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All About Frogs for Kids - Facts About Frogs and Toads for Children: FreeSchool

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What Is A Platypus? - The Dr. Binocs Show | Best Learning Videos For Kids | Peekaboo Kidz

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The platypus is an unusual mammal of eastern Australia and Tasmania. The platypus and its relatives the echidnas are the only mammals that lay eggs. The platypus also looks odd. It has a "bill" and webbed feet like a duck and a flat tail like a beaver. The platypus is sometimes called a duckbill. Its scientific name is Ornithorhyncus anatinus.

The platypus has a squat body with short legs. It is about 15 to 24 inches (38 to 60 centimeters) long, including the tail. It has thick brown fur.

Male platypuses have a sharp spur on each back foot. The spurs are connected to glands that make poison. The males use their spurs to fight each other, especially during mating season. The poison can cause great pain.

The platypus lives in and near rivers and lakes. It eats insects, worms, shellfish, fish, frogs, mollusks, and tadpoles. The amount of food it eats every day is almost equal to its own weight.

About two weeks after mating, a female platypus lays one to three eggs. The babies hatch about 6 to 10 days later. Like other mammals, the mother feeds her babies with milk. Platypuses can live for 10 to 15 years or more.

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The platypus is an unusual mammal of eastern Australia and Tasmania. The platypus and its relatives the echidnas are the only mammals that lay eggs. The platypus also looks odd. It has a "bill" and webbed feet like a duck and a flat tail like a beaver.

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ANIMAL TALES WITH TIM FAULKNER | EPISODE TWO | TASMANIAN DEVILS

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Interesting Facts about the Tasmanian Devil

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Macaws and Other Pet Birds | Wild Pets at the Vet

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Hawksbill Sea Turtle Facts! Plus Animal Rescue In Action!

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How Do Honeybees Get Their Jobs? | National Geographic

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Why are honey bees dying? | #aumsum #kids #science #education #children

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Busy Bees! | Bumblebees and Honeybees | Amazing Animals | SciShow Kids

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All About Koalas for Kids: Koalas for Children - FreeSchool

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Numbat facts: also known as banded anteaters | Animal Fact Files

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ANIMAL TALES WITH TIM FAULKNER | EPISODE 41 | NUMBATS!

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ZooBorns Australia! Episode 9 - Numbats!

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The echidna's digging ability is usually its best bet. Some say it can dig a hole just as fast as a human using a shovel can! The echidna digs straight into the dirt until only a spiny rear end can be seen, making it almost impossible for a predator to grab and pull it out.

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Crocodiles are lizardlike, flesh-eating animals. They are the largest living members of the group of animals called reptiles. They are related to alligators. Where Crocodiles...

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There's more to these Aussie animals than meets the eye! So come on gang, let's find out some fantastic facts about wombats...
Facts about wombats...

1) Wombats are marsupials

Like their tree-climbing cousin, thekoala, wombats are marsupials. This means that they are part of a particular group of mammals, who have pouches where their newborn young develop.

Wombat babies are born super small and helpless, so the pouch is a safe place for them to grow up and get ready for the world!

Did you know? Kangaroos, koalas, and wombats might not look alike, but they're all marsupials! Plus, their adorable babies are all known as joeys.

2) There are three different species of wombat

These are the common wombat (also known as the bare-nosed wombat), the Southern hairy-nosed wombat, and the Northern hairy-nosed wombat. All three species live in Australia, including on the island of Tasmania. They have a variety of habitats, including mountains, forests, and grasslands!

3) Wombats aren't as small as you might think!

An adult wombat usually grows to about a metre long - the same as a medium-sized dog. They can weigh up to 40 kilograms, and have wide, strong feet which are great for digging!

As well as being bigger than expected, wombats alsolive for a surprisingly long time. The oldest wombat ever, a large male known as Patrick, was 32 when he died!

4) Wombats are mostly nocturnal

These clever critters spend their nights foraging for food, or digging new tunnels, entrances, or exits for their ever-expanding burrows! They are herbivores, so most of their time is spent grazing on native grasses.

Wombats usually spend their days tucked away in their underground homes. However, they do sometimes come out to sunbathe and warm up, especially when the weather is very cold.

5) Wombats can run at speeds of up to 40km per hour!

Good luck stopping a rampaging wombat! These amazing animals can move surprisingly quickly when they need to, and can sustain this speed for up to 90 seconds. There are even reports of humans being knocked over by charging wombats!

6) Wombat poo is cube-shaped (yes, really!)

A wombat's intestines have a curious ability - they shape their poop into angular cubes.

Wombats often mark their territory using their poo, and so scientists believe that the square-sided shape is designed to stop the poop from rolling away, ensuring the smelly signals stay put!

7) During bushfires, wombat burrows become places of shelter for many other animals

Wombat burrows, known as warrens, can be huge! These underground homes can contain tunnels over 200 metres long.

And these warrens don't just serve as homes for wombats - they can become vital shelters for other small mammals, too. During bushfires, the tunnels stay cool, offering protection from the flames. Rock wallabies, bettongs, skinks and even little penguins have been seen using wombat warrens to escape fires, or hide from predators.

A black-footed wallaby was once spotted using a wombat burrow even more than the wombat owner. This sneaky intruder visited nearly 2,000 times in eight weeks!

8) In prehistoric times, herds of giant wombats roamed Australia!

These mega-marsupials formed a group of animals called Diprotodon, which lived in Australia during the Ice Age. Diprotodons were about 1.8 metres tall and weighed as much as 2,800 kilograms - roughly the same as a rhinoceros!

9) Their pouches face backwards

Most marsupials have their pouches on their fronts, but wombats have theirs facing backwards. This protects wombat joeys in the pouch from being sprayed with dirt, while their mother digs in the ground.

10) The Northern hairy-nosed wombat, is critically endangered

Sadly, there are only 115 Northern hairy-nosed wombats left on Earth. Due to food shortages and droughts, this super species has been driven out of their historic habitats. They now live in just two tiny locations in Queensland, Australia.

Luckily, conservationists are working hard to help. In the 1980s, just 35 Northern hairy-nosed wombats were left alive - so things are already improving!

Thank you to Jeremie Barnier, Alois Bühlmann, Laura Barry, Meg Jerrard, and Nico Smit for the images used in this article.

We hope you enjoyed our facts about wombats! Did you learn anything new? Let us know in the comments below.

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10 facts about wombats! - National Geographic Kids

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These cool critters are cleverer than they look! Discover their digging habits, ancient ancestors and more, in our ten facts about wombats...

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Wombats are sturdy animals that are built for digging. They belong to the group of animals called marsupials. Where Wombats Live The three species, or types, of wombat, all...

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Thylacine was a carnivorous (mainly meat eating) marsupial animal. The Thylacine was also known as a Tasmanian tiger, a Tasmanian wolf and a Tasmanian hyena. The last known Thylacine died in a Hobart zoo on 7 September 1936. They once lived across Australia and New Guinea. There are paintings of the animals in the north of Western Australia, and in the Northern Territory. At Riversleigh in north Queensland, scientists have discovered the fossil bones of thylacines that are at least 30 million years old.

Extinction

Thylacines were common across Australia. Fossil remains have been found in Queensland, paintings have been found in Western Australia, and a mummified body was found in cave on the Nullabor Plain in South Australia. The body was dated as being 4,650 years old. The thylacine began to disappear from the Australian mainland about 5,000 years ago. This is about the same time as the arrival in Australia of the dingo. Because of rising sea levels 10,000 years ago, Tasmania was separated from the Australian mainland by Bass Strait which the dingo never crossed. By the time Europeans came to Australia in 1788, the Thylacine was only living in Tasmania.

Sailors on Abel Tasman's ship in November 1642 reported seeing "tygr" footprints. The French explorer, Antoine Bruni d'Entrecasteaux, found a thylacine jaw bone in 1792. On May 13, 1792, he made the first confirmed sighting, which was described as being the size of a large dog, streaked with black. In 1805, Lieutenant Governor Paterson sent a description of a thylacine to Sydney. He said the animal was rare and uncommon.

Thylacines were hunted because farmers said they were killing sheep. The Tasmanian government gave money to farmers for each thylacine they killed. The last thylacine shot and killed was at Mawbanna, Tasmania, on 13 May, 1930, by farmer Wilfred Batty. The government brought in laws to protect them a few months before the last one died. They are now extinct, which means there are no thylacines left alive anywhere in the world.

Appearance

The Thylacine was about 1.8 metres (71 inches) long and its tail was up to 53 cms (21 inches) long. It would have been about 58 centimetres (23 inches) tall and could be up to 30 kilograms (66 pounds) in weight. It was grey and brown in colour with 16 black or brown stripes on its back. It had the same shape as a dog, but the back, rump and tail were more like a kangaroo. Its tail was quite stiff. It had very short legs. It had teeth like a dog, but with more incisor teeth. The Thylacine was able to open its mouth about 120 degrees.

The thylacine was a nocturnal (night) hunting animal. They ate wallabies, rats, birds, echidnas, rabbits and sheep.

The thylacines were marsupials, which means the female carried the babies in a pouch. The pouch opened to the rear.

Other websites

References

1. . Groves, Colin (16 November 2005). Wilson, D. E., and Reeder, D. M. (eds). ed. Mammal Species of the World (3rd edition ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 23. http://www.bucknell.edu/msw3/browse.asp?id=10800004.

2. . "Indigenous Peoples and the Thylacine" (htm). Australia's Thylacine. Australian Museum Online. 2002http://www.amonline.net.au/thylacine/06.htm.

3. . "Is there a fossil Thylacine?" (htm). Australia's Thylacine. Australian Museum Online. 2002http://www.amonline.net.au/thylacine/08.htm.

4. Paddle, Robert (2000). The Last Tasmanian Tiger: The history and extinction of the thylacine. Melbourne, Australia: Cambridge University Press.

5. The last known Tasmanian tiger was named "Benjamin" Archived 2012-08-19 at the Wayback Machine; retrieved 2012-7-5.

6. . "What did the thylacine look like?" (htm). Australia's Thylacine. Australian Museum Online. 2002http://www.amonline.net.au/thylacine/02.htm.

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Thylacine was a carnivorous (mainly meat eating) marsupial animal. The Thylacine was also known as a Tasmanian tiger, a Tasmanian wolf and a Tasmanian hyena. The last known Thylacine died in a Hobart zoo on 7 September 1936. They once lived across Australia and New Guinea.

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Common Name:

Tasmanian Tiger / Tasmanian Wolf

Scientific Name:

Thylacine

Habitat:

Dry forests/grasslands/wetlands

Country:

Australia/Tasmania/New Guinea

Life Span:

Estimated 8-12 years in captivity

Size:

39-51 inches long, with a tail of 20-26 inches

Cool Facts:

Was the largest carnivorous marsupial of modern times.

Had an abdominal pouch similar to a kangaroo.

The closest living relatives of the Tasmanian Tiger are the Tasmanian Devil and the Numbat.

They had muscular yet weak jaws, that could surprisingly open up to 80 degrees.

It is believed to have relied on sight and sound while hunting, and early claims that they had a strong sense of smell has been found to be false.

A nocturnal and crepuscular hunter, being most active at dusk and night.

Details:

The Tasmanian Tiger is an extinct marsupial, that was the largest carnivorous marsupial of modern times. They had gone extinct in mainland Australia over 2,000 years ago due to hunting and competition with dingoes, however they survived in Tasmania until the 1930's. The Tasmanian Tiger was an apex predator, and hunted a multitude of prey including wallabies, wombats, and even kangaroos, as well as birds. They were believed to be ambush predators that would prefer to hunt mostly at night. In the 1800's, the Tasmanian Tiger was wrongly persecuted for attacking livestock such as chickens and sheep, and the rising bounties led to their eventual extinction.

Taxonomic Breakdown:

Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Infraclass: Marsupialia Order: Dasyuromorphia Family: Thylacinidae Genus: Thylacinus Species: T. cynocephalus

Conservation & Helping:

The Tasmanian Tiger is currently extinct. They went extinct on mainland Australia roughly 2,000 years ago, however they lived on the island Tasmnia into the 1930's. The extinction is credited to relentless hunting by farmers and bounty hunters. The last known wild Tasmanian Tiger was shot in 1930.

For Teachers and Educators

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Tasmanian Tiger / Tasmanian Wolf Thylacine Dry forests/grasslands/wetlands Australia/Tasmania/New Guinea Estimated 8-12 years in captivity 39-51 inches long, with a tail of 20-26 inches Was the largest carnivorous marsupial of modern times. Had an abdominal pouch similar to a kangaroo. The closest living relatives of the Tasmanian Tiger are the Tasmanian Devil and the Numbat.

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What is a thylacine? Why did it become extinct?

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The sockeye salmon ( Oncorhynchus nerka), also called red salmon, kokanee salmon, or blueback salmon, is an anadromous species of salmon found in the Northern Pacific Ocean and rivers discharging into it. This species is a Pacific salmon that is primarily red in hue during spawning. They can grow up to 84 cm (2 ft 9 in) in length and weigh 2.3 to 7 kg (5-15 lb). Juveniles remain in freshwater until they are ready to migrate to the ocean, over distances of up to 1,600 km (1,000 mi). Their diet consists primarily of zooplankton. Sockeye salmon are semelparous, dying after they spawn. Some populations, referred to as kokanee, do not migrate to the ocean and live their entire lives in freshwater.

Classification and name origin

The sockeye salmon is the third-most common Pacific salmon species, after pink and chum salmon. Oncorhynchus comes from the Greek ὄγκος (onkos) meaning "barb", and ῥύγχος (rhynchos) meaning "snout". Nerka is the Russian name for the anadromous form. The name "sockeye" is an anglicization of suk-kegh (sθə́qəy̓), its name in Halkomelem, the language of the indigenous people along the lower reaches of the Fraser River (one of British Columbia's many native Coast Salish languages). Suk-kegh means "red fish".

Description

The sockeye salmon is sometimes called red or blueback salmon, due to its color. Sockeye are blue tinged with silver in color while living in the ocean. When they return to spawning grounds, their bodies become red and their heads turn green. Sockeye can be anywhere from 60 to 84 cm (2 ft 0 in-2 ft 9 in) in length and weigh from 2.3 to 7 kg (5-15 lb). Two distinguishing features are their long, serrated gill rakers that range from 30 to 40 in number, and their lack of a spot on their tail or back.

Range and habitat

Sockeye salmon range as far south as the Columbia River in the eastern Pacific (although individuals have been spotted as far south as the 10 Mile River on the Mendocino Coast of California) and in northern Hokkaidō Island in Japan in the western Pacific. They range as far north as the Bathurst Inlet in the Canadian Arctic in the east and the Anadyr River in Siberia in the west. The farthest inland sockeye salmon travel is to Redfish Lake, Idaho, over 1,400 km (900 mi) from the ocean and 2,000 m (6,500 ft) in elevation.

Landlocked populations

Some sockeye salmon populations are completely landlocked. Sockeye that live and reproduce in lakes are commonly called kokanee, which is red-fish name in the Sinixt Interior Salish language and silver trout in the Okanagan language. They are much smaller than the anadromous variety and are rarely over 35 cm (14 in) long. In the Okanagan Lake and many others, there are two kinds of kokanee populations - one spawns in streams and the other near lake shores. Landlocked populations occur in the Yukon Territory and British Columbia in Canada, as well as, in Alaska, Washington, Oregon, California, New York, Utah, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico, and Wyoming in the United States. Nantahala Lake is the only place in North Carolina where kokanee salmon are found. The fish, which is native to western North America, was stocked in Nantahala Lake in the mid-1960s by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission in an attempt to establish the species as a forage fish for other predator fishes in the lake. This stock has remained and become a favorite target for anglers.

In Japan, a landlocked variety termed black kokanee, or " kunimasu" in Japanese, was deemed to be extinct after 1940, when a hydroelectric project made its native lake in northern Akita Prefecture more acidic. The species seems to have been saved by transferring eggs to Saiko Lake, 500 kilometers to the south, however. This fish has been treated as a subspecies of sockeye Oncorhynchus nerka kawamurae, or even an independent species Oncorhynchus kawamurae.

Sockeye salmon, unlike other species of Pacific salmon, feed extensively on zooplankton during both freshwater and saltwater life stages. They also tend to feed on small aquatic organisms such as shrimp. Insects are part of their diets at the juvenile stage.

Sharks, lampreys, and marine mammals prey on adult salmon in the ocean. Birds feed on juvenile salmon. Bears, eagles, and sometimes wolves feed on sockeye salmon in fresh water.

Sockeye salmon exhibit many different life histories with the majority being anadromous where the juvenile salmon migrate from freshwater lakes and streams to the ocean before returning as adults to their natal freshwater to spawn. Similar to most Pacific salmon, sockeye salmon are semelparous, meaning they die after spawning once. Some sockeye, called kokanee, do not migrate to the ocean and live their entire lives in freshwater lakes. The majority of sockeye spawn in rivers near lakes and juveniles will spend one to two years in the lake before migrating to the ocean, although some populations will migrate to saltwater in their first year. Adult sockeye will spend two to three years in the ocean before returning to freshwater. Females will spawn in 3-5 redds over a period of several days. The eggs usually hatch within six to nine weeks and the fry typically rear in lakes before migrating to the ocean.

Reproduction

Males partake in competitive and sneaking tactics, formation of hierarchies, and non-hierarchical groupings around females who are ready to mate. Reproductive success varies more in males than females. The greater variability in male reproduction is associated with the greater average size and exaggerated shape of males. Reproductive success in females is determined by the number of eggs she lays, her body size, and the survival of the eggs, which is due in part to the quality of the nest environment. Male spatial distribution depends on shifts in reproductive opportunities, physical traits of breeding sites, as well as the operational sex ratio (OSR) of the environment.

Non-dominant males adopt a subordinate behavior, acting as a satellite to mated pairs. During spawning, a subordinate male will move quickly into the redd and release their sperm. Nearby dominant males from other redds will also do this. Male social status is positively correlated to length and dorsal hump size. Larger females tend to spawn in shallower water, which is preferred over deeper water.

There is a dramatic sexual dimorphism at maturity. Males go through numerous morphological changes at maturation including, an increase in body depth, hump height, and snout length. Snout size also increases in females, but hump height and adipose fin length do not increase. This could mean that longer snout sizes are sexually selected, but hump height and adipose fin length are not. Females develop large gonads that are about 25% of the body mass.

Females are responsible for parental care. They select, prepare, and defend a nest site until they die or are displaced. Males do not participate in parental care at all, and they move between females after egg deposition.

Energy cost

Reproduction is marked by depletion in energy stores. Fat, protein, and somatic energy stores decrease from the final moments in marine migration through freshwater entry, spawning, and death. Sockeye salmon do not feed during reproduction. Feeding ends once they enter into freshwater, which can be several months before spawning. Embryos are maintained with only endogenous food supplies for about 3-8 months. Reproduction in the sockeye salmon has to be accomplished with the energy stores brought to the spawning grounds. How the salmon use their energy during migration and spawning affects how successful they will be reproductively; energy used for migration cannot also be used for courtship. If they waste too much energy, they might not be able to spawn. Males must also make the decision whether to invest energy in fighting for a female or for longevity on the spawning grounds. Sockeye salmon with longer and more difficult migration routes produce fewer eggs on the spawning grounds. High water temperatures also increase the energy expenditure of sockeye salmon as they migrate upriver.

Competition

Aggressive behavior displayed by dominant males is predominantly directed towards intruding dominant males. Sometimes sockeye salmon males behave aggressively towards subordinate males. These encounters are short, with the intruding male leaving after one or two aggressive interactions. Spawning females direct their aggression primarily towards intruding females or other spawning females that are close by. However, they may also direct aggression towards intruding or subordinate males. Aggressive interactions between females only last one or two charges and/or chases. The intruder retreats and the spawning female settles back in her redd. These acts of aggression are important in terms of reproductive success, because they determine the quality of the nest site the female obtains and access to males.

Competition for food or space while the salmon are in their lake residence period can exist. This happens when there is a more populous class of young sockeye or when there are multiple classes present. It can also happen when resources are in short supply. Interspecific competition can also occur and can lead to interactive segregation, which is when species emphasize their differences in diet and habitat to avoid competition. Interspecific competition can affect the growth rates of the salmon if their access to resources is limited.

Fisheries and consumption

The total registered fisheries harvest of the sockeye in 2010 was some 170,000 tonnes, of which 115,000 tonnes were from the United States and the rest was equally divided between Canada and Russia. This corresponds to some 65 million fish in all, and to some 19% of the harvest of all Pacific salmon species by weight.

Commercial fishermen in Alaska net this species using seines and gillnets for fresh or frozen fillet sales and canning. The annual catch can reach 30 million fish in Bristol Bay, Alaska, which is the site of the world's largest sockeye harvest.

Sockeye salmon have long been important in the diet and culture of the Coast Salish people of British Columbia.

The largest spawning grounds in Asia are located on the Kamchatka Peninsula of the Russian Far East, especially on the Ozernaya River of the Kurile Lake, which accounts for nearly 90% of all Asian sockeye salmon production, and is recognized as the largest spawning ground outside of Alaska. Illegal fishing in Kamchatka is subject to environmental concern.

Sockeye is almost never farmed. A facility in Langley, BC harvested its first salmon in March 2013, and continues to harvest farmed salmon from its inland facility.

Conservation status

United States

United States sockeye salmon populations are currently listed under the US Endangered Species Act by the National Marine Fisheries Service as an endangered species in the Snake River and as a threatened species in Lake Ozette, Washington. The Snake River sockeye salmon was listed as endangered in November 1991, after the Shoshone- Bannock Tribe at Fort Hall Indian Reservation petitioned the National Marine Fisheries Service. Other sockeye populations in the upper Columbia River and in Puget Sound are not listed under the Act.

Sockeye is an exception to 2010's forecast resurgence of Oregonian fish stocks. Spring Chinook, summer steelhead, and Coho are forecast to increase by up to 100% over 2008 populations. The sockeye population peaked at over 200,000 in 2008 and were forecast to decline to just over 100,000 in 2010. As an early indication of the unexpectedly high sockeye run in 2010, on July 2, 2010, the United States Army Corps of Engineers reported over 300,000 sockeye had passed over Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River. Lower temperatures in 2008 North Pacific waters brought in fatter plankton, which, along with greater outflows of Columbia River water, fed the resurgent populations.

Proposed legislative efforts, such as the Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act, are attempting to protect the headwaters of the sockeye salmon by preventing industrial development in roadless areas.

Record numbers of a once-waning population of sockeye salmon have been returning to the Northwest's Columbia Basin (as of June 2012), with thousands more crossing the river's dams in a single day than the total numbers seen in some previous years.

The conservation status of sockeye populations in Canada is under review by Fisheries and Oceans Canada as part of its Wild Salmon Policy strategy to standardize monitoring of wild salmon status. Salmon runs of particular note are the Skeena and Nass river runs, and the most famous is the Fraser River sockeye run.

The Fraser River salmon run has experienced declines in productivity since the 1990s, mirroring a similar decline in the 1960s.

The return abundance (population) of Fraser River sockeye in 2009 was estimated at a very low 1,370,000, 13% of the pre-season forecast of 10,488,000. That represented a decline from the recent (1993) historical cycle peak of 23,631,000 and the return abundance was the lowest in over 50 years. The reasons for this (former) decline remain speculative. According to a consortium of scientists assembled to review the problem, the decline highlights the uncertainty in forecasting salmon returns. After the low returns, the Government of Canada launched a formal inquiry into the decline, the Commission of Inquiry into the Decline of Sockeye Salmon in the Fraser River.

The Commission has been tasked with investigating all the factors which may affect Fraser River sockeye salmon throughout their life cycle. According to the terms of reference, the subjects of investigation are "the impact of environmental changes along the Fraser River, marine environmental conditions, aquaculture, predators, diseases, water temperature and other factors that may have affected the ability of sockeye salmon to reach traditional spawning grounds or reach the ocean."

During the commission, hundreds of thousands of documents and scientific research papers were reviewed. Twelve technical reports were published using that information, looking at the possible impacts of diseases and parasites, hatchery diseases, contaminants, marine ecology, salmon farms, fisheries, predators, climate change and government management on the productivity of Fraser River sockeye runs.

The commission submitted its final report on October 29, 2012.

While the commission was holding public hearings, in the late summer of 2010, the largest run of sockeye since 1913 returned to the Fraser River system. Final counts show that approximately 30 million salmon returned to the Fraser River and its tributaries in 2010. In total, approximately 11,591,000 Fraser sockeye were caught by Canadian fishers and 1,974,000 Fraser sockeye were caught by American fishers. The final projected escapement (fish which were not caught) was 15,852,990 fish.

Recent unpredictable fluctuations in runs are speculated to be due to changing water temperatures. There is high variation in thermal tolerance among the different sockeye salmon populations that migrate up the Fraser River. The Chilko River sockeye salmon population is able to maintain cardiorespiratory function at higher temperatures, which may make them more resilient to the effects of rising river temperatures. In one study examining possible physiological mechanisms underlying these population differences in thermal tolerance, juvenile sockeye salmon from the Chilko River and Weaver Creek did not show any differences in force-frequency response of the heart or cardiac pumping capacity when reared in common garden temperatures at 5 °C and 14 °C. Therefore, the physiology underlying these differences in thermal tolerance has yet to be determined.

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The sockeye salmon ( Oncorhynchus nerka), also called red salmon, kokanee salmon , or blueback salmon, is an anadromous species of salmon found in the Northern Pacific Ocean and rivers discharging into it. This species is a Pacific salmon that is primarily red in hue during spawning.

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The loggerhead sea turtle or loggerhead, ( Caretta caretta), is a type of turtle that lives in the sea. It is from the family Cheloniidae.

Loggerheads live in the seas around the world. Most of the beaches where loggerheads lay eggs are found on the coasts of the United States in North America (mostly in Florida), Oman in Asia, and Australia in the Pacific Ocean. Some loggerheads also live near other countries like Chile, Greece, and Indonesia.

How they live

Loggerheads eat fish, squid, jellyfish, crabs, and other small sea animals. Loggerheads mate while they are moving in the seas mostly from March to June every 2 or 3 years. When they are ready to lay eggs female loggerheads always come back to the same beach where they came out of their eggs as babies. Most loggerheads lay eggs in June and July. Most lay between 100 and 126 eggs. The eggs look much like ping-pong balls.

When they come out of the eggs baby loggerheads are called hatchlings. They usually come out at night so that other animals, like birds and crabs, do not eat them. The hatchlings follow light from the morning sun to the sea. They swim out to parts of the ocean that have seaweed (plants that grow in the sea) to hide from other animals while they grow.

Most loggerheads move to warm waters during months that are colder but some hibernate, or sleep for long times, when it is cold. When they are hibernating they can stay under the water for up to seven hours before coming up for air.

Loggerheads live 30 to 50 years or more.

Protecting them from people

In the past loggerhead sea turtles were hunted by people for meat and for their eggs. Also their fat and shells were used to make medicines, combs, and other things. The number of loggerheads today is small and so governments in many countries have laws that do not allow them to be hunted anymore.

The main danger for loggerheads now is the nets used by fishermen which can accidentally kill the turtles. They are also killed by boats, fishing hooks, and other dangers from people.

Civilization is harming the loggerhead reproduction cycle, due to beach construction.

Related pages

Images for kids

An adult Aurelia jellyfish which loggerheads eat during migration through the open sea

A horned ghost crab ( Ocypode ceratophthalma) preying on a loggerhead hatchling in Gnaraloo, Western Australia. Ghost crabs are one of the chief causes of egg and hatchling mortality in sea turtles.

The red fox is a predator of loggerhead nests in Australia.

Loggerhead sea turtle nest roped off as part of the Sea Turtle Protection Project on Hilton Head Island

In Spanish: Caretta caretta para niños

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Learn Loggerhead sea turtle facts for kids

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Reindeer facts

1) Reindeer live in the Arctic tundra and damp forests of Greenland, Scandinavia, Russia, Alaska and Canada. In North America, reindeer are known as caribou - pronounced 'kar-i-boo!'

2) As the name suggests, reindeer are a species of deer. They are the only deer species in which both the male and female can grow antlers. In fact, males' antlers can grow up to a whopping 1.4 metres in lengthand have as many 44 points, called ' tines '.

3) Reindeer can live for up to 15 years in the wild, although domesticated reindeer (reindeer that are cared for by humans), can live for as long as 20 years.

4) When grazing, a reindeer's preferred food is a lichen - a fungi, moss-like plant that's often found in high, open spaces. In fact, it's so popular with reindeers that it's now become known as ' reindeer lichen!'

5) Humans have hunted reindeer for thousands of years for their meat, milk, fur and antlers - which can be fashioned into tools. For groups of people in Scandinavia (Norway, Sweden and Finland), Russia, China and Mongolia, reindeer herding is an ancient and important part of their culture.

6) Male reindeer can grow up to 1.2 metres tall at the shoulder and weigh up to 250 kilograms - that's over three times the weight of an average person! Females are a little smaller than males.

7) These beautiful beasts may be big, but they are still the target of hungry predators! Wolverines, bears, and even eagles are just some of the animals that prey on reindeer.

8) Reindeer spend up to 40% of their lives in snow, so they've developed special adaptations to help them survive the chilly conditions. Their cloven hooves (divided into two) spread their weight, helping them stand on snow and soft ground. Their hollow fur helps to trap heat, and they're good swimmers, too!

9) Have you watched the movie Frozen II? The make-believe Northuldra tribe you see in the Enchanted Forest are based on the Sámi people - the famous reindeer herders of northern Norway! The Sámi really do use reindeer to pull sleighs through the snow, just like Sven does in the movie (and Santa does on Christmas Eve)!

10) Believe it or not, reindeer actually do have red noses like Rudolph! Well, sort of... Lots of tiny veins circulate warm blood around their nose, heating up the air they breathe in so they don't get cold - clever!

What did you think of our reindeer facts? Let us know by leaving a comment, below!

Words by Josephine Price at National Geographic Traveller. Image of two reindeer in snow ⓒ Getty (606354285). All other images ⓒ Josephine Price at National Geographic Traveller.

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10 brrr-illiant reindeer facts! - National Geographic Kids

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1) Reindeer live in the Arctic tundra and damp forests of Greenland, Scandinavia, Russia, Alaska and Canada. In North America, reindeer are known as caribou - pronounced 'kar-i-boo!' 2) As the name suggests, reindeer are a species of deer. They are the only deer species in which both the male and female can grow antlers.

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Adored for their majestic horns, reindeer belong to the deer species. They are the largest species in the deer family, generally found in the northern parts of Asia, North America, and Europe. Colder regions are the best homes for Reindeer, including the Arctic Tundra, Canada, Alaska, Scandinavia, and the boreal forests.

In this article, we're going to take a look at some interesting facts about reindeer, from whether their noses are actually red and how much milk the average reindeer can produce.

Here are some remarkable reindeer facts for kids that will grab your attention.

Name: Reindeer

Scientific Classification: Family - Cervidae, Capreolinae, Odocoileini, Kingdom - Animalia

Latin Name: Rangifer Tarandus

Appearance: Reindeer have Grey or brown fur on the body with antlers on head. They have big feet to help walk on smooth lands.

Size and Weight: Male reindeers are larger as compared to females. Males can grow upto 5.9 to 6.8 feet long while females can grow upto 6.2 feet long. Males weigh upto 529 pounds while females weigh lesser upto 308 pounds.

Habitat: Reindeer are found in the Arctic Tundra and the boreal forests of Russia, Alaska, Canada, Scandinavia, and Greenland.

Diet: They are herbivores and rely on mosses, grasses and ferns.

Life Expectancy: Reindeer can live upto 15 years in the wild and upto 20 years in captivity.

12 Interesting Reindeer facts for kids

Caribou and Reindeer are the same.

Deers, Moose, Elk, and Wapiti, belong to the same family. While the world refers to this animal as a reindeer, North Americans call it Caribou. While there are significant differences, they both refer to the same animal species. The name Caribou refers to reindeer when they

haven't been domesticated. We generally differentiate between these creatures based on their region and habitat. There are also noticeable differences in their physical characteristics concerning size and fur.

Visibility to Ultraviolet Rays

Reindeer can see UV rays! This makes them capable hunters as they can spot predators from far away. UV rays can cause snow blindness or sunburn in humans, but reindeer can look at UV rays without harming their eyes. This feature protects their eyes and helps them spot camouflaged animals in snowy areas.

Their eyes change color.

Reindeer have different eye colors in winters and summers. Their eyes are generally blue in the winters and yellow during summers because of their dilated pupils. Tapetum Lucidum is a layer found behind the eye's retina, resulting in the reindeer's eyes turning blue. The pressure is relieved during summers; hence, their eyes reflect a color ranging from yellow to green.

Both genders grow Antlers.

While males are generally spotted with antlers, female reindeer also grow antlers in certain parts of North America. The male's antlers are heavier and bigger when compared to the female's antlers. While female antlers can grow to 20 inches, male antlers can be as large as 51 inches. Adult males drop their antlers during November, whereas females keep them until April and May.

Reindeer eat a vegetarian diet.

Even though Reindeer live in snowy regions of the globe, they are natural herbivores. Reindeers prefer eating leafy greens and mushrooms. During winter, the species depend highly on plants, herbs, grass, shrubs, and lichen (reindeer moss). A Reindeer may also prefer eating apples, carrots, turnip greens, beet greens, Romaine lettuce, or Cabbage. An adult Reindeer can consume around 9 to 18 pounds of vegetation daily. In winters, Reindeer need to scrape the snow using their antlers to eat lichen and fungi. These creatures also use their hooves to dig the snow for food.

They are social creatures.

Reindeer are social animals that you will always find in large herds. These species travel, eat and rest together as a group. The herd can include sometimes include hundreds of Reindeer. The herds increase in number during spring, ranging from 50,000 to 500,000 reindeer in snowy regions. They generally migrate toward the peninsula, leading to a decline in their number. This is because reindeer calves are often too young, small, and weak to make the journey, so they sometimes lose their way or die.

Female reindeer live longer.

Female reindeer live longer than male reindeer, even after breeding and giving birth. The average female reindeer usually gives birth to one calf at a time. When the mating season ends, male reindeer are more susceptible to predation. This, in turn, leads to the males living a shorter life than the females. While male reindeer generally live up to 12 to 15 years, females for 15 to 18 years. Reindeer living in captivity can live for up to 20 years under the right conditions; these include climate and diet.

Reindeer are great swimmers.

Reindeer are excellent swimmers, even in cold regions with lots of snow. They are strong swimmers because they must cross large bodies of water annually to migrate. When swimming, their thick coats provide insulation and keep them warm in frigid conditions and cold water. The average reindeer can swim six miles per hour!

Humans can domesticate Reindeer.

When compared to caribous, reindeer are smaller and easier to domesticate. Researchers believe that humans started domesticating reindeer in the early 11th century to ride them and use them as a transportation method. Reindeer are strong creatures that are fast learners, making it easy for humans to train them. Studies have shown that around nine countries domesticated millions of reindeer. Most domesticated reindeer are used to help with farming.

Newborn reindeer are strong and capable.

While other animals may take time to grow and stand, newborn reindeer can stand an hour after birth. Mothers may give birth to a maximum of two calves. The newborns are strong, healthy, and can quickly adapt to their mother within six or seven hours. A newborn starts consuming solids along with its mother's milk within a week. In a day, a newborn can outrun a human. They grow fast and double their weight within two weeks. A calf can weigh up to 17.5 pounds at birth. These newborns start growing antlers within two years and can weigh up to 165 pounds in their first year.

Some reindeer have red noses.

Some reindeer have red noses, much like the fictional character, Rudolph. Their noses have a red hue because they are packed with blood vessels. These blood vessels help reindeer regulate their body temperature in extreme weather conditions.

Reindeer produce rich milk.

Reindeer produce healthy and rich milk that is good for health but is also rare and expensive worldwide. This is because the average reindeer produces only two cups of milk daily. The milk that terrestrial animals produce is some of the most nutritious milk in the world. It contains 10% protein and 22% butterfat compared to cow milk, which has only 4% of butterfat. Some Nordic countries make a type of sweet cheese from reindeer milk called renost.

Conclusion

Reindeer are fascinating creatures with unique characteristics and features. They are strong, intelligent, and capable and have helped contribute to human life in numerous ways. In this article, we walked you through a list of 12 facts about these beautiful animals! If you ever wondered if reindeer were mythical creatures from a Christmas carol, our article has helped explain that that isn't true, and that they are present and alive. Check out other interesting facts on our website.

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12 Interesting Reindeer Facts For Kids [[year] Updated]

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Adored for their majestic horns, reindeer belong to the deer species. They are the largest species in the deer family, generally found in the northern parts of Asia, North America, and Europe. Colder regions are the best homes for Reindeer, including the Arctic Tundra, Canada, Alaska, Scandinavia, and the boreal forests.

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When you think of marsupials, you probably think of kangaroos and koalas, but have you ever heard of a numbat? Numbats are small marsupials that look a little like squirrels. They live only in Western Australia in forests. Numbats are different than most marsupials. They don't eat plants. Instead, they eat termites.

Numbats don't have pouches either. Instead, their young clamp onto a teat on the mother's belly and stay there for five months. Numbat moms can have up to four babies at once.

Fun Facts about Numbats for Kids

Numbats eat up to 20,000 termites each day. They catch the termites with their long, sticky tongues.

Numbats are diurnal. They sleep during the night and are awake in the day. They are active when termites are active. In the winter, termites are active in the middle of the day when the sun warms the ground. In the summer, termites are active early in the morning and in the evening.

Numbats have a good sense of smell. They can smell termites on the ground.

These marsupials live in hollow logs or dig burrows under the ground.

Numbat Vocabulary

Learn More All About Numbats

Watch this interesting video about numbats in a South Australian Zoo:

A video documentary about how numbats are cared for in Australian zoos.

Numbat Q&A

Question: Are numbats endangered?

Answer: Yes, numbats are very rare. Fox and cats prey on them.

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Question: Do numbats dig for insects like anteaters?

Answer: Even though the numbat is sometimes called "banded anteater," it is not like an anteater. It does not have strong claws for digging. It hunts termites crawling on the ground.

Enjoyed the Easy Science for Kids Website all about Numbats info? Take the FREE & fun Numbats quiz and download FREE Numbats worksheet for kids. For lengthy info click here.

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Easy Science for Kids Numbats - The Termites Eaters - learn fun facts about animals, the human body, our planet and much more. Fun free Numbats - The Termites Eaters activities!

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The numbat ( Myrmecobius fasciatus) is a marsupial from open woodlands in western Australia. It is also called the banded anteater, because it eats termites.

It is unusual in being one of the few diurnal (daytime) marsupials. It has no pouch, but the mother carries round her four young on her stomach. At night, they take shelter in hollow logs. The numbat has a life span of 5-6 years under human care.

These solitary, long-tailed termite-eaters are in danger of extinction; very few remain in the wild. When Europeans arrived, the numbat was found across the New South Wales and Victorian borders west to the Indian Ocean, and as far north as the southwest corner of the Northern Territory. It was at home in a wide range of woodland and semi arid habitats.

The deliberate release of the European red fox in the 19th century wiped out the entire numbat population in Victoria, NSW, South Australia and the Northern Territory, and almost all numbats in Western Australia, as well. By the late 1970s, the population was well under 1,000 individuals, concentrated in two small areas not far from Perth, Dryandra, and Perup.

The numbat is the emblem of Western Australia.

The numbat genus Myrmecobius is the sole member of the family Myrmecobiidae, one of the four families that make up the order Dasyuromorphia, the Australian marsupial carnivores.

The species is not closely related to other extant marsupials; the current arrangement in the order Dasyuromorphia places its monotypic family with the diverse and carnivorous species of Dasyuridae. A closer affinity with the extinct thylacine, contained in the same order, has been proposed. Genetic studies have shown the ancestors of the numbat diverged from other marsupials between 32 and 42 million years ago, during the late Eocene.

Two subspecies have been described, but one of these-the rusty coloured Myrmecobius fasciatus rufus Finlayson, 1933,-has been extinct since at least the 1960s, and only the nominate subspecies ( M. fasciatus fasciatus) remains alive today. The population described by Finlayson occurred in the arid central regions of South Australia, and he thought they had once extended to the coast. The separation to subspecies was not recognised in the national census of Australian mammals, following W. D. L. Ride and others, As its name implies, M. fasciatus rufus had a more reddish coat than the surviving population. Only a very small number of fossil specimens are known, the oldest dating back to the Pleistocene, and no other species from the same family have identified.

The following is a phylogenetic tree based on mitochondrial genome sequences:

The common names are adopted from the extant names at the time of English colonisation, numbat, from the Nyungar language of southwest Australia, and walpurti, the name in the Pitjantjatjara dialect. The orthography and pronunciation of the Nyungar name is regularised, following a survey of published sources and contemporary consultation that resulted in the name noombat, pronounced noom'bat. Other names include banded anteater and marsupial anteater.

Description

The numbat is a small, colourful creature between 35 and 45 centimetres (14 and 18 in) long, including the tail, with a finely pointed muzzle and a prominent, bushy tail about the same length as its body. Colour varies considerably, from soft grey to reddish-brown, often with an area of brick red on the upper back, and always with a conspicuous black stripe running from the tip of the muzzle through the eyes to the bases of the small, round-tipped ears. Between four and eleven white stripes cross the animal's hindquarters, which gradually become fainter towards the midback. The underside is cream or light grey, while the tail is covered with long, grey hair flecked with white. Weight varies between 280 and 700 g (9.9 and 24.7 oz).

Unlike most other marsupials, the numbat is diurnal, largely because of the constraints of having a specialised diet without having the usual physical equipment for it. Most ecosystems with a generous supply of termites have a fairly large creature with powerful forelimbs bearing heavy claws. Numbats are not large, and they have five toes on the fore feet, and four on the hind feet. However, like other mammals that eat termites or ants, the numbat has a degenerate jaw with up to 50 very small, nonfunctional teeth, and although it is able to chew, rarely does so, because of the soft nature of its diet. Uniquely among terrestrial mammals, an additional cheek tooth is located between the premolars and molars; whether this represents a supernumerary molar tooth or a deciduous tooth retained into adult life is unclear. As a result, although not all individuals have the same dental formula, in general, it follows the unique pattern:

Like many ant or termite eating animals, the numbat has a long and narrow tongue coated with sticky saliva produced by large submandibular glands. A further adaptation to the diet is the presence of numerous ridges along the soft palate, which apparently help to scrape termites off the tongue so they can be swallowed. The digestive system is relatively simple, and lacks many of the adaptations found in other entomophagous animals, presumably because termites are easier to digest than ants, having a softer exoskeleton. Numbats are apparently able to gain a considerable amount of water from their diets, since their kidneys lack the usual specialisations for retaining water found in other animals living in their arid environment. Numbats also possess a sternal scent gland, which may be used for marking their territories.

Although the numbat finds termite mounds primarily using scent, it has the highest visual acuity of any marsupial, and, unusually for marsupials, has a high proportion of cone cells in the retina. These are both likely adaptations for its diurnal habits, and vision does appear to be the primary sense used to detect potential predators. Numbats are able to enter a state of torpor, which may last up to fifteen hours a day during the winter months.

Distribution and habitat

Numbats were formerly widely distributed across southern Australia, from Western Australia to north-western New South Wales. However, their range has significantly decreased since the arrival of Europeans, and the species has survived only in two small patches of land in the Dryandra Woodland and the Perup Nature Reserve, both in Western Australia. In recent years, however, it has been successfully reintroduced into a few fenced reserves, including some in South Australia (Yookamurra Sanctuary) and New South Wales ( Scotia Sanctuary).

Today, numbats are found only in areas of eucalypt forest, but they were once more widespread in other types of semiarid woodland, spinifex grassland, and in terrain dominated by sand dune.

Ecology and behaviour

Numbats are insectivores and subsist on a diet of termites. An adult numbat requires up to 20,000 termites each day. The only marsupial fully active by day, the numbat spends most of its time searching for termites. It digs them up from loose earth with its front claws and captures them with its long, sticky tongue. Despite its banded anteater name, it apparently does not intentionally eat ants; although the remains of ants have occasionally been found in numbat dung, these belong to species that themselves prey on termites, so were presumably eaten accidentally, along with the main food. Known predators on numbats include the carpet python Morelia spilota imbricata, introduced red foxes, and various falcons, hawks, and eagles.

Adult numbats are solitary and territorial; an individual male or female establishes a territory of up to 1.5 square km (370 acres) early in life, and defends it from others of the same sex. The animal generally remains within that territory from then on; male and female territories overlap, and in the breeding season, males will venture outside their normal home ranges to find mates.

While the numbat has relatively powerful claws for its size, it is not strong enough to get at termites inside their concrete-like mounds, and so must wait until the termites are active. It uses a well-developed sense of smell to locate the shallow and unfortified underground galleries that termites construct between the nest and their feeding sites; these are usually only a short distance below the surface of the soil, and vulnerable to the numbat's digging claws.

The numbat synchronises its day with termite activity, which is temperature dependent: in winter, it feeds from midmorning to midafternoon; in summer, it rises earlier, takes shelter during the heat of the day, and feeds again in the late afternoon.

At night, the numbat retreats to a nest, which can be in a log or tree hollow, or in a burrow, typically a narrow shaft 1-2 m long which terminates in a spherical chamber lined with soft plant material: grass, leaves, flowers and shredded bark. The numbat is able to block the opening of its nest, with the thick hide of its rump, to prevent a predator being able to access the burrow. Numbats have relatively few vocalisations, but have been reported to hiss, growl, or make a repetitive 'tut' sound when disturbed.

Reproduction

Numbats breed in February and March (late austral summer), normally producing one litter a year. They are able to produce a second if the first is lost. Gestation lasts 15 days, and results in the birth of four young. Unusually among marsupials, female numbats have no pouch, although the four teats are protected by a patch of crimped, golden hair and by the swelling of the surrounding abdomen and thighs during lactation.

The young are 2 cm (0.79 in) long at birth. They crawl immediately to the teats and remain attached until late July or early August, by which time they have grown to 7.5 cm (3.0 in). They are 3 cm (1.2 in) long when they first develop fur, the patterning of the adult begins to appear once they reach 5.5 cm (2.2 in). The young are left in a nest or carried on the mother's back after weaning, they become fully independent by November. Females are sexually mature by the following summer, but males do not reach maturity for another year.

Conservation status

Until European colonisation, the numbat was found across most of the area from the New South Wales and Victorian borders west to the Indian Ocean, and as far north as the southwest corner of the Northern Territory. It was at home in a wide range of woodland and semiarid habitats. The deliberate release of the European red fox in the 19th century, however, wiped out the entire numbat population in Victoria, NSW, South Australia and the Northern Territory, and almost all numbats in Western Australia, as well. By the late 1970s, the population was well under 1,000 individuals, concentrated in two small areas not far from Perth, Dryandra, and Perup.

The first record of the species described it as beautiful; its appeal led to its selection as the faunal emblem of the state of Western Australia and initiated efforts to conserve it from extinction.

The two small Western Australia populations apparently were able to survive because both areas have many hollow logs that may serve as refuge from predators. Being diurnal, the numbat is much more vulnerable to predation than most other marsupials of a similar size: its natural predators include the little eagle, brown goshawk, collared sparrowhawk and carpet python. When the Western Australia government instituted an experimental program of fox baiting at Dryandra (one of the two remaining sites), numbat sightings increased by a factor of 40.

An intensive research and conservation program since 1980 has succeeded in increasing the numbat population substantially, and reintroductions to fox-free areas have begun. Perth Zoo is very closely involved in breeding this native species in captivity for release into the wild. Despite the encouraging degree of success so far, the numbat remains at considerable risk of extinction and is classified as an endangered species.

Since 2006, Project Numbat volunteers have helped to save the Numbat from extinction. One of Project Numbat's main objectives is to raise funds that go towards conservation projects, and to raise awareness through presentations held by volunteers at schools, community groups and events.

Numbats can be successfully reintroduced into areas of their former range if protected from introduced predators.

Early records

The numbat first became known to Europeans in 1831. It was discovered by an exploration party exploring the Avon Valley under the leadership of Robert Dale. George Fletcher Moore, who was a member of the expedition, recounted the discovery:

"Saw a beautiful animal; but, as it escaped into the hollow of a tree, could not ascertain whether it was a species of squirrel, weasel, or wild cat..."

and the following day:

"chased another little animal, such as had escaped from us yesterday, into a hollow tree, where we captured it; from the length of its tongue, and other circumstances, we conjecture that it is an ant-eater-its colour yellowish, barred with black and white streaks across the hinder part of the back; its length about twelve inches."

The first classification of specimens was published by George Robert Waterhouse, describing the species in 1836 and the family in 1841. Myrmecobius fasciatus was included in the first part of John Gould's The Mammals of Australia, issued in 1845, with a plate by H. C. Richter illustrating the species.

Images for kids

Historical range map of the numbat with extinctions shown in yellow (1800-1910), orange (1910-1930), green (1930-1960), and blue (1960-1980), and with its remaining range shown in black

Richter's Myrmecobius fasciatus, 1845

In Spanish: Myrmecobius fasciatus para niños

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The monarch butterfly ( Danaus plexippus) is an insect in the Nymphalidae family. It is the best-known butterfly in North America.

Monarchs are known for their long annual migrations. In North America, they travel long distances south in the fall, and north in the spring. They start to migrate south in about August. They must get to frost-free areas. Freezing will kill them. A migration towards the north starts in the spring.

No single individual makes the whole round trip. The monarch is famous for its southward migration and northward return in summer. The migration north spans the life of three to four generations of the butterfly. A longer-lived "super generation" flies from the northern-most parts of the butterfly's range in Canada all the way to Mexico. It overwinters in the south, and breeds in the spring to start the next generation flying north. The following reference gives a map of the migration routes.

Description

Caterpillar

The monarch caterpillar is banded with yellow, black, and white stripes. The head is also striped with yellow and black. There are four black body extensions, two on each end of the body. They look similar to antennae. The caterpillar will be as long as 5 centimeters (2 inches).

The monarch butterfly has a wingspan that ranges from 8.9 to 10.2 centimeters (3½ to 4 inches).

The upper side of the wings are orange with black edges and veins. There are white spots in the black wing margins. The male has a spot on his bottom wing. The spot gives out scents which attract females. The viceroy butterfly (Limenitis archippus) is similar. It has an extra black band across the bottom wing. The underside of the wings is a tan-orange color with black veins. The wing margins are black with white spots in them.

A white form of the monarch has been seen in Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia and the United States. It has been seen as early as 1896. It was named nivosus by lepidopterists (a lepidopterist is a person who studies butterflies and moths). It is grayish white in all areas of the wings that are normally orange. The white form makes up about 1% or less of all monarchs except for on Oahu, Hawaii where it has kept populations as high as 10%. The existence of two or more forms of a species in the same area is quite common, and is called polymorphism.

Range and distribution

In North America, the monarch is found from southern Canada to northern South America. It sometimes wanders to western Europe, sometimes as far as Greece. It reaches Europe from being transported by USA ships. It can also wander to Europe by flying there if weather and wind conditions are right. It has also been found in Bermuda, Hawaii, the Solomons, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Australia, New Guinea, Ceylon, India, the Azores, and the Canary Islands.

Monarch butterflies are known for their long annual migration. In North America, they make large migrations towards the south starting in August until the first frost. A migration towards the north takes place in the spring. No single individual makes the whole round trip. Female monarchs lay eggs for the next generation during these migrations.

By the end of October, the monarchs that are east of the Rocky Mountains migrate to Mexico. Many thousands from the Great Lakes region pass through Point Pelee National Park. They migrate to the sanctuaries of the Mariposa Monarca Biosphere Reserve in the Mexican states of Michoacán and Mexico. Most of the monarchs that are west of the Rocky Mountains do not travel all the way down to Mexico. Instead, they overwinter (spend the winter) in many places in central and southern California.

While in Mexico, the monarchs gather in very large numbers to rest. They perch on suitable trees and bushes by clinging (hold on to tightly) with their feet. They cling to each other making layers and layers of resting Monarchs overwintering. This was discovered by Fred Urquhart of the University of Toronto, who studied monarch butterflies for nearly forty years. He knew the Monarchs migrated because he would stop seeing them after a certain time of the year. He put a label on each Monarch he found. On this label was his name, address, and a request to send him the butterfly if it was found.

A few months later, people from all over North America and Mexico began returning his labelled butterflies to him. Mexico was the southernmost area from which he had received a butterfly, so he started traveling there to look for the Monarchs. For many years, he traveled to Mexico. There he climbed through jungles, walked through forests, and talked to the people he found. He finally heard there was a place west of Mexico City where people had seen lots of monarchs all together. After a long search, he finally found millions of monarch butterflies covering every part of the area.

During the spring migration, the population that is east of the Rocky Mountains may reach as far north as Texas and Oklahoma. The second, third and fourth generations return to their northern places in the United States and Canada in the spring.

The Monarch can be found in many different kinds of habitats. When it is breeding, it is found in habitats with milkweed (a kind of plant). Some of these habitats include, fields, meadows, prairies, parks in or near cities, gardens, and roadsides. The monarch can be found in almost any kind of habitat during migration. It overwinters in pine, cypress, and eucalyptus groves in California. It overwinters in fir forests and pine groves in Mexico.

Much of the monarch's breeding habitat is not good anymore. In some states and provinces, milkweed is thought to be a weed. In these places, the milkweed is killed to keep livestock from eating it and becoming sick. With fewer milkweed plants, the monarch does not have as much habitat to breed in.

Habitat destruction has been a concern as the number of monarch butterflies that completed an annual migration to their winter home in a Mexican forest sank in 2013 to its lowest level in at least two decades, due mostly to extreme weather and changed farming practices in North America. The Mexican forest occupied by the butterflies, once as high at 50 acres, dwindled to 2.94 acres in the annual census conducted December 2012.

The monarch butterfly goes through complete metamorphosis.

The female lays her eggs one by one. They are laid on the underside of the leaves of caterpillar's food plant. The eggs are light yellow. Freshly laid eggs are creamy-white. After three to four days, they turn dark gray. The egg usually weighs about 0.54 milligrams. It is about 1.2 millimeters long. Its diameter is about 0.87 millimeters (average on 55 eggs).

Caterpillar

The caterpillar hatches out of the egg. The young caterpillar is a gray-black color with a black head. After the first molt ( shedding its skin) the caterpillar is banded with yellow, black, and white stripes. The head is also striped with yellow and black. There are four black body extensions, two on each end of the body. They look similar to antennae. The caterpillar will reach a length of 5 centimeters (2 inches). The caterpillar eats the leaves and flowers of the food plant. It make no nests or shelters. It grows very quickly, and because of this, it molts four to five times.

After the caterpillar molts one last time, it makes a chrysalis. A chrysalis is not the same as a cocoon. The monarch caterpillar attaches its back end (posterior) to a support, and hangs downward in the shape of the letter 'J'. The inside of the caterpillar's body begins to change and it splits its skin to form the blue-green chrysalis. The blue-green chrysalis has a band of black and bright gold near the top. There are other gold spots lower down. After spending many weeks in the chrysalis, the adult finally comes out as a butterfly.

Species similar in appearance

The viceroy ( Limenitis archippus) is similar to but is smaller than the monarch. It has an extra black band across the bottom wing that the monarch does not have.

The queen (Danaus gilippus) is dark reddish-brown instead of orange. It does not have black veins. There are white spots on the top wing submarginal (near the edge of the wing) area. These spots are on both the upper side and the underside.

The soldier (Danaus eresimus) is also dark reddish-brown instead of orange. It has thin, black veins. The underside of the bottom wing has a dark center. It has light brown, square-shaped spots around the dark center.

Monarchs are bad-tasting and poisonous because they contain a chemical known as cardenolide (cardiac glycoside). The chemical slows the heart-beat of vertebrates. Monarch caterpillars get this chemical when they feed on milkweed.

When the monarch becomes a butterfly, it no longer eats milkweed, but it still has the chemical in its body. The butterfly shows that they are not good to eat with their bright orange and black wings. This is warning coloration. A bird may try to eat a monarch, but it will become sick and vomit after eating it. After this experience, the bird learns not to eat another monarch, and also any other butterfly which is similar in appearance. The viceroy is similar looking to the monarch, but does not have the milkweed poison in its body. Birds that have had the bad experience of eating a monarch will usually not eat a viceroy. It is an example of Müllerian mimicry.

Overwintering Monarchs in Mexico are often eaten by black-headed grosbeaks. These birds are immune to the glycoside. Other birds, such as orioles and jays, have learned to eat only the thoracic muscles and the body parts inside the abdomen. These parts have less poison than the rest of the body. Some mice are also immune to large amounts of the poison. Over time, overwintering monarchs become less poisonous. This makes them more likely to be eaten by predators. In Mexico, about 14% of the overwintering Monarchs are eaten by birds and mice.

On Oahu, Hawaii, there is a white form of the Monarch. This is because two species of birds have been introduced. The two birds are known as the red-vented bulbul and the red-whiskered bulbul. They were introduced in 1965 and 1966. They are now the most common insectivorous birds. They are probably the only birds that eat insects as big as the monarch. Monarchs in Hawaii have low cardiac glycoside levels, but the birds may be immune to the chemical. The two bird species eat the caterpillars and sometimes the chrysalids. They look for them on branches and the underside of leaves in milkweed bushes. The birds also eat resting adults and egg-laying females. They eat flying monarchs less often. The white form has a higher chance of living than the orange one. The white form does not fit the birds' search image of a normal monarch, and so it is not eaten. This kind of defense is known as apostatic selection. The white form is also camouflaged in patches of light shining through groups of leaves.

Parasites include the tachinid flies Sturmia convergens and Lesperia archippivora. Caterpillars that have the Lesperia archippivora maggots inside them will finish their last molt. They will then hang upside down on a horizontal surface. They die before they turn into a chrysalis. At that time one white maggot comes out of the caterpillar. The maggot then forms a brown pupa on the ground.

The bacteria Micrococcus flacidifex danai also infects the caterpillar and causes "black death". Just before turning into a chrysalis, the caterpillar will find a horizontal surface. They die a few hours later. The body turns black shortly after. The bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa causes infections in weakened insects. It is a common cause of death in insects that are raised in laboratories.

Relationship with humans

The monarch is the state insect of Alabama, Idaho, Illinois, Minnesota, and Texas. It is the state butterfly of Vermont and West Virginia. It was nominated in 1990 as the national insect of the United States of America. It was nominated along with the honeybee (Apis mellifera). However, the legislation did not pass.

Many people like to attract monarchs by growing a butterfly garden with the plant Asclepias physocarpa. Others like raising them for fun or for educational purposes. Sanctuaries have been made for migrating Monarchs. The sanctuaries are found at the monarch's favorite overwintering places. These migrations can create a lot of tourism revenue.

Many schools also enjoy caring for monarchs. They start with caterpillars. When the caterpillars mature into butterflies, they are then set free into the wild.

Some organizations, such as the Cape May Bird Observatory, have monarch labeling programs. Labels are placed on the wing of the butterfly. The labels have information on them. This helps scientists track the monarchs during their migration. It also helps the scientists study the paths that the monarchs take on their migration.

Adult food sources

Adult Monarchs have been seen on a number of different nectar plants. Here is a list of some of them:

Males will also take in water and minerals from damp soil and small, wet rocks. This is known as puddling. The Monarch has also been seen puddling at an oil stain on pavement.

Food plants

Here is a list of plants that the Monarch caterpillar eats:

Images for kids

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The monarch butterfly ( Danaus plexippus) is an insect in the Nymphalidae family. It is the best-known butterfly in North America. Monarchs are known for their long annual migrations. In North America, they travel long distances south in the fall, and north in the spring. They start to migrate south in about August.

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Monarch butterflies are large insects with orange and black wings. They live mostly in North, Central, and South America but are also found in Australia, Hawaii, India, and other locations. Monarchs undertake long annual migrations. The monarch butterfly's scientific name is Danaus plexippus.

The monarch's wingspan is about 4 inches (10 centimeters). However, the size and shape of the wing varies according to where the butterfly lives and its migration pattern. The orange wings have black veins and a black border with two rows of small white spots. This coloration warns predators of the insect's bad taste. The viceroy butterfly has evolved over time to look similar to the monarch. Scientists believe that the two organisms resemble one another as a form of defense against predators. The relationship between them serves as an example of a type of mimicry known as Müllerian mimicry.

In North America thousands of monarchs gather in autumn and migrate southward. They sometimes travel almost 1,800 miles (3,000 kilometers). They spend the winter on the California coast or in forests in the mountains of Mexico. The monarchs begin to return north in the spring. They feed on nectar along the way. They lay eggs only on milkweed plants. A new generation hatches, matures, and continues the northward trip.

Like other butterflies, a monarch butterfly undergoes a complete metamorphosis-a series of dramatic physical changes as it develops and matures. The butterfly begins life as an egg. Out of the egg hatches a larva called a caterpillar. The monarch caterpillar has vertical stripes of black, white, and yellow-green. It feeds only on milkweed plants. After several molts, the caterpillar attains a length of almost 2 inches (5 centimeters). It continues its metamorphosis as a pale green, golden-spotted pupa called a chrysalis. Finally, it emerges as an adult monarch butterfly. Adults live only a few weeks, except those that migrate south and spend the winter in Mexico. Those migrating monarchs live seven to nine months. Thus, about four generations of monarchs occur each year.

The Mexican forests where the monarchs live during the winter are protected within the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The reserve bans logging. However, illegal logging and degradation of the forest continue to threaten the survival of monarch populations. Likewise, land development in areas along the monarch's migratory routes has threatened the species. Some U.S. researchers also suspect that a loss of milkweed plants from pesticide use in the early 21st century has put the monarch's long-term survival in danger. However, the monarch populations are hard to monitor accurately. Therefore, scientists have little concrete evidence indicating that monarch populations are in decline.

Scientists recognize several subspecies of monarchs. The subspecies D. plexippus plexippus is a migratory monarch found primarily in North America. It is occasionally found on islands in the Caribbean region. The subspecies D. plexippus megalippe does not migrate. It occurs on the Cayman Islands in the Caribbean.

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Monarch butterflies are large insects with orange and black wings. They live mostly in North, Central, and South America but are also found in Australia, Hawaii, India, and other locations. Monarchs undertake long annual migrations. The monarch butterfly's scientific name is Danaus plexippus. The monarch's wingspan is about 4 inches (10 centimeters).

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Take a big breath and get ready to dive deep - because it's time to meet one seriously cool sea creature with our loggerhead turtle facts!

Fast loggerhead turtle facts

Scientific name: Caretta caretta
Family name: Cheloniidae
Classification: Reptile
IUCN status: Vulnerable
Lifespan (in wild): 50+ years
Weight: 115kg
Body length: 90cm
Diet: Omnivores, but mostly jellyfish, molluscs and crustaceans
Habitat: Oceans
Range:

These incredible reptiles got their name from their oversized head, which looks a bit like - you guessed it! - a big log. They have a large, reddish-brown, hard shell, a pale yellow underbelly (or 'plastron') and four flippers with two (or sometimes three) claws on each.

Loggerhead turtles live in oceans all around the world, except in the coldest seas far north and south, near the Earth's poles. They are the most common turtle species found in the Mediterranean, as well as in the coastal waters off the USA, where they can be seen swimming in the sea or nesting on sandy beaches.

Did you know that we have a FREE downloadable Sea turtle primary resource? Great for teachers, homeschoolers and parents alike!

So what's on the menu for the lovely loggerhead? These magnificent marine creatures mostly feast on other ocean animals. Using their strong, powerful jaws, they crush and munch on crunchy critters such as clams, crabs, mussels and sea urchins. They also eat softer foods, too, including jellyfish, some types of fish and occasionally seaweed and brown algae called 'sargassum'.

Like other species of sea turtles, such as the leatherback and green sea turtle, loggerheads migrate huge distances between their feeding grounds and their breeding-nesting sites. Believe it or not, every two or three years, a female turtle may travel over 12,000km back to the beach where she hatched as a baby. And it's on this very same beach that she lays her own eggs as an adult...

When a female is ready to lay her eggs, she comes ashore and uses her front flippers to clear a spot in the dry sand. She then uses her hind flippers to dig her nesting hole, before gently laying the eggs inside. The eggs hatch about 60 days later, and the new tiny turtles immediately make their way up through the sand, and wait just underneath the surface layer until nightfall. Once cooler temperatures signal that the sun has set, the hatchlings pop up and scurry toward the ocean, trying to avoid predators such as raccoons, crabs, snakes and birds along the way.

The youngsters who survive their treacherous trek to the sea drift amongst floating sargussum for some time, using the sargassum as both a protective cover and a food source. Clever, eh? Once they're bigger and stronger, they venture to lagoons, bays and shallow coastal waters, where they expand their diet and continue to grow.

Today, these magnificent marine reptiles are classed as a Vulnerable species, with an estimated 60,000 nesting females left in the wild. A serious threat to loggerheads is accidental capture in fishing equipment (such as nets, long lines and shrimp trawls), along with pollution and destruction to their nesting beaches. Thankfully, charities and conservationist groups are working to protect these incredible creatures so that they have a future on our planet.

Credits - Loggerhead sea turtle on the beach: Michael Melford. Loggerhead sea turtle close-up: Bill Curtsinger. Loggerhead sea turtle swimming near the ocean floor: Brian J. Skerry. Loggerhead sea turtle swimming underwater: Brian J. Skerry

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Loggerhead turtle facts for kids | National Geographic Kids

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Take a big breath and get ready to dive deep - because it's time to meet one seriously cool sea creature with our loggerhead turtle facts!

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Leadbeater's possum ( Gymnobelideus leadbeateri) is an endangered species of Australian possum. Once thought to be extinct, it is now only found in small areas of surviving old and mixed age mountain ash forest in the central highlands of Victoria, Australia, north-east of Melbourne. About half this area was burnt out in the disastrous Black Saturday bushfire in 2009. Large areas of the forest around Marysville, Narbethong and Healesville were destroyed. They need food all year, and trees with holes where they can hide during the day. This limits them to mixed-age wet sclerophyll forest with a thick mid-story of .

It is the only species in the Gymnobelideus genus. It was named after John Leadbeater, a taxidermist at the Museum of Victoria.

It is the only mammal that is only found in Victoria, so in 1968, the State of Victoria made Leadbeater's possum its faunal emblem.

The possum was first discovered by Europeans in 1867. Only five possums were found, the last one in 1909. It was thought the species was extinct, because its habitat around Bass River in south-west Gippsland was cleared for farming in the early 1900s.

In 1961, a group was discovered near Marysville, in the Upper Yarra Valley. Further searching found more groups in the highlands of Victoria. However, type of forest is critical: it can not be too old or too young.

The possum's survival is believed to be due to the terrible Black Friday fires that burnt through Victoria in 1939. This created a lot of new growth in the forest which provided food. It also left a lot of large dead trees for shelter and nesting. The Leadbeater's possum population grew to about 7500 in the early 1980s. After the 2009 fires it is believed that there are now only about 1000 possums left. Many of the old trees have decayed and there is little new growth. Before European settlement, the possums would simply have moved to new recently burnt areas, but with so much land cleared in the last 100 years, they now have nowhere else to go.

If a population of about 1000 can survive for another 150 years, natural tree hollows will begin to develop in the trees that started growing after the 1939 fires and which survived the 2009 fires. This should help possum numbers start to increase again.

Leadbeater's possums are rarely seen. They sleep during day and come out at night ( nocturnal). They are small, about 33 cm (13 in) long and weigh about 120-130 grams. They move very quickly and live at the top of some of the tallest forests in the world. The possum is covered in thick, soft fur. It can be grey through to brown in colour, with a black stripe along their backs. Their fur on the chest and stomach area is pale grey. One of the main features of the possum is its club shaped tail.

Family groups

They live in small family groups of up to 12 individuals, usually a breeding pair, their children, and sometimes an extra male or two. They sleep together in a nest made out of shredded bark in a tree hollow. The nests can be anywhere from 6 m (20 ft) to 30 m (98 ft) above the ground. They have a territory of up to 20,000 square meters, which they will defend from other possums. The oldest female is the most aggressive. She will attack outsiders and chase her own daughters out of her territory when they become adults at about 14 months of age. The average female lifespan in the bush is only about 27 months, but as much as 10 years in captivity.

Leadbeater's possums do not survive by themselves. Young males leave their parents at about 15 months of age and join another group, or live together in large male groups looking for females to start new groups.

At sunset, Leadbeater's possums leave their nests and go out to find food in the tree tops. They often take huge leaps from tree to tree. They are omnivorous, they eat a range of tree saps, lerps, and arthropods which they find under the loose bark of eucalyptus trees such as spiders, crickets, and beetles. They get their energy from the sap and their proteins from the arthropods.

They give birth at the beginning of winter (May and June) or late spring (October and November). They have one or two babies, which stay in the pouch for 80 or 90 days. When they come out of the pouch they stay in the nest for another three weeks. Young Leadbeater's possums are often eaten by owls.

Because of the small area where they live, and the mix of forest trees that they need, the Leadbeater's possums is an endangered species. Logging continues to be a major threat to the possum. In 1993 five hectares of protected habitat east of Powelltown, was logged because of a "mapping error." Author, Peter Preuss, said that the number of possums dropped in 1997 with their current habitat (limited to a 50-square-kilometre area) under threat from logging. He said that there needed to be a new breeding program.

Dr. David Lindenmeyer, ( Australian National University), has said that the need to make nest boxes showed that logging was removing too many older trees with hollows needed by species like Leadbeater's possum. Studies have shown that logging in the forest between the Yarra Valley National Park and Mount Bullfight Conservation Reserve in February 2006, led to the deaths of most possums in the area. Adult possums are territorial and do not want to move. Many more were killed early in 2007 when VicForests cleared large firebreaks through possum habitat after the Christmas fires. Firebreaks and cleared land stop the possums from being able to travel and breed with other nearby groups.

With its much of its known habitat destroyed in the bushfires of February 2009 the species status is currently in doubt. The mapped distribution of the Leadbeater's possum exactly matches the area burnt in the fires.

The last Leadbeater's possum in captivity died at Healesville Sanctuary Victoria in May 2006. There are now no Leadbeater's possums in captivity anywhere in the world and no breeding program to assist this animal's survival. A group, Friends of Leadbeater's possum, has formed to try an protect the possum and to make the government protect the habitat.

Images for kids

David Lindenmayer talking about the preservation of the Leadbeater's possum in Melbourne

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Leadbeater's possum ( Gymnobelideus leadbeateri) is an endangered species of Australian possum. Once thought to be extinct, it is now only found in small areas of surviving old and mixed age mountain ash forest in the central highlands of Victoria, Australia, north-east of Melbourne.

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The Leadbeater possum ( Gymnobelideus leadbeateri) is one of the rarest subspecies. It is a non-gliding possum. Fairy possum is the other name of leadbeater possum. It is found in Australia. The possum was long thought to be extinct until in 1961 when scientists rediscovered.

The evolution of leadbeater possum had begun 20 million years ago.

Adult possums grow 33 cm in body length. The possum has 14.5 - 18 cm long tail. Adults weigh 100 - 170 grams.

Leadbeater possum makes home in a variety of habitats such as mountain ash, alpine ash, shining gum, snow and gum forests. The possum makes habitat at high altitudes of 500 - 1,500 meters above the sea level.

The possum is found in north-east of Melbourne and Victoria.

Possums are omnivores. Leadbeater possum eats exudates, wattle saps, and lerps. They will also consume termites, loose barks of eucalyptus, beetles, crickets, and spiders. The leadbeater possum likes to feed on arthropods.

Leadbeater possum becomes active at night. They climb up the trees and reach to the top. Possums live in some of the tallest trees in the world.

They will build nests 30 meters above the ground. The female gives birth to 2 joeys after a short gestation period of 20 days. The birth usually takes place in May or June but it can also occur in October and November.

Leadbeater possums can live as long as 7 - 8 years in the wild.

Owls are possibly the only predators of leadbeader possum.

The IUCN Red List has listed it as an endangered species. The primary reason for the decline in its population is logging.

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Leadbeater Possum Facts for Kids * Kids Animals Facts

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The Leadbeater possum ( Gymnobelideus leadbeateri) is one of the rarest subspecies. It is a non-gliding possum. Fairy possum is the other name of leadbeater possum. It is found in Australia. The possum was long thought to be extinct until in 1961 when scientists rediscovered.

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Koalas look like cute, cuddly teddy bears, but they're not even related to bears. Koalas are marsupials like kangaroos, possums and Tasmanian devils. These slow-moving animals eat only one kind of food - eucalyptus leaves. Eucalyptus is a tree with thick, fragrant leaves that are poisonous to people and other animals. Koalas have special bacteria in their stomachs that make the leaves safe to eat.

Koalas are nocturnal. They eat leaves during the night and sleep or rest during the day. They are very good at climbing trees and like to sit in branches to nap. They come down to the ground only when moving to a new tree, which is a good thing. Because they move so slowly, dogs and dingoes can catch and hurt them. Sometimes they get hit by cars too. They are safest in the trees.

Fun Facts about Koalas for Kids

New koala babies are the size of a jelly bean. They can't see or hear. They crawl into their mothers' pouch and stay there for up to six months. Then baby koalas ride on moms' backs for a few more months before they're ready to go it alone.

Kangaroos have a pouch like a pocket. It opens toward the animal's head. Koalas have pouches that open toward the animal's hind legs. This is to keep dirt out of the pouch.

Koalas have sharp claws for climbing.

Koalas communicate with each other. They snore, grunt, screech or even scream.

Koala Vocabulary

Learn More All About Koalas

Take a look at this interesting koala video:

A documentary video about koalas' lives in Australia.

Koala Q&A

Question: How much do koalas eat?

Answer: Eucalyptus leaves aren't very nutritious so koalas have to eat a lot. They eat as much as 2 pounds each day. They keep leaves stuffed in their mouths for a later snack.

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Question: Are koalas endangered?

Answer: They are not endangered yet, but scientists are keeping an eye on them. A disease is killing many of them.

Enjoyed the Easy Science for Kids Website all about Koalas info? Take the FREE & fun all about Koalas quiz and download FREE Koalas worksheet for kids. For lengthy info click here.

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Koala Fun Facts for Kids (All You Need to Know!)

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Easy Science for Kids Koalas - The Eucalyptus Leaves Eaters - learn fun facts about animals, the human body, our planet and much more. Fun free Koalas - The Eucalyptus Leaves Eaters activities!

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Calling all budding - or should we say buzz-ing - young naturalists! Join National Geographic Kids as we get the lowdown on one of our planet's most fascinating insects in our ten facts about h oney bees!

Facts about honey bees

1. Honey bees are super-important pollinators for flowers, fruits and vegetables. This means that they help other plants grow! Bees transfer pollen between the male and female parts, allowing plants to grow seeds and fruit.

2. Honey bees live in hives (or colonies). The members of the hive are divided into three types:

Queen: One queen runs the whole hive. Her job is to lay the eggs that will spawn the hive's next generation of bees. The queen also produces chemicals that guide the behaviour of the other bees.

Workers: these are all female and their roles are to forage for food (pollen and nectar from flowers), build and protect the hive, clean and circulate air by beating their wings. Workers are the only bees most people ever see flying around outside the hive.

Drones: These are the male bees, and their purpose is to mate with the new queen. Several hundred live in each hive during the spring and summer. But come winter, when the hive goes into survival mode, the drones are kicked out!

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3. What are these buzzing bugs most famous for? Delicious 4. If the queen bee dies, workers will create a new queen by selecting a young larva (the newly hatched baby insects) and feeding it a special food called " royal jelly". This enables the larva to develop into a fertile queen. honey! But did you know they produce honey as food stores for the hive during winter? Luckily for us, these efficient little workers produce 2-3 time more honey than they need, so we get to enjoy the tasty treat, too!

5. Honey bees are fab flyers. They fly at a speed of around 25km per hour and beat their wings 200 times per second!

6. Each bee has 170 odorant receptors, which means they have one serious sense of smell! They use this to communicate within the hive and to recognise different types of flowers when looking for food.

Did you know that we have a FREE downloadable 'Buzz about bees' primary resource, all about these awesome insects? Great for teachers, homeschoolers and parents alike!

7. The average worker bee lives for just five to six weeks. During this time, she'll produce around a twelfth of a teaspoon of honey.

8. The queen can live up to five years. She is busiest in the summer months, when she can lay up to 2,500 eggs a day!

9. Honey bees are also brilliant boogiers! To share information about the best food sources, they perform their ' waggle dance '. When the worker returns to the hive, it moves in a figure-of-eight and waggles its body to indicate the direction of the food source. Cool, huh?

10. Sadly, over the past 15 years, colonies of bees have been disappearing, and the reason remains unknown. Referred to as 'colony collapse disorder', billions of honey bees across the world are leaving their hives, never to return. In some regions, up to 90% of bees have disappeared!

We can all do our bit to support these brilliant bugs, gang! Why not plant flowers rich in nectar, such as lavender and bluebells, which will help bees find the food they need? And when your family are buying honey, try to choose varieties that are locally made, to support our honey bees and their beekeepers!

If you enjoyed learning about honey bees, check out these insect articles! Learn 25 cool things about bugs, discover cool ladybird facts, ant facts and dung beetle facts, or find out about the butterfly life cycle!

What did you think of our facts about honey bees? Let us know by leaving us a comment, below!

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10 facts about honey bees! | National Geographic Kids

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Join us here at National Geographic Kids as we check out ten facts about honey bees! Find out what they eat, how they communicate & why...

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11 Fun & Interesting Honey Bee Facts For Kids [year] [With Photos]

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Cool Facts About Bees Although not everyone may think so, bees are insects that have many important purposes. Bees help to pollinate flowers, which is how they can bloom and grow more. They also make

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The Hawksbill Sea Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) is an endangered species of turtle. It is mostly seen in shallow lagoons and coral reefs where the sea sponges it eats live. It is smaller than the Australian flatback turtle: it is usually a little more than two feet long. It usually weighs about 150 pounds. It has the most pointed beak among sea turtles, which is how it gets its name. The hawksbill gets food from inside coral reefs, eating sponges, shrimp, squid, and other invertebrates. The hawksbill pointy beak helps the turtle get food out of the tiny cracks and holes in which it searches.

Though they are sometimes seen in American waters, hawksbill turtles almost always nest in the warmer climates that run along the equator. Because people use the shell to make jewelry and other things, the hawksbill turtle is endangered.

They are endangered because there nests are landfilled and people eat there eggs

Anatomy and morphology

Adult hawksbill sea turtles typically grow to 1 m (3 ft) in length, weighing around 80 kg (180 lb) on average. The heaviest hawksbill ever captured weighed 127 kg (280 lb). The turtle's shell, or carapace, has an amber background patterned with an irregular combination of light and dark streaks, with predominantly black and mottled-brown colors radiating to the sides.

Several characteristics of the hawksbill sea turtle distinguish it from other sea turtle species. Its elongated, tapered head ends in a beak-like mouth (from which its common name is derived), and its beak is more sharply pronounced and hooked than others. The hawksbill's forelimbs have two visible claws on each flipper.

One of the hawksbill's more easily distinguished characteristics is the pattern of thick scutes that make up its carapace. While its carapace has five central scutes and four pairs of lateral scutes like several members of its family, E. imbricata's posterior scutes overlap in such a way as to give the rear margin of its carapace a serrated look, similar to the edge of a saw or a steak knife. The turtle's carapace has been known to reach almost 1 m (3 ft) in length. The hawksbill appears to frequently employ its sturdy shell to insert its body into tight spaces in reefs.

Crawling with an alternating gait, hawksbill tracks left in the sand are asymmetrical. In contrast, the green sea turtle and the leatherback turtle have a more symmetrical gait.

Due to its consumption of venomous cnidarians, hawksbill sea turtle flesh can become toxic.

The hawksbill sea turtle has been shown to be biofluorescent and is the first reptile recorded with this characteristic. It is unknown if this is derived from the turtle's diet, which includes biofluorescent organisms like the hard coral Physogyra lichtensteini. Males have more intense pigmentation than females, and a behavioural role of these differences is speculated.

Adult hawksbill sea turtles are primarily found in tropical coral reefs. They are usually seen resting in caves and ledges in and around these reefs throughout the day. As a highly migratory species, they inhabit a wide range of habitats, from the open ocean to lagoons and even mangrove swamps in estuaries. Little is known about the habitat preferences of early life-stage E. imbricata; like other young sea turtles, they are assumed to be completely pelagic, remaining at sea until they mature.

While they are omnivorous, sea sponges are their principal food; they constitute 70-95% of the turtles' diets in the Caribbean. However, like many spongivores, they feed only on select species, ignoring many others. Caribbean populations feed primarily on the orders Astrophorida, Spirophorida, and Hadromerida in the class Demospongiae. Aside from sponges, hawksbills feed on algae, cnidarians, comb jellies and other jellyfish, and sea anemones. They also feed on the dangerous jellyfish-like hydrozoan, the Portuguese man o' war. Hawksbills close their unprotected eyes when they feed on these cnidarians. The man o' war's stinging cells cannot penetrate the turtles' armored heads.

Hawksbills are highly resilient and resistant to their prey. Some of the sponges they eat are highly toxic to other organisms.

Life history

Not much is known about the life history of hawksbills. Their life history can be divided into three phases, namely the pelagic phase, from hatching to about 20 cm, the benthic phase, when the immature turtles recruit to foraging areas, and the reproductive phase, when they reach sexual maturity. The pelagic phase possibly lasts until the turtles reach around 20 cm in length in 1-3 years, reaching sexual maturity at around 40 cm (2-4 years). Hawksbills show a degree of fidelity after recruiting to the benthic phase, however movement to other similar habitats is possible.

Hawksbills mate biannually in secluded lagoons off their nesting beaches in remote islands throughout their range. The most significant nesting beaches are in Mexico, the Seychelles, Indonesia, and Australia. Mating season for Atlantic hawksbills usually spans April to November. Indian Ocean populations, such as the Seychelles hawksbill population, mate from September to February. After mating, females drag their heavy bodies high onto the beach during the night. They clear an area of debris and dig a nesting hole using their rear flippers, then lay clutches of eggs and cover them with sand. Caribbean and Florida nests of E. imbricata normally contain around 140 eggs. After the hours-long process, the female returns to the sea. Their nests can be found throughout beaches in about 60 countries.

The baby turtles, usually weighing less than 24 g (0.85 oz) hatch at night after around two months. These newly emergent hatchlings are dark-colored, with heart-shaped carapaces measuring around 2.5 cm (0.98 in) long. They instinctively crawl into the sea, attracted by the reflection of the moon on the water (possibly disrupted by light sources such as street lamps and lights). While they emerge under the cover of darkness, baby turtles that do not reach the water by daybreak are preyed upon by shorebirds, shore crabs, and other predators.

Hawksbills evidently reach maturity after 20 years. Their lifespan is unknown. Like other sea turtles, hawksbills are solitary for most of their lives; they meet only to mate. They are highly migratory. Because of their tough carapaces, adults' only predators are sharks, estuarine crocodiles, octopuses, and some species of pelagic fish.

Images for kids

Hawksbill sea turtle (top right) in a 1904 plate by Ernst Haeckel

Another model of the possible distribution of E. imbricata: Red circles represent known major nesting sites. Yellow circles are minor nesting sites.

A hawksbill sea turtle in Tobago

Fluorescent markings on Hawksbill sea turtle

In Spanish: Eretmochelys imbricata para niños