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Newsela | Big Questions: Why are polar bears’ hairs so fair?

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Although polar bears’ fur looks white, it is really see-through and the skin underneath is black!

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Explore National Geographic. A world leader in geography, cartography and exploration.

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Newsela | Some insects taste with their feet and hear with their wings

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Some insects have sensory organs in strange places.

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Newsela | Instructional Content Platform

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Newsela is an Instructional Content Platform that supercharges reading engagement and learning in every subject.

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Explore National Geographic. A world leader in geography, cartography and exploration.

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With sleek black backs and bright white bellies and eye patches, killer whales, or orcas, are easily distinguishable from other aquatic animals.

One of the ocean's largest predators, male orcas can grow to 9.5 m (32 ft) in length, while females are slightly smaller at 8 m (23 ft). They live primarily where the water is cold but can live anywhere from the polar regions right up to the equator. This massive range makes orcas the most widespread of all sea creatures.

True to their name, killer whales are effective hunters. They prey on seals, sea lions, fish, sea birds, turtles, octopuses, and squid. Orcas will even attack other whales, including the enormous blue whale which can measure over three times their size. They have also been known to breach the surface to grab sea lions and seals, even partially jumping onto ice floes to reach their target.

Killer whales hunt in pods, or groups, in a way similar to wolves. They circle their prey and force them into smaller areas before attacking. Once cornered, the orcas take turns biting and ramming their prey.

Sending sound waves that travel underwater, killer whales use echolocation as a means for hunting. The reverberating sound provides information about an object's location, size, and shape. Echolocation is also used as a form of communication. Each pod has a distinctive sound it uses to communicate among its members.

There are thought to be three types of pods: transient, resident, and offshore. Transient pods are constantly on the move following food sources. Resident pods generally stay in one area close to shore, while offshore orcas prefer the open waters. Currently, scientists are not clear as to why there are contrasting pod behaviors. Some believe it is because there are actually several species of orca, but more research must be conducted in order to test that theory.

In resident pods, killer whales of both genders will live with their mothers for their entire lives, forming matrilines. In this way, resident pods consist of very tight, stable bonds and can comprise of 10-50 whales. Offshore pods are also large, made up of 30-60 whales. Transient pods, on the other hand, tend to be smaller (around 2-5 whales), as offspring will generally leave the group when a sibling is born.

When females reach 6-10 years old, they are ready to bear young. Males need to be older to breed, roughly around 10-13 years of age.

Mating can take place at any time of year and only occurs between members of different pods to avoid interbreeding. After 17 months of gestation, calves are born in the water tail first. Female orcas can give birth every 3-10 years.

Newborns are very carefully protected within the pod. Often younger females will help new mothers protect their calves. Killer whales are also known to shelter injured or ill members of their pod from danger.

Conservation Status

At present killer whales are not endangered. They have not been widely hunted by humans but are susceptible to some of the same threats as other marine mammals, including pollution, overfishing of their prey, and habitat infringement. They live an average of 30 to 50 years in the wild.

What You Can Do to Help

You can help orcas by spreading awareness about their special abilities to hunt, communicate, and live cooperatively. Write to your legislator about preserving their ocean habitat and keeping it free from pollution.

Orca Range

Orca Resources

Blog Posts about the Killer Whale

About the Author

P.A. Smith is a middle school Language Arts teacher. He is also a contributing editor of My House Rabbit.

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Killer Whale Facts | Orca Facts for Kids

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Orcas, also known as killer whales, use echolocation to communicate with other members of their pod. Learn more orca facts at Animal Fact Guide!

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Newsela | Instructional Content Platform

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Newsela is an Instructional Content Platform that supercharges reading engagement and learning in every subject.

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Newsela | Instructional Content Platform

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Newsela is an Instructional Content Platform that supercharges reading engagement and learning in every subject.

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Explore National Geographic. A world leader in geography, cartography and exploration.

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Explore National Geographic. A world leader in geography, cartography and exploration.

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Learn interesting information about endangered animals for kids. Find out which animals are endangered and improve your knowledge with DK Find Out.

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Explore National Geographic. A world leader in geography, cartography and exploration.

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Newsela | Instructional Content Platform

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Newsela is an Instructional Content Platform that supercharges reading engagement and learning in every subject.

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Newsela | Instructional Content Platform

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Newsela is an Instructional Content Platform that supercharges reading engagement and learning in every subject.

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What are blue whales? Find out about the largest mammal on earth that lives in the ocean.

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Newsela | Baby giraffes get their spots from mom

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A new study finds that giraffes inherit their spot patterns from their mothers.

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Newsela | Instructional Content Platform

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Newsela is an Instructional Content Platform that supercharges reading engagement and learning in every subject.

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Newsela | Instructional Content Platform

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Newsela is an Instructional Content Platform that supercharges reading engagement and learning in every subject.

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Playing a major character in fairy tales and mythology throughout the ages, the gray wolf (or timber wolf) has been perceived in many different lights, from "Big, Bad Wolf" to spiritual being. In reality, gray wolves may not embody such extreme vices and virtues, but they do play a vital role in maintaining ecological harmony.

Although they are called gray wolves, these ancestors of domestic dogs actually range in color from brownish-gray, to all black, to all white.

Gray wolves are the largest of all canines. At 60-90 cm (2-3 ft.) at the shoulder and 1.5 m (4.5-6.5 ft.) in length, gray wolves vary in weight from 25-60 kg (55-130 lb.). They are also one of most widespread land mammals, inhabiting various ecosystems throughout North America, Europe, Asia, and a small portion of Africa. In general, gray wolves' size and weight increase the further north they reside.

Gray wolves are social animals, living and hunting in packs of 2-12. A typical pack is composed of an alpha male and an alpha female (the pack leaders), their pups, and several subordinate or juvenile wolves. The pack members exhibit close relationships and communicate with each other with a range of sounds including barks, whines, growls, and howls.

In general, only the dominant male and female breed to prevent the pack from becoming too large. The alpha couple will begin the bonding process early in the year and will mate in January or February. The alpha female then chooses a den site and gives birth to a litter of about six pups, who will reach maturity at 2-3 years old.

If a subordinate wolf feels a strong inclination to breed, and his/her attempts to mate are denied by the alpha pair, the subordinate wolf may leave the pack. However, leaving the safety of the group can prove to be a dangerous choice for the lone wolf, who may have to travel hundreds of miles to find a new territory and mate.

Gray wolves are known as keystone predators because they help maintain a balanced ecosystem. Their diet consists of ungulates (large hoofed mammals) such as elk, deer, moose, and caribou, as well as smaller mammals like beavers and rabbits. Because gray wolves eliminate only weak animals, herds become stronger and healthier as a whole. In fact, studies have shown that gray wolves have helped prevent the spread of chronic wasting disease, a contagious neurological disease, in deer.

Furthermore, in Yellowstone Park, researchers found that the presence of wolves forced herds of elk to move around more frequently, thereby allowing aspen and willow trees to flourish in areas where they had previously been overgrazed. This, in turn, resulted in the return of beavers and riparian birds to the region.

Conservation Status

According to IUCN's Red List, gray wolf populations have been determined to be stable in many parts of the world, including Asia, Europe, and northern North America. So on a global level, the gray wolf is considered a species of least concern. However, the gray wolf is considered very vulnerable of extinction on a regional level, due to loss of habitat, trapping, shooting, and poisoning.

What You Can Do to Help

If you would like to help gray wolves, there are several things you can do. You can "adopt" a wolf through organizations like Defenders of Wildlife or the National Wildlife Federation. These organizations support several initiatives that help gray wolves, such as banning aerial gunning in Alaska, fighting to preserve federal protections, and helping ranchers find effective ways to protect their livestock so they refrain from killing wolves.

You can also help by supporting gray wolf habitat protection.

Gray Wolf Distribution

Gray Wolf Resources

Blog Posts about the Gray Wolf

About the Author

Abi Cushman is a contributing editor of Animal Fact Guide and My House Rabbit. When she's not writing about weird animal facts, Abi writes and illustrates funny books for kids. Her picture books, and Animals Go Vroom!, are available now from Viking Children's Books.

To learn more and to download free activity sheets, visit www.abicushman.com. Follow her on Twitter at @AbiCushman and on Instagram at @Abi.Cushman.

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Gray Wolf Facts | Grey Wolves | Timber Wolf

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Gray wolves are known as keystone predators because they help maintain a balanced ecosystem. Learn more gray wolf facts at Animal Fact Guide!

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The emperor penguin is the largest of 17 species of penguin at 1.15 m (45 in.) tall. It is also the only animal to inhabit the open ice of Antarctica during the winter.

They face wind chills as cold as -60°C (-76°F) and blizzards of 200 km/h (124 mph). Despite such harsh conditions, emperor penguins spend their entire lives on the ice or in the surrounding waters of Antarctica.

To survive in this severely frigid climate, emperor penguins are equipped with several special adaptations. Four layers of scale-like feathers protect them from icy winds and provide a waterproof coat. The penguins can store large amounts of fat which insulates their bodies while also serving as a long-lasting energy source.

They have small bills and flippers, which helps to conserve heat, and special nasal chambers that minimize the heat normally emitted through exhalation. Because their arteries and veins are situated close together, emperor penguins have the ability to recycle their own body heat. With this system, blood is cooled down on the way to the penguins' extremities and warmed up on the way back to the heart.

Emperor penguins are also specially adapted to traveling in this extreme habitat. On the ice masses, they use strong claws on their feet to help grip the surface as they shuffle along. They also slide on their sleek bellies while pushing with their feet.

At sea, emperor penguins glide through the water with great speed and agility. Their aerodynamic bodies and strong flippers make them excellent swimmers, reaching speeds of 3.4 m/s (7.6 mph). They can dive deeper than any other bird - as deep as 565 m (1850 ft.) - and they can stay under for more than 20 minutes.

Although emperor penguins are effective hunters, they are also prey to a few Antarctic animals as well. Only a third of the juvenile penguins will make it to their first birthday, falling prey to seabirds like giant petrels or skuas. In the water, both juveniles and adults are eaten by leopard seals and killer whales.

Family Life

Every winter (which begins in March in Antarctica), emperor penguins traverse up to 80 km (50 mi.) across the ice to reach stable breeding grounds. Males arrive shortly before females, ready to attract a mate with displays and courtship calls. Emperor penguins are monogamous during each breeding season, choosing only one mate. Most will find a new mate the next year, but some pairs choose to form a bond again.

Once the egg is hatched, in May or June, the female will pass the egg to the male to incubate. She will make the long voyage back to the sea to feed on krill, squid, and fish.

As there are no nesting supplies available on the ice mass, emperor penguins must create a safe, warm environment for the eggs using their own bodies. Careful to keep the egg sheltered, the male will balance the egg on his feet and cover it with a warm layer of feathered skin called a brood pouch.

In the next couple months, the male emperor penguins must cope with the worst weather conditions on earth, all the while eating nothing. To withstand the harsh winds and blizzards, the penguins huddle together in groups. They take turns moving towards the inside of the pack, where it is warmer, thereby sustaining the entire group.

Once the females arrive back at the colony, they regurgitate food for the hatchings to eat. At this time, the males can finally return to sea to fish, and the females will continue care for the chicks. After a few months, the juveniles leave the shelter of their mothers' brood pouches and stay in chick groups called crèches. This allows the females to go fish.

In December, the weather warms in Antarctica, breaking up the outer ice and bringing the sea closer to the nesting sites. When the young penguins reach the water, they are nearly done with their moult, and they're ready to swim and fish on their own. Adult penguins begin their yearly moult once separated from their offspring. They store up body fat beforehand because it takes a lot of energy to replace all their feathers, and they are unable to fish because they lack waterproof protection. By January, the new plumage has grown in, and the hungry penguins take to the waters in groups to forage for the summer.

Conservation Status

According to the IUCN Red List, emperor penguins are considered near threatened. They currently have a large range and they live on average 15-20 years in the wild. However, emperor penguins face several threats due to human activity. Rising temperatures due to global warming will reduce emperor penguin breeding grounds and overfishing will limit their source of food. It is projected that their population will decline rapidly over the next three generations as a result of climate change.

Further, studies have shown the appearance of Infectious Bursal Disease Virus (IBDV) antibodies in emperor penguin chicks. IBDV is a highly contagious poultry disease that was most likely brought to Antarctica via humans exposed to infected birds. More studies are currently being conducted to measure the effect of the disease on emperor penguin populations.

What You Can Do to Help

If you would like to help emperor penguins, you can reduce carbon emissions which lead to global warming. Some measures include walking, biking or taking public transportation instead of driving, using energy saver appliances and light bulbs, buying locally grown produce, reducing your consumption of manufactured goods and packaging, recycling, and more. To learn more tips, see StopGlobalWarming.org.

You can also donate to charities to help preserve emperor penguin habitat or adopt a penguin through WWF.

Emperor Penguin Distribution

Emperor Penguin Resources

Blog Posts about the Emperor Penguin

About the Author

Abi Cushman is a contributing editor of Animal Fact Guide and My House Rabbit. When she's not writing about weird animal facts, Abi writes and illustrates funny books for kids. Her picture books, and Animals Go Vroom!, are available now from Viking Children's Books.

To learn more and to download free activity sheets, visit www.abicushman.com. Follow her on Twitter at @AbiCushman and on Instagram at @Abi.Cushman.

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Emperor Penguin Facts for Kids | Penguins Information

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Did you know emperor penguins can dive deeper than any other bird and can stay under water for more than 20 minutes? Learn more at Animal Fact Guide!

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What is an endangered animal? Learn that many species are in danger of becoming extinct. How can we help?

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Newsela | Instructional Content Platform

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Newsela is an Instructional Content Platform that supercharges reading engagement and learning in every subject.

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Newsela | Lemon sharks return to their birthplace to give birth

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Lemon sharks are the only known shark species that returns to the place of their birth, about 15 years later, to have fully developed live pups instead of hatched eggs.

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ReadWorks article - "Wise Old Whales"

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ReadWorks | Award-Winning, EdTech Nonprofit Organization

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ReadWorks is an edtech nonprofit organization that is committed to helping to solve America's reading comprehension crisis.

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Newsela | Instructional Content Platform

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Newsela is an Instructional Content Platform that supercharges reading engagement and learning in every subject.

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Newsela | Instructional Content Platform

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Newsela is an Instructional Content Platform that supercharges reading engagement and learning in every subject.

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Newsela | Surprise: Elephants comfort upset friends

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When an Asian elephant is upset, a friend or relative comes to calm them down.

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When you think of penguins, you may picture them surrounded by snow and ice. However, there is one species of penguins that is acclimated to warmer climates. African penguins live in colonies on the coast and islands of southern Africa.

Also called jackass penguins, they make donkey-like braying sounds to communicate. They can dive under water for up to 2.5 minutes while trying to catch small fish such as anchovies and sardines. They may also eat squid and crustaceans.

The African penguin averages about 60 cm (2 ft.) tall and weighs up to 3.6 kg (8 lb.). Their short tails and flipper-like wings that help them navigate in the water, while their webbed feet help propel them.

To keep dry and insulated in cold water, African penguins are covered in dense, water-proof feathers. These feathers are white on the belly and black on the back, which aids in camouflage. Their white belly will blend with the light when predators look up at them from below, and their black backs meld with the darker seas when predators look down on them from above.

African penguins breed within their colonies; they do not travel to give birth. The penguins nest in burrows they dig out of their own excrement, called guano, or in areas under boulders or bushes. Recent removal of the guano for fertilizer has forced the penguins to change their habits and nest primarily under bushes and boulders. Their nests protect eggs and chicks from the sun and from predators like cats and seagulls. Eggs are laid in pairs and both parents help incubate them. Both parents also feed the newly-born chicks. After 2-4 years, the chicks will mature and lay their own eggs.

Conservation Status

African penguins can live for an average of 10-15 years, however many do not reach their full life span, and populations have been steadily decreasing. The loss of nesting places due to guano removal has contributed to the population decline as well as a decrease of food due to overfishing and pollution. As such, African penguins are now considered endangered by IUCN's Red List. This means there is a high risk they may become extinct.

What You Can Do to Help

If you would like to help the African penguin, you can volunteer, donate, or adopt a penguin through the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds.

African Penguin Distribution

Penguin Resources

Blog Posts about the African Penguin

About the Author

P.A. Smith is a middle school Language Arts teacher. He is also a contributing editor of My House Rabbit.

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African Penguin Facts | Jackass Penguins

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Also known as jackass penguins, African penguins make donkey-like braying sounds. Learn more interesting African penguin facts at Animal Fact Guide.

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5 Animals that could go extinct in your lifetime

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5 Animals that could go extinct in your lifetime

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5 Incredible Animals That Could Go Extinct In Your Lifetime | BBC Earth

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They taste with their feet and have a suction tube for a mouth. Butterflies are amazing! They are found in every habitat from tropical forests to deserts to grasslands to tundra! You can see them almost anywhere in the world, because they live on every continent except Antarctica.

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Few creatures strike more fear in humans than the great white shark. In reality, great white shark attacks on humans are rare - and it is even rarer for one of these attacks to be fatal. However, the size of the great white shark and its efficiency as a predator add to the perpetuation of this unnecessary fear.

The great white shark averages 4.5 m (15 ft.) in length, but some have been recorded as large as 6 m (20 ft.) long! They generally weigh up to 2250 kg (5000 lb.).

Great white sharks are blue-gray on the dorsal, or top, part of their bodies. This helps them blend in with the bottom of the ocean when viewed from above. The belly, or ventral, part of the body, is white. This makes it difficult to see the sharks from below, with sunlight shining in around them. They have strong, torpedo-shaped bodies and powerful tails that help them swim. Great whites can reach speeds up to 24 km/hr (15 mph).

Great whites use their speed and coloring to help them hunt. They search for prey at the surface of the ocean while swimming below. Once they spot a target, they use a burst of speed to bump their prey while simultaneously biting it. They have several rows of teeth that can number into the thousands. As teeth fall out, they are rapidly replaced by those in the row behind them. These sharp, serrated teeth can be devastating. A single, large bite can be fatal.

When great white sharks are young, they feed on smaller prey, like fish and rays. As they grow larger, they feed more exclusively on marine mammals, such as sea lions, seals and small whales.

The great white is at the top of the food chain and has few threats in the ocean. Only orcas and larger sharks can pose a risk. The only other risk to the great white shark is human interaction. They are sometimes caught by accident in fishing nets or intentionally sought out by sport fisherman. Their jaws and fins are sold for considerable amounts of money.

Not much is known about the mating habits of great white sharks. What is known is that after mating the female develops several eggs which hatch in her womb. The newly-hatched shark pups feed on unfertilized eggs in the womb as they develop before being born. In general, the mother gives birth to a litter of two to ten pups, each of which average 1.5 m (5 ft.) in length. Male great whites reach maturity at 9-10 years of age. Females mature even later, between 14 and 16 years of age. Female sharks are thought to give birth once every couple years, but even that is uncertain.

Great whites spend their time in temperate waters all over the world, although they have been known to make brief trips into colder water in the north. They live in the upper part of the ocean, towards the surface, and close to the shore, where sunlight shines through and prey is available.

Conservation Status

The great white shark is listed as vulnerable by the IUCN Red List, but it is on the cusp of being labeled endangered due to overfishing.

What You Can Do to Help

You can help great white sharks by not purchasing great white jaws or items made from their fins.

Great White Shark Distribution

Great White Shark Resources

Blog Posts about the Great White Shark

About the Author

P.A. Smith is a middle school Language Arts teacher. He is also a contributing editor of My House Rabbit.

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Great white sharks have several rows of sharp, serrated teeth that can number into the thousands. Learn more about great whites at Animal Fact Guide.

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What's Inside

SuperSTEM makes it easy to infuse STEM learning into any instructional block and curriculum-all year long. Aligned to the NGSS and other standards, our interdisciplinary lessons build content-area knowledge, academic and domain vocabulary, and cross-curricular skills.

Deepen knowledge with fascinating videos, build skills with interactive activities, and support every reader with rich multigenre texts and robust differentiation tools.

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Scholastic SuperSTEM | Where Stories Power Problem Solving in Grades 3-6

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Scholastic's SuperSTEM magazine captures the excitement of science, technology, engineering, and math in your classroom with powerful blended-learning resources.

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At an average height of around 5 m (16-18 ft.), the giraffe is the tallest land animal in the world.

Characterized by its long legs, long neck, and distinctive spotted pattern, many people first believed the giraffe was a cross between a leopard and a camel, which is reflected in its scientific name, Giraffa camelopardalis.

Giraffes live primarily in savanna areas in the sub-Saharan region of Africa. Their extreme height allows them to eat leaves and shoots located much higher than other animals can reach. In particular, they seek out acacia trees. Their long tongues are helpful in eating because they help pull leaves from the trees. Spending most of the day eating, a full-grown giraffe consumes over 45 kg (100 lb.) of leaves and twigs a day.

The male giraffe is both taller and heavier than the female. Both sexes have skin-covered knobs, called ossicones, on the top of their heads. Female ossicones are smaller and have a small tuft of fur on top, while male ossicones are bald on the top. These knobs are used to protect the head when males fight, which involves swinging their necks at each other in a show of strength called "necking."

When giraffes walk, they move both legs on one side of their body and then both legs on the other side, which is unusual. However, they run in a similar style to other mammals, swinging their rear legs and front legs in unison. They can reach 55 km/h (35 mph) at full speed but only in brief spurts.

Giraffes sleep less than two hours a day. In general, they sleep with their feet tucked under them and their head resting on their hindquarters, but they can also sleep for short periods of time standing up.

Female giraffes can become pregnant at 5 years old. They carry a baby for 15 months and give birth while standing up. Newborns are about 2 m (6 ft.) tall and weigh 70 kg (150 lb.).

They live up to 25 years in the wild.

Conservation Status

Giraffes are classified by IUCN's Red List as vulnerable of extinction. After researchers surveyed the population in trucks, by foot, by aircraft, and by remote cameras, they confirmed the number of giraffes has plummeted 40% since 1985. With some subspecies, such as the reticulated giraffe, the situation is even more dire, with their population declining by nearly 80%.

Giraffes face several threats, including loss of habitat due to logging for firewood. They are also hunted for their meat, hides, and tails, which are valued by many African tribes.

What You Can Do to Help

To help preserve giraffe populations, boycott products made with giraffe body parts and encourage others to do the same.

Giraffe Distribution

Giraffe Resources

Blog Posts about the Giraffe

About the Author

P.A. Smith is a middle school Language Arts teacher. He is also a contributing editor of My House Rabbit.

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Spending most of the day eating, a full-grown giraffe consumes over 45 kg (100 lb) of leaves and twigs a day. Learn more giraffe facts at Animal Fact Guide!

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Weighing up to 6000 kg (6.6 tons) and measuring up to 3.3 m (10 ft.) at the shoulder, the African elephant is the world's largest land mammal. It is characterized by its highly dexterous trunk, long curved tusks, and massive ears.

A combination of the upper lip and nose, an African elephant's trunk is extremely versatile. Elephants use their trunk for smelling, breathing, detecting vibrations, caressing their young, sucking up water, and grasping objects. The tip of their trunk is comprised of two opposable extensions, or fingers, which allow for extreme dexterity.

Both male and female elephants possess tusks, which are modified incisor teeth. Although tusks are present at birth, the "baby tusks" fall out after a year, and permanent ones replace them. These tusks will continue to grow throughout the elephant's life. Similar to the trunk, elephant tusks are utilized in a wide range of activities. They are used for digging, foraging, and fighting. At times, they also act as a resting place for the elephant's very heavy trunk.

An African elephant's large ears also serve many purposes. The ears' large surface area helps radiate excess heat under the harsh African sun. The ears are also often used to communicate visually. Flapping their ears can signify either aggression or joy. And finally, elephants' ears, used in conjunction with the soles of their feet and their trunk, aid in the ability to hear sounds over long distances. On average, an elephant can hear another elephant's call at 4 km (2.5 mi.) away. Under ideal conditions, their range of hearing can be increased to 10 km (6.2 mi.).

Although elephants can make a very wide range of sounds (10 octaves), they mostly communicate through low frequency sounds called "rumbling." In fact, elephants are capable of producing and perceiving sounds one to two octaves lower than the human hearing limit. As lower frequency sounds travel farther than their higher counterparts, their range of communication is extensive. Furthermore, elephants have the ability to judge the distance from another elephant based on the pitch of his/her call. As the sound travels over distances, the higher tones will fade out, leaving a lower pitch.

Aside from their ability to learn through watching and mimicking, African elephants also possess other very human qualities. Their great capacity for compassion is demonstrated as they care for the wounded and grieve the deceased. Their developed sense of memory allows them not only to remember lost loved ones, but also to harbor grudges, and recognize long-lost friends. Upon the return of a friend, elephants take part in a joyous greeting ceremony where they spin in circles, flap their ears, and trumpet.

Having adapted to life across Africa's diverse ecosystems, the African elephant plays a vital role in maintaining ecological harmony. African elephants ingest plants and fruits, walk for miles, and excrete the seeds in fertile dung piles. In this way, new plants can grow in different areas and can cross fertilize. In fact, 90 different tree species rely on the elephant for propagation. African elephants also dig holes to expose underground springs. This allows smaller animals to access water in drier times.

Family Life

Elephants rely on a social network for survival. The sustaining social unit is a herd of mothers and their young, sisters, and female cousins, led by an older matriarch.

Male elephants will leave the herd at around 14 years old when they hit puberty. They then join a loose-knit band of other bull elephants, leaving the bachelor herd at will to search for potential mates. Upon successful mating, the male elephant will move on to other herds, and the female will start a 22-month gestation period.

When the calf is born, aunts, sisters, and cousins all help care for the newborn. In this way, all the elephants of the herd learn essential lessons in rearing a baby. And since elephants only give birth once every 5 years, successfully raising their offspring is critical to their survival.

Conservation Status

As African elephants act as a keystone species, it is vital to take steps in their conservation. Poaching and urban sprawl pose a massive threat to their survival. As such, the African elephant is classified as a vulnerable species under IUCN's Red List.

What You Can Do to Help

There are several ways to help support African elephants. One way is to participate in eco-tourism. Boosting Africa's economy through eco-tourism helps placate local residents who view elephants as pests.

The illegal ivory trade has skyrocketed in recent years. Decreasing the demand for ivory is essential. Never buy, sell, or wear ivory. Write to your politicians to speak out against poaching. (Americans can write a letter to the Secretary of State on the Wildlife Conservation Society website.) For information on organizations that combat the illegal ivory trade, see National Geographic's page, Blood Ivory: How to Help.

In addition, you can help provide captive elephants with the best possibly life. Boycott circuses, whose unethical treatment includes chaining elephants up by their feet and trunks, as well as beating them frequently. Encourage zoos to create environments similar to African elephants' native habitat. They should be able to encompass elephant families and their travel patterns, and they should be located in a warm climate so that the elephants can spend all year outside.

African Elephant Distribution

Elephant Resources

Blog Posts about the African Elephant

About the Author

Abi Cushman is a contributing editor of Animal Fact Guide and My House Rabbit. When she's not writing about weird animal facts, Abi writes and illustrates funny books for kids. Her picture books, and Animals Go Vroom!, are available now from Viking Children's Books.

To learn more and to download free activity sheets, visit www.abicushman.com. Follow her on Twitter at @AbiCushman and on Instagram at @Abi.Cushman.

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African Elephant Facts for Kids | Elephants | African Animals

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Did you know that elephants hold grudges? Learn more interesting African elephant facts at Animal Fact Guide.

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Learn about the Red Wolf. Endangered predator of the eastern United States lives and hunts in packs.

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Not all penguins live where it's cold-African penguins live at the southern tip of Africa. Like other penguins, African penguins spend most of the day feeding in the ocean, and that helps keep them cool. Their land habitat can get quite warm, but bare skin on their legs and around their eyes helps them stay cool.

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username: tumble735
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TumbleBookLibrary is a curated database of children's e-books, available by subscription to Elementary Schools and Public Libraries around the world. TumbleBookLibrary Premium has over 1100 titles for grades K-6, and includes our unique animated, talking picture books, read-along chapter books, non fiction books and videos, curated playlists, as well as books in Spanish and French.

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This page contains giraffe facts for kids (and adults). With their distinctive long necks and legs, giraffes are the tallest land animals in the world. They grace the African savannah with their unique beauty and peaceful, social demeanor. Let us explore the height, appetite, and life of this gentle giant. Read on for more interesting facts about giraffes...

Facts About Giraffes

Where Do Giraffes Live?

Giraffes are native to Africa, and are found between Chad and South Africa. They live wherever acacia trees are in abundance, and spend much of their time feasting on the leaves of this tree. Giraffes eat about 100 lbs of greens every day.

Giraffes use their 21-inch long tongues to wrap around the leaves, pulling them from the tree. Because the leaves contain so much water, giraffes only need to drink water from the watering hole once every several days. This is a good thing, because when the giraffe stoops to drink water, they put themselves in a compromising position with their spread-out legs, making them a target for predators such as the crocodile.

How Tall Are Giraffes?

Giraffes range in size from 16-18 feet tall. They weigh between 1,600lbs and 3,000lbs, with the males weighing almost 1,000lbs more than the females. Their necks and legs are both around six feet long, the height of a tall man. With their long legs, they are able to run up to 35 miles per hour. In fact, the name giraffe means "fast walker."

Ossicones: Giraffe Horns

On top of their heads are two horns, called ossicones, which are made of cartilage. One way you can tell the difference between a female and male giraffe (besides their size) is that the female's ossicones will be covered with hair, while the male's ossicones are bare. The males use their ossicones to spar with one another; they also fight with each other by "necking" when they swing their heads at each other and tangle their necks together.

Giraffe Markings

No two giraffes have the same markings, although those found in the same region will have a similar appearance. With their leopard-like markings and the small hump on their backs, giraffes used to be called camel-leopards, which is why they are of the species Camelopardalis. Their coloring varies from tan to yellow to white, with reddish to chestnut-brown spots.

Family Life

Giraffes are not territorial, although they live in groups (called a "tower") of 12-15 giraffes, with an older male (bull) leading them. The females (cows) carry one baby at a time for 15 months before giving birth. When the calf is born to the standing mother, it falls nearly five feet to the ground- ouch! Recovering quickly, they are up and walking within the first hour, running after ten hours. These "babies" are nearly six feet tall at birth, weighing 100-150lbs.

Those first weeks are a dangerous time for the new calf and its mother. She keeps her baby away from the tower in a nursery group with other calves, shielding him from predators. Only about half of newborn giraffes survive, though. At three to six years, they reach maturity, and they can live as long as 25 years.

Giraffe Adaptations

Giraffes have several adaptations, here are five of the most interesting:

1. The giraffe has special valves to protect its brain and keep it from blacking out when it lowers its head to drink; they both constrict and release blood flow.

2. Their height and excellent vision enable them to communicate with each other over long distances and to anticipate predators.

3. Their strong legs are a great defense against their primary predator, the lion. They have been known to shatter the skull of a lion with just one kick!

4. The giraffe has thick, sticky saliva that protects it from the thorny branches of the acacia tree.

5. The giraffe's uniquely patterned spots provide a camouflage in the grassland environment.

The Rothschild Giraffe

One of the tallest subspecies of giraffes, the Rothschild Giraffe (named after Lord Walter Rothschild), stands nearly 20 feet tall and weighs up to 2500 pounds. Rothschild Giraffes are primarily found in one of two wildlife refuges in the Lake Baringo region of Kenya, which is why they are referred to as the Baringo Giraffe. However, they are also seen in the eastern part of Uganda.

Rothschild giraffes live in a variety of habitats, including wooded areas and along the Sahara Desert.

Unfortunately, they are in danger of extinction. Due to the extreme poaching habits of hunters in Kenya, there are only 670 left in the wild today.

The Rothschild giraffe has several distinctive features that separate it from the other species. To begin, they can have up to five horns, instead of the customary two. An additional horn can be found in the center of their head with two more behind it. Also, their markings are different from other subspecies of giraffes; they are similar to that of a leopard, in beautiful orange and brown markings. They have dark patches on a white background. These markings stop at the top of their legs, turning into increasingly spread out speckles that end in pure white at the knee or below. Finally, the males and females live separately unless they are mating.

Giraffe Facts For Kids

1. There are nine subspecies of giraffes.

2. The giraffe and okapi are the only two members of the Giraffidae family.

3. The giraffe is a ruminant animal. This means they regurgitate their food, chewing it over and over again, like a cow. They also have four chambers in their stomach, like the cow.

4. Giraffes can drink 10 gallons of water at a time.

5. In order to pump blood through their long, large bodies, giraffes have an equally large heart. It weighs 22-24lbs and beats 170 times per minute.

6. The giraffe moves at two rates: an amble (about 10 mph) and the gallop (up to 35mph). Their front and back legs on one side move together, followed by the front and back legs on the other side. When they gallop, their back legs will pass in front of the front legs.

7. The giraffe's tongue is a blue-black color.

8. A giraffe's lungs can hold 12 gallons of air.

9. Giraffes only sleep for 20 minutes to 2 hours every day.

10. Giraffes can't swim.

Discover More with Active Wild

We hope that you have enjoyed these giraffe facts for kids. You can discover more amazing African animals on this page: African Animals List with Pictures and Facts

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Giraffe Facts For Kids: Information & Pictures from Active Wild

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Giraffe information & facts for kids. Learn about this graceful African animal. Where do giraffes live? How tall are they? The Rothschild giraffe & more.

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THE BIGGER THE BETTER

Asian elephants live in the tropical forests and grasslands of Southeast Asia. They're a little smaller than African elephants but can grow nine feet tall and weigh nearly six tons. That's heavier than two medium-size cars! Even newborns are on the hefty side, weighing some 200 pounds. Given their size it's no surprise that these guys are big on food. Adults can eat 300 pounds in one day, nearly 75 times what the average human eats! An Asian elephant's ideal meal includes roots, grasses, fruit, and bark.

Much of an Asian elephant's time is spent searching for grub. In fact the animal may travel 50 miles a day to find food. Asian elephants also enjoy taking dips in the water. To cool down their backsides, the animals will fill their trunks with water and spray it over themselves like a hose.

SOCIAL NETWORK

Asian elephants are gentle and super-social. Related females live with their young in herds. (Adult males go off on their own.) To communicate with each other they use rumbles, bellows, growls, and moans. Some of their vocalizations can be heard more than a mile away. Talk about a long-distance call!

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A three-foot-deep watering hole in northeast India hums with buzzing insects and chirping birds. Suddenly seven Asian elephants stomp through the grass surrounding the pool and splash into the water. It's bath time for the herd. THE BIGGER THE BETTER Asian elephants live in the tropical forests and grasslands of Southeast Asia.

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How do butterflies fly? Why are butterflies called butterflies? How do airplanes fly? If gravity pulls everything down, how do planes and rockets get up in the air? Why do planes have engines and how do they make them? We're visiting ECHO, the Leahy Center for Lake Champlain and the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum for answers.

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‎But Why: A Podcast for Curious Kids: How Do Butterflies Fly? on Apple Podcasts

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How do butterflies fly? Why are butterflies called butterflies? How do airplanes fly? If gravity pulls everything down, how do planes and rockets get up in the air? Why do planes have engines and how do they make them? We're visiting ECHO, the Leahy Center for Lake Champlain and the Smithsonian Nati...

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The Emberá of South America use the frogs' poison to coat the tips of the blow darts they use for hunting. You'll also hear poison frogs called "poison arrow frogs," but that's not accurate. The South American tribes that hunt with arrows usually coat their arrow tips with plant poisons, not frog poisons.

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When an elephant drinks, it sucks as much as 2 gallons (7.5 liters) of water into its trunk at a time. Then it curls its trunk under, sticks the tip of its trunk into its mouth, and blows. Out comes the water, right down the elephant's throat.

Since African elephants live where the sun is usually blazing hot, they use their trunks to help them keep cool. First they squirt a trunkful of cool water over their bodies. Then they often follow that with a sprinkling of dust to create a protective layer of dirt on their skin. Elephants pick up and spray dust the same way they do water-with their trunks.

Elephants also use their trunks as snorkels when they wade in deep water. An elephant's trunk is controlled by many muscles. Two fingerlike parts on the tip of the trunk allow the elephant to perform delicate maneuvers such as picking a berry from the ground or plucking a single leaf off a tree. Elephants can also use its trunk to grasp an entire tree branch and pull it down to its mouth and to yank up clumps of grasses and shove the greenery into their mouths.

When an elephant gets a whiff of something interesting, it sniffs the air with its trunk raised up like a submarine periscope. If threatened, an elephant will also use its trunk to make loud trumpeting noises as a warning.

Elephants are social creatures. They sometimes hug by wrapping their trunks together in displays of greeting and affection. Elephants also use their trunks to help lift or nudge an elephant calf over an obstacle, to rescue a fellow elephant stuck in mud, or to gently raise a newborn elephant to its feet. And just as a human baby sucks its thumb, an elephant calf often sucks its trunk for comfort. One elephant can eat 300 pounds (136 kilograms) of food in one day.

People hunt elephants mainly for their ivory tusks. Adult females and young travel in herds, while adult males generally travel alone or in groups of their own.

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When an elephant drinks, it sucks as much as 2 gallons (7.5 liters) of water into its trunk at a time. Then it curls its trunk under, sticks the tip of its trunk into its mouth, and blows. Out comes the water, right down the elephant's throat.

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Western states try to solve wolf problem

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Western states try to solve wolf problem

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Newsela | Giraffe populations dwindling, considered for “endangered” status

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Giraffe populations are declining and may join the “endangered” species list.

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These turtles are found nesting along the coastline of more than 80 countries, with the largest nesting populations found in Costa Rica and Australia.

Green sea turtles spend most of their lives underwater, where they can rest for up to five hours at a time before coming up for air. When active, they typically alternate between being underwater for a few minutes and coming up to the surface to breathe air for a few seconds. Green sea turtles are also known to sunbathe on land.

Unlike most other sea turtles, adult green sea turtles eat a primarily plant-based diet consisting of seaweed and sea grass. Scientists believe these green foods give the sea turtle's fat its green color. The shell of the green sea turtle is usually shades of a brown or olive color.

Similar to other sea turtles, green sea turtles migrate long distances between their feeding grounds and their nesting sites, with recorded distances longer than 1,615 miles (2,600 kilometers). They have strong paddlelike flippers that help propel them through the water.

Female green sea turtles leave the water in order to lay eggs on the beach and will choose the same nesting spot as where they were born. A female will dig out a nest with her flippers and lay a clutch of about 115 eggs. Then she'll cover the eggs with sand and return to the sea. After about two months, the babies will use a special "egg tooth" to break their shells and hatch from their eggs.

The first few years of a green sea turtle's life are spent floating at sea, where they feed on plankton. As they grow older, the turtles move to shallow waters along the coast, such as bays and lagoons, where they find sea grass to eat.

Adult green sea turtles face many threats, primarily from humans, including injuries from boat propellers, being caught in fishing nets, pollution, and poaching. Newly hatched sea turtles are also at risk of being hunted by animals such as birds, crabs, and raccoons as they move from their nests out to the sea.

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Green sea turtles are the world's largest species of hard-shelled sea turtle. While most individuals weigh about 300 to 400 pounds (136 to 181 kilograms), some can be as heavy as 440 pounds (204 kilograms). These turtles are found nesting along the coastline of more than 80 countries, with the largest nesting populations found in Costa Rica and Australia.

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Bullfrogs live in freshwater ponds, lakes, and marshes. The male bullfrog’s call is deep and loud. Jug-o-rum, jug-o-rum, it calls. Some people think it sounds like a cow mooing, which is why the frog has “bull” in its name. Walking through a marsh or near a pond, you might hear a whole chorus of the…

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Explore National Geographic. A world leader in geography, cartography and exploration.

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Giraffes are the tallest land animals. A giraffe could look into a second-story window without even having to stand on its tiptoes! A giraffe's 6-foot-long neck weighs about 600 pounds. The legs of a giraffe are also 6 feet long. The back legs look shorter than the front legs, but they are about the same length.

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NOVA scienceNOW | How Smart Are Dolphins? | Season 5 | Episode 4 | PBS

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These brainy marine mammals can "read," plan ahead, and communicate in astounding ways.

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At first glance, African elephants look similar to Asian elephants, but they are different species that live in different parts of the world. Here are some helpful clues for telling the 2 species apart: African elephants have very large ears that are shaped like the continent of Africa, while Asian elephants have smaller ears.

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March of the Penguins (2/4) Movie CLIP - Life Under the Sea (2005) HD

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Scientists use drones to help count hard to find endangered animals

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NatGeoKids: 10 Totally Awesome Facts About Turtles

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NatGeoKids: 10 Totally Awesome Facts About Turtles

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Find amazing facts about animals, science, history and geography, along with fun competitions, games and more. Visit National Geographic Kids today!

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A female red-eyed tree frog has laid a batch of eggs on a leaf. She chose the spot carefully-the leaf hangs over a pond.

When the eggs are ready to hatch, the tadpoles inside start swirling around vigorously. The activity breaks each egg open, releasing the little tadpoles. All the tadpoles wash down the leaf in a little stream of moisture from the hatching eggs, and-plop! plop! plop!-they land in the pond below.

Feeding on tiny insects, the tadpoles live in the water they fell into until they metamorphose, or develop, into little brown froglets. At this point they leave the water and climb up nearby trees to live as tree frogs.

By the time they're adults, the frogs have turned a striking green, with blue-and-yellow striped sides, orange or red feet, a flash of blue on their thighs, and big red eyes. The bright colors are a defense mechanism.

Being green helps the red-eyed tree frog blend in with tree leaves. If the green camouflage fails and a predator spots a sleeping frog, it swoops in for what it thinks will be a tasty meal. But the awakened frog's eyes pop open, revealing their startling bright red color!

Also, when the frog rushes to get away, it untucks its brightly colored legs. The predator is often so surprised by these sudden flashes of color that it is momentarily confused and hesitates. And while it does, the frog has a split second to make its escape!

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A female red-eyed tree frog has laid a batch of eggs on a leaf. She chose the spot carefully-the leaf hangs over a pond. When the eggs are ready to hatch, the tadpoles inside start swirling around vigorously. The activity breaks each egg open, releasing the little tadpoles.

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Leopard sharks inhabit a narrow band of ocean and inlet areas in the Pacific Ocean between Oregon and the Gulf of Mexico. They are some of the most common sharks found along the coast of California. These sharks have dark, saddle-shaped splotches along the fins and upper body.

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Giraffes grow about 4 feet (1.2 meters) in their first year of life. A newborn giraffe is about 6 feet (1.9 meters) tall at birth and weighs about 150 pounds (68 kilograms). Many young giraffes, called calves, die from lion attacks during their first year of life. Once a giraffe reaches adulthood it…

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Newsela is an Instructional Content Platform that supercharges reading engagement and learning in every subject.

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Newsela | Instructional Content Platform

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Newsela is an Instructional Content Platform that supercharges reading engagement and learning in every subject.

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Learn the life-cycle of amphibians, those super-adaptable creatures that include frogs, toads, salamanders, and newts. Ribbit!

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Giraffes are the world's tallest animals. Learn about this protected species found in Africa.

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Newsela | Instructional Content Platform

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Podcast: Why do giraffes have purple tongues?

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Podcast: Why do giraffes have purple tongues?

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We're exploring two different animals in today's episode. One has a long neck and the other has a long trunk! We'll answer: Why are elephants so big? How do their trunks work? Why do they have tusks? Why is elephant skin so rough? Do elephants stomp? Are they actually afraid of mice? And Why are elephants being poached? Peter Wrege of the Elephant Listening Project, which studies elephants in Central African Republic, answers elephant questions. And Steph Fennessy, from the Giraffe Conservation Foundation in Namibia, answers these questions about giraffes: Why do giraffes have long necks? Why do animals have different patterns, like zebras, giraffes, cheetah? What's a giraffe's usual life span? And why are their tongues purple?

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why do elephants have trunks? why do giraffes have purple tongues?

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‎But Why: A Podcast for Curious Kids: Why Do Elephants Have Trunks? Why Do Giraffes Have Purple Tongues? on Apple Podcasts

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
We're exploring two different animals in today's episode. One has a long neck and the other has a long trunk! We'll answer: Why are elephants so big? How do their trunks work? Why do they have tusks? Why is elephant skin so rough? Do elephants stomp? Are they actually afraid of mice?

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Cetaceanhabitat.org focuses on the habitat needs of whales, dolphins and porpoises and the creation and management of marine protected areas for cetaceans; it contains a directory of all MPAs and sanctuaries worldwide that feature or include cetacean habitat. The site also contains the latest news on campaigns, proposals and developments relating to marine habitat conservation.

Follow the links below for more information on:

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Cetacean Habitat - Marine Protected Areas

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Cetaceanhabitat.org focuses on the habitat needs of whales, dolphins and porpoises and the creation and management of marine protected areas for cetaceans; it contains a directory of all MPAs and sanctuaries worldwide that feature or include cetacean habitat. The site also contains the latest news on campaigns, proposals and developments relating to marine habitat conservation.