Armadillo is a Spanish word meaning “little armored one” which is a good name for this animal since it has bony plates that cover its back, head, legs, and tail of most of these odd looking creatures. Armadillos are the only living mammals that wear the shells. They vary widely in size and color, from the 6-inch-long, salmon-colored pink fairy armadillo to the 5-foot-long, dark-brown giant armadillo.
Others have black, red, darkish gray, or yellowish coloring. In fact, only the three-banded armadillo can roll into a ball, curling its head and back feet and contorting its shell into a hard ball that protects it from predators. Armadillos live in temperate and warm habitats, including rain forests, grasslands, and semi-deserts. Most species dig burrows and sleep for 16 hours per day. They have very poor eyesight, and utilize their keen sense of smell to hunt. Strong legs and huge front claws are used for digging, and long, sticky tongues for extracting ants and termites from their tunnels. In addition to bugs, armadillos eat small vertebrates, plants, and some fruits. Armadillos are great swimmers. They can hold their breath for 6 minutes when they try. The armor of an armadillo is made up of bone.Some armadillos are very small, while others are huge. The smallest is the pink fairy armadillo, which is about 6 inches (15 centimeters) long. Giant armadillos are the largest species, and are about 5 feet (1.5 meters) long. Ashleigh
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The Great Barrier Reef is beautiful but also contains some of the deadliest most poisonous fish in the ocean, like the Box Jellyfish, the Blue Ringed Octopus, and the Stone Fish. The Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef system in the world. It is found in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland, Australia.
The Great Barrier Reef is home to a wide range of life, including fish of many kinds sea turtles, giant clams, seahorses, sea snakes and eels, stingrays which are poisonous if you touch the tail, sharks and many more beautiful and deadly fish. Over 1500 different types of fish live in the Great Barrier Reef, including clownfish. Whales, and dolphins can also be seen in the Great Barrier Reef. Man made pollution is a big threat to the coral reef or great Barrier reef. An other threat is raped changes in water temperature. The Great Barrier Reef is home to about 400 species of coral! Six of the world’s seven species of sea turtles breed here at the great barrier reef. The Great Barrier Reef is made up of about 3,000 individual reefs and 900 islands. Ashleigh There are around 300 species of octopus, usually located in tropical and temperate ocean waters, like coral reefs. Octopuses have two eyes in a globe-shaped head which is called a mantle off which protrude eight long limbs called tentacles which have two rows of sucker senses. Octopuses can squeeze into small spaces because they don't have a skeleton inside of them.
An octopus has a hard beak, like a parrot beak, which they use to break into and eat their pray like crabs and shellfish. Octopus have three hearts. Two branchial hearts pump blood through each of the two gills, while the third is a systemic hearts that pumps blood through the body. The largest octopus is believed to be the giant Pacific octopus, which weigh about 15 kg, and has an arm span up to 14 feet. An octopus's main defense against predators such as sharks is to hide and camouflage itself by using there skin cells to change its color. It can also be used to talk with or warn other octopuses near bye. Another defense is to make a fast escape. Octopuses can eject a thick, blackish ink in a large cloud to distract the predator while the octopus uses a jet propulsion system to quickly swim away headfirst, with arms trailing behind the octopus. Octopuses have very good eyesight and an excellent sense of touch. Ashleigh Lemurs are capable of using all their senses that includes the sense of smelling, tasting, hearing and all others. They can smell and understand whenever they find a meal or food to eat mostly anywhere. They know whenever there is a prey nearby so that they become alert and get ready to attack it. Lemurs have gray, or red fur, black and white tails, pointy noses, have mostly white faces... except for around the eyes which are black, and pointy ears like elves.
Lemurs are mostly found in Madagascar. They are also found in Comoro Islands. The word Lemur is Latin and means "spirits of the night". All Lemurs have a long nose and they have four legs. They sit or they stand up but they always walk on all fours. They don’t walk upright as other primates have been known to do. They have thin fur due to the warm locations of where they live. They live in families of up to 15 members. Most of them consist of males, females, and offspring. Though, there are some which are only females and their young. The males have been driven out so they live alone or they form male only families. The females are normally the leaders of the Lemur families. Catfish are a type of fish that belong to the group of ray-finned fish. Catfish mostly live in freshwater rivers or streams found in America. A catfish' length is normally 1-2 feet long, though a channel catfish can get up to 4.5 feet long. The largest catfish ever caught was a Mekong giant catfish, which was nearly 9 feet long and weighed 646 pounds!
A catfish has about 100,000 taste buds! When a new-born catfish reach 4 inches, it is the size of an index finger. Catfish are the fifth most popular fish in America. More than 447 million pounds of catfish were produced in 1995. Most species have tentacles protruding from the area around the mouth, that look like the whiskers of a cat, which is how they got their name. Not all catfish species have these whiskers, however. Catfish are always bottom-feeders, meaning they feed at the bottom of the water they inhabit. Their diet consists of fish, insects and worms, but they also sometimes feed on small mammals and reptiles. Catfish usually suck in or gulp down their prey instead of biting. A Mekong giant catfish could eat a child... for a snack! Some Catfish live in fresh water. A channel catfish's whiskers can sting you if you touch them. Ashleigh The flightless ostrich is the world's largest bird. They roam African savanna, and desert lands. They get most of their water from the plants that they eat. Though they cannot fly, ostriches are strong runners.
They can sprint up to 43 miles an hour and run over distance at 31 miles an hour. They do use their wings to try to run faster. An ostrich's powerful, long legs can cover 10 to 16 feet in a single stride. Their legs can also be used as weapons. Ostrich kicks can kill a human or a meat-eating predator like a lion. Each two-toed foot has a long, sharp claw. If at the approach of trouble, ostriches will lie down low and press their long giraffe like necks to the ground to become less visible. The ostrich has the largest eye of any land animal. Ostriches live in small herds that contain less than a dozen birds. The male sometimes mates with others in the group. Wandering males may also mate with lesser hens. The dominant hen and male take turns incubating the giant eggs, each one of which weighs as much as two dozen chicken eggs. Ashleigh A pig’s snout is a good tool for finding food in the ground. Pigs have an good sense of smell. Humans farm pigs for meat like pork, bacon and ham. Sometimes people like to keep pigs as pets.
Wild pigs which are called boars are often hunted in the wild. In some areas of the world, wild boars are the main source of food for tigers. Adult pigs can run at speeds of up to 11mph, or in other words, they can run a seven-minute mile. And when they’re not either squealing or talking to one another, pigs will eat almost anything – including human bones. That is why I will never be a farmer. That and pigs are just to messy for me, I mean seriously... rolling in mud. When kept in a group they will snuggle close to one another, and sleep nose-to-nose. A mother pig is called a sow. Baby pigs are called ‘piglets’. The pig heart valve is the one that is used the most. Ashleigh These smart members of the dog family once lived in prairies and deserts, but now roam the continent's, forests and mountains. These wild dogs will eat mostly anything. They eat rabbits, rodents, fish, frogs, and even deer. They also sometimes eat insects, snakes, fruit, grass, and carrion.
Because they sometimes kill lambs, calves, or other livestock, as well as pets, many ranchers and farmers call them pests. Coyotes have a strong sense of smell. They can run up to 40 miles an hour. In the fall and winter, they form packs for more hunting. Coyotes form big and strong family groups. In the spring, females make dens and give birth to litters of three to twelve pups. Both parents feed and protect their children and their territory. The pups are able to hunt on their own when fall comes. Coyotes are very good swimmers. Coyotes weigh only about 20 pounds, making them the size of a medium dog. They have long fur that is brownish red, grey or white. Coyotes have a bushy tail like a fox. Ashleigh Komodo Dragons are only found on the islands of Komodo and Rica in Indonesia. These islands are part of the Komodo National Park located about 500km (300 miles) East of Bali. They are not yet endangered, though their numbers are diminishing. Reaching 10 feet in length and more than 300 pounds, Komodo dragons are the heaviest lizards on Earth.
They have long, flat heads with rounded snouts, scaly skin, bowed legs, and huge, muscular tails. As predators on the handful of islands they inhabit, they will eat almost anything, including carrion, deer, pigs, smaller dragons, and even large water buffalo and humans. When hunting, Komodo dragons rely on camouflage, waiting for passing prey. When a victim passes by, the dragon springs, using its powerful legs, sharp claws and shark-like teeth to eat its prey. Animals that escape the jaws of a Komodo will only feel lucky, but aren't. A komodo dragon has over 50 strains of bacteria stored in its teeth, and within 24 hours, the stricken creature usually dies of blood poisoning. Komodo Dragons can run up to 11 miles an hour in short bursts. Komodo dragons don't breath fire. Even though they don't breath fire, they do flick there tong in and out which dose look like fire coming out of its mouth. The name comes from rumors that a dragon-like creature lived on the Indonesian island of Komodo. Ashleigh Coral snakes are not very large. Rare specimens may reach 3 feet in length, but most of them are 18 to 20 inches long. Coral snakes use venom or poison to kill prey. Their poison is the second-strongest poison.
Coral snakes have notable red, yellow/white, and black colored skin. You can only get poisoned by them only if you touch their skin. Like most poisonous snakes, coral snakes have little fangs that stores the venom. Coral snakes are most active at night and usually stay hidden during the day hours. In general, coral snakes are not aggressive. If confronted by humans, they normally flee. Coral snakes live in a variety of habitats, including palmetto and scrub areas, wooded areas, and swamps. Often, they will venture into residential areas. Coral snakes spend most of their time underground in places like holes dug by other animals. They can also be found in hidden places such as underneath rotting leaves or in tree stumps. Coral snakes are omnivores meaning they hunt and eat snakes including other coral snakes. They also feed on insects, lizards, mice, frogs, and small birds. After they paralyze their prey, they swallow them whole. Ashleigh |
AuthorMy name is Ashleigh. This is where I post my blogs about animals. I am eight years old, and I am home schooled. Archives
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