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Diet-GREEN
Habitat-PURPLE
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Fun Facts-ORANGE

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The animal's APPEARANCE
The animal's DIET
The animal's HABITAT
The animal's ADAPTATIONS
FUN FACTS about the animal.

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4 Safe and Smart Online Search Tips for Kids

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https://www.kiddle.co/

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Kiddle is a safe search engine, offering a safe web, image, and video search. Results are vetted by editors.

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https://www.alarms.org/kidrex/

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Kidrex is provided free of charge, as is and with no warranty of any kind by Alarms.org.

Alarms.org goal is to provide friendly and easy to use to resources for both online and offline safety. Our team of experts posts new information all the time with a goal of helping you live a safer, more secure life.

Getting bullied online? See our guide to cyberbullying for tips and useful resources.

Some of our most useful resources include the following guides:

Notes about ads and content:

Ads are provided by Google. We do not have any control of them. If you find an ad that is inappropriate please contact Google directly.

We work diligently to remove reported material that is not appropriate for children; however all removal is at our sole discretion. While we do our best to screen for unsuitable material, use of Kidrex is at your own discretion. As a general rule, do not leave children unsupervised in front of a computer with internet access.
© Alarms.org 2019 and beyond.

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KidRex - Kid Safe Search Engine - Now powered by Alarms.org

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Official Site. Fun and Safe Search for Kids, by Kids. Google Custom Search.

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https://wackysafe.com/

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WackySafe.com: No 1 Kids Safe Search Engine for Home or School ✅

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The No1 Search Engine for Kids. The most robust safe search engine for kids. Strict filtering of search results, ideal kids at home or schools.

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https://www.hillspet.com/dog-care/dog-breeds/english-bulldog

The English bulldog's skin is loose and pendant with heavy wrinkles and thick folds on the face and a dewlap hanging from the throat. The coat is short and fine textured. The various color patterns are brindle, piebald, and solid white, red, fawn or fallow.

Mrs. DiPadova

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https://www.pawsgeek.com/what-do-english-bulldogs-eat/

You can feed English Bulldogs either a commercial or a homemade diet, but you need to do a little research first. Nutrition is very important, and you should ensure that your dogs are getting the right vitamins and minerals. You will also have to find out which foods are safe for your English bulldogs to eat and which aren’t.

Mrs. DiPadova

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https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/facts/snow-leopard

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GHOST CATS

These endangered cats are nearly impossible to see-they've even earned the nickname "ghost of the mountains." Their spotted coats act as cloaks of invisibility by blending into the rocky mountains of the 12 Central Asian countries where the cats live: Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Their range spans about two million square miles, which is about half the size of Greenland.

The mountains the snow leopards call home are rugged and extremely cold in the winter. But these cats have some amazing body parts that make living in the area no big deal. In addition to camouflaging them, a snow leopard's soft, dense fur keeps it warm in the bitter cold. Their large paws work like snowshoes, letting the cat walk on snow without sinking. And their long, heavy tail helps them keep their balance while they're chasing prey. At night, the cats curl their tails around their bodies like a cozy scarf to keep warm-and to stay hidden while sleeping. (Find out 5 reasons why you'll leap for snow leopards.)

SEARCHING FOR SNOW LEOPARDS

Few humans have seen snow leopards in real life, but hunting scenes like the one above have been captured on video by researchers who spend countless hours searching the mountains of Central Asia for snow leopards. Researchers think only 3,500 to 7,000 snow leopards exist in the wild, but no one knows for sure.

Snow leopard experts need to gather more information about the secretive cats' lives to help protect them. To do that, researchers use high-tech tools to spy on the shy animals. They gently trap the wild cats to examine them and put on satellite radio collars to track where the cats roam. Motion-activated digital cameras capture images of snow leopards, exposing many new details about how many there are, how they live, and what threatens their survival.

THE REAL THREAT

Even though snow leopards live in some of the most rugged mountain terrain on Earth, people pose the biggest threat to their survival. Poachers can sell a snow leopard's hide and bones for thousands of dollars. Herders often kill any snow leopard that attacks their livestock. Hunters target ibex, wild sheep, and other animals for food and trophies-removing important snow leopard prey. The more scientists can learn about snow leopards, the better they can protect these rarely seen cats from humans who harm them.

* The snow leopard's wide nose warms cold air before it enters its lungs.

* Snow leopards can mew, growl, and puff ... but they can't roar.

* Adult snow leopards are solitary, but young siblings will cuddle and play.

* Snow leopards have powerful legs and can jump as far as 50 feet.

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A snow leopard peers down from a craggy rock ledge high in the peaks of Mongolia, a country in Asia. She's on the lookout for a snack. The animal's spotted beige fur allows her to blend in almost completely with the rocks, making the cat a nearly invisible hunter.

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https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles/facts/green-sea-turtle

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/facts/blue-whale

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Blue whales are able to breathe air, but they are very comfortable in the ocean waters where buoyancy helps to support their incredible bulk. These mammals are found in all the world's oceans and often swim in small groups or alone.

A blue whale calf weighs two tons (1,814 kilograms) at birth and gains an extra 200 pounds (91 kilograms) each day of its first year. These giant creatures feed on tiny shrimplike animals called krill.

Only a few thousand blue whales are believed to swim the world's oceans. They were hunted for many years for their blubber and oil, and they were almost hunted to extinction. They were protected under the 1966 International Whaling Convention and are now considered to be an endangered species.

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The blue whale is the largest mammal in the world. A blue whale calf weighs two tons (1,814 kilograms) at birth and gains an extra 200 pounds (91 kilograms) each day of its first year. Blue whales are able to breathe air, but they are very comfortable in the ocean waters where buoyancy helps to support their incredible bulk.

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https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/facts/tasmanian-devil

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Tasmanian devils are the largest carnivorous (meat-eating) marsupials in the world. Tasmanian devils live in Tasmania, a large island just south of Australia. In fact, Tasmania is the only place where they are found in the wild. Adult Tasmanian devils are usually about the size of a small dog. They have coarse brown or black fur and a pudgy appearance that makes them look like baby bears. But don't let their cuteness fool you. They have sharp teeth and strong, muscular jaws that can deliver one of the most powerful bites of any mammal on Earth.

Tasmanian devils are strictly carnivorous, surviving on small prey and frequently feasting on already dead animals, called carrion. The most famous characteristic of the Tasmanian devil, though, is its feisty personality. When threatened, a devil will lunge at its attacker, shriek, howl, bare its teeth, and often spin around in circles like the cartoon Taz. Devils will also display these behaviors when trying to join in as other devils are eating an animal carcass or fighting for a mate.

Tasmanian devils are nocturnal animals, spending their days alone in hollow logs, caves, or burrows, and emerging at night to feed. They use their excellent sense of smell and sight to avoid predators and locate prey and carrion. They are voracious eaters and will consume everything-including hair, organs, and bones.

Like all marsupials, Tasmanian devil mothers give birth to very tiny young (about the size of a raisin). Once born, the babies crawl up the mother's fur and into her pouch.

Tragically, since the mid-1990s, a catastrophic disease has killed thousands of Tasmanian devils. Called devil facial tumor disease (DFTD), this fatal condition is a rare contagious cancer that causes lumps to form around the animal's mouth and head, making it hard for it to eat. Scientists are working hard to find a way to stop the spread of DFTD before it wipes the species out.

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If you watch cartoons, the first thing you think of when you hear the name Tasmanian devil is probably Taz, the whirling, maniacal, always hungry, angry cartoon character. But Tasmanian devils are real and are feisty like the cartoon Taz! Tasmanian devils are the largest carnivorous (meat-eating) marsupials in the world.

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https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/facts/giant-panda

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https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/facts/asian-elephant

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A three-foot-deep watering hole in northeast India hums with buzzing insects and chirping birds. Suddenly seven Asian elephants stomp through the grass surrounding the pool and splash into the water. It’s bath time for the herd. THE BIGGER THE BETTER Asian elephants live in the tropical forests and grasslands of Southeast Asia. They’re a little smaller than African elephants but can grow nine feet tall and weigh nearly six tons. That’s heavier than two medium-size cars! Even newborns are on the hefty side, weighing some 200 pounds. Given their size it’s no surprise that these guys are big on food. Adults can eat 300 pounds in one day, nearly 75 times what the average human eats! An Asian elephant’s ideal meal includes roots, grasses, fruit, and bark. Much of an Asian elephant’s time is spent searching for grub. In fact the animal may travel 50 miles a day to find food. Asian elephants also enjoy taking dips in the water. To cool down their backsides, the animals will fill their trunks with water and spray it over themselves like a hose. SOCIAL NETWORK Asian elephants are gentle and super-social. Related females live with their young in herds. (Adult males go off on their own.) To communicate with each other they use rumbles, bellows, growls, and moans. Some of their vocalizations can be heard more than a mile away. Talk about a long-distance call! Text by Andrea Silen / NGS Staff

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https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/facts/sea-otter

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Sea otters are part of the weasel family. They have webbed feet, water-repellent fur to keep them dry and warm, and nostrils and ears that close in the water.

Sea otters often float at the water's surface in forests of kelp, or giant seaweed, and entangle themselves to keep from moving in the rolling sea.

While floating on their backs, sea otters not only nap, but also use rocks to help them open mussels or other shellfish. Otters place a rock on their chests and smash the shellfish against it until it breaks open to reveal the tasty meat inside. They also snack on such aquatic creatures as sea urchins, crabs, squid, octopuses, and fish.

Sea otters are the only otters to give birth in the water. Mothers cuddle their young while floating on their backs and hold infants on their chests to nurse them. They quickly teach them to swim and hunt for themselves.

Sea otters wash themselves after a meal, cleaning their coat with their teeth and paws. They need to keep their fur coat clean so it stays waterproof. Sea otters have thick underfur that traps air to form an insulating layer against chilly waters (they have no insulating fat).

Sea otters were hunted for their fur to the point of near extinction. Early in the 20th century only 1,000 to 2,000 animals remained. They can be found along the coasts of the Pacific Ocean in North America and Asia.

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Sea Otter - Animal profile, pictures, facts, range map

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Sea otters are part of the weasel family. They have webbed feet, water-repellent fur to keep them dry and warm, and nostrils and ears that close in the water. Sea otters often float at the water's surface in forests of kelp, or giant seaweed, and entangle themselves to keep from moving in the rolling sea.

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https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/facts/mountain-gorilla

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For a long time the image most people had of a gorilla encounter included chest pounding, roaring, charging, and big, bared teeth. But researchers studying gorillas reveal a very different picture of mountain gorillas. The animals are peaceful, gentle, social, and mainly vegetarian creatures. The occasional ferocious-looking, impressive displays are generally from a male gorilla protecting his family group from a threat.

A typical group is led by the biggest and strongest mature male gorilla-often the guy doing any chest pounding or charging. He's called a silverback because the hair on a male's back turns from black to silvery gray as he matures. This happens when he is between 11 and 13 years old. A silverback's group normally includes a subadult male or two and a few females and their young. Mountain gorillas wander around a home range of up to 15 square miles (39 square kilometers).

Mountain gorillas spend much of their time eating. Their food includes a variety of plants, along with a few insects and worms. At night the animals make a nest to sleep in. Many lightweight gorillas nest in trees, making beds of bent branches. The heavier individuals may nest in grasses on the ground. Babies snuggle with their mothers for the night.

Life for mountain gorillas isn't all peaceful. They are endangered, threatened by civil war in a small area of Africa where they live. Hunters kill them for food or trophies. Their forests are chopped down for farmland, fuel, and housing. But many dedicated scientists, park rangers, and other concerned people are working hard to protect mountain gorillas, their forests, and their way of life in the mountains.

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Youngsters tumble, climb, and run playing follow the leader. Another group plays a rowdy game of king of the mountain. Several adults watch the action, relaxing nearby. Is this a playground scene at school? No, guess again. It's a lush mountain forest high in the Virunga mountains of Africa, and the playmates are young mountain gorillas under the watchful eyes of their mothers.

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https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/fish/facts/great-white-shark

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When a great white shark is born, along with up to a dozen siblings, it immediately swims away from its mother. Born on the east and west coasts of North America, the south of Africa and southwest Australia, baby sharks are on their own right from the start. Their mother may see them only as prey.

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When a great white shark is born, along with up to a dozen siblings, it immediately swims away from its mother. Born on the east and west coasts of North America, the south of Africa and southwest Australia, baby sharks are on their own right from the start.

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https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/facts/polar-bear

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Polar bears live along shores and on sea ice in the icy cold Arctic. When sea ice forms over the ocean in cold weather, many polar bears, except pregnant females, head out onto the ice to hunt seals.

Polar bears primarily eat seals. Polar bears often rest silently at a seal's breathing hole in the ice, waiting for a seal in the water to surface. A polar bear may also hunt by swimming beneath the ice. But climate change is making it harder for polar bears to hunt. Ice melts earlier and re-forms later than it has in the past. Without the sea ice, the polar bear must scavenge for other, less nutritious food.

Polar bears roam the Arctic ice sheets and swim in that region's coastal waters. They are very strong swimmers, and their large front paws, which they use to paddle, are slightly webbed. Some polar bears have been seen swimming hundreds of miles from land-though they probably cover most of that distance by floating on sheets of ice.

In fall pregnant polar bears make dens in earth and snowbanks, where they'll stay through the winter and give birth to one to three cubs. In spring the mother emerges from her den followed by her cubs. During that time she will protect them and teach them how to hunt. The U.S., Canada, Denmark, Norway, and Russia signed an agreement in 1973 to protect polar bears.

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Polar bears live along shores and on sea ice in the icy cold Arctic. When sea ice forms over the ocean in cold weather, many polar bears, except pregnant females, head out onto the ice to hunt seals. Polar bears primarily eat seals.

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https://www.dkfindout.com/us/animals-and-nature/fish/shark-jaws/

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DK Find Out! | Fun Facts for Kids on Animals, Earth, History and more!

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Visit DK Find Out! to learn about dinosaurs, space, animals, nature & more. Fun learning activities for kids with videos, quizzes & galleries at DKFindOut.com

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https://dogtime.com/dog-breeds/bulldog#/slide/1

Bulldogs can't tolerate heat and humidity. When your Bulldog is outdoors, watch him carefully for signs of overheating and take him inside immediately if he starts to show distress. Some people put kiddy play pools filled with water in a shaded spot for their Bulldogs to lie in when the weather is warm and everyone is outside. They definitely are house dogs and should not live outdoors all of the time.

Mrs. DiPadova

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https://www.hillspet.com/dog-care/dog-breeds/english-bulldog

Typically low-endurance dogs, they need only a moderate amount of exercise. They thrive best in temperate climates; they readily overheat and have breathing difficulties in hot weather, and they chill easily in cold temperatures.

Bulldogs adapt well to living inside peoples homes.

Mrs. DiPadova

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https://www.hillspet.com/dog-care/dog-breeds/english-bulldog

Named for its use in the sport of bull baiting, the English bulldog seems to have originated in the British Isles sometime prior to the 13th century.

Mrs. DiPadova

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Typically low-endurance dogs, English bulldogs have a sweet disposition, are predictable, dependable and excellent with children and need only moderate exercise.

English Bulldog At a glance

The wrinkles on the English bulldog's face should be wiped regularly to prevent skin infections.

Weight Range:
Height at Withers:
Male: 17 in.

Female: 16 in.
The English bulldog is a brawny little powerhouse whose characteristic crablike waddle exudes great strength, stability and vigor.
The dog's head is large and spherical, and the muzzle is extremely short, giving the face a flattened appearance. The English bulldog's eyes are dark and set low and wide on the forehead in the frontal plane. The nose is black and slightly upturned. The jaws (or "chops") are massive, broad and undershot. The lower jaw juts out in front of the upper jaw to scarcely expose the lower incisors, producing a comical grin. The lips are fleshy and pendulous. The cheeks are well rounded and protrude sideways. The ears are thin, small and angle forward like flaps that frame the forehead.

The English bulldog's neck is short and thick; the shoulders are massive, muscular and broad. The chest is deep and full, and the back is barreled and slightly arched. His rounded hips protrude slightly above the level of the back. The stubby tail is thick and either straight or screwed. His short, stocky legs have great muscle definition. They are splayed out and slightly bowed at the elbows and hocks to form a sturdy, base-wide stance.

The English bulldog stands about 16 inches tall. The female weighs about 50 pounds (23 kilograms), and the male weighs about 54 pounds (24 kilograms).

The English bulldog's skin is loose and pendant with heavy wrinkles and thick folds on the face and a dewlap hanging from the throat. The coat is short and fine textured. The various color patterns are brindle, piebald, and solid white, red, fawn or fallow.

Personality:

The English bulldog has a sweet, gentle disposition. Dependable and predictable, the bulldog is a wonderful family pet and loving to most children. People-oriented as a breed, they actively solicit human attention.

However, they have retained the courage that was originally bred into them for bull baiting, so they make fine watchdogs. Although they generally get along well with other family pets, English bulldogs can be aggressive to unfamiliar dogs.

Living With:

English bulldogs make fine apartment pets and do not require a yard. Typically low-endurance dogs, they need only a moderate amount of exercise. They thrive best in temperate climates; they readily overheat and have breathing difficulties in hot weather, and they chill easily in cold temperatures.

Generally loud breathers, English bulldogs tend to snore and wheeze. Many drool as well. They are moderate shedders and their short coats require little grooming. However, the wrinkles on the face should be wiped regularly to prevent skin infections.

History:

Named for its use in the sport of bull baiting, the English bulldog seems to have originated in the British Isles sometime prior to the 13th century. One of the few references to the sport dates back to 1209, and talks about a butcher's dogs that chased a bull through the English town of Stamford. This pursuit so pleased the earl of the town that he inaugurated bull baiting as a sport in his domain.

Today, the English bulldog makes a fine family pet. The AKC recognizes the breed simply as the bulldog.

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English Bulldog Breed - Facts and Personality Traits | Hill's Pet

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Typically low-endurance dogs, English bulldogs have a sweet disposition, are predictable, dependable and excellent with children and need only moderate exercise. English Bulldog At a glance The wrinkles on the English bulldog's face should be wiped regularly to prevent skin infections. Weight Range: Height at Withers: Male: 17 in.

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The Blue whale has a huge long, slim, narrow body. Its skin is hairless and smooth, and is grayish blue, lighter on the underside, with a series of grooves on the throat. Its large tail is straight, splitting at the end into two rubbery flukes. Blue whales are part of the "baleen whales" group, having, instead of teeth, up to 395 hard, bristly baleen plates that descend from the upper jaw. These plates are used to filter seawater for food. They have two blow-holes that expel stale air and seawater out of the top of their heads when they come up to the surface to breathe.

https://animalia.bio/blue-whale

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Asian elephants are generally dark grey to brown in colour, often with pink or yellow marks on their face, ears and trunk.Elephants are the largest living land animal. Slightly smaller than their African cousins, adult Asian elephants weigh on average between 6,000 and 12,000 pounds (2,750 and 5,420 kilograms). They typically stand 6 to 12 feet (1.8 to 3.8 meters) tall at the shoulder.

https://www.wwf.org.uk/learn/wildlife/asian-elephants#:~:text=Asian%20elephants%20are%20generally%20dark,small%20groups%20with%20other%20males.https://www.wwf.org.uk/learn/wildlife/asian-elephants#:~:text=Asian%20elephants%20are%20generally%20dark,small%20groups%20with%20other%20males.

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Asian elephants once roamed across most of Asia, now they're restricted to just 15% of their original range, in a number of fragmented and isolated populations around south and south-east Asia. Today, there are fewer than 52,000 Asian elephants left in the wild. They are also listed as endangered species on the IUCN Red List.

Asian elephants differ from African elephants in several ways. They are not quite as big as their African cousins, and have proportionally smaller ears. Asian elephants are generally dark grey to brown in colour, often with pink or yellow marks on their face, ears and trunk.

Female Asian elephants are more social than males. They live in herds with their female relatives. Males usually live alone but sometimes form small groups with other males.

Living in some of the most densely populated parts of the world has brought challenges - Asian elephant numbers have roughly halved in the last three elephant generations. We need your help to make them thrive again.

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Asian elephants: intelligent, sociable, but endangered

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The Asian elephant is one of South Asia's most important cultural and religious symbols. They are smaller than their African cousins.

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https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm%3Fadfg=seaotter.main#:~:text=Their%20main%20prey%20species%20include,plush%20coat%20to%20keep%20warm.

Sea otters fur is made up of a dense underfur, ranging in color from brown to black, and longer guard hairs. The guard hairs can be brown to black to silver.Adult sea otters may grow up to 5 feet in length. The males weigh 80–100 pounds but can weigh more than 100 pounds. The females are smaller, weighing 50–70 pounds.

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Pandas eat almost nothing but bamboo shoots and leaves. Occasionally they eat other vegetation, fish, or small mammals, but bamboo accounts for 99 percent of their diets.

https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/facts/giant-panda

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High in dense bamboo forests in the misty, rainy mountains of southwestern China lives one of the world's rarest mammals: the giant panda, also called the panda. Only about 1,500 of these black-and-white bears survive in the wild.

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https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/facts/sea-otter

Sea otter eat mussels or other shellfish.They also snack on such aquatic creatures as sea urchins, crabs, squid, octopuses, and fish.

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More than two-thirds of an elephant's day may be spent feeding on grasses, but it also eats large amounts of tree bark, roots, leaves, and small stems. Cultivated crops such as bananas, rice, and sugarcane are favorite foods.

.worldwildlife.org/species/asian-elephant

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Polar Bears have large front paws, which they use to paddle, are slightly webbed

SIZE:Head and body: 7.25 to 8 feet; tail: 3 to 5 inches

WEIGHT:

900 to 1,600 pounds

Under their fur, polar bears have black skin, which soaks in the sun's warming rays.

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Polar bears live along shores and on sea ice in the icy cold Arctic. When sea ice forms over the ocean in cold weather, many polar bears, except pregnant females, head out onto the ice to hunt seals.

Polar bears primarily eat seals. Polar bears often rest silently at a seal's breathing hole in the ice, waiting for a seal in the water to surface. A polar bear may also hunt by swimming beneath the ice. But climate change is making it harder for polar bears to hunt. Ice melts earlier and re-forms later than it has in the past. Without the sea ice, the polar bear must scavenge for other, less nutritious food.

Polar bears roam the Arctic ice sheets and swim in that region's coastal waters. They are very strong swimmers, and their large front paws, which they use to paddle, are slightly webbed. Some polar bears have been seen swimming hundreds of miles from land-though they probably cover most of that distance by floating on sheets of ice.

In fall pregnant polar bears make dens in earth and snowbanks, where they'll stay through the winter and give birth to one to three cubs. In spring the mother emerges from her den followed by her cubs. During that time she will protect them and teach them how to hunt. The U.S., Canada, Denmark, Norway, and Russia signed an agreement in 1973 to protect polar bears.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Polar bears live along shores and on sea ice in the icy cold Arctic. When sea ice forms over the ocean in cold weather, many polar bears, except pregnant females, head out onto the ice to hunt seals. Polar bears primarily eat seals.

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Giant Panda (Appearance)                            

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Giant Panda (Appearance)                            

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The Giant panda is a bear of medium to large size with a large head, small eyes, long muzzle, large nose, and short tail. It has large jaws with strong muscles, and together with its flat molars, it is able to crush bamboo leaves and stems. Its thick fur is creamy-white with big black patches on its shoulders, ears, and nose, with distinctive black patches around its eyes. An extension of its wrist bone, which serves as a thumb, enables them to grip bamboo stems.

https://animalia.bio/giant-panda

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https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/facts/polar-bear

Polar bears primarily eat seals. Polar bears often rest silently at a seal's breathing hole in the ice, waiting for a seal in the water to surface. A polar bear may also hunt by swimming beneath the ice. But climate change is making it harder for polar bears to hunt. Ice melts earlier and re-forms later than it has in the past. Without the sea ice, the polar bear must scavenge for other, less nutritious food.

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Despite their humongous size, blue whales eat tiny shrimp-like crustaceans called krill. But they shift a fair few of these seafood snacks – up to 40 million each day, in fact!

https://www.natgeokids.com/uk/discover/animals/sea-life/10-blue-whale-facts/

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Brace yourselves for a big ocean adventure, gang, with our brilliant blue whale facts. And by 'big', we in fact mean absolutely ginormous!

Fast blue whale facts

Scientific name: Balaenoptera musculus
Phylum: Chordata
Family: Balaenopteridae
Classification: Mammal
IUCN status: Endangered
Lifespan (in wild): 80-90 years
Weight: More than 130,000kg
Body size: 30m long
Diet: Carnivore
Habitat: Ocean
Range:

1) The largest animals to have ever lived on Earth, blue whales can grow to over 30m long and weigh more than 130,000kg - that's longer than three buses and heavier than three lorries!

2) Pretty much everything about the blue whale is massive. It's tongue weighs as much as an elephant, its heart is the size of a car and its blood vessels are so wide you could swim through them!

3) These blue-grey giants have a long, stream-lined body, a wide head, huge flippers, a powerful tail and a small dorsal fin. Some individuals have a yellowy-coloured underside, giving rise to the nickname ' sulphur bottom ' whales.

4) Blue whales can be found in all of our planet's oceans, except the Arctic, usually swimming alone or in groups of two to four. But in areas where there's lots of food available, as many as 60 whales may come together.

5) Despite their humongous size, blue whales eat tiny shrimp-like crustaceans called krill. But they shift a fair few of these seafood snacks - up to 40 million each day, in fact!

6) These marine marvels are a species of ' baleen' whale. Instead of teeth, they have baleen, a fibrous material used to filter their food. When eating, the whale lets a huge volume of water and krill into its mouth. It then pushes the water through its 300-400 baleen plates, which trap the tasty grub to be swallowed. Gulp!

7) To communicate with each other, blue whales make a series of super-loud vocal sounds. Their calls are the loudest of any creature on the planet, in fact, and can be heard underwater for hundreds of kilometres.

8) These awesome aquatic animals follow a seasonal migration pattern. During the feeding season, they fill up on krill in cold polar waters. They then travel to warmer, tropical waters to mate and give birth.

9) At birth, blue whale calves measure around 8m long and weigh a massive 4,000kg! They grow quickly, too - for seven to eight months, these bulky babies suckle on their mother's rich, fatty milk, and gain around 90kg each day!

10) Sadly, in the late 19th early 20th century, blue whales were heavily hunted. And despite a global hunting ban in 1966, their population has declined by 70-90 percent in the past 150 years. With only 10,000-25,000 left in the wild, these magnificence marine mammals are today classified as an endangered species.

Images ⓒ: Blue whale with head out of water: Anthony Pierce, Alamy. Blue whale with back out of water: Sburel, Dreamstime. Blue whale in dark blue ocean: Brandon Cole Marine Photography, Alamy. Blue whale fluke: Richard Fitzer, Shutterstock. Blue whale in light blue ocean: Wolcott Henry, National Geographic Creative. Group of blue whales: Flip Nicklin.

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Blue whale facts for kids | National Geographic Kids

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Blue whale facts for kids: learn about these mega mammals, with facts about blue whale size, characteristics, diet, range, behaviour and migration patterns

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Blue whales are generally solitary creatures that may spend some time in pairs and occasionally come together in casual groups to feed. They communicate with each other using a variety of sounds or songs, including squeaks, hums, and rumbles, mainly during the breeding season, which is in winter. The sounds Blue whales make are extremely loud, the loudest of any animal on the planet, and they have been recorded at higher than 180 decibels. They use their tails to perform deep dives, as by lifting their tail above the water's surface, they muster enough power to dive up to 200 meters straight down into the sea. Blue whales feed through lunge feeding; they swim toward krill at high speeds as they open their mouths up to 80°. While pursuing krill patches, Blue whales maximize their calorie intake by increasing the number of lunges while selecting the thickest patches. This provides them enough energy for everyday activities while storing additional energy necessary for migration and reproduction.

https://animalia.bio/blue-whale

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Asian elephants are found in isolated pockets of India and Southeast Asia, including Sumatra and Borneo. They were formerly widely distributed south of the Himalayas, throughout Southeast Asia and in China as far north as the Yangtze River.

https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/asian-elephant#:~:text=Native%20Habitat,north%20as%20the%20Yangtze%20River.

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Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute

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Asian elephant skin is gray, but parts sometimes lack color, especially on and around the ears, forehead and trunk. This de-pigmentation is believed to be controlled by genetics, nutrition and habitat, and generally develops as an elephant ages. Brownish to reddish hair covers the bodies of young elephants. The amount of hair reduces with age, and the color darkens.

Elephant skin varies from paper thin in some places, such as on the inside of the ears, to as thick as 1 inch (2.54 centimeters) in other places, such as around the back. Despite its thickness, the skin is sensitive due to a rich nerve supply. Elephants protect their skin from the sun and bugs by regularly covering themselves with dirt, sand and mud. Their large ears function as cooling devices. The ears contain many blood vessels. As an elephant flaps its ears on hot days, the blood in these veins cools, which then cools the elephant's brain and travels back through the body, reducing body temperature by several degrees.

An elephant's brain is large, weighing between 9 and 13 pounds (4 and 6 kilograms). Elephants are thought to be highly intelligent animals, and they have a great capacity to learn. In fact, much of their behavior is learned behavior rather than instinctive behavior.

Unlike other mammals, where the legs are in an angular position, the elephant's legs are stacked in an almost vertical position under the body. This positioning, along with the detailed anatomy of their long bones, provides a strong support for the animal's great weight. The vertical position of the limbs allows the elephant to remain standing for long periods without expending much energy. It also allows elephants to sleep while standing, as well as while lying down.

In most mammals, the bones contain a narrow cavity. In elephants, this cavity is lacking. Instead, a network of dense perforated bone occupies the space, which makes the bones stronger and able to withstand more pressure. The elephant's skeleton is designed for mobility as well as strength. An elephant must have physical structures and coordinated muscular and neurological systems to accomplish survival skills, such as standing on their rear legs and climbing up and down steep slopes.

Elephants actually walk on their toes and have a thick, fibrous pad on the bottom of each foot. This pad acts as a shock absorber, protecting the leg and toe bones from jarring under its weight and cushioning each step.

The trunk is a fusion of the nose and upper lip. It contains no bones, but is composed of muscles, blood and lymph vessels, nerves, little fat, connective tissues, skin, hair and bristles. Cartilage is found only at the base of the trunk, dividing the nostrils. The trunk has about 150,000 muscle units and tendons that provide the elephant precision, as well as strength of movement. These often tiny muscle units tend to be arranged radially or longitudinally and, by acting against one another, allow the trunk to be moved in any direction. Although delicate in its movements, the trunk is also a very powerful organ that can lift heavy objects with ease.

Asian elephants have one small projection at the end of their trunk, called a "finger," which aids with precision. Elephants use their trunks to take up water and squirt it into their mouths. The trunk is capable of performing many other functions as well, including feeding, snorkeling, dusting, smelling, sifting, sorting, touching, sound production and communication, lifting, pushing, defense and offense. It can hold about 2 gallons (7.57 liters) of water. Senses of smell and touch are very important for elephants. Their trunks help them "know" their world.

Asian elephants have six sets of teeth, all six of which are present in the skull at birth. They are, however, very small. Each successive set of teeth is larger, more complex and lasts longer than the previous set. As a result, an elephant's skull grows throughout its lifetime to accommodate the new and ever-larger teeth. The teeth are replaced in a horizontal progression, similar to that of a conveyor belt. The worn teeth move forward, break and fall out of the mouth or are swallowed. An elephant's age can be estimated by examining molar sequence and wear.

Tusks are modified upper incisors that grow throughout an individual's life at a rate of several inches per year. They are composed of ivory, a material similar to bone that is made primarily of calcium and phosphate. The tusk has a pulp cavity containing nerve tissues. In an adult animal, about two-thirds of the tusk is visible while the remaining one-third is embedded in the socket, or sulcus, in the cranium.

Newly developing tusks have a conical cap of smooth enamel that eventually wears off. Not all elephants develop visible tusks; in the Asian species, only some males have large, prominent tusks. Most female and some male Asian elephants have small tusks, called tushes, which seldom protrude more than an inch or two from the lip line. Tushes have a slightly different composition than tusks. They are small and brittle, causing them to easily break. A significant number of adult male Asian elephants are tuskless. The percentage of males with tusks varies by region, with less than 10 percent in Sri Lanka to approximately 90 percent in India. This disparity may be a reflection of the intensity of past ivory hunting.

In the African elephant species, generally, but not always, both the males and females have tusks. Tusks are extremely useful, multipurpose instruments. Elephants use them to dig for water, salt, minerals and roots; to debark trees; as levers to manipulate objects in their environment; for rescuing calves; for threat displays; as weapons for defense and offense; as trunk rests; and as protection for the trunk.

Elephants are the largest living land animal. Slightly smaller than their African cousins, adult Asian elephants weigh on average between 6,000 and 12,000 pounds (2,750 and 5,420 kilograms). They typically stand 6 to 12 feet (1.8 to 3.8 meters) tall at the shoulder. Males are usually larger than females.

Asian elephants are found in isolated pockets of India and Southeast Asia, including Sumatra and Borneo. They were formerly widely distributed south of the Himalayas, throughout Southeast Asia and in China as far north as the Yangtze River.

Asian elephants are considered forest animals. However, they have been observed to prefer zones that include intermittent open grassy glades. These zones contain transition areas with a great variety of species of plants between grass and forest, not available in dense woodlands. These zones also provide quick escape from the sun. Elephants are adaptable and can live in a variety of environments. They migrate as necessary to find habitat that contains sufficient vegetation and water to meet their enormous daily requirements. Although they are not territorial, they do move about within home ranges. The amount of movement within these ranges appears to be variable from region to region.

Data gathered by Smithsonian's National Zoo scientists from radio-collared wild elephants in Myanmar show that elephants typically walk less than 1 to 4 miles (1.6 to 6.4 kilometers) per day. The home range usually constitutes a loop or a circuit. Home ranges vary in size from 6 to 20 square miles (15 to 50 square kilometers) to 190 to 580 square miles (500 to 800 square kilometers). The differences depend on quantity and quality of food and whether or not the area is occupied by bulls or by cows and their offspring. Home ranges of one family, clan or herd may overlap with another. Human activities, such as agriculture, have made seasonal migration difficult, creating much conflict between wild elephants and people.

Elephants communicate over long distances using low-pitched sounds that are barely audible to humans. These powerful infrasonic rumbles contain specific messages that can be heard and understood by other elephants more than 2 miles away. Scientists believe that an elephant's ability to converse over long distances is essential for its survival. Females in estrus make very low, long calls that bulls hone in on. Breeding herds also use low-frequency vocalizations to warn of predators. Adult bulls and cows have no enemies, except for humans, but young elephants are susceptible to attacks by tigers in the areas where their ranges overlap. When a predator appears, older members of the herd emit intense warning calls that prompt the rest of the herd to clump together for protection and then flee the scene.

Elephants possess a highly developed olfactory system. Scent is a valuable mode of communication, because it can be long lasting and function over both short and long distances. Wind-born scents provide elephants with clues to the presence of other elephants or potential dangers. Elephants can determine the identity, sex and reproductive status of another elephant using their trunks to smell the elephant's mouth, temporal gland, genitals, urine or feces.

Elephants of all ages and both sexes touch one another frequently, often to communicate a greeting, excitement, competition, dominance, discipline, reassurance, play and reproductive status. The trunk is an especially important means of tactile communication.

Asian elephants are herbivores and spend about three-quarters of each day eating or moving toward a food or water source. Feeding is not continuous, with three principal feeding bouts in the early morning, afternoon and night. Elephants tend to rest and nap during the hottest hours of the day. They feed primarily on grasses but also consume large amounts of browse, including leaves, roots, vines, twigs, shoots and bark, as well as fruit. Cultivated crops such as bananas and sugar cane are also a favored food, placing them in conflict with farmers. Foraging herds can be very destructive to cropland or forest, because they are capable of pushing down large trees in order to gather their foliage and bark. Elephants only assimilate about 44 percent of what they eat. Therefore, they must consume great amounts of food, about 165 to 330 pounds (74 to 150 kilograms) per day and about 50 gallons (189 liters) of water per day in the wild. A very large male might eat twice that amount.

The elephants at the Smithsonian's National Zoo are fed throughout the day to simulate their natural feeding pattern. Their diets are individually tailored to each animal's needs, taking into account health, age, activity level and metabolism. A typical diet for an adult female elephant could total about 135 pounds, consisting of about two-and-a-half bales of hay (each bale weighs about 45 pounds or 20 kilograms), 8 pounds of elephant chow (an alfalfa-based pellet that is nutrient dense, providing protein, vitamins and minerals), 2 pounds each of bran and oats, and 10 pounds of fruits and vegetables, including sweet potatoes, carrots and apples. Apple fiber pellets are fed as training reinforcement and browse is fed as available.

Asian elephants typically live in small herds of related females, their female offspring and immature males. These elephants are extremely social and form complex relationships, working together to raise their young and to protect the group. Unlike African elephants, they do not have a matriarch. However, individual females will sometimes take on a more dominant role.

Male elephants typically leave the herd when they reach puberty, between the ages of 8 and 13. This is often a gradual process, driven by the males' competitive and independent nature and the females' lack of tolerance for their aggressive behavior. Young males tend to form loose bachelor herds, sometimes following female herds or foraging alone. As males age, they typically become more competitive and spend more time alone.

Asian elephants are endangered. At one time, Asian elephants ranged from Syria and Iraq east across Asia south of the Himalayas to Indochina and the Malay Peninsula, north into China, and in Sri Lanka, Sumatra, Borneo and possibly Java. The Western Forest Complex in Thailand is the largest remaining area of protected forest in Southeast Asia and home to more than one-third of Thailand's wild elephants. India by far has the largest population of elephants for a single country, with almost half of the total population of Asian elephants in the world living within its borders.

Because elephants require much larger areas of natural range than many other terrestrial mammals, they are often the first species to suffer the consequences of habitat fragmentation and destruction. Elephants are also considered a pest and a danger in areas of agriculture, especially populations surrounded by cultivated land. Crop raiding is frequent and can create situations that can lead to elephant deaths, as well as human deaths. Palm oil plantations, primarily in Malaysia and Indonesia, are rapidly causing deforestation. The use of slash and burn clearing and industrial planting techniques is not uncommon. This is greatly decreasing the land available for elephant habitats in these regions.

Elephant poaching for ivory does not threaten the Asian elephant to as great an extent as it does the African elephant, because many male Asian elephants are tuskless. However, poaching of tuskers in southern India for both ivory and meat is still a serious problem and has had a radical effect on breeding patterns.

In some countries, the government provides compensation for crop damage or deaths caused by elephants, but there is still often strong political pressure on wildlife authorities to eliminate elephants near populated regions. Increasingly there is pressure on palm oil plantations and other practices, such as forestry, to become certified. Certification qualifications have specific requirements to reduce deforestation, emissions and wildlife conflicts. However, as human populations increase, elephant-human conflicts are likely to rise. Experts already consider such confrontations to be the leading cause of elephant deaths in Asia. In India, about 300 people and 200 elephants per year die through poaching, crop protection incidents or automobile related accidents.

Because of these threats, Asian elephant numbers are estimated to be between 37,000 and 57,000 animals. This estimate has such a wide range due to the extreme difficulty involved in trying to survey a population that is difficult to find and continuously changes.

It is thought that as many as one third of the total population of Asian elephants are held in captivity throughout Southeast Asia, most as work animals. The British used captive animals to open the forests to logging in colonial times. The decline of the logging industry has led to many out-of-work elephants and mahouts.

The future of elephants largely depends on the continuation of the ivory ban, habitat preservation, devising ways for people and elephants to co-exist together and successful zoo breeding programs around the world. Often, one of the most successful methods of conserving a species is to view it as a sustainable resource. While it is certainly not feasible to use elephants for their ivory, they can be seen as a resource in ecotourism as well as in logging operations that have historically had very little negative impact on their forest environment. Due to its need for large areas of suitable habitat, the Asian elephant is considered a 'flagship' or umbrella species, whose survival would help maintain biological diversity and ecological integrity over extensive areas. Asian elephants have great religious significance throughout their range, which has contributed significantly to their conservation.

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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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Trunks- Asian elephant trunks are used in a variety of ways to help them adapt to their environment. The trunk can be used as a cooling system to squirt water on their backs or to spray dirt on their skin to prevent sun burn. The trunk is also used to lift or move large objects.

https://asianelephantsevolutionsolution.weebly.com/adaptations.html#:~:text=Trunks%2D%20Asian%20elephant%20trunks%20are,lift%20or%20move%20large%20objects.

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Asian elephants are very strong, social and intelligent animals. They have adapted to their environment as it changes which has helped them survive in their natural habitat. Ears- Asian elephants...

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Asian elephants may spend up to 19 hours a day feeding, and they can produce about 220 pounds of dung per day while wandering around an area that can cover up to 125 square miles. This helps to disperse germinating seeds. A future for Asian elephants ensures a future for other species and wild spaces.

https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/asian-elephant#:~:text=Asian%20elephants%20may%20spend%20up,helps%20to%20disperse%20germinating%20seeds.&text=A%20future%20for%20Asian%20elephants,other%20species%20and%20wild%20spaces.

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Sea otters form groups known as pods or rafts when resting. Females avoid males except during mating. They are long-lived and usually remain for years in the same area. They spend most of their time in the sea but rest on land during stormy weather or when population density is high. When sleeping or resting, they float on their backs and wrap themselves up in kelp to stop drifting away. They eat, rest, and groom at the water's surface. They are able to dive down to at least 45 meters but prefer coastal waters less than 30 meters deep.

https://animalia.bio/sea-otter

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The sea otter ( Enhydra lutris ) is a marine mammal native to the coasts of the northern and eastern North Pacific Ocean. Adult sea otters typically weigh between 14 and 45 kg (30 and 100 lb), making them the heaviest members of the weasel family, but among the smallest marine mammals. Unlike most marine mammals, the sea otter's primary form of insulation is an exceptionally thick coat of fur, the densest in the animal kingdom. Although it can walk on land, the sea otter is capable of living exclusively in the ocean.

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The sea otter inhabits nearshore environments, where it dives to the sea floor to forage. It preys mostly on marine invertebrates such as sea urchins, various mollusks and crustaceans, and some species of fish. Its foraging and eating habits are noteworthy in several respects. Its use of rocks to dislodge prey and to open shells makes it one of the few mammal species to use tools. In most of its range, it is a keystone species, controlling sea urchin populations which would otherwise inflict extensive damage to kelp forest ecosystems. Its diet includes prey species that are also valued by humans as food, leading to conflicts between sea otters and fisheries.

Sea otters, whose numbers were once estimated at 150,000-300,000, were hunted extensively for their fur between 1741 and 1911, and the world population fell to 1,000-2,000 individuals living in a fraction of their historic range. A subsequent international ban on hunting, sea otter conservation efforts, and reintroduction programs into previously populated areas have contributed to numbers rebounding, and the species occupies about two-thirds of its former range. The recovery of the sea otter is considered an important success in marine conservation, although populations in the Aleutian Islands and California have recently declined or have plateaued at depressed levels. For these reasons, the sea otter remains classified as an endangered species.
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Appearance

Sea otters belong to the weasel family. All members of this family have very thick fur. They have two layers of fur, an undercoat, as well as longer guard hairs. This traps air next to their skin so that their skin stays dry. Sea otters usually are dark brown, frequently with lighter guard hairs. Their faces are circular and furry, with rounded eyes and ears, short noses, and long whiskers that help with foraging for food. The back legs are long, with broad, flat, webbed paws. The front legs are short, with retractable claws for eating and grooming.

Distribution

Geography

Sea otters live in several regions of the Pacific: along the Commander and Kuril Islands off the coast of Russia, along the Aleutian Islands and the Alaska Peninsula south of the Bering Sea, off the Alaskan Peninsula to Vancouver Island, and on the central California coast from Point Sur to Ano Nuevo. They live in temperate coastal waters with soft sediment or rocky ocean bottom. They inhabit offshore giant kelp forests and spend most of their time foraging below the canopy.

Habits and Lifestyle

Sea otters form groups known as pods or rafts when resting. Females avoid males except during mating. They are long-lived and usually remain for years in the same area. They spend most of their time in the sea but rest on land during stormy weather or when population density is high. When sleeping or resting, they float on their backs and wrap themselves up in kelp to stop drifting away. They eat, rest, and groom at the water's surface. They are able to dive down to at least 45 meters but prefer coastal waters less than 30 meters deep. They are diurnal.

Diet and Nutrition

Sea otters are carnivorous (piscivorous) animals, eating almost any fish or marine invertebrate from their kelp forest foraging area. They eat sea urchins, sea stars, coast mussels, purple-hinged rock scallops limpets, and chitons. They also eat crabs, squid, and octopus. Their prey provides most of their water but they also drink seawater when thirsty. They usually eat 3 to 4 times each day.

Mating Habits

Sea otters are polygynous, mating at any time of year. Gestation lasts up to a year, and the mother bears a single pup. Males do not look after their offspring. Pups are weaned when they are about 6 months old but have started eating solid foods soon after birth. Females carry their babies on their bellies while nursing. The mother wraps her pup up in kelp while she is foraging so that it won't drift away. Pups start diving when they are 2 months old. They are dependent on their mother for 6 to 8 months. Females become reproductively mature at 4 years and males at 5-6 years, but they may not mate for some years.

Population

Population threats

Sea otters were once heavily hunted to the point of near extinction. Their population was reduced from nearly 300,000 individuals in the 1700s to only 2,000 individuals at the beginning of the 20th century. Commercial harvest of Sea Otters stopped in 1911 when they were afforded protection by the International Fur Seal Treaty. Currently, the major threat to sea otters is oil pollution. They are particularly vulnerable, as they rely on their fur to keep warm. Further threats are severe weather and periodic climatic events such as El Niño, expanding predation by killer whales, infectious diseases, net entanglements, and boat strikes.

Population number

Population estimates between 2004 and 2012 provide a worldwide total of about 126,000 Sea otters, including 19,000 in the Kurils, 3,500 on the Kamchatka Peninsula, 5,500 on the Commander Islands, 89,000 in Alaska, 4,712 on the Vancouver Island, and about 3000 in California. The ICUN classifies the sea otter as "Endangered", with a decreasing population trend.

Ecological niche

Sea otters play a big role in their ecosystem by controlling herbivorous invertebrates. They prey on sea urchins, preventing them from overgrazing the forest of kelp, which supports marine diversity. The variety in their diet supports greater diversity amongst benthic grazers. Their presence is important as part of the kelp forest ecosystems.

Fun Facts for Kids

Under each foreleg, the Sea otter has a loose pouch of skin that extends across the chest. In this pouch (preferentially the left one), the animal stores collected food to bring to the surface. This pouch also holds a rock, unique to the otter, that is used to break open shellfish and clams.

The teeth of Sea otters are strong enough to crunch open a clam shell or bite through a sea urchin's spines.

The Sea otter is the only marine animal capable of lifting and turning over rocks, which it often does with its front paws when searching for prey.

Sea otters can spend their entire life in water.

Otters do not have blubber, instead, the air is trapped within their fur to keep them warm.

The otter is a very playful animal and may do activities just for fun. Some construct waterslides, for example.

Otters are popular in Japanese folklore and are known as "kawauso". The smart kawauso will fool humans, as foxes do in stories.

More Fascinating Animals to Learn About

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The sea otter ( Enhydra lutris ) is a marine mammal native to the coasts of the northern and eastern North Pacific Ocean. Adult sea otters typically weigh between 14 and 45 kg (30 and 100 lb), making them the heaviest members of the weasel family, but among the smallest marine mammals.

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The giant panda has lived in bamboo forests for several million years. It is a highly specialized animal, with unique adaptations. The panda's thick, wooly coat keeps it warm in the cool forests of its habitat. Giant pandas have large molar teeth and strong jaw muscles for crushing tough bamboo. https://www.google.com/search?q=adaptations+of+giant+pandas&rlz=1CAJIKU_enUS1074&oq=Adaptations+of+Giant+&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqBwgAEAAYgAQyBwgAEAAYgAQyBwgBEAAYgAQyBggCEEUYOTIHCAMQABiABDIICAQQABgWGB4yCAgFEAAYFhgeMggIBhAAGBYYHjIICAcQABgWGB4yCAgIEAAYFhgeMggICRAAGBYYHtIBCTEyODg3ajBqN6gCALACAA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&safe=active&ssui=on

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https://www.natgeokids.com/uk/discover/animals/general-animals/ten-panda-facts/ Giant pandas (often referred to as simply “pandas”) are black and white bears. In the wild, they are found in thick bamboo forests, high up in the mountains of central China – you can check out our cool facts about China, here!

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Here at National Geographic Kids, we love wonderful wild bears! Join us as we learn about one of nature's cutest critters in our facts about pandas!
Facts about pandas

1. Giant pandas (often referred to as simply "pandas") are black and white bears. In the wild, they are found in thick bamboo forests, high up in the mountains of central China - you can check out our cool facts about China, here!

2. These magnificent mammals are omnivores. But whilst pandas will occasionally eat small animals and fish, bamboo counts for 99 percent of their diet.

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3. Pandas are BIG eaters - every day they fill their tummies for up to 12 hours, shifting up to 12 kilograms of bamboo!

4. The giant panda's scientific name is Ailuropoda melanoleuca, which means "black and white cat-foot".

5. Giant pandas grow to between 1.2m and 1.5m, and weigh between 75kg and 135kg. Scientists aren't sure how long pandas live in the wild, but in captivity they live to be around 30 years old.

6. Baby pandas are born pink and measure about 15cm - that's about the size of a pencil! They are also born blind and only open their eyes six to eight weeks after birth.

7. It's thought that these magnificent mammals are solitary animals, with males and females only coming together briefly to mate. Recent research, however, suggests that giant pandas occasionally meet outside of breeding season, and communicate with each other through scent marks and calls.

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

8. Family time! Female pandas give birth to one or two cubs every two years. Cubs stay with their mothers for 18 months before venturing off on their own!

9. Unlike most other bears, pandas do not hibernate. When winter approaches, they head lower down their mountain homes to warmer temperatures, where they continue to chomp away on bamboo!

10. Excitingly, conservation efforts mean that panda bear numbers are increasing in the wild. Though there's still lots of work to be done, the species is no longer considered endangered. Hooray!

Love reading about brilliant bears? Then check out our ten black bear facts, here!

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10 facts about pandas! - National Geographic Kids

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Check out ten facts about pandas here at National Geographic Kids. Learn where pandas live, what they eat, how big they grow and much more!

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Great whites are torpedo-shaped with powerful tails that can propel them through the water at up to 15 miles per hour. https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/fish/facts/great-white-shark

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When a great white shark is born, along with up to a dozen siblings, it immediately swims away from its mother. Born on the east and west coasts of North America, the south of Africa and southwest Australia, baby sharks are on their own right from the start. Their mother may see them only as prey.

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When a great white shark is born, along with up to a dozen siblings, it immediately swims away from its mother. Born on the east and west coasts of North America, the south of Africa and southwest Australia, baby sharks are on their own right from the start.

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Sharks count on the element of surprise as they hunt. When they see a seal at the surface of the water, sharks will often position themselves underneath the seal. Using their tails as propellers, they swim upward at a fast sprint, burst out of the water in a leap called a breach, and fall back into the water with the seal in their mouths. They can smell a single drop of blood from up to a third of a mile (0.53 kilometers) away. Sharks don't chew their food; they rip off chunks of meat and swallow them whole. They can last a month or two without another big meal.https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/fish/facts/great-white-shark

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When a great white shark is born, along with up to a dozen siblings, it immediately swims away from its mother. Born on the east and west coasts of North America, the south of Africa and southwest Australia, baby sharks are on their own right from the start. Their mother may see them only as prey.

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When a great white shark is born, along with up to a dozen siblings, it immediately swims away from its mother. Born on the east and west coasts of North America, the south of Africa and southwest Australia, baby sharks are on their own right from the start.

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https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/facts/snow-leopard

Their spotted coats act as cloaks of invisibility by blending into the rocky mountains of the 12 Central Asian countries where the cats live

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Adult Tasmanian devils are usually about the size of a small dog. They have coarse brown or black fur and a pudgy appearance that makes them look like baby bears. But don't let their cuteness fool you. They have sharp teeth and strong, muscular jaws that can deliver one of the most powerful bites of any mammal on Earth.

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Habitat. The white shark occurs in both near-shore coastal waters and offshore pelagic waters. Their preferred habitats shift with age. Pups and juveniles tend to remain in near-shore habitats over shallow continental-shelf, in warmer waters.https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/fish/facts/great-white-shark

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When a great white shark is born, along with up to a dozen siblings, it immediately swims away from its mother. Born on the east and west coasts of North America, the south of Africa and southwest Australia, baby sharks are on their own right from the start. Their mother may see them only as prey.

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When a great white shark is born, along with up to a dozen siblings, it immediately swims away from its mother. Born on the east and west coasts of North America, the south of Africa and southwest Australia, baby sharks are on their own right from the start.

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Four to five feet with a tail up to 36 inches

WEIGHT:

60 to 120 pounds

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Tasmanian devils are strictly carnivorous, surviving on small prey and frequently feasting on already dead animals, called carrion

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Although not directly a behaviour, white sharks have physiological adaptations in their circulation that allow them to retain body heat and maintain an elevated body temperature. This is referred to as endothermy and leads to higher muscle metabolism, which allows faster swimming to catch agile prey.

White Shark - Save Our Seas Foundation https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/fish/facts/great-white-shark

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https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/facts/snow-leopard

They are carnivores By preying on the wild sheep and goats, snow leopards also help to keep the meadows healthy.

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Tasmanian devils are found throughout Tasmania. Found in all habitats on the island, including the outskirts of urban areas

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Carcharodon carcharias, more commonly known as the great white shark, is one of more than 450 shark species and is the largest of all predatory sharks in the ocean today. Adult great white sharks grow to a maximum size of approximately 20 feet in length, weigh up to 6,600 pounds, and are estimated to live for 30 years.https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/fish/facts/great-white-shark

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
When a great white shark is born, along with up to a dozen siblings, it immediately swims away from its mother. Born on the east and west coasts of North America, the south of Africa and southwest Australia, baby sharks are on their own right from the start. Their mother may see them only as prey.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
When a great white shark is born, along with up to a dozen siblings, it immediately swims away from its mother. Born on the east and west coasts of North America, the south of Africa and southwest Australia, baby sharks are on their own right from the start.

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Blue whales have streamlined bodies for efficient movement through water; forelimbs modified into flippers to aid in steering; hind limbs internalized remnants reducing drag; tail positioned horizontally to achieve a powerful up and down propulsion; hair replaced with under-skin blubber to provide warmth and buoyancy; structure of nostrils changed to blowholes that can be sealed off under water and position shifted to top of head to give ability to breath air before the rest of the body surfaces and while swimming at the surface without lifting the head; highly developed hearing that relies on an internal system of air sinuses and bones to detect sound instead of external ears; lung capacity that enables them to exchange 80-90% of lung air volume.

https://www.aquariumofpacific.org/onlinelearningcenter/species/blue_whale#:~:text=Among%20these%20adaptations%20are%3A%20streamlined,skin%20blubber%20to%20provide%20warmth

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SPECIES IN DETAIL

Blue Whale
Balaenoptera musculus
CONSERVATION STATUS: Endangered - Protected

CLIMATE CHANGE: Not Applicable

At the Aquarium

Our anatomically correct (88 ft) fiberglass model of a female blue whale is named Edie. The calf, a male, is called Edison. The blue whale is also featured in signage, Whales: A Journey with Giants (a large screen, multimedia presentation), and the interactive kiosk, Whales: Voices in the Sea. Blue whales are seen in the wild as part of the Aquarium's whale watching adventures on our local Pacific Ocean waters.

Geographic Distribution

Seasonal breeding, calving, and feeding distribution in the global ocean's tropic, temperate, and drift-ice polar waters

Habitat

The usual habitat of these whales is the open ocean and the edges of continental shelves except in polar regions where they follow retreating ice edges. At times they also frequent coastal and near island areas. In summer months they move about in cold water seeking foraging areas where there are large concentrations of krill. Most migrate to warm tropical and subtropical waters in winter months for calving and breeding. A large population formerly found in the Santa Barbara Channel off the California coast from June through September appears to be moving south recently. In 2007 they have been commonly seen in ocean waters near Long Beach, California (100 miles south of the Santa Barbara Channel).

Physical Characteristics

Blue whales have a smooth, slender, streamlined, and somewhat tapered body that begins with a pointed snout, and ends in broad triangular flukes that have a median notch and slightly concave or straight trailing edges. Their stubby and "tiny" (for an animal this size) dorsal fin is located three-quarters of the way along the back of their body. Its shape can be rounded, falcate (curved), or triangular. The rostrum of these whales is very flat, broad, and almost U-shaped. There is usually a single ridge that extends from the tip of the snout to just forward of the two blowholes. The blowholes are contained in a large raised splashguard. The slender pointed flippers are short for the body size. There are 55-68 throat grooves, or pleats, along the sides and ventrally that extend from the lower jaw to near or just beyond the navel.

Their baleen consists of 260 to 400 black, coarse, broad, overlapping plates hanging from each side of the upper jaw. The fringed plates taper from 51 cm (20 in) at the front to 102 cm (40 in) in length at the rear, the longest of the rorqual whales.

Blue whales are basically blue-gray in color, appearing aquamarine when under water. However, their true color varies among individuals from a uniform dark slate gray with little whitish mottling to a very light blue with extensive mottling. It is these mottling patterns, their unique fingerprints, which have formed the basis for photo identification of individual blue whales just as saddle and eye patches of killer whales and the black and white pigmentation of the underside of humpback flukes are used. The ventral side of their body is usually pale blue-gray or whitish, however, in whales that forage in cold polar waters it is often a yellowish color due to an accumulation of microscopic diatoms (one-cell algae). This coloration caused whalers to call blue whales "sulfur-bottoms". The tips of their flukes can be lighter than the rest of the flukes.

Size

These whales are 24-30 m (78-100 ft) long and weigh 72,000-136,000 kg (160,000-300,000 lbs). About 12% of the weight is blubber. Males are usually 1.5-3 m (5-10 ft) shorter than females. Southern blue whales are about 3.5 m (11 ft) larger than northern, a difference believed to be the result of the more abundant supply of krill in the Antarctic Ocean. The dorsal fin is about 30 cm (11.8 in) in height, flippers, 2.4 m (8 ft), and flukes, 7.6 m (25 ft).

Diet

While blue whales may occasionally feed on pelagic crabs and small fishes, their diet is almost exclusively euphausiid shrimps commonly called krill. They are the most selective feeders of the baleen whales, consuming only certain species of krill and not others. (Krill preferences are determined by analyzing fecal samples.) The krill aggregate, move, and disperse from area to area and how these whales know where the swarms of krill are and when is still unknown. Some researchers believe they use sound to track them.

Blue whales usually feed at depths less than 100 m (328 ft) and no more than 152 m (500 ft). They lunge at dense clouds or patches of krill, expanding their throat grooves to take in as much as 64,252 l (17,000 gal) of food and water in a single mouthful. The water pressure causes their throat pleats to expand. They then partially close their mouth, exposing a fringe of comb-like baleen around the opening and use their tongue to force the water out of the baleen sieve, leaving the krill trapped in the fringes of the baleen plates to be swallowed. Blue whales need to take in 1.5 million calories a day to meet their energy requirements. Adults do this by consuming about 40 million krill a day or 3499 kg (7715 lb).

Reproduction

Neither actual mating of blue whales nor birth of a calf have been observed in modern times, and the breeding grounds for some populations are still unknown. Sexual maturity is believed to be reached between five and ten years of age when females are about 24 m (79 ft) long and males, 23 m (75 ft). Recent acoustical studies indicate that males may vocalize to attract females by using a very low frequency call referred to as the "A" call. (The frequency or hertz is so low that the human ear cannot hear it). Females do not seem to make this particular call. It has been noted that when pairs are observed, the whale in the lead is usually a female with a male trailing behind who becomes defensive if another whale approaches.

Most blue whales migrate from their colder water feeding grounds to warmer water latitudes to mate and calve. There are some, however, that may remain year round in colder latitudes depending on ice formation. In the Northern Hemisphere the migration occurs in the boreal winter approximately November-March, and in the Southern Hemisphere's austral winter, June-September.

The gestation period is about 11 months, considered short for an animal the size of the blue whale. At birth the calf is 7-8 m (23-26 ft) long and weighs about 2500 kg (5500 lb) but that soon changes as it nurses on 397 l (105 gal) milk per day that is about 50 percent butterfat. Its growth is rapid as it gains about 90 kg (198 lb) per day or 3.7 kg (8.2 lb) per hour. When several months old it begins to both nurse and start to eat krill. It is weaned at seven to eight months of age at which time it is about 16 m (52 ft) long and weighs 20,900 kg (68,123 lb). Female blue whales are very good mothers. They give birth every two to three years.

Behavior

The blows of blue whales are spectacular. The tall, straight column, 6-12 m (19.7-39 ft) high and about 6.7-7.6 m (22-25 ft) wide can be seen and heard as far as 6.4 km (4 mi) away. They usually blow in a relaxed fashion 8-15 times at 10-20 second intervals and then dive for 10-20 minutes.

These whales are fast strong swimmers with a cruising speed of 6.4-19.3 km/hr (4-12 mph). They are capable of accelerating to 48 km/hr (30 mph) when necessary.

Blue whales have the lowest and loudest voice of any whale. The frequency is as low as 14 hertz and the intensity or volume, the decibels, up to 200. Unlike humans, whales have no vocal cords in their larynx. They are believed to produce sound by moving air through tubed extensions of the larynx to nasal plugs located near the blowholes. Research using sonograms (device for visualizing sound), hydrophones, and other acoustical devices have shown that that these whales produce two sounds termed A or B calls. "A" calls appear to be made only by males and are described as a series of pulses that sound like someone gurgling mouthwash. "B" sounds are made by both sexes and seem to occur in feeding areas. They are more like a loud, low pitched groan or a rhythmic pounding that repeats and becomes a long moan. There is no variation among individuals within a population, the sounds of all sounding like the same note repeated over and over; however, nine variations have been described for nine populations around the world. Why these whales vocalize in these ways is being studied. A way to indicate fitness to a female calling as loud and low as the male can get? To navigate? To find krill patches? Time will tell.

Adaptation

In the process of changing from a land to water environment, whales have undergone many physiological and morphological changes. Among these adaptations are: streamlined bodies for efficient movement through water; forelimbs modified into flippers to aid in steering; hind limbs internalized remnants reducing drag; tail positioned horizontally to achieve a powerful up and down propulsion; hair replaced with under-skin blubber to provide warmth and buoyancy; structure of nostrils changed to blowholes that can be sealed off under water and position shifted to top of head to give ability to breath air before the rest of the body surfaces and while swimming at the surface without lifting the head; highly developed hearing that relies on an internal system of air sinuses and bones to detect sound instead of external ears; lung capacity that enables them to exchange 80-90% of lung air volume(humans can exchange only 17-20%) ; reproductive organs internalized to prevent drag when swimming; and countercurrent heat exchangers in the tongue that enable the whales to take in gallons of very cold water during feeding and still not become hypothermic.

Longevity

The lifespan of these whales is estimated to be 40-80 years of age. Current research may prove that it is longer.

Conservation

In late December 2012, NOAA announced that beginning in 2013, shipping lanes along the California coast would be adjusted to protect feeding and congregating blue, fin, and humpback whales from ship strikes. The lane changes include the approaches to San Francisco Bay, Santa Barbara Channel, and the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. In November 2012 the International Maritime Organization which governs shipping worldwide adopted the proposed changes.

Although there are encouraging reports that there may be a gradual increase in some population numbers of blue whales, so few survived the harpoons of whalers that recovery will be a slow process, especially for the southern blue whale population because of the excessive whaling that took place in the Antarctic. Estimated blue whale populations today are 400-1400 in the Southern Hemisphere, 5,000 in the North Pacific with about 2-3,000 of those in the "California" population, and possibly 1,000 in the North Atlantic. These are estimates only and are criticized by some researchers as being too high.

Initially blue whales were not a target species of whalers because their size and speed made them difficult to catch, kill, and retain. That changed beginning in 1864 with inventions of the explosive harpoon-gun and a method to inflate air into the dead whale's body causing it to float; followed by steam and diesel powered catcher boats which shot and retrieved the whales handing them over to huge factory ships for processing. Blue whales now became the most targeted whale because of their profitability. The amount of oil available from one animal was 265-303 l (70-80 gal). About 350,000 blue whales were killed between 1910 and 1996 in the Antarctic and 8,200 in the North Pacific. Forty-eight blue whales were landed at Central California shore whaling stations as late as 1965. Finally in 1966 steps were taken to stop the slaughter before blue whales became extinct.

Whaling was banned in the Antarctic in 1966 and in the North Pacific in 1967. The Blue whales and other marine mammals received protection in the United States when the Marine Mammal Protection Act was adopted in 1972. The Southern Ocean was made a whale sanctuary in 1994. Today blue whales are listed as endangered both federally and by the IUCN Red List. There is no legislated subsistence hunting of these whales as there is for some other species.

Man-made ocean noise pollution from activities such as shipping, drilling operations, low frequency active sonar system testing by the military, studies of ocean climate transmitting sound at 195 decibels, etc.-any or all have the potential to interfere with blue whale communication. Research has indicated that these whales may depend on low frequency and high decibel sounds to communicate, find krill swarms, reproduce, and possible navigate.

Special Notes

California's picky eaters: There are about 90 species of krill found worldwide. The two species preferred by the California blue whale population are Euphausia pacifica and Thysanoessa spinifera. Both are 15-25 mm (0.6-0.8 in) long. E. pacifica inhabits deeper water toward the margin of the continental shelf and beyond in water 200-400 m (656-1312 ft) deep during the day, migrating vertically to the surface at night to graze on phytoplankton. T. spinifera is a coastal species, inhabiting shallower water over the continental shelf, commonly at depths less than 150 m (492 ft) day and night. Researchers have determined the diet preferences of California's blue whales by analyzing fecal specimens. The daily diet of juvenile blue whales appears to consist of half of each species, whereas adult blue whales seem to prefer the coastal species, T. spinifera.

Solving the mysteries of the blue whale: How do blue whales communicate and why? Where do they breed? How do they find clouds of krill? Which population migrates where? How long do they live? What is the population density in various parts of the world ocean? What is the impact of the ocean's human caused noise pollution on their communication ? Scientists are working to solve the mysteries of the blue whale by using a combination of methods and technology not available to whalers who relied on visual observations to describe the whales and their behaviors. While visual observations are still a very important part of investigative studies, various research efforts today can include hydrophones permanently mounted on the ocean floor; hydrophones trailed behind boats under the water; photography and video of individuals; attachment of cameras and acoustical devices to the whales; skin biopsies for DNA analysis; laboratory analysis of fecal samples to determine food preferences; transmitters to send signals to and from satellites and data collection systems; radio tagging to record pitch, roll, and acceleration during dives; dive recorders to determine how feeding at depths occurs; etc.. A prominent blue whale researcher has said: "The mysteries of the blue whale will be solved, not by my generation or the next, but in the next-30 years from now".

Sound Surveillance System (SOSUS): For nearly 40 years during the era of the Cold War the Navy used an array of hydrophones (underwater microphones) to listen for foreign submarines. SOSUS is permanently mounted on the bottom of the northern Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and the Caribbean Sea. SOSUS draws graph-like pictures of sound and also makes underwater recordings.

Through the years the Navy observers ignored the natural sounds of the ocean as they listened intently for the man-made noises of submarines. Observers were taught that one particular sound was that made by snapping shrimp. It was not until 1992 when the array was made available to marine mammal scientists that the "snapping shrimp" noise was shown to be that of whale vocalizations. Using SOSUS researchers were able to make more recordings of whale sounds in one year than had ever been deposited previously in the combined collection of all the world's cetacean sound libraries. In 1993 a CD was made available to scientists of the first year's vocalization of humpbacks, minke, finbacks, and blue whales called "Greatest Hits of Whales '93". SOSUS is still being used in the study of whale migrations, population numbers, and behavior.

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Take a journey of discovery through the world's largest ocean at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, California.

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1. Baby blue whales can swim after 30 minutes of being born.

2. Blue whale mothers will teach their young how to eat, breathe and swim. They have a strong bond with their calves.

3. Blue whales tend to be born in the winter.

4. Some blue whales develop a yellow-tinged underbelly, which is why blue whales are also known as sulphur bottom whales.

5. Blue whales are the largest ever animal known to have ever existed on Earth.

6. The blood vessels of a blue whale are said to be so large that a human could swim through them!

7. Due to their mammoth size, the blue whale doesn’t have many predators, although their young are vulnerable to being eaten by predators like sharks and killer whales.

8. Blue whales have superb hearing, which is ideal because oceans are often dark, meaning good sight is not as effective.

9. Blue whales swim at a rate of 5 to 20 miles per hour.

10. These amazing mammals are endangered species thanks to humans heavily hunting them, pollution, climate change, ocean noise and overfishing. Despite a global hunting ban issued in 1966, the blue whale species has declined by a shocking 70 to 90% in the past 150 years.

https://www.twinkl.com/homework-help/geography-homework-help/continents-and-oceans/blue-whale-facts-for-kids

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https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles/facts/green-sea-turtle

The sea turtle’s fat is green in color. The shell of the green sea turtle is usually shades of a brown or olive color.

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https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles/facts/green-sea-turtle

Adult green sea turtles eat a primarily plant-based diet consisting of seaweed and sea grass.

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. Sea otters have several adaptations that allow them to live in a marine environment. These include fully webbed hind feet; nostrils and ears that can close; and thick, water-repelling fur that keeps them dry and warm.

https://www.activewild.com/sea-otter-facts/

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worldwildlife.org/stories/where-do-snow-leopards-live-and-nine-other-snow-leopard-facts

Snow leopards live across a vast area in northern and central Asia's high mountains, including the Himalayan region. In the Himalayas, snow leopards live in high alpine areas, mostly above the tree line and up to 18,000 feet in elevation.

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Sea otters have the thickest fur of any animal. Their fur contains between 600,000 to 1,000,000 hair follicles per square inch. Unlike most other marine mammals, otters lack a blubber layer. Instead, they depend on their dense, water-resistant fur to provide insulation. To keep warm, sea otters spend a large portion of their days grooming and conditioning their fur. This traps air and heat next to their skin. A group of resting otters is called a raft. Otters love to rest in groups. Researchers have seen concentrations of over 1,000 otters floating together. To keep from drifting away from each other, sea otters will wrap themselves up in seaweed, forming something that resembles a raft.

https://www.doi.gov/blog/12-facts-about-otters-sea-otter-awareness-week#:~:text=Sea%20otters%20have%20the%20thickest,resistant%20fur%20to%20provide%20insulation.

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https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/facts/snow-leopard

The snow leopard’s wide nose warms cold air before it enters its lungs. large paws work like snowshoes, letting the cat walk on snow without sinking. And their long, heavy tail helps them keep their balance while they’re chasing prey. At night, the cats curl their tails around their bodies like a cozy scarf to keep warm—and to stay hidden while sleeping.

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Snow leopards can mew, growl, and puff … but they can’t roar.

• Adult snow leopards are solitary, but young siblings will cuddle and play.

• Snow leopards have powerful legs and can jump as far as 50 feet.

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Adaptations: Tasmanian devils have a keen sense of smell. Tasmanian devils will also produce an odor as a defense mechanism when threatened. They have dark fur that helps blend into their environment when hunting for food at night.

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10 Facts About Tasmanian Devils

They Once Lived In Mainland Australia.

They Store Fat In Their Tails. ...

They Can Eat Up To 40% Of Their Body Weight In A Day. ...

Joeys Are Born The Same Size As A Grain Of Rice. ...

https://www.rainforest.com.au/facts-about-tasmanian-devils/

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https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles/facts/green-sea-turtle

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

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https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles/facts/green-sea

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

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https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles/facts/green-sea-turtle

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

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Wild male gorillas weigh 300-400lbs while adult females usually weigh half as much as adult males at 150–250 lb

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Adult males are 4.6-5.74 ft tall. The western lowland gorilla can be brown or grayish with a reddish forehead. Their eye color is dark brown, framed by a black ring around the iris. Eastern gorillas are somewhat larger than western gorillas.

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Western Lowland Gorillas are omnivores, they can eat both meat and plants.

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LibGuides: Western Lowland Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) Fact Sheet: Diet & Feeding

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Western lowland gorillas, however, also have an appetite for termites and ants, and break open termite nests to eat the larvae.

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More than 200 types of plants: fruits, stems, flowers, shoots, bulbs, bark, leaves, pith, as well as invertebrates such as termites and ants; seasonal frugivores.

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In drier months, when fruits are scarce, gorillas supplement their diet with leaves, pith, shoots and bark