All Species In The World

Polar Bear

2008-04-01T13:44:00.000-07:00

Polar bears are the world's largest four-legged meat-eating animals-9 feet tall and 1600 pounds! These are classified as 'Vulnerable Species'.

They have special features to help them live in the arctic. Their thick fur and a layer of fat keep them warm. Their small ears lose less body heat. Pads on the bottom of their feet keep them from slipping on ice.

Polar bears are excellent swimmers. Webbing between their clawed toes helps them swim. Polar bears hunt seals, walruses, small whales and fish. In the summer months, they eat berries and plants.

Female polar bears make dens in ice caves or in snow banks. They give birth to one to three cubs, weighing 1 pound. The cubs stay with their mother for 2 years.

Arctic Foxes

2008-03-26T17:50:00.000-07:00

Arctic foxes are mammals with thick fur and short ears.

Arctic foxes have long bushy tails. Their tails keep them warm when they sleep.

Arctic foxes have white fur in winter. Their fur is mostly brown in summer.

Arctic foxes have sharp teeth and sharp claws.

Where Arctic Foxes live?

Arctic foxes live in the Arctic. The Arctic is a very cold area around the North Pole.

Arctic foxes live in the tundra where trees do not grow.

What Arctic Foxes do?

Arctic foxes hunt for food. They usually hunt alone.

What Arcic Foxes eat?

Arctic foxes eat dead animals, lemmings, fish, and birds.

Artic foxes dig dens to keep warm and stay safe. They live in family groups.

Orca (Killer Whale)

2008-03-19T14:18:00.000-07:00

The black and white orca (OR kuh) is a large dolphin that is often called a "killer whale." It grows up to 30 feet long and weighs 3 to 10 tons. The orca has 40 to 48 large pointer teeth that it uses to catch and hold its prey. It eats over 100 pounds of food every day.

Orcas live and travel in family groups called pods. They are affectionate animals and are often seen touching each other. Female orcas give birth to one baby every 2 to 10 years. The baby will stay with its mother for 10 years. Orcas are very intelligent animals. They communicate with each other by making sounds.

Mush Ox

2008-03-19T14:13:00.001-07:00

Mush Oxen are huge animals with large heads and short legs. They grow to 5 feet tall at the shoulders and weigh up to 900 pounds. Musk oxen have longs dark brown hair that almost touches the ground. Thick woolly fur under the hair keeps them warm and dry. They use their hooves to scratch through the snow to find grass, willows and other plants to eat.

Musk oxen live together on the tundra in herds of 20 to 100. When danger is near, the adult mushk oxen gather in a circle, facing outward. The calves stay in the center of the circle for protection. When the adult oxen lower their heads, showing their enourmous horns, even a pack of wolves will not come near.

Lemming

2008-03-19T14:08:00.000-07:00

Lemmings are chubby little animals belonging to the rodent family. They look very much like hamsters and guinea pigs. Lemmings dig in the soil to build their nests, which they line with grass. They eat plants and live in areas where food is often scarce.

An old legend about lemmings says that every few years lemmings march to the ocean, jump in and drown. Scientists have learned that some lemmings will move to a new area when the number of lemmings in an area is too high. Lemmings always migrate in a straight direction, crossing anything in their path. If they come to a river, they jump in and swim across it. When they come to the ocean and jump in, they cannot swim across it, so they drown.

Ermine

2008-03-19T14:00:00.000-07:00

Ermine (ER mehn) are members of the weasel family. They are tiny animals, weighing less than a pound. Ermine have huge dark eyes and long whiskers. They have smooth, silky fur. During the spring and summer, their fur is brown. When autumn approaches, ermine grow a new coat of thick, snow-white fur. This white fur helps ermine blend in with their snowy environment.

Ermine live in northern regions of North America along riverbanks and at the edges of forests. They are good hunters and feed on small animals, such as rabbits and rats. In April, ermine have litters of 3 to 13 fuzzy white babies. By late summer, these babies are fully grown.

Caribou

2008-03-19T13:53:00.000-07:00

Caribou (CAIR ah boo) are sometimes called "reindeer".

They are large animals weighing 300 to 600 pounds. Both male and female caribou have very large antlers.

In fact, the female caribou is the only female member of the deer family able to grow antlers. Caribou have long hair and woolly fur. They are great long-distance runners and can easily outrun a pack of wolves. Their wide hooves help them walk easily throught snow. Caribou can also swim.

In Summer, Caribou feed on grass, leaves and other low-growing plants of the tundra, the flat, treeless land of the arctic. In Winter, Caribou migrate to wooded areas and feed on small, dry plants that grow on rocks and tress called lichens (LEYE kuhnz).

Owls

2007-12-20T12:44:00.000-08:00

Owls are birds with big round heads and flat faces.

Owls have brown, gray, black, and white feathers.

Where Owls live?
Owls live almost everywhere in the world. Many owls live in woodlands.

Woodlands are covered with trees and shrubs. Some owls make nests in trees.

Owls have sharp, curved beaks.

Owls have big eyes that face forward.

Owls see well at night.

Owls have good hearing.

What Owls do?
Owls catch food with their sharp claws. Most owls hunt for food at night. Some owls hunt during the day.

Owls hunt and eat frogs, insects, mice, and other small animals. Owls sometimes swallow their food whole.

Most owls sleep during the day.

Squirrels

2007-12-14T09:44:00.000-08:00

Squirrels are rodents with long, bushy tails. Squirrels have sharp claws.

Many squirrels climb trees. Squirrels use their tails to balance.

Squirrels have red, brown, gray, black, or white fur.

Many squirrels live in woodlands, Woodlands are covered with trees and shrubs.

Some squirrels dig burrows. Other squirrels build nests in trees.

What Squirrels do?
Some squirrels glide between trees. They look like they are flying. These squirrels are called flying squirrels.

What Squirresl eat?
Squirrels eat nuts, seeds, plants, and insects.

Squirrels put food in their cheek pouches.

Squirrels often look for food during the day. They sleep at night.

Penguins

2007-12-13T08:13:00.000-08:00

Penguins are birds that swim underwater. Penguins cannot fly.

Penguins have black and white feathers. Their heads are sometimes different colors. Penguins are many sizes.

Penguins have fat to keep them warm. Young penguins have feathers called "down".

Where Penguins live?
Penguins live south of the equator. Most penguins live near the Antarctic. They spend most of their time in cold water.

What Penguins do?
Penguins nest and raise their young in colonies.

What Penguins eat?
Penguins eat fish, krill, and squid. They feed their young.

How Penguins swim?
Penguins use their wings as flippers to swim.

Penguins can leap out of the water as they swim.

How Penguins walk?
Penguins have short legs. Penguins waddle when they walk on land.

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What animal seems dressed for a fancy party? A penguin, of course. The penguin's black-and-white coloring looks like a tuxedo. There are 17 different kinds of penguins. The emperor penguin is the largest. It can weigh up to 90 puunds and grow to be a 4 feet tall. The little blue penguin is the smallest. It weighs 2 pounds and is about 1 foot tall.

Penguins have bodies that are built for water. Their short wings serve as flippers. A penguin uses its tail as a rudder to steer. Penguins get their food from the sea. Their favorite foods are krill, which are small shrimplike animals, fish and squid, which they catch and eat underwater.

If there is snow, penguins like to get around by tobogganing. They flop on their bellies and slide, using their wings and feet to paddle forward. Some penguins can leap from the water several feet into the air! Imagine if you could pop out of a pool like a penguin!

Like all other birds, a penguin's feathers wear out. So, each year, the penguin sheds its old feathers and grows new ones. During this time, a penguin cannot go in the cold water because it is no longer waterproof. Therefore, it cannot eat. Penguin chicks shed their downy feathers when they are about a year old. The feathers underneath are waterproof.

Most penguins build nests to keep their eggs safe. Emperor penguins, however, do not build nests. The egg is kept warm on the tops of the parents' feet. The fathers huddle together to keep the eggs warm while the mothers go to the sea to feed. The mothers return after the chicks have hatched, and the fathers go to the sea.

A penguin chick must peck its way out of the eggshell. Both the mother and father penguins will care for the chick. Penguin parents must go to the sea for fish, then come back to feed their hungry chicks. When chicks get older, they gather in groups for warmth and protection. Once a young penguin molts, or sheds its feathers, it grows adult feathers. Then, the penguin is ready to feed and live on its own.

Woodpecker

2007-12-12T10:09:00.000-08:00

Woodpeckers are birds with long, sharp beaks.

Woodpeckers have long, sharp tongues.

Woodpeckers feathers have many colors and patterns.

Woodpeckers live almost everywhere in the world. Most woodpeckers live in woodlands. Woodlands are covered with trees and shrubs. Woodlands are also called forests.

What Woodpeckers do?

Woodpeckers use their sharp claws to climb up and down trees. Most woodpeckers drill holes in tree trunks with their beaks. Wookpeckers make a drumming sound when they drill.

Woodpeckers eat nuts, seeds, insects, and fruits.

Woodpeckers sometimes make nests inside trees.

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