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Built on a collection of 40,000+ popular, high-quality books from 250+ of the world's best publishers, Epic safely fuels curiosity and reading confidence for kids 12 and under.

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online access fun thousands children great kids ebooks books

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Built on a collection of 40,000+ popular, high-quality books from 250+ of the world's best publishers, Epic safely fuels curiosity and reading confidence for kids 12 and under. Get Started

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Read Discover Great White Sharks on Epic

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Built on a collection of 40,000+ popular, high-quality books from 250+ of the world's best publishers, Epic safely fuels curiosity and reading confidence for kids 12 and under.

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online access fun thousands children great kids ebooks books

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Read Discover Great White Sharks on Epic

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Built on a collection of 40,000+ popular, high-quality books from 250+ of the world's best publishers, Epic safely fuels curiosity and reading confidence for kids 12 and under. Get Started

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Built on a collection of 40,000+ popular, high-quality books from 250+ of the world's best publishers, Epic safely fuels curiosity and reading confidence for kids 12 and under.

Get Started

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online access fun thousands children great kids ebooks books

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Built on a collection of 40,000+ popular, high-quality books from 250+ of the world's best publishers, Epic safely fuels curiosity and reading confidence for kids 12 and under. Get Started

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Built on a collection of 40,000+ popular, high-quality books from 250+ of the world's best publishers, Epic safely fuels curiosity and reading confidence for kids 12 and under.

Get Started

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
online access fun thousands children great kids ebooks books

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Built on a collection of 40,000+ popular, high-quality books from 250+ of the world's best publishers, Epic safely fuels curiosity and reading confidence for kids 12 and under. Get Started

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Built on a collection of 40,000+ popular, high-quality books from 250+ of the world's best publishers, Epic safely fuels curiosity and reading confidence for kids 12 and under.

Get Started

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
online access fun thousands children great kids ebooks books

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Built on a collection of 40,000+ popular, high-quality books from 250+ of the world's best publishers, Epic safely fuels curiosity and reading confidence for kids 12 and under. Get Started

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Newsela | Instructional Content Platform

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

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Newsela | Everyday Mysteries: Why do bats live in caves?

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Newsela | Instructional Content Platform

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

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

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

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

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

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Native to the mountain forests of southwest China, the giant panda is one of the most beloved animals in the world.

Giant pandas are identified by their distinctive black and white coloring. Their ears, muzzle, eyes, shoulders and legs are black while the rest of their body is white. Their thick hair keeps them warm in the cool, wet mountain zones. When on all fours, giant pandas average between 60-100 cm (2-3 ft.) tall at the shoulder and between 1-2 m (4-6 ft.) long. They can weigh between 100-115 kg (220-250 lb.), with males being larger than females.

One of the interesting evolutionary traits of the panda is their protruding wrist bone that acts like a thumb. This helps the pandas hold bamboo while they munch on it with their strong molar teeth. Bamboo makes up nearly the entire diet of the panda. Due to the low nutritional value of bamboo, pandas need to eat 10-20 kg (20-40 lb.) a day. Occasionally pandas will eat other available food, including small rodents, eggs, fish and other flora. Bamboo provides a good amount of water, but pandas need to supplement this with fresh water daily.

When pandas are between 4-8 years of age, they reach maturity and can reproduce. However, female pandas are only able to become pregnant for 2-3 days each spring! In this small window of time, male and female pandas find each other through scents and calls similar to that of goats or sheep. They do not roar like other bears.

Between 95 and 160 days of becoming pregnant, the female panda will give birth. The newborn cub is blind, hairless, and tiny, weighing only 85-140 g (3-5 oz.). Completely helpless, the cub cannot move much on its own for nearly 3 months. In turn, the mother is very protective and careful in tending to her cub during this time.

Conservation Status

With only around 2060 pandas living in the wild, the giant panda is considered vulnerable of extinction by the IUCN Red List. Due to the fact that pandas reproduce so infrequently, it is very difficult for their population to recover from such a low point.

One the main reasons that panda populations have declined is habitat destruction. As the human population in China continues to grow, pandas' habitat gets taken over by development, pushing them into smaller and less livable areas. Habitat destruction also leads to food shortages. Pandas feed on several varieties of bamboo that bloom at different times of the year. If one type of bamboo is destroyed by development, it can leave the pandas with nothing to eat during the time it normally blooms, increasing the risk of starvation.

To combat this issue, the Chinese government has actively worked to restore and protect bamboo habitat, and these measures have shown positive results. State Forestry Administration surveys have concluded that the panda population has increased since the Chinese government's actions, and in 2016, the IUCN upgraded the giant panda's status from Endangered to Vulnerable.

While an increasing panda population is good news for now, it is predicted that climate change will eliminate over 35% of the panda's bamboo habitat in the next 80 years.

What You Can Do to Help

Wildlife reserves have been set up in parts of China to make sure the pandas have a home, and care is taken to make sure they survive in the wild. Researchers continue to study how pandas breed in an effort to increase the population. You can help by donating or adopting a panda through the World Wildlife Fund.

Giant Panda Distribution

Panda Resources

More Panda Stuff from Animal Fact Guide

Blog Posts about the Giant Panda

About the Author

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

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Giant Panda Bear Facts | Endangered Animals

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Giant pandas have a protruding wrist bone which functions as a thumb, helping them hold bamboo as they eat. Learn more panda facts at Animal Fact Guide!

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Newsela | What does a bear do in the Alaska woods? Disperse seeds

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Scientists were surprised to find that bears in Alaska scatter more seeds through their poop than birds do.

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Newsela | Instructional Content Platform

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Newsela | Sun bears mimic each other’s facial expressions to communicate

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Newsela | Endangered Species: The polar bear

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Polar bears live in the Arctic and are in danger of losing their homes as global warming melts more ice.

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Polar bears, or "sea bears," are the world's largest land predators, weighing up to 600 kg (1300 lb.) and measuring up to 3 m (10 ft.) tall. On average they live to be about 25 years old, reaching sexual maturity at around 4 years.

Although they appear white or yellow in color, their fur is actually clear and hollow, and their skin is black. Their visibly pale coloring is caused by the reflection and scattering of light.

Inhabiting the ice and sea of the Arctic, polar bears are well-equipped for survival in a harsh environment. Two coats of fur and a thick layer of blubber help insulate the polar bear's body from the cold, keeping its temperature at an even 37° C (98.6° F). In addition, polar bears' paws are especially adapted for walking on the ice and swimming in the sea. Hairs and bumps on the soles of their feet provide traction, while webbing between their toes allows for effective swimming strokes.

Polar bears are also equipped with strong noses. They use their powerful sense of smell when hunting for seals, their main source of food. They can smell a seal's breathing hole, or aglu, up to one mile away. Once located, a polar bear will wait patiently by the hole and attack the seal's head when it comes up for air. In ideal hunting conditions, the bear will just eat the seal fat, leaving the carcass for other animals. However, when food is scarce, polar bears will eat just about anything. Supplemental foods include walruses, short-legged reindeer, birds, bird eggs, kelp, and beached whales. When in proximity to human settlements, they have even been known to eat garbage such as Styrofoam.

Polar bears do not hibernate like other bears, but females do enter into a dormant state while pregnant. After mating in the spring, a female polar bear spends the summer ingesting large amounts of food and building a maternity den in a snow drift to prepare for the arrival of her cubs.

In the fall, she enters into a dormant state, remaining this way even as she gives birth. The litter, usually two cubs, will spend two years with their mother learning essential hunting and survival skills.

Conservation Status

Polar bears are currently listed as vulnerable by IUCN's Red List. Global warming greatly impacts the fate of the polar bear. A reduction of large masses of ice results in limited access to seals. Not only does this adversely affect the health of adult polar bears, it also hinders the successful reproduction and nourishment of new bear cubs. Rising temperatures also result in unstable maternity dens, as snowdrifts melt and collapse.

What You Can Do to Help

To help save the polar bear habitat, you can support the Climate Reality Project, which urges world leaders, companies, and communities to take action in curbing global warming.

Polar Bear Range

Polar Bear Resources

Blog Posts about the Polar Bear

About the Author

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

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

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Although polar bears appear to be white or yellow, their fur is actually clear, and their skin is black. Learn more polar bear facts at Animal Fact Guide!

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Standing as tall as 2.5 m (8 ft) and weighing up to 360 kg (800 lbs.), the grizzly bear is a subspecies of brown bear that inhabits western Canada and the northwestern United States.

Grizzly bears have a multitude of strengths. They are highly intelligent and have excellent memories. Detecting food from great distances away, grizzlies have an astute sense of smell, even better than that of a hound dog.

They are good swimmers and fast runners, reaching speeds as high as 50 km/h (35 mph) over land. Young grizzlies also have the ability to climb trees to evade danger, but this skill fades as they become bigger.

Grizzly bears are specially adapted to survive the changing seasons. During warmer months, they eat a massive amount of food so they can live off body fat during the winter, when food is scarce. They may intake 40 kg (90 lbs.) of food each day, gaining over 1 kg (2.2 lbs.) of body weight a day.

As omnivores, grizzlies will eat anything nutritious they can find, gorging on nuts, fruit, leaves, roots, fungi, insects, and a variety of animals including salmon and other fish, rodents, sheep, and elk. Their diet varies depending on what foods are available for the season.

In the fall, as temperatures cool and food becomes scarcer, grizzlies dig dens in the sides of hills. They have long rounded claws (the size of human fingers) and a large mass of muscles on their backs that help them dig. These characteristics, along with small rounded ears and white-tipped (or "grizzled") fur, distinguish grizzly bears from black bears.

In the winter, grizzly bears settle in to their dens and enter a deep sleep called torpor, which allows them to conserve energy. Their heart rate slows down from 40 beats per minute to 8, and they do not go to the bathroom at all during these months of slumber. This deep sleep is commonly referred to as hibernation, but bears are not true hibernators. True hibernators, like chipmunks, deer mice, groundhogs, snakes, and some bats, enter an even deeper sleep state, reducing their heart rates even more significantly and lowering their body temperatures to near freezing.

Family Life

Midwinter, pregnant grizzly bears wake up from their sleep to give birth, but return to their slumber afterwards. Grizzly bear cubs (usually born in pairs) arrive into the world blind, hairless, and toothless. They use what little strength they have to nestle into their mother and nurse. For a month, the cubs feed on their mother's milk and gain strength. By the time spring comes, the cubs have opened their eyes and grown teeth and fur; the new family is ready to venture outside the den.

The cubs stay under their mother's care for 2-3 years. While mother grizzlies are fiercely protective of their cubs, nearly half the cubs do not survive past the first year, falling to disease, starvation, and predators like wolves, mountain lions, and adult male grizzlies.

Conservation Status

Brown bears are considered a species of least concern by the IUCN. However, the grizzly bear subspecies is listed as threatened by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Grizzly bears are threatened by habitat loss due to logging, development, and mining. Human interaction also poses a threat to grizzlies. When bears are drawn close to humans, attracted by livestock, garbage, and other food, they are often exterminated. Furthermore, in Canada, people hunt grizzlies for trophy (where it is legal to do so). In the U.S., sometimes grizzlies are shot by people mistaking them for black bears, which are not protected.

What You Can Do to Help

If you would like to help grizzlies, you can donate to organizations such as Defender of Wildlife and National Wildlife Federation, which help preserve grizzly habitat and work toward minimizing human-bear conflicts (with measures like bear-resistant dumpsters and electric fences).

When living in or visiting grizzly bear habitat, do not feed the bears, and keep all garbage securely contained.

Grizzly Bear Distribution

Grizzly Bear Resources

Blog Posts about the Grizzly Bear

About the Author

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

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

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Grizzly Bear Facts | Grizzlies Information

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Did you know grizzly bears give birth in their sleep? Learn more interesting facts about grizzlies at Animal Fact Guide!

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For a long time, scientists weren't sure if giant pandas were bears or perhaps more closely related to raccoons. Now we know that giant pandas are indeed members of the bear family, similar to other bears in their general looks and the way they walk and climb.

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Brown bears are brown, right? Well, maybe! They come in all sizes and shades, from a light cream color to almost black. Grizzly bears are a type of brown bear, but not all brown bears are grizzlies! Brown bears can be found in northwestern North America, northern Asia, Europe, northern Africa, and the Middle East.

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The Andean bear of South America is also known as the spectacled bear for the rings of white or light fur around its eyes, which can look like eyeglasses (or spectacles) against the rest of the bear's black or dark brown fur. These markings often extend down the chest, giving each bear a unique appearance.

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

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Grizzly Bear - National Park Animals for Kids

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Watch what happens when animals are caught on camera doing wacky activities! This music video series captures the funny moments animals have in their day-to-day lives.

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Polar Bears: Learn about these giant white animals.

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Learn about polar bears, the largest carnivore on land. They like to swim and enjoy the cold.

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Giant Panda: Learn about the cuddly looking bear.

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Learn about giant panda bears from China. They eat bamboo in the mountains and are an endangered species.

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For a long time, scientists weren't sure if giant pandas were bears or perhaps more closely related to raccoons. Now we know that giant pandas are indeed members of the bear family, similar to other bears in their general looks and the way they walk and climb.

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China is working hard to make sure giant pandas will live on

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China is working hard to make sure giant pandas will live on

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Newsela | Instructional Content Platform

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

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Newsela | Instructional Content Platform

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

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Bears are large, powerful mammals related to dogs and raccoons. The biggest bears are the world's largest animals that live on land and eat meat. There are several species,...

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Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute

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Red pandas can be easily identified by their unique ruddy coat color, which acts like camouflage within the canopy of fir trees where branches are covered with clumps of reddish-brown moss and white lichens.

They have large, round heads and short snouts with big, pointed ears. Their faces are white with reddish-brown "tear" marks that extend from the eyes to the corner of the mouth. These markings could have evolved to help keep the sun out of their eyes. Their tails are marked with alternating red and buff rings.

Red pandas have a soft, dense woolly undercoat covered by long, coarse guard hairs. Long, bushy tails help these arboreal animals maintain balance and protect them from harsh cold and winds. Dense fur completely covers their feet which have five, widely separated toes and semi-retractable claws.

Red pandas scent-mark territories using anal glands and urine, as well as scent glands located between their footpads. These scent glands on the bottom of red pandas' feet exude a colorless liquid that is odorless to humans. The red panda tests odors using the underside of its tongue, which has a cone-like structure for collecting liquid and bringing it close to a gland inside its mouth. It is the only carnivore with this adaptation.

Red pandas are skilled climbers, using trees for shelter, to escape predators and to sunbathe in the winter. Their ankles are extremely flexible, and the fibula and tibia are attached in such a way as to allow the fibula to rotate about its axis. These features make it possible for red pandas to adeptly climb headfirst down tree trunks.

In contrast with other carnivores their size, red pandas have extremely robust dentition. They also have a simple carnivore stomach, despite their predominantly leaf-based diet. Red pandas share the giant panda's pseudo-thumb, a modified wrist bone used to grasp bamboo when feeding.

Red pandas are the only living member of the Ailuridae family, and their taxonomic position has long been a subject of scientific debate. They were first described as members of the raccoon family ( Procyonidae) - a controversial classification - in 1825, because of ecological characteristics and morphological similarities of the head, dentition and ringed tail. Later, due to some agreements in DNA, they were assigned to the bear family ( Ursidae).

Most recent genetic research, however, places red pandas in their own, independent family: Ailuridae. Molecular phylogenetic studies show that red pandas are an ancient species in the order Carnivora (superfamily Musteloidea) and are probably most closely related to the group that includes skunks, raccoons and weasels.

While originally thought to be two subspecies, new genetic studies suggest that there are two distinct species of red panda: Ailurus fulgens fulgens and Ailurus fulgens styani (also known as Ailurus fulgens refulgens). The latter tends to be larger and deeper red in color than the former.

Adult red pandas typically weigh between 8 and 17 pounds (3.6 and 7.7 kilograms) and are 22 to 24.6 inches (56 to 62.5 centimeters) long, plus a tail of 14.6 to 18.6 inches (37 to 47.2 centimeters).

Red pandas live in high-altitude, temperate forests with bamboo understories in the Himalayas and other high mountains. They range from northern Myanmar (Burma) to the west Sichuan and Yunnan Provinces of China. They are also found in suitable habitat in Nepal, India and Tibet. Ailurus fulgens fulgens lives predominantly in Nepal and can also be found in India and Bhutan. Ailurus fulgens styani (or Ailurus fulgens refulgens) is primarily found in China and Myanmar.

Red pandas may live as long as 23 years. They show symptoms of age at around 12 to 14 years old. While females do not breed after age 12, males continue to be reproductively capable.

Red pandas are generally quiet, but subtle vocalizations-such as squeals, twitters and huff-quacks-can be heard at close proximity. They may also hiss or grunt, and young cubs use a whistle, or high-pitched bleat, to signal distress. Red pandas will climb trees and rocks to escape predators, such as leopards and jackals.

Bamboo constitutes about 95% of the red panda's diet. Unlike giant pandas that feed on nearly every above-ground portion of bamboo (including the culm, or woody stem), red pandas feed selectively on the most nutritious leaf tips and, when available, tender shoots.

Like giant pandas, red pandas grasp plant stems using their forepaws and shear selected leaves off with their mouths. Because red pandas are obligate bamboo eaters, they are on a tight energy budget for much of the year. They may also forage for roots, succulent grasses, fruits, insects and grubs, and are known to occasionally kill and eat birds and small mammals.

At the Smithsonian's National Zoo, red pandas eat bamboo, bamboo shoots (when in season) and leafeater biscuits. They are receive enrichment treats, such as apples, grapes, bananas, blueberries and other produce.

In human care, red pandas can be active at any time of day but are primarily crepuscular, or most active at dawn and dusk. On average, they spend about 45 percent of the day awake and tend to be more active in cooler weather, especially during the winter mating season.

In significantly cold temperatures, red pandas can become dormant, lowering their metabolic rate and raising it every few hours as they wake up to look for food.

This adaptation allows red pandas to spend nearly as little energy as sloths, which is very beneficial considering the low nutrition content of their diet. They also exhibit temperature-regulating behaviors, such as curling into a tight ball to conserve body heat and energy expenditure in the cold. Conversely, when temperatures are warm, red pandas stretch out on branches and pant to lower their body temperature.

Red pandas are solitary except during the breeding season. In human care, most breeding pairs live together year-round. In the wild, the home range of one animal is about 1 square mile.

In the Northern Hemisphere, red pandas breed from January through March. In the Southern Hemisphere, breeding season extends from June through August. The rapid change in photoperiod, or day length, after the winter solstice initiates this breeding season.

Mating occurs on the ground, and gestation appears to include a period of delayed implantation, which may be as short as 93 days or as long as 156 days. Reproduction expends a great deal of energy, so it is believed that a long gestation period may be the result of a slow metabolic rate. Late spring births also coincide with the emergence of the most tender and digestible bamboo shoots and leaves.

Females create a nest in tree holes, hollow stumps, tree roots or bamboo thickets and line the nest with moss, leaves and other soft plant material. Litters typically consist of two cubs born between May and July in the Northern Hemisphere.

Red pandas are born completely covered in fur to protect them from the cold environment. Newborns of the species Ailurus fulgens fulgens weigh 3-4 ounces (about 90-110 grams). The offspring stay with the mother for about one year, which is about when they are full-grown. Red pandas reach sexual maturity at around 18 months of age.

Red pandas are endangered and are legally protected in India, Bhutan, China, Nepal and Myanmar. Their primary threats are habitat loss and degradation, human interference and poaching.

Researchers believe that the total population of red pandas has declined by 40 percent over the past two decades. It is probable that this decline will continue in the coming years. Red pandas are present in some protected areas throughout their range, including parks in Myanmar, Bhutan, India, Nepal and China. Despite regulations, livestock grazing, hunting and logging still occur throughout many of these protected areas.

Habitat loss is primarily attributed to logging, grazing livestock, demand for firewood, human encroachment and farming. The decrease in suitable habitat for red pandas has coincided with the increase in human populations throughout Asia; with human encroachment comes livestock, agriculture and dogs, all of which produce different threats to this species.

Herds of livestock can compete with red pandas for available bamboo leaves and degrade their habitat. Clearing land to make way for crops reduces available food and shelter. And domestic dogs can hunt or transmit disease, such as canine distemper, to red pandas. Additionally, fragmentation resulting from habitat loss has resulted in inbreeding, as red panda populations become increasingly isolated.

The illegal pet trade has reportedly been on the rise throughout Asia. However, poaching and the illegal trade of red panda pelts, meat and other products has decreased.

These threats to red pandas are compounded by climate change and natural disasters, inadequate enforcement of laws and regulations, and limited investment in red panda conservation by local governments. Red pandas have bred with some reliability in zoos throughout North America, Europe and Asia. As they decline in the wild, growing and maintaining self-sustaining populations in zoos is a high priority as a hedge against extinction and to learn more about species biology.

Part of the difficulty in conserving red pandas relates to their unique habitat. These animals require a specific set of circumstances to optimize survival, including proximity to water sources, appropriate forest cover and altitude, and sufficient bamboo. As human encroachment continues to grow, these ideal habitats become increasingly more difficult to find. Bamboo grows unreliably in degraded habitats, which adds additional stress to the situation.

The Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute has been at the forefront of red panda conservation, with more than 100 surviving cubs born since 1962.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature has prioritized four major categories of action for conserving red pandas: protect against habitat loss, reduce habitat degradation, reduce deaths of red pandas (through poaching and removing man-made threats) and improve awareness.

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Always free of charge, the Smithsonian's National Zoo is one of Washington D.C.'s, and the Smithsonian's, most popular tourist destinations, with more than 2 million visitors from all over the world each year. The Zoo instills a lifelong commitment to conservation through engaging experiences with animals and the people working to save them.

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For such a big animal, polar bears sure start out small! A cub is about the size of a stick of butter when it is born. It is born hairless, with its eyes closed. Milk from polar bear mothers is 35 percent fat; this helps the cubs grow quickly.

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Newsela | Instructional Content Platform

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

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One of the most common questions is, "What is the difference between Frogs and Toads?"

Most are surprised to hear that all Toads actually are Frogs!

Frogs

Generally speaking, though, when we think of frogs, we generally picture what are called "True Frogs"....
members of the family Ranidae, containing more than 400 species.
These frogs have the characteristics of:

two bulging eyes

strong, long, webbed hind feet that are adapted for leaping and swimming

smooth or slimy skin (generally, frogs tend to like moister environments)

Frogs tend to lay eggs in clusters.

Frogs from this family can be found on every continent except Antarctica. They are referred to as the "true frogs" because of their generalized body form and life history: the so-called generic frog.
Members of this family include the bullfrog, common frog, green frog, leopard frog, marsh frog, pickerel frog, and wood frog.

Toads

The term toads tends to refer to "True Toads"....
members of the family Bufonidae, containing more than 300 species.
These types of frogs have are characterized by:

stubby bodies with short hind legs (for walking instead of hopping)

warty and dry skin (usually preferring dryer climates)

paratoid (or poison) glands behind the eyes

The chest cartilage of toads is different also.

Toads tend to lay eggs in long chains. (There are some toads (genera Nectophrynoides), however, that are the only types of anurans to bear live young!)

True Toads can be found worldwide except in Australasia, polar regions, Madagascar, and Polynesia, though Bufo marinus has been artificially introduced into Australia and some South Pacific islands.
Besides Bufo, the family includes 25 genera, all of which, like the frogs, are anura!

Images are from the clip art archive on ftp.funet.fi.

The physical distinctions, however, can easily get blurred because sometimes the features appear mixed or less obvious, and certain species even legitimately fall into both categories. It is not uncommon, for example, to find a warty skinned frog that isn't a toad, or even a slimy toad! Even the more invisible stuff like cartilage structure has been found to sometimes fit both categories!

|
Strange but True Facts.
Back toFROGLAND.

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One of the most common questions is, "What is the difference between Frogs and Toads?" Most are surprised to hear that all Toads actually are Frogs! Frogs Generally speaking, though, when we think of frogs, we generally picture what are called "True Frogs".... members of the family Ranidae, containing more than 400 species.

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Newsela | Instructional Content Platform

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

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Newsela | Instructional Content Platform

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Life Cycle of a Frog

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Newsela | Instructional Content Platform

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

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With an average length of 6 m (20 ft.) and a top length of 8.8 m (29 ft.) the green anaconda is one of the longest snakes in the world. The green anaconda, with a girth of nearly 30 cm (12 in.) and a weight of 227 kg (550 lb.), is the heaviest of all snakes.

The green anaconda is native to South America, making its home in swamps, marshes and streams. Their enormous size makes it much easier for green anacondas to swim in the water than to slither slowly on land. Their eyes and nostrils are on the top of their head allowing them to see and breathe while most of their body is under water.

Most of their time is spent in the water hunting. Although they use both sight and smell to hunt, they also have the ability to sense heat emitted by potential prey. Green anacondas prey on a variety of animals including fish, birds, tapirs, wild pigs, capybaras, and caimans (reptiles similar to alligators). They've even been known to eat jaguars.

Anacondas are not venomous; they use constriction instead to subdue their prey. Once an anaconda sights its target, it will grab the animal in its jaws, locking it in with its teeth. Once firmly grasped, the anaconda will coil around the prey and squeeze it until it dies of crushing or suffocation. It will then consume the carcass whole. For larger prey, the green anaconda can stretch its mouth very wide to fit around the body. After a big meal, anacondas can go weeks without eating again.

Green anacondas have also been known to partake in cannibalism. Females, the larger of the sexes, have been reported to eat smaller male anacondas.

Green anacondas spend most of their time alone. However, between April and May, males seek out females for the opportunity to mate. Often times, multiple males will pursue the same female. This results in "breeding balls" of up to a dozen males wrapped around a single female, all attempting to mate. The breeding ball can last up to 4 weeks.

Once pregnant, the female will produce eggs inside her body. The eggs develop for 8-12 weeks and then hatch while still inside the mother's body. She then gives birth to as many as 80 tiny snakes, each 30-60 cm (12-24 in.) in length.

Green anacondas can live over 10 years in the wild. They can live up to 30 in captivity.

Conservation Status

Anacondas are sometimes hunted illegally for their skin or to be sold as pets, but this is rare. Their size makes them inconvenient pets, and their skin is not very popular for clothing and shoes. They are also very difficult to catch.

Another threat they face is habitat destruction. Despite this they are not considered endangered.

Green Anaconda Distribution

Anaconda Resources

Blog Posts about the Green Anaconda

About the Author

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

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Green Anaconda Facts | Snake Information

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The green anaconda can stretch its mouth very wide to fit around large prey, eating the carcass whole. Learn more anaconda facts here!

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Watch for free your favorite PBS KIDS shows like Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, Wild Kratts, Odd Squad, and Sesame Street.

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There are a few kinds of anacondas, but the green anaconda is the big one. Weighing up to 550 pounds, it holds the record for heaviest snake in the world. If you measured around the middle of an anaconda's body, it could be up to 12 inches around-measure your thigh to compare.

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Pythons don't chase after their dinner. They are ambush hunters that can locate warm-blooded animals by using heat-sensing "pits" or holes along their jaw. They wait until the animal comes close, then a python grabs the prey with its sharp, backward-curving teeth, wraps coils of its body around the prey, and squeezes tight.

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The winters in this viper's habitat have many days of freezing temperatures. As colder days approach, Mang Mountain pit vipers crawl into caves and under rock ledges. Scientists have found that the snakes that go the deepest have the best chance of surviving until spring.

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THEY "HEAR" WITH THEIR JAW.

Snakes don't have external ears to hear sound waves in the air. Instead, bones in their lower jaw pick up vibrations in the ground or water. The vibes trigger signals in the snakes' brains, which are received as messages. "Juicy mouse coming closer!"

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Snakes are masters of disguise, skilled hunters, and champion eaters. Here are eight awesome things you may not have known about these carnivorous reptiles.

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There are more than 3,000 species of snakes in the world and there is at least one type of snake on every continent except Antarctica.

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THEY "HEAR" WITH THEIR JAW.

Snakes don't have external ears to hear sound waves in the air. Instead, bones in their lower jaw pick up vibrations in the ground or water. The vibes trigger signals in the snakes' brains, which are received as messages. "Juicy mouse coming closer!"

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Snakes are masters of disguise, skilled hunters, and champion eaters. Here are eight awesome things you may not have known about these carnivorous reptiles.

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

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

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

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

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17 Foot Python Found In Florida

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Scientists just captured a record 17-foot-long python in Florida | CNN

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The record-setting female python, found in Florida's Big Cypress National Preserve, was 17 feet long, weighed 140 pounds - and most scarily - held 73 developing eggs.

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

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Some insects have sensory organs in strange places.

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

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

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If you have ever seen a blossoming tree in the spring, or been in a flower garden, then there is no doubt that you have also seen a butterfly.

Butterflies are known for their beautiful colors and unique patterns.

They come in a large variety of shapes and sizes, and have a unique lifecycle.

Continue reading to learn more amazing facts about butterflies.

What are characteristics of a butterfly?

Butterflies are insects, which means that they have six legs, a set of antennae, and three parts to their body (the head, thorax, and abdomen).

Adult butterflies have large wings with different colored patterns.

Butterflies have been around for over 56 million years. Now that is a big family tree!

What is the lifecycle of a butterfly?

Butterflies have a lifecycle that has four different stages. The butterfly begins as an egg, which is laid on the plant that they will eat once they hatch.

The next stage of the butterfly's life is when it is a larvae and is called a caterpillar. Caterpillars are common in the grass, on trees, and in gardens, and they oftentimes grow very quickly.

The third stage of the lifecycle is when the caterpillar creates a cocoon, and becomes a chrysalis.

The caterpillar will spend multiple days, or weeks, inside this chrysalis, until it is completely ready to emerge as a fully-formed butterfly.

The butterfly sits for a few hours until its wings have dried off, then it is ready to fly away.

Where do butterflies live?

Butterflies can be found all over the world, except in Antarctica, and there are close to 19,000 different types.

Monarch butterflies are known for their long migrations, which is when they fly to a different part of the country, or world, when the weather changes.

This trip is so long, that one butterfly will not be able to complete the whole journey during its lifetime.

It takes multiple generations of butterflies to get to the end of the migration.

What do butterflies like to eat?

Most butterflies only eat the nectar from flowers. They may also eat some pollen, tree sap, or rotting fruit. Unlike during their caterpillar stage, adult butterflies can only consume liquid.

When they get thirsty, they will sip water from damp patches on various surfaces or on leaves.

Sometimes, they are even attracted to the salt that is in human sweat!

Do any predators go after butterflies?

Some predators that go after butterflies include wasps, flies, frogs, spiders, and birds.

How do butterflies protect themselves?

One of the best ways that butterflies protect themselves is by using their wings.

Besides using them to fly away from threats or things that are trying to harm them, butterflies have adapted to have wings that provide camouflage in their surroundings.

These wings even have patterns on them that mimic other large animals, like owls.

Quick Facts:

Butterflies are insects that have six legs and three separate parts to their body.

They have been around for over 56 million years.

Butterflies have four stages in their life cycle: egg, larvae, pupa, and adult.

Most butterflies are herbivores and only eat plants and leaves.

Butterflies protect themselves using camouflage and mimicry.

Butterflies are beautiful insects that have inspired countless pieces of art, songs, stories, and photos.

They come in a variety of different colors, shapes, and sizes, and play an important role in flower pollination.

Through camouflage and mimicry, these creatures have found ways to survive and thrive so we can enjoy them for years to come.

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Butterfly Facts If you have ever seen a blossoming tree in the spring, or been in a flower garden, then there is no doubt that you have also seen a butterfly. Butterflies are known for their beautiful colors and unique patterns. They come in a large variety of shapes and sizes, and have a unique ...

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We all love butterflies for their beautiful, brightly-coloured wings. But did you know that these fab flyers begin life as something completely different? As they grow, they undergo one seriously terrific transformation - a process known as " metamorphosis ".

Join Nat Geo Kids as we follow the life-cycle of this quirky creature, from the egg to the air!

Stage 1: the egg

It all starts when a female butterfly lays her eggs, usually on leaves or stems of plants. Inside these tiny eggs, caterpillars grow. Depending on the species, the eggs can vary in shape and texture - they can be round, oval or cylindrical, and smooth, bumpy or wrinkled. The time it takes for the eggs to hatch can also vary - in some species, they will hatch within a few weeks and in others they will only hatch once the weather is warm enough.

Stage 2: the caterpillar

Once ready, the caterpillar leaves its egg home and enters the big outside world! And these little critters have one serious appetite - they actually eat their way out of the egg and immediately start chomping on the leaves of the host plant. During this stage, they shed their skin four or five times - as the caterpillar grows, its skin becomes too tight and splits open, revealing a new, larger skin underneath. A fully grown caterpillar can be over 100 times larger than when it emerged from its egg. Wow!

Once fully grown, the caterpillar forms itself into a "pupa" (or chrysalis) - a kind of vessel in which the caterpillar changes into a butterfly. They usually do this on twigs or safe, hidden areas around the host plant. The "pupa" stage may last a few weeks to several months depending on the species. During this time, a hardened case forms around the pupa to protect it from predators and extreme weather conditions. And inside, the tissue, limbs and organs of the caterpillar transform. The result? A wonderful winged butterfly!

Once the butterfly is ready to emerge, the case around the pupa splits open. But it's not time for take off just yet, as the wings are at first wet, soft and wrinkled against its body. The butterfly waits for its wings to dry, and pumps a liquid called hemolymph into them so that they become big and strong. Once fit for flight, this brilliant bug then takes to the air in search for flowers to feed on and for other butterflies to mate with. And that's the cycle complete - and ready to start all over again!

Did you know...?

Moths also go through this process of metamorphosis. Check out the four stages of the Atlas moth, below - the largest moth in the world!

Images: Atlas moth: Butterfly World. All other images: Getty Images UK. Monarch butterfly on flower: James Laurie, Shutterstock.

Cool, huh? To find out more about these winged wonders, fly over to butterflyworldproject.com!

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The Butterfly Life Cycle! | National Geographic Kids

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We all love butterflies for their beautiful, brightly-coloured wings. But did you know that these fab flyers begin life as something completely different? As they grow, they undergo one seriously terrific transformation - a process known as " metamorphosis ". Join Nat Geo Kids as we follow the life-cycle of this quirky creature, from the egg to the air!

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Read Dangerous...or Not?: Sharks and Other Fish on Epic

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

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BBC Nature - Video collection: Garden wildlife

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From badgers to butterflies and frogs to foxes, garden wildlife is both varied and surprising.

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Instantly access Tarantula Spiders plus over 40,000 of the best books & videos for kids.

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Built on a collection of 40,000+ popular, high-quality books from 250+ of the world's best publishers, Epic safely fuels curiosity and reading confidence for kids 12 and under. Get Started

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Built on a collection of 40,000+ popular, high-quality books from 250+ of the world's best publishers, Epic safely fuels curiosity and reading confidence for kids 12 and under.

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Built on a collection of 40,000+ popular, high-quality books from 250+ of the world's best publishers, Epic safely fuels curiosity and reading confidence for kids 12 and under. Get Started

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Built on a collection of 40,000+ popular, high-quality books from 250+ of the world's best publishers, Epic safely fuels curiosity and reading confidence for kids 12 and under.

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Built on a collection of 40,000+ popular, high-quality books from 250+ of the world's best publishers, Epic safely fuels curiosity and reading confidence for kids 12 and under. Get Started

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Built on a collection of 40,000+ popular, high-quality books from 250+ of the world's best publishers, Epic safely fuels curiosity and reading confidence for kids 12 and under.

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Built on a collection of 40,000+ popular, high-quality books from 250+ of the world's best publishers, Epic safely fuels curiosity and reading confidence for kids 12 and under. Get Started

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Built on a collection of 40,000+ popular, high-quality books from 250+ of the world's best publishers, Epic safely fuels curiosity and reading confidence for kids 12 and under.

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online access fun thousands children great kids ebooks books

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Built on a collection of 40,000+ popular, high-quality books from 250+ of the world's best publishers, Epic safely fuels curiosity and reading confidence for kids 12 and under. Get Started

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Built on a collection of 40,000+ popular, high-quality books from 250+ of the world's best publishers, Epic safely fuels curiosity and reading confidence for kids 12 and under.

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online access fun thousands children great kids ebooks books

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Built on a collection of 40,000+ popular, high-quality books from 250+ of the world's best publishers, Epic safely fuels curiosity and reading confidence for kids 12 and under. Get Started

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Built on a collection of 40,000+ popular, high-quality books from 250+ of the world's best publishers, Epic safely fuels curiosity and reading confidence for kids 12 and under.

Get Started

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
online access fun thousands children great kids ebooks books

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Built on a collection of 40,000+ popular, high-quality books from 250+ of the world's best publishers, Epic safely fuels curiosity and reading confidence for kids 12 and under. Get Started