Tag Archives: Environmental education

Macaw

Scarlet Macaws are bright, colorful parrots native to the rainforest of Central and South America. These highly intelligent birds live in large groups and are very vocal.  Capable of mimicking a variety of sounds, including human speech, macaws are loud. Their squawks, and screeches can be heard from miles away.  Scarlet macaws are protected underContinueContinue reading “Macaw”

Squirrels………..are pink?

Pink Bones!! That’s right, fox squirrels’ bones glow pink under ultraviolet light. This occurs because of a build up of a chemical compound called porphyrin. Eastern fox squirrels are the largest species of tree squirrels native to North America. They are common across the eastern United States, but are also found in southern parts ofContinueContinue reading “Squirrels………..are pink?”

A Mob of Meerkats

Meerkats are members of the mongoose family. They live in the African savannah and yes like Timon they do eat insects, grubs and termites. They also eat scorpions, luckily they are immune to most venoms.    Meerkats live in large groups called mobs, clans or gangs. The mob is led by an alpha female, called theContinueContinue reading “A Mob of Meerkats”

What is the Buzz?

…..Bees… Bees are extremely important pollinators. They are a vital part of our ecosystems, without them the human population would plumate. About ⅓  of the world’s food production depends on bees to pollinate the crops.  Although honeybees are not endangered other bees are. On the IUCN Red list 16 bee species are listed as vulnerable,ContinueContinue reading “What is the Buzz?”

The elephant’s closest living land relative is ….

….The hyrax  Hyraxes may look like rodents but they are actually cousins of the elephant.   Elephants, hyraxes, dugongs, and manatees all share a common ancestor.  There are several unique physical characteristics that hyraxes and elephants share. Both have tusks formed from their incisors, instead of their canines like other tusked animals. Both have flattened, hoof-likeContinueContinue reading “The elephant’s closest living land relative is ….”

The masters of defense

The African crested porcupine. Porcupine means “quill-pigs” in Latin. But don’t be confused porcupines are rodents, not pigs.  The African crested porcupine has highly effective defense mechanisms. The first strategy is to appear bigger by raising and fanning out it’s 13 in quills. If this doesn’t scare a predator away the next thing they willContinueContinue reading “The masters of defense”

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”