Matamata

The matamata is a rare type of turtle found in South America. This turtle is similar to the North American snapping turtle in the way that it comes across it's food - instead of hunting, it lies in wait. It has excellent camouflage, and blends in very well with the shallow muddy water where it makes it's home. It's shell is knobbly, and it's pointy head resembles a leaf. It has tiny eyes can barely see. However, this turtle has more than just camouflage on it' side. The matamata has large external eardrums, which it uses to hear it's prey. Also, it has sensory skin flaps located on it's neck to help it feel vibrations in the water. The matamata's nose is also unique - it is shaped like a snorkel to help it breathe when submerged. This turtle is carnivorous, and it's diet consists mainly of small fish and invertebrates.

Patas Monkey

This slender monkey is one of the fastest monkeys in the world. It has long, thin legs for running, and short digits. The Patas monkey lives in troops of up to around 40 individuals. If the troop is threatened, a male will distract the predator while the females and babies get away to safety! The males also watch out for danger. However, the troops are led by females, and the girls are actually the ones who fight and protect their territories. These monkeys are omnivorous. They eat buds, leaves, roots and fruit, and also grubs and insects. They live in West to East Africa, in shrub/grassland habitats. Unlike most monkeys, the Patas monkey does not spend most of it's time in the canopy. They are highly sociable monkeys, and are fairly common.

Ganges River Dolphin

I haven't written in my blog for a while, because I've been so busy! However, I have a brand new animal of the week for today. The Ganges river dolphin looks as though it came from prehistoric times. However, this dolphin is living in our world right now, although they are critically endangered. This toothed whale (dolphins are technically toothed whales) lives only in fresh water. It has a long beak filled with over 70 small, sharp teeth. This dolphin looks a bit frightening sometimes, because some of it's upper teeth fit outside of the beak's tip, creating a cage for fish. The Ganges dolphin catches it's food with echo-location, since it's eyes are small and adapted to the murky river water. As for geographical location, this dolphin lives in rivers in Southern Asia. An a amazing thing about this dolphin is that it can bend it's neck to 90 degrees! They are able to do this so that they can catch fish in a small river environment. They often travel in small groups of 4-6 individuals, but as many as 30 have been seen at one time. Little else is known about this rare and elisive species.

The Honeypot Ant

I have to say that I am fascinated by ants. They are brilliant in their own way! Some species cut up leaves, and store them in their homes. But then the leaves grow a specific type of fungus, which the ants then eat! Other ants, which live in Africa, literally build little roads to transport food. A wall of sticks and other material guide the ants to their destination. If part of the road is destroyed, the ants will repair it in minutes!! Anyways, this post is about the honeypot ants. They live in Australia, in large colonies like almost all ants. However, unlike most ants, they feed in unusual ways. Special ants are selected by the colony, and are fed enormous amounts of nectar and sometimes other essentials, like water and other insect's body fat. These ants are called repletes. Since the replete ant is consuming too much food, the excess food is stored in it's swollen abdomen. Eventually, the abdomen will become so large that the ant will not be able to move. But this is for the good of the colony - when food is scarce, the worker ants will eat the food and nutrients stored in the replete's abdomen. Aboriginal people of Australia used to eat honeypot ants like candy, and are still considered by some people to be a delicacy!

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.

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!

Honey Badger and the Honey Guide Bird

These two animals both live in Southern Africa, and parts of India. The honey badger works well with other animals. Although it cannot "speak another language" like the portia jumping spider, this badger interacts with completely different species! The black capped honey guide bird and the honey badger depend on themselves to find their favourite food source - honey. The honey guide bird flaps around the head of the badger, until the badger follows the bird. The bird will lead the badger to a bee's hive, usually nestled in the rocks, where the badger can get to it. When the honey badger sees the hive, it rips it open, trying to get to the honey and grubs inside. The badger's skin is quite tough, and insensitive to bee stings, but the nose is unprotected. Whenever the badger gets stung on the nose, it hurts, but the honey is worth it! When the hive is ripped open all the way, there is plenty of honey for both the badger and the honey guide bird. It is amazing because without the bird, the badger would not find the honey. But without the badger, the bird would not get to the honey!

Portia Jumping Spider

I was amazed by this jumping spider! This spider lives in Australia, and belongs to a certain family of over 5000 jumping spiders! However, this spider isn't as friendly as the average spider - it eats other spiders! It is amazingly intellingent for a spider. It can problem solve, and even learn 'different languages'. For example, it will go onto another spider's web and tug at the stands in the same way a trapped insect would. When the unfortunate spider comes to investigate, SNAP go the Portia's mandibles, and the spider's body is slowly turned into digestive juices. The Portia will ingest this grusome spider smoothie with delight. But the Portia has more tricks up it's sleeve. Sometimes it will mimmick the 'mating calls' of other spiders. It will tug on the other spider's web in the exact way a male spider of the same species would. When the female comes over, the Portia gets another smoothie. And if that doesn't work, the Portia can always drop down on it's own thread to within striking distance of the prey spider. All in all, this is one AMAZING and smart little spider!! P.S- here is a link to a great video of the spider! http://videos.howstuffworks.com/animals/fooled-by-nature-videos-playlist.htm#video-28357

Wild Turkey

Many southern-Ontario dwellers have seen a wild turkey foraging for food at the side of the road. Wild turkeys are common throughout Ontario and Quebec, not to mention the United States. There are even wild turkeys in Florida, called the Osceola wild turkey. Wild turkeys like to eat in the early morning and late afternoon, and are omnivorous. They are surprisingly agile fliers, despite their size and weight, although they don't like to fly for more than 400 metres at a time. Baby wild turkeys are called poults, and their eggs take about 28 days to hatch. The nest is usually in a shallow depression, shrouded by vegetation. The poults are very cute! The wild turkey was a significant food source to the Native Americans. Turkeys are also a traditional Thanksgiving meal, and, sadly wild turkeys were hunted down so much that they almost disappeared from Canada! Thankfully, in the 20th century, game officials helped to save the wild turkey. It is estimated that about 7 million wild turkeys live throughout Canada and the U.S. today!

Goblin Shark

This shark has to be one of the scariest living animals that I have ever seen! The goblin shark is not very well heard of, mostly because they are quite rare. These sharks live down at great ocean depths. Barely anything is known about these mysterious creatures - in fact, only 45 specimens have ever been found! Goblin sharks have no close living relatives. They are obviously carnivorous, because of their long and jagged teeth. Their back teeth are flatter and adapted to crushing, which suggests that they eat small crustaceans, such as crabs, as well as fish and squid. Most of the sharks documented were found off the coast of Japan, but they live near Australia, New Zeland, off the coast of some parts of Africa, and even here in Canada - off the coast of B.C! There is still alot to learn about these mysterious sharks. Their breeding habits are unknown, as well as their migration habits (if any), lifespan, social groups, and even their population count. As far as we know, goblin sharks are fairly harmless to humans . . .but yet again, not many have been encountered - yet!

Patagonian Mara

This animal would be the deer of the rodent world! The Patagonian mara lives in southern South America. It resembles a very small deer in both looks and behaviour. It is a fast runner, and is also good at jumping. They look a lot like antelopes when they run! The mara is herbivorous, and eats greens and fruits. This rodent will live in scrubby, desert like places, and also places with a few small bushes and plants. Maras live in underground tunnels, much like jackrabbits. The male maras often sit by the group and look for danger. When a predator such as a fox or bird of prey comes along, the rodents will disappear into their tunnels. Young maras look like miniature adults, sometimes with longer fur. They are very cute!

Harpy Eagle

The Harpy eagle really is an immense bird! Growing up to one metre in length, and having a maximum wingspan of over two metres, it is surprisingly agile. Although females can weigh up to nine kilograms (twenty pounds) in the wild, this eagle navigates through the dense forests of Southern Mexico and central South America quickly to catch it's prey. A third of what it eats by weight is sloths, but the harpy eagle can also eat a variety of snakes, lizards and macaws. To catch it's prey, this eagle has developed very thick, powerful legs and feet, and a strong and sturdy beak. The harpy eagle builds a nest of sticks high up in an old tree. It will lay two white eggs every two to three years, but they are not the best parents. After the first egg hatches, the second is ignored, and the young eagle inside dies. Maybe this is a contributing factor as to why the harpy eagle is rare within it's range. As with many unfortunate animals, the harpy eagle's population is declining due to habitat loss.

oops! I forgot a picture of the marsupial mole! Here it is shown eatig a gecko.

Marsupial Mole

The marsupial mole is an endangered species that only lives in specific desert areas of Australia.

It is covered with golden or tan fur that is rubbed shiny due to the sand. It digs through the sand in much the same way as the golden mole (link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_mole). Like the fictional character Bugs Bunny, there will be a mound of sand rising up as it travels near the surface, and there will be no tunnel left behind the mole. The marsupial mole is an isectivore, which means that it eats insects. It's two large front claws dig through the sand or dirt, and it's flattened back feet push it back. A strange thing about the marsupial mole is that the neck vertebrae are fused together, making it easier for the mole to push through dirt or sand. It's eyes and ears are also covered by fur. And, don't forget that this mole is a marsupial, so it carries it's babies around in a pouch. However, unlike most marsupials, whose pouches face forwards, this mole's pouch faces backwards. This ensures that dirt does not get into the pouch. Good thinking, mole!

Arafura File Snake

This Australian snake is very interesting. The Arafura file snake belongs to a family of only three species of snakes, which are poorly known. It is a relative of boas and pythons, but it leads a totally aquatic existence. Infact, when out of water, this snake is helpless. Some adaptions that help it live in the water are: absorbing oxygen through the skin, rough, file -like scales (notice the scales on the picture!) and amazingly loose skin that help it grip fish (main prey), a prehensile tail to help grip onto aquatic plants, and enlarged tracheal lungs. The tracheal system is another way of pocessing oxygen besides using "ordinairy" lungs, and mostly insects use it. I won't explain in further detail, because the subject still confuses me! Anyway, this snake's habitat is in rivers, lakes, swamps, and large ponds in Southern New Guinea and Northern Australia. It can also be found along coasts, most commonly in mangrove forests. The Arafura file snake rests on the bottom by curling it's prehensile tail around aquatic plants. In the daytime, it is relatively slow and sluggish, and hunts mostly at night.

Brown Rat

Also called the common rat, the brown rat is the ancestor of today's pet rats. The brown rat is a highly adaptable animal. Infact, it is the most successful mammal on the planet after humans. This rat is perfectly comfortable living around humans, often even in our homes. Most scientists think that the rat first originated in China, and gradually spread to cover most of the world. The brown rat is a good swimmer, both at the surface and under, and is surprisingly intelligent. Their teeth, like the teeth of many rodents, are always growing. The enamel on the front of the teeth is very hard and strong, while the enamel on the backside is relatively weak. This means, that when the rat chews, it will wear down the backside of the tooth, and not the front. In doing this, the rat is self-sharpening it's own teeth! Now that's a smart little rodent.

Endangered Animals!

Yes, there are many endangered animals in the world today. However, most people can only name a few, such as tigers and panda bears. These animals are some of the common ones. Unfortunately, there are many other endangered animals out there that most people aren't aware of. Some of these animals, such as the European long horned beetles, are regarded with distaste in comparison to the tiger or panda bear. But the long horned beetle is also endangered! It deserves to be helped as well! So, next time you make a donation, think about which animal is in the greatest need. Your actions will help to make a difference!

p.s- a type of European Longhorn beetle is shown.

Violet Sea Snail

The violet sea snail has to be one of the wackiest ones out there! This type of marine snail floats on a hardened 'bubble' of mucus. The bubble floats at the surface of the water, with the snail attached below. It floats along with the currents, gathering up any edible debris that drifts by. It often eats jellyfish. The snail's shell is unusually thin, so that it can stay floating up near the surface. This snail starts out it's life as a male, and gradually changes into a female as it gets older. The young are born live, since the eggs develop internally, and the tiny baby snails build their own mucus rafts as soon as they are born. If the raft should ever break during the snail's lifetime, the unfortunate snail will sink to the bottom of the ocean and die.

Surinam Toad

What a weird creature! The Surinam toad has a very flat body and triangular head. This toad also lacks a tongue! Unlike other toads, the Surinam toad is highly adapted to an almost totally aquatic existence. They live in slow-moving, muddy waters in North-East South America. The Surinam toad has special organs along it's sides to detect vibrations in the water, sensitive, tentacle-like projections on the ends of it's fingers for feeling prey, and upward facing eyes to see above the water's surface. When breeding, the eggs are absorbed into the female's back, where they develop in capsules. They then emerge later as mini Surinam toads!

The Jacana

The Jacana is a very interesting bird. It's large feet enable it to walk upon lily pads! The jacana will walk upon the flimsy plants in search of small insects and invertebrates, which it eats. Prey can be found on the water's surface or underneath the lily pads. The jacana lives worldwide within the tropic zone, and there are only eight species. When rearing young, a jacana couple will behave differently than other bird species. The mother bird will defend the nest, while the father incubates and tends to the young. Happy early father's day!