Sunday, December 18, 2011

The Northern Shoveler-The 11th post before Christmas




I was running with a friend down on the Bayfront Trail when I saw a different type of duck! I usually only see mallards, but now I have noticed the northern shoveler down on the water. I was excited, and I looked the duck up as soon as I got home. The northern shoveler has a different bill than other ducks that live in Canada. It is very wide and fairly flat. They find food much the same way as flamingoes, using tiny sieve-like parts of their bills to skim tiny crustaceans and plankton off the surface of the water. The female has dappled brown plumage, but in the breeding season the male has a beautiful green head, and black bill.

Saturday, December 10, 2011

The 12th Post Before Christmas - The Maned Wolf



I am going to post 12 animals before December 25! This will be my own countdown to Christmas! The first animal on the countdown is the maned wolf. The maned wolf does not live anywhere near the north pole, instead dwelling in South America! They resemble a very large fox with long legs. Sometimes they are called "a fox wearing stilts"! Their natural habitat is grasslands in central South America. They hunt alone, catching smaller prey such as rabbits, birds and sometimes even fish! However, the maned wolf will also eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. Tubers, sugar cane and fruit are staple parts of their diet. They are fond of wolf apples, which were named this because the maned wolf enjoys them so much! Wolf apples are a lot like tomatoes, except they are a golden colour. Maned wolves give birth to 2 -6 pups, which are only about 450 grams at birth! They are black or tan coloured and very cute!