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Need a Poem?

If you are new here, I welcome you! If you seek a poem, click the "Find a Poem" tab above, and it will take you to a page where you can select poems by topic (dogs) or technique (alliteration). This resource is intended for personal or classroom use, and I welcome teachers and students to use these poems in lessons and as mentors. - Amy

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If you are new here, I welcome you! If you seek a poem, click the "Find a Poem" tab above, and it will take you to a page where you can select poems by topic (dogs) or technique (alliteration).

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Ellie, Engineer Hardcover - January 16, 2018 by Jackson Pearce Series: Ellie, Engineer (book 1) 192 pages - ages 8-12 Published by Bloomsbury USA Childrens on January 16, 2018 Publisher's synopsis: Ellie is an engineer. With a tool belt strapped over her favorite skirt... Read More ›

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Ellie, Engineer Hardcover - January 16, 2018 by Jackson Pearce Series: Ellie, Engineer (book 1) 192 pages - ages 8-12 Published by Bloomsbury USA Childrens on January 16, 2018 Publisher's synopsis: Ellie is an engineer. With a tool belt strapped over her favorite skirt... Read More ›

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With the slow arrival of spring in the Midwest, visitors to the Indianapolis Zoo had to wait a few weeks before meeting two Ring-tailed Lemurs born on March 14. But the twins finally went outdoors for the first time on a warm, sunny day late last week.

Photo Credit: Carla Knapp/Indianapolis Zoo

The babies were born to experienced mother Bree, who is attentive and nurturing with her newborns. The one-month-old twins are growing fast, and they have already transitioned from clinging to Bree's belly to riding on her back. They've begun to explore their surroundings, but never venture far from mom.

The babies' genders are not yet known, so they have not been named. Twins are common in this species.

Ring-tailed Lemurs are native to the island of Madagascar, where they live in social groups of a dozen or more individuals. These primates feed, huddle, and sunbathe together.

The clearing of Madagascar's forests for pasture and agricultural land has severely affected Ring-tailed Lemurs, which rely on trees for food and shelter. Recent studies estimate that only about 2,000 Ring-tailed Lemurs remain in the wild. The species is listed as Endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.

See more photos of the twin Lemurs below.

Continue reading "Ring-tailed Lemur Twins Venture Outdoors" "

A baby Wallaby which is being hand reared in a backpack after being found abandoned is delighting keepers at Longleat with his progress.

The baby, who has been nicknamed Newt, is thought to be around 30 weeks old. He has been adopted by keepers Gemma Short and Jodie Cobb, who carry Newt around in a substitute pouch made from a backpack.

Photo Credit: Longleat

The Red-necked Wallaby, who was rescued after being found abandoned during snowy weather, is thriving under the care of his keepers at this safari park in the United Kingdom.

"It appears that for some reason his mum let him out of her pouch during the cold weather but then refused to let him back in again," said keeper Gemma. "We kept him under closer observation but when it became clear she had abandoned him, we had to step in and hand rear him."

"Initially we had to feed him every two hours, but now he feeds at four-hour intervals and he's starting to take solids," Gemma said. "At first it felt a little strange to be carrying this backpack around but after a while you do get used to it. He's a real character and is beginning to venture out on his own again and explore the outside world," she added.

At birth, Newt weighed just 20 grams and was little larger than a baked bean. He crawled through his mother's fur from the birth canal into the pouch where he began to suckle.

Volunteering to take over as surrogate mothers has been a real labor of love for the keepers - especially with feedings every four hours day and night.

Gemma and Jodie will have to keep up their role as adoptive parents for up to 18 months until the youngster is fully weaned and ready to return to the Wallaby colony.

Red-necked Wallabies, also known as Bennett's Wallabies, are native to eastern Australia and the island of Tasmania. As marsupials, their babies are born in a highly underdeveloped state and complete their growth inside the female's pouch. They feed on grasses and leaves during the night and rest during the day. Red-necked Wallabies are not under threat, and so are listed as a species of Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

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Two adorable Asian Small-clawed Otter pups were born the middle of March at the Kansas City Zoo.

For now, the fluffy male and female pups will remain behind-the-scenes with their parents and big brother, Otis.

However, the Zoo is happy to share updates of the duo via social media. Keepers also organized a naming contest, allowing the public to select the tiny otters new names. And the winning names are...Conner and Clover.

Although the Asian Small-clawed Otter (Aonyx cinerea syn. Amblonyx cinereus) is only listed as "Vulnerable" by the IUCN, the species is seriously threatened by rapid habitat destruction for palm oil farming and by hunting and pollution. They are considered an "indicator species," meaning their population indicates the general health of their habitat and of other species.

The species is the smallest Otter in the world and lives in freshwater wetlands and mangrove swamps throughout Southeast Asia, including southern India and China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Borneo, and the Malay Peninsula. They prefer quiet pools and sluggish streams for fishing and swimming.

Unlike Sea Otters, they spend more time on land than in water, but they are skillful, agile swimmers and divers, with great endurance. They can stay submerged for six to eight minutes.

Continue reading "Adorable Asian Small-clawed Otter Duo Born " "

The Kansas City Zoo has four 'new kids on the block'...goat kids, that is!

Four Arapawa Goats were born at the Zoo during the first week of April. Keepers have been able to determine there are at least one boy and one girl, and they will find out the sex of the other pair once a neonatal exam is performed.

The Arapawa Goat is a New Zealand breed. They are medium-sized and of a non-aggressive temperament. The breed is also considered to be critically close to extinction.

According the American non-profit organization, The Livestock Conservancy: "The Arapawa goat is a breed of domestic goat whose ancestors arrived with European explorers or colonists in New Zealand, possibly as early as the 1600's. The breed was originally only found on the rugged island of Arapawa, which is situated at the top of the South Island of New Zealand. The origin of the goat population on this island has often been associated with the expeditions of Captain James Cook. Historical records indicate that goats were released by Cook on the island in 1777. According to local lore the present goats are directly descended from those original goats brought by the British explorers. The goats are thought to be descended from 'Old English', a common goat breed in Britain in the 18th century. This breed is a likely candidate to have been brought by British colonists as it is an all-purpose family goat suitable to meet the challenges of founding new colonies.
In England, over time, the Old English goat slowly fell out of favor on small farms. The Old English breed eventually became extinct as more productive breeds became popular and the practice of keeping yard goats diminished towards the end of the 19th century. If New Zealand goat lore is true, then the Arapawa represents the last remaining examples of the Old English goat, and it has been conserved due to the relative isolation of the island. While the origins of the Arapawa goat will continue to challenge historians and biologists, phenotypical evidence and DNA evidence seem to support the hypothesis of the relationship to the Old English goat. The Arapawa goat population thrived on the island without major threat for over 200 years, until the 1970s. At that time, the New Zealand Forest Service came to the conclusion that the goats were too damaging to the native forest and therefore had to be removed. In reaction to the news, Arapawa Island residents Betty and Walt Rowe stepped in with friends and volunteers and created a sanctuary in 1987. They began conservation work with 40 goats returned to domestication. It is largely through their efforts that the breed gained international attention and survives today. The Arapawa goat remains one of the rarest breeds. As of 2011 there are approximately 150-200 domesticated goats in the United States, and this is thought to represent about half of the global population. Dedicated breeders are also working with the breed in New Zealand and the United Kingdom..."

Bunny, a Reindeer at Brookfield Zoo, gave birth to a fawn on April 2 after a 7½-month gestation. Within just a few minutes of the birth, the fawn was up and walking.

The fawn, Bunny's second, weighed just over 12 pounds at birth but is expected to double her weight in just two weeks, thanks to the richness of her mother's milk. She will soon graze on solid food but will continue to nurse from Bunny for about six months.

Photo Credit: Jim Schultz/Chicago Zoological Society

Reindeer fawns are born with dark fur that absorbs radiant heat from the sun, which is important in the chilly northern regions where Reindeer live. At about two to three months, fawns begin to shed their dark fur as lighter-colored fur grows in. At about one month of age, little antler buds begin to develop, followed by short spikes within the first year.

Reindeer differ from other Deer species because their noses are covered with fur and both sexes have antlers. The antlers are made of solid living bone and no two sets are alike. Antlers grow out of small bony platforms called pedicles and are covered with velvet, a soft tissue that supplies necessary nutrients. Males shed their antlers in November and December and females in January or February. Both genders begin growing a new set of antlers in early spring.

Continue reading "One Tiny Reindeer Born at Brookfield Zoo" "

A baby Spectacled Bear born at Tierpark Berlin "bears" a striking resemblance to Paddington Bear. That's because the much-loved children's book character was based on this species, which is native to the Andes Mountains of South America.

Born on December 26, the male cub underwent his first medical exam on March 27. At the exam, the veterinary team confirmed his sex, implanted an ID chip, and gave the young Bear his first vaccinations. In just a few weeks, the cub - who is yet to be named - will join his mother Julia, age 20, and grandmother Puna, age 27, in the outdoor area of the Spectacled Bears' habitat, where he is sure to win the hearts of Tierpark visitors.

Photo Credit: Tierpark Berlin

Zoo and Tierpark Director Dr. Andreas Knieriem is thrilled about the new arrival. "Welcoming new baby Bears is always a joyous occasion - especially when it means we are able to make a contribution to the survival of a threatened species," he said.

Breeding of Spectacled Bears in Europe is managed by the European Endangered Species Programme for Spectacled Bears. The program acts as a kind of matchmaking service to pair males and females based on their genetic pedigree. This strategic breeding maintains a healthy, sustainable, and genetically diverse population in zoos.

Spectacled Bears have lived at Tierpark Berlin since 1956, just one year after the park opened. This is the seventh cub born to experienced mother Julia, but only the second cub sired by Carlos, age 21. It is the first Spectacled Bear born at Tierpark Berlin since 2013. A total of 17 Spectacled Bear cubs have grown up in the Tierpark. These Bears have contributed to safeguarding the global population of the threatened species by moving to new homes in countries as far away as Japan, Russia, and Argentina.

Spectacled Bears, also known as Andean Bears, live in the Andes Mountains, from Bolivia in the south to Venezuela in the north. The Bears live in a variety of habitats, from lowland rainforests to high-altitude grasslands at 15,000 feet above sea level.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature classifies the Spectacled Bear as Vulnerable. The main threat to their survival is loss and fragmentation of habitat, caused by deforestation and conversion of land for agricultural use. Spectacled Bears that wander onto fields in search of food - either crops or domestic animals - are often killed by their human rivals. Spectacled Bears are primarily herbivorous, occasionally adding protein to their diet by eating insects, rodents, and sometimes larger animals, such as domestic sheep.

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With the slow arrival of spring in the Midwest, visitors to the Indianapolis Zoo had to wait a few weeks before meeting two Ring-tailed Lemurs born on March 14. But the twins finally went outdoors for the first time on a warm, sunny day late last week.

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5 Interesting Facts About the Egyptian Lizard

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5 Interesting Facts About the Egyptian Lizard

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Hayden's Animal Facts

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I haven't written on this blog for a while, so today I though that I would write about a really cool lizard called the Egyptian spiny-tailed lizard.

Here are five interesting facts about them:

1. Also known as Egyptian mastigures, these large lizards grow up to 76 cm long and are the largest member of their family.

2. They live in small colonies in a series of burrows that protect them from predators and the heat.

3. They come out during the day to feed on flowers, leaves, fruit and seeds.

4. At breeding time, Egyptian spiny-tailed lizards lay 10-40 eggs. After hatching, many of the babies are eaten by birds, snakes and other lizards. Those that survive can live for over 30 years.

5. Egyptian spiny-tailed lizards are found in sandy, rocky areas throughout northern Africa and the Middle East. They are considered vulnerable to extinction due to habitat loss and poaching for the pet trade.

I hope that you found these facts interesting and learned something new.

Are there any other interesting facts that you would like to share about Egyptian spiny-tailed lizards?

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5 Interesting Facts About Egyptian Spiny-Tailed Lizards

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I haven't written on this blog for a while, so today I though that I would write about a really cool lizard called the Egyptian spiny-tailed lizard. Here are five interesting facts about them: Also known as Egyptian mastigures, these large lizards grow up to 76 cm long and are the largest member of their...

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The city of Cleveland enjoyed its first major professional sports championship in 52 years when the Cavaliers won the NBA Finals in June. The Indians will attempt to make it two titles in less than a year when they take on the Chicago Cubs in the World Series, starting tonight at Progressive Field. The Indians also hope to end their own 68-year drought, the second-longest such streak in baseball (behind the Cubs' 108 years, of course). Here are five reasons that Cubs fans might have to wait at least 109 years:

1. Home-field advantage: Cleveland will host Games 1 and 2, and if the series goes past five games, the Indians will host Games 6 and 7. Cleveland is 9-6 all time at home during the World Series. And in series that have gone seven games, the road team has only won once since 1980. Cleveland enters this series with a ton of momentum.

2. Andrew Miller: Mid-season acquisition Andrew Miller has been phenomenal for the Indians in the playoffs. He has allowed five hits, zero runs, and two walks, while striking out 21 batters in 11.2 innings pitched. No pitcher has ever struck out more batters (20) in their first nine postseason innings than Miller did. He struck out 56% of the batters he faced in the ALCS. The ALCS MVP was on a few occasions brought in during the middle innings, and his execution took pressure off their depleted starting rotation.

3. The rest of the bullpen: Closer Cody Allen has also been tremendous in the postseason. He's recorded five saves, while allowing zero runs and five hits in six appearances. The entire bullpen has compiled an ERA of 1.64 during this postseason. They combined for 8.1 IP in a crucial Game 3 win after Trevor Bauer had to leave with a bleeding finger.

4. A healthier rotation: Starters Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar have been out throughout the playoffs, but Salazar might return in the World Series. After a drone accident during the ALCS, Bauer suffered the aforementioned finger injury, but he will be available too against the Cubs. Ace Corey Kluber, who will start Game 1, has allowed two runs and struck out 20 batters in his three postseason starts. If needed, Cleveland also has Ryan Merritt, who tossed 4.1 scoreless innings in Game 5 of the ALCS.

5. Terry Francona: Manager Terry Francona will be looking to take home his third World Series ring. Francona is 8-0 in World Series games, and he's been masterful this postseason, knowing exactly when to play certain players. He helped the Red Sox break their 86-year World Series drought in 2004, and he has a chance to help the Indians end their dry spell.

(Photo credit: Elsa/Getty Images)

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Five Reasons the Indians Will Win the World Series

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The city of Cleveland enjoyed its first major professional sports championship in 52 years when the Cavaliers won the NBA Finals in June. The Indians will attempt to make it two titles in less than a year when they take on the Chicago Cubs in the World Series, starting tonight at Progressive Field.

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This is "Back to School Tips from LivBit" by on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

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Time for Kids: TFK Kid Writers