Awesome Amphibians

"Amphibians are animals that lead a strange double-life," writes Steve Parker in the book Awesome Amphibians. They can breathe in the water or on land. In school I learned that amphibians can't live in saltwater or in Antarctica. Some amphibians like the poison dart frog are venomous to eat or even to touch because they have venom glands on their skin.

I'm warning you! I've got venom on my skin!

Poison dart frogs live in Central and South America, but I have seen amphibians closer to home.  I spotted this frog in the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge in Central New York. Can you see him?

Ribbit!

I also saw an Eastern red spotted newt in Taconic State Park.  Isn't he cute?

From chimp to man

Chimps are like us in many ways. Like us, chimps form cultures within their groups. A chimp culture is formed when a mommy chimp passes on the skills she has learned from her mother to the next generation of chimps in her group.

For example, this mommy chimp is showing her baby chimp how to fish for termites in a termite mound.

Knowing these similarities between humans and chimps, it's not surprising that we had a common ancestor. Unlike apes who took to the trees, the fossils of early human ancestors were buried in limestone that formed from shells and mud. I think that shows that there must have been a marshy terrain, and they would have had to walk on two legs to keep their heads above water.

Tiger Footprints

To track a tiger you need to think like a tiger and if there are no footprints just guess. The best places to put video cameras is where there are lots of deer.

 

Mmmm! Deer!

Deer-filled areas attract tigers. Infrared cameras are good for seeing tigers at night.

Raptors!!!!

Raptors are predatory birds.  They hunt using surprise and swoop down on their prey.  They grasp it with their sharp talons.  Then they soar back up into the sky and land on their nest.  Most raptors hunt by day, but others like owls hunt at night.  Some owls have completely silent wings, while other raptors can glide for miles over the seas. 

I'm gonna get you!

Woohoooo!

Shhhhh....

Book Review: 101 Freaky Animals

Bush Babies have a call like a human baby.  It would be freaky at night if you were in your house and you heard a crying sound coming from outside.  You opened the door and looked up and a bush baby was calling to it's mother.  That is just one of the 101 freakiest animals in the book 101 Freaky Animals.

Whaaaaaa!!!!

Okapi's tongues are wacky when it comes to length.  They reach up to a foot long!  Their tongues can even lick their eyeballs.

Sluuuurp!

Pangolins are the only mammals with scales.  The can roll in to a ball when threatened.

I'm thirsty.

Uh-oh!  Trouble!

Shoebills have ginormous beaks for grabbing slippery prey.  Their beak is so big they seem like a video game monster.

Please do not wear my beak on your foot!

Red Rock's Environment

I went to Red Rock National Conservation Area in November. It is in Nevada. Its desert terrain holds many interesting secrets. I did not get to see all of it, but I loved what I saw. We saw interesting shaped rocks and cliffs. There are so many red rocks and a little red dust. It is red because of iron in the dust and rocks. Some of it gets into the soil too.

Wow!

There are lots of spiny-branched plants and not much water. Deserts have lots of sun and not much rain or snow, that's why they don't appear to have clouds very often.

Spectacular!