they eat.  Instead of urinating chuckwallas have a unique way ofContinueContinue reading “On one island”

What animal has no heart, no brain, no blood?

Jellyfish! These unique creatures are mesmerizing. I have always been fascinated by the way they glide through the water.  This is a blubber jelly that I saw while diving on The Great Barrier Reef in Australia.  https://videopress.com/v/CobOHSOo?preloadContent=metadata The blubber jelly doesn’t have a mouth instead it has tiny openings of each of its eight tentacles.ContinueContinue reading “What animal has no heart, no brain, no blood?”

One tough Cookie

Bactrian camels are built to survive in one of the most hostile regions on earth, The Gobi Dessert. They are one of the few mammals that can eat snow as a way to quench their thirst. They are the only land mammals capable of drinking brackish/salty water with no negative effects. It is a commonContinueContinue reading “One tough Cookie”

Chinese Dragons

The Chinese alligator is Critically Endangered! There are less than 150 left in the wild. Habitat loss, climate change, and pollution are their biggest threats.  The Chinese alligator is one of the smaller species of crocodilians. Adult males are 5-7ft, and females 4-5ft.  During late October these alligators dig burrows where they brumate until April.ContinueContinue reading “Chinese Dragons”

Flamingos are not the only pink birds

Like flamingos, the scarlet ibis’s vibrant coloring comes from the red crustaceans they eat.   They live in shallow waters, and swaps in South America and the Carribean.  Their long curved beaks are used to probe through the mud and sand to find food. They eat insects, crustaceans, shellfish, and amphibians. Their population is decreasing dueContinueContinue reading “Flamingos are not the only pink birds”

Why the long face?..

….Huge teeth A horse’s teeth take up more space in their head than their brain does.  Horses have the largest eyes of any land mammal. Having eyes on the sides of their head allows them to see almost 360 degrees.  The only wild horse species left is the Przewalski’s horse, and they are endangered. OnceContinueContinue reading “Why the long face?..”