Animal Lessons

Animal Lessons

A Prayer For Animals
Hear our humble prayer, O God, for our friends, the animals, especially for animals who are suffering; for any that are hunted or lost or deserted or frightened or hungry; for all that must be put to death. We entreat for them all thy mercy and pity, and for those who deal with them we ask a heart of compassion and gentle hands and kindly words. Make us to be true friends to animals and so to share the blessings of the merciful.

Albert Schweitzer

Animals
1. Birds
2. Weather, Hibernation, Migration
3. Insects and Spiders
4. Bug Bites and Bee Stings
5. Echinoderms: Sea Stars
6. Fireflies
7. Praying Mantis
8. Eggs
9, Worms
10. Fishfacts
11. Sharks
12. Whales and Dolphins

GARDEN NOTES

In my garden: The Great Spangled Fritillary is a large butterfly that reaches 2 1/8 to 3" in wingspan and is found throughout the United States, except for the extreme south. There is only one generation each year. A fast flying butterfly, it is on the wing from late spring or early summer into fall and is mostly orange above, with small black patches and lines and mostly orange below with the silver spots common to fritillaries. Prime habitats for this species include moist meadows and deciduous woods in the east. The caterpillar hatches from a brown egg, overwinters and then begins eating in March on the wild violet. Larvae of this butterfly are black, with numerous black spines running down the body. The great spangled fritillary flies quickly but pauses to take nectar from a variety of blossoms including black-eyed Susan, thistles, Shasta daisy, butterfly bush, cone flower, bee balm, butterfly weed and milkweed. Females mate in June or July and then proceed to hide on bark or under foliage till late August to September. The females lay eggs on leaf litter near violets. First-stage caterpillars hibernate unfed until spring.

White lined sphinx moth

White lined sphinx moth caterpillar

pupa

I was so happy to see a hummingbird moth in the garden today sucking nectar from the flowers. They fly just like hummingbirds and make a nice little hum. They are large and at first glance you will think they are a hummingbird! When the caterpillars are fully grown, they climb down the host plant and into the soil where they make a coccoon and become a pupa (resting stage). If it is early in the season, the adult moths will hatch in a few weeks. If it is in the Fall, the moths won't come out until the following Spring. Adult Hummingbird Moths feed on nectar from many different flowers, just like hummingbirds. Some of their favorites include: Japanese Honeysuckle, Red Clover, Highbush Blueberry, thistles, wild roses, and blackberries. Unlike most moths, they will fly during daylight, but evening is the most productive time to watch for hummingbird moths. The White Lined Sphinx Moth is about 2 to 2 1/2 inches in length. These moths are also known as hawk moths. Adults of most hornworms (including the "tomato" hornworms) fly after dusk and are rarely observed except occasionally at porch lights. I know if you grow tomatoes you have encountered the tomato hornworm. The horn is at the rear of the caterpillar.

Hornworm egg

Tomato hornworm

tomato hornworm adult

You may see a hornworm with white egg-like structures on its back. These are the pupae of very small parasitic wasps less than 1/8 inch long, black with yellowish legs and clear wings. The female wasp uses her ovipositor to lay eggs just under the skin of an unlucky hornworm If you see a bright green hornworm carrying what looks like a clutch of white-colored insect eggs on its back, leave it there! As the eggs hatch, the larvae feed on the hornworm. This wasp is a friend to the home gardener! They like to feed on things we don’t like in our gardens: hornworms, caterpillars, beetles, aphids, squash bugs and stinkbugs.

Argiope, the writing spider

The Writing Spider

Male

Feeding

Featured: Argiope . . The Garden Spider . . The Writing Spider builds it's web in open sunny places. It is a large black and yellow orb weaver and doesn't build a retreat but sits in the center of the snare. It usually makes a long zig zag stabilimentum. The function of the stabilimentum is unknown. The female in the first picture in very large 19-28 mm. The male in the second picture is so small you can barely see him in the center. Males are 5-8mm. The egg sacs are spheroids narrow on one end with a tough brown papery cover. The eight legs are long and thin and tan with black stockings.

Birds Jokes: What do you call a bird that’s afraid of its shadow? A chicken. Why does a duck lay an egg? If she dropped it, it might break. Why did the egg cross the road? To get to the shell station. What kind of cups do turkeys drink out of? Goblets. Why did the egg have to take a nap? It was exhausted. What bird can lift the heaviest weight? The crane. What is an owl’s favorite subject? Algebra.What do you call someone that steals birds? A birdler. What’s a crow’s favorite tool? A crowbar. How are birds like ice cycles? Both grow down

Winter is the very best time for observing birds since there are no leaves on the trees! It is also a good time to feed them since food is scarce in winter. A scientist that studies birds is called an ornithologist Many animals can fly: Insects, birds, bats, flying squirrel (glides). Birds have something that no other animal has – feathers. They build nests almost everywhere, lay eggs, are warm blooded, most of them fly, molt and migrate. They have scales, claws and preen glands. The ostrich has claws on the wings. Birds can fly, hop, run, or swim. They evolved from reptiles. The archaeopteryx had teeth. All birds have beaks and no teeth. They control insects, plant seeds, and help pollinate plants. Can you name some birds that fly? Name some birds that cannot fly: penguin, ostrich, emu, kiwi, chickens, and turkey. Birds have no sweat glands and pant to cool off. Their predators are hawks, snakes and foxes. Male birds are the most colorful and sing the most.

Food: Birds may be carnivores, herbivores, omnivores, or fructivores. They may eat seeds, insects, worms, fish, mice, fruit, rabbits, nectar, or dead animals. Seed and nut eaters have gizzards for grinding and some birds have crops to store food for later. The scavengers that eat dead animals are gulls, crows, ravens and vultures. Birds may feed by hawking for insects, gleaning from trees, probing, chiseling, leaf tossing, sweeping, diving in water, stooping (falcons), dabbling (ducks), stalking, piracy, and scavenging. Hawks and owls cough up pellets.

Bodies of birds are shaped like a rocket. They are vertebrates. The bones are hollow making them lightweight for flying. Owls are able to see at night when they hunt and falcons have telephoto vision that they can find a mouse in a field from very far away. They have a bone in their tongue, breathe air; have lungs with air sacs, a 4 chambered heart, large eyes, claws, scales on their legs, and a preen gland that makes oil. They have different kinds of beaks and feet. They bath in water and some give themselves dust baths (thought to control mites and lice.) Some birds roost together when they sleep. Birds usually lay their head back and tuck their beak in their shoulder when they sleep. Those that perch to sleep are able to lock their feet in place so they don’t fall off the limb.

Feathers When birds groom themselves it is called preening. Feathers have barbs or hooks and if they get messed up the bird can hook them back with their beaks and oil them to water proof them. Birds molt their feathers (lose feathers and grow new ones.) Birds have 3 kinds of feathers: body feathers, downy feathers and flight feathers. Many birds fly in flocks.

Flight Wings are curved on top so air rushes over them and are more flat below so air moves slower creating lift. The Bernouli effect – air acts like a fluid and its effect upon a curved surface is lift. Some birds are night flyers; owls, oil birds. Many birds migrate south in winter months. Some birds fly in formation: ducks, pelicans and geese. Birds navigate by following the stars or the sun, or the magnetic field of the earth.

Nests They make nests in holes of trees, on the ground, in rock crevices, hanging, in cactus and bird boxes. Nests are made of sticks, mud, hair, leaves, grass and moss and some birds decorate their nests. Bower birds build houses sometimes 6 feet tall and decorate them with pretty things they find and sometimes paint the inside of the nests blue. The largest nest is the bald eagles.Eggs Birds incubate their eggs. Baby birds have an egg tooth to crack out of the shell.

Many animals lay eggs: fish, reptiles, amphibians, insects, platypus and anteater. Eggs are the most complete food known to man and one of the rare foods that has vitamin D. Chickens with red feathers lay brown egg, white feathers = white eggs. Largest egg is from the ostrich.

Bird Sounds Birds may have a call or they may sing, quack, honk, coo, hoot, screech, chirp, peep or whistle.Habitat Birds live in every type of habitat.

The fastest bird is the swift - 130 mph. The arctic tern flies the farthest. The only bird that can fly backwards is the hummingbird. The Jacana has the longest toes. A woodpecker drills holes hammering with his beak. The albatross lives 42 years, Macaw 100, hummingbird 5. Storks have no voice. The male hornbill plasters the female in hollow of a tree to have her young. The oil bird lives in caves with bats and uses echolocation making a clicking sound. Owls have eyes that can only look straight ahead but can turn their head all around to see. They can see in the dark and can hear a beetle crawling. The kiwi doesn’t have wings and the feathers look like hair. They live underground at the bottom of trees. They stomp the ground at night and worms crawl out that they eat. Some birds can talk. A mynah bird is the best talker and themockingbird can sing anything The Loon has a weird cry (crazy as a loon), is like a flying submarine, and is the best swimmer, diving the deepest and staying under water the longest.

Recipe for birds: 1 cup peanut butter, 4 cups cornmeal, 1 cup shortening, 1 cup white flour. You can fill a large pine cone with this mixture and hang it outside for them. They love it.

Materials Models and pictures of birds, samples of feathers, eggs and skeletons, mixer and bowl for beating up egg whites for class to see( in marshmallows and meringue) The yolk goes in another bowl to examine. It is the food for the tiny embryo that you see as a tiny white spot on the yolk. The white acts as a cushion for the yolk. I have a few wings from birds, feet from several and samples of beaks I have collected over the years. Bird call are fun and there are some great recordings of bird sounds. Hand out of different kinds of bird feet and bird beaks.

Activities See if kids can name the birds in the pictures. See if they can match the feet and beaks to the right birds on the print outs, Give each child a feather to inspect. Kids can examine the samples of eggs, bones, feet, and beaks. Can they identify any of the bird calls? Break out an egg and examine it. They love to see what happens when you beat up the whites! Make pine cone bird feeders from the recipe.

Hibernation, Migration and Estivation

Climate is the usual weather of a place over a long time. It varies greatly in different habitats such as the arctic, a rainforest, or a desert. There are many survival strategies in the animal world for dealing with the climate of an area. Animals may respond to the climate by hibernating, estivating, brumating, or migrating. When winter comes it is very hard for animals to find food for energy.

In the winter some animals hibernate in a den, burrow, hollow log, rocks or a cave. The animals’ body temperature drops, breathing slows down and they sleep. It is very difficult to awaken them. Most animals eat large amounts of food to store up fat before hibernation. Bears are extremely efficient hibernators. During hibernation, animals stop eating and excreting. Preparation is required to hibernate and some animals prepare a den and line it with leaves and mud for insulation. Polar bears dig tunnels in the snow. Small animals tend to hibernate because it would require an enormous amount of energy for their body size to migrate. Hibernation in reptiles is sometimes called brumation.

When an animal enters a hibernationlike state in the summer it is called estivation. Estivation is another form of sleep or dormancy. Many animals hibernate and estivate. Animals that estivate are trying to escape things happening in their environment. This happens often in hot desert climates. Estivation protects these animals from high temperatures and drought. Their breathing and heart beat get very slow and the animal doesn’t need as much food and water to live since food is fuel for energy and they aren’t using much. Animals don’t move, grow, or eat during this time. When hot and dry times come, theses animals will usually find themselves a safe place to sleep, usually underground. Some examples of estivators are: lungfish, earthworms, bees, frogs and toads, snails, turtles and lizards. Many animals are hibernators and estivators: earthworm, bees, snakes, frogs, snails.

Torpor is a term for short term hibernation. The black capped chickadee and hummingbird are good examples of this. It only lasts for a few hours and saves them a lot of energy. It is used by many species of birds and insects.

Migration is the large scale movement of an animal species from one place to another. Migration is usually tied to seasonal changes in weather and feeding or breeding patterns. Some animals migrate to a warmer climate in winter. The caribou, a large deer-like animal that lives in northern climates, has the record for the longest overland migration (2,000 miles in a year). some other animals that migrate are: Arctic tern, monarch butterfly, geese, ducks, storks, hummingbirds, whooping cranes, robins, eels, salmon, whales, and turtles.

Activities: Use a large map to show migration routes or use small plastic models of animals that they can group according to those that migrate and those that hibernate, estivate or brumate.

INSECTS AND SPIDERS

Insects are the largest group of animals. They have 6 legs and 3 body parts: head, thorax, and abdomen. They lay eggs and there are a variety of insect egg cases (praying mantis, bag worms, and galls) Give a power point program showing insect parts, complete and incomplete metamorphosis, and examples of garden pests, bugs that sting and bite, and what their bites look like.

Spiders are Arachnids and are important in a garden. They have 8 legs, 2 body parts, multiple eyes, a mouth, have beautiful colors and patterns, make silk, and live almost everywhere. The black widow and brown recluse have a strong poison. Spiders can do many things with silk like spin silk in colors, spin silk egg cases, build their homes, and catch their prey. They are like little silk factories! Spiders make the strongest silk, but it is hard to collect because they are reclusive and cannibalistic. A crab spider will crawl into a flower, make perfume to smell like the flower, change colors to match the flower, and lay in wait for food to come. The zebra spider is the highest inhabitant in the world, discovered living on the top of Mt Everest.

Materials: Samples of insect egg cases, insect tracks, models of insect metamorphosis of the ant, butterfly, and ladybug, live mosquito larvae in jar, caterpillars with leaves or other interesting finds from the garden, insect collections, charts showing insects and spiders parts, plastic models of spiders and insects, power point program on insects and spiders. Activities: Watch the power point presentation. Put the stages of insect metamorphosis in order. Study insect collections and egg cases. Go on an insect safari and discover insects

Bug Bites and Bee Stings: Raise your hand if you have ever seen an insect? Let children talk and say what they have seen. Introduce insects using models and posters. Insects have 6 legs and an exoskeleton (shell on the outside). Raise your hand if you have ever been bitten or stung by an insect? Let them talk about things that stung or bit them. Spiders, ticks, fleas, mites and lice belong to a group of animals called arachnids and they have 8 legs. Discuss insects & arachnids that bite or sting (ex. bee, hornet, wasp, bumble bee, ant (fire ant & red velvet ant) flea, bed bug, chigger, louse, tick, and gnat. Discuss how some bites make you itch and some animals can carry diseases. Ticks bite you, suck your blood, and are most frequent in May and June. Female mosquitoes suck your blood to lay eggs in water. Bed bugs bite and suck blood and make you itch. Baby chiggers make you itch. They digest your skin with their saliva, lap it up, and fall off in 3 days. Bees nest in old trees or hives, collect nectar and pollen, sting and leave the stinger and poison sac that pumps poison into you until you remove it. Make sure you remove the stinger and sac. Wasps’ are reddish brown, sting and nests under porches and buildings. Hornets are black and white, sting and make football nests in trees. Fire ants make tall hill that may go 15 feet deep. They bite you and it blisters and can be serious if you are allergic. Yellow Jackets are yellow with black stripes, sting, and live underground or in stumps. Spiders such as the black widow and brown recluse (violin spider) hide in dark places and can bite you if disturbed and make you very sick. Many spiders and scorpions like woodpiles for homes.

Remedy for bites & stings: Put ice on it or a mixture of baking soda and water. Witch hazel helps to eliminate itching. If you were going for a walk in the woods, how would you dress? Always wear shoes and socks, long pants, long sleeve shirt, cap or scarf, insect repellent with less than 10% deet, no bright colors or perfume, cover food, take water and don’t drink soda from an open can. Yellow jackets like them! Don’t swat at them or run around because that makes them angry. Move quickly and quietly away.

MATERIALS: Models of the animals: ticks, mosquito, ants, brown recluse spider, black widow, honeybee, posters of insects and arachnids, samples of larva, cocoons, nests etc.

Bug Jokes List

ACTIVITIES: Let children examine models of insects and spiders, their metamorphosis, and the posters of insects and arachnids. Children sing and act out “This is a Song about Sammy” using insects such as bee, grasshopper, butterfly, and ant. Share bug Jokes. Let children watch power point program on insects and spiders showing examples of them and what the bites look like.

ECHINODERMS “Spiny-skinned Animals”Five family members: starfish, brittle stars, sea urchins, sea cucumbers, and sea lilies. Found in every sea from below tidal zone to great depths, have 5 divisions to body, radial symmetry, tube feet moved by a water vascular system. Some feet have suction cups. No relatives outside of the ocean. Most have stalked pincers and movable spines.

Sea Stars (Starfish) are the most voracious predators on the ocean floor. Most sea stars can extrude their stomach. A sea star smothers a snail by wrapping its extruded stomach around it or it can pull bivalves apart with its arms. The sun sea star (14 inches wide) is cannibalistic (eating other sea stars.) Sea stars usually have 5 points and an eyespot sensitive to light at the tip of each arm. The sieve (madrepore) is a round spot on the top of the starfish and sieves water going into the water vascular system controlling the tube feet. Sea stars travel on tube feet and some can swim. They cling to rocks or bury themselves in the sand. If a sea star loses an arm it grows back and the lost arm will grow another starfish. Some starfish have no anus. What’s left from food is expelled from their stomach. Mud stars (3-4 inches wide) are a favorite of mine and look like star cookies – almost pentagonal with large marginal plates. They bury themselves in mud beyond the tidal zone.

The reticulated sea star is the largest sea star (12-16 inches) on the Atlantic coast. The central disc is high and divides the surface into triangles.

The sunflower sea star is the largest of the starfish (2 feet across) and may have 21-24 rays. It begins life with 6 rays, grows and sheds arms constantly, and is the worst enemy of the moon snail. Other kinds of sea stars include the long armed snake star, basket star, and blood sea star. Brittle-stars (serpent stars) are fragile secretive animals with long arm plates heavily spined and attached to a central disc.

Sea urchins and sand-dollars may be 2-4 inches across, may have tube feet with sucking disc, usually found in shallow waters, and spines may be short, long, sharp, dull, thick, slender or fluted. They have plates that form a rigid globular or disk-like body covered with moveable spines.

The black sea urchin has spines 12-15 inches long covered with mucous poisonous to the touch and are found in shallow water among rocks and corals from Florida South.

The common sea urchin is found off the Atlantic coast. It decorates itself with debris and shells for protection and is found in low water to 30 feet. The rock boring sea urchin is found off the Atlantic coast in shallow water in mud flats. It is elliptical, 2 inches in diameter with spines ¾ inch long. Sand-dollars have spines and tube feet and may be oval, raised in the center, or round and thin (2-5 inches long/up to 5 inches wide). The cake urchin, cake-dollar, keyhole urchin, and heart urchin are found off the Atlantic coast

Sea-cucumbers live in shallow water, have leathery skin, tube feet scattered or in rows, and radial symmetry. One kind breathes with the tube feet on top and travels with those on the bottom. They are highly changeable in shape with definite front and rear ends. They may be smooth or warty and if roughly handled, may eject their innards. They may be 6-12 inches long and 3-4 inches thick. They eat decaying and small living organisms.. The mouth has branched contractile tentacles.

Sea lilies and Feather Stars are ancient animals. Except for the sea lilies and feather stars, most crinoids are extinct and we know them as fossils. They live in very deep water. Sea lilies are stalked and attached to the sea floor and feather stars are mobile.

Activities: Kids examine a collection of sea stars and look at pictures of sea stars. Create sea stars from clay, or paint them in a watercolor ocean with other sea life and continue the discussion..

Fireflies are omnivores, about 1 inch in size and live about 2 months. They are actually beetles, nocturnal members of the family Lampyridae. Most are winged, which distinguishes them from glowworms of the same family. There are about 2,000 firefly species that live in a variety of warm environments, as well as temperate regions. Fireflies love moisture and often live in humid regions of Asia and the Americas. In drier areas, they are found around damp areas that retain moisture. People don't know how the insects produce their glow. They have dedicated light organs located under their abdomens. Fireflies take in oxygen and combine it with a substance called luciferin to produce light with almost no heat. Fireflies flash in patterns unique to each species. They are optical signals that help fireflies Firefly light may also serve as a defense mechanism that flashes a clear warning of the insect's unappetizing taste. The fact that even larvae are luminescent lends support to this theory. Females deposit eggs in the ground, where larvae develop to adulthood. Underground larvae feed on worms and slugs by injecting them with a numbing fluid. Adults eschew such prey and typically feed on nectar or pollen, though some adults do not eat at all.

Fireflies tend to be brown, soft bodied, often with the elytra more leathery than in other beetles. Some females are similar in appearance to males. Larviform females are found in many other firefly species. Females can often be distinguished from the larvae only by their compound eyes. The most commonly known fireflies are nocturnal. There are numerous species that are diurnal, are mostly non-luminescent. A few days after mating, a female lays fertilized eggs on or just below the surface of the ground. Eggs hatch 3-4 weeks later and the larvae feed until the end of summer. Larvae are commonly called glowworms, not to be confused with the distinct beetle family Phengodidae or fly genus Arachnocampa. Lampyrid larvae have simple eyes. The term glowworm is also used for both adults and larvae of species such as Lampyris noctiluca, the common European glowworm, in which only the non-flying adult females glow brightly and the flying males glow only weakly and intermittently.

Fireflies overwinter during the larval stage, some species for several years. Some do this by burrowing underground or under the bark of trees. They emerge in the spring, eat for several weeks, pupate for 1 to 2.5 weeks, and emerge as adults. The larvae of most species are specialized predators and feed on other larvae, terrestrial snails, and slugs. Some are so specialized that they have grooved mandibles which deliver digestive fluids directly to their prey. Adult diet varies. Some are predatory, while others feed on plant pollen or nectar. Most fireflies are distasteful and sometimes poisonous to vertebrate predators due in part to a group of steroid pyrones (LGBs)

Light production in fireflies is due to a type of chemical reaction called bioluminescence. This process occurs in specialized light-emitting organs, usually on a firefly's lower abdomen. The enzyme luciferase acts on luciferin, in the presence of magnesium ions, ATP (adenosene triphosphate), and oxygen to produce light. Genes coding for these substances have been inserted into many different organisms (see Luciferase – Applications). Luciferase is used in forensics, and the enzyme has medical uses. All fireflies glow as larvae. Bioluminescence serves a different function in lampyrid larvae than it does in adults. It appears to be a warning signal to predators, since many firefly larvae contain chemicals that are distasteful or toxic. It is thought that light in adults beetles was originally used for similar warning purposes, but evolved for use in mate selection. Now fireflies are a classic example of an organism that uses bioluminescence for sexual selection. They have evolved a variety of ways to communicate with mates in courtships. From steady glows, flashing, as well as the use of chemical signals unrelated to photic systems.

Some species, especially lightning bugs of the genera Photinus, Photuris and Pyractomena, are distinguished by the unique courtship flash patterns emitted by flying males in search of females. Females of the Photinus genus generally do not fly, but do give a flash response to males of their own species.

Firefly larva Tropical fireflies, particularly in Southeast Asia, routinely synchronize their flashes among large groups, an example of biological synchronicity. In some fields, this phenomenon is explained as phase synchronization and spontaneous order. At night along river banks in the Malaysian jungles (most notably found near Kuala Selangor), fireflies ("kelip-kelip" in the Malay language or Bahasa Malaysia) synchronize their light emissions precisely. Current hypotheses about the causes of this behavior involve diet, social interaction, and altitude. In the United States, one of the most famous sightings of fireflies blinking in unison occurs annually near Elkmont, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains during the first weeks of June. Congaree National Park in South Carolina is another host to this phenomenon.

Female Photuris fireflies are known for mimicking the mating flashes of other "lightning bugs" for the sole purpose of predation. Target males are attracted to what appears to be a suitable mate, and are then eaten. For this reason the Photuris species are sometimes referred to as "femme fatale fireflies."

Many fireflies do not produce light. Usually these species are diurnal, or day-flying, such as those in the genus Ellychnia. A few diurnal fireflies that primarily inhabit shadowy places, such as beneath tall plants or trees, are luminescent. One such genus is Lucidota. These fireflies use pheromones to signal Males coming from downwind arrived at females first, male arrival was correlated with downwind direction, this is most likely into which the pheromone plume is dispersed. It mates. This is supported by the fact that some basal groups do not show bioluminescence, and rather use chemical signaling. Looking at pheromones in Phosphaenus Hemipterus, P. Hemipterus has photic organs, yet is a diurnal firefly and displays large antenna and small eyes. These traits strongly suggest that pheromones are used for sexual selection, while photic organs are used for warning signals. It was also found that males were able to find females without the use of visuals, the sides of the petri dishes were covered with black tape. This, along with the facts that females don’t light up at night and males are diurnal, points to the conclusion that sexual communication in P. Hemipterus is entirely based on pheromones.

This is a mantid. Recently I captured a mantid in my garden and put it in the terarium in the classroom for the children to watch. You must feed them bugs and they are voracious eaters. We caught some grasshoppers today and the mantis loves ants. We put a sponge soaked in water in the tank or you may give it a spray of water on the glass. I will return hime to my garden soon. Two or more of these insects are called mantids. They are close relatives of cockroaches and stick insects. An adult mantis can get 13 cm long - about 12 inches. They have a head shaped like a triangle and a long "neck", the thorax. They are the only insect that can turn its head 180 degrees from side to side without moving the body. The forelegs have sharp spines on them for catching prey and they always bite the neck first. Mantids keeps the forelegs folded and held together as if praying.Mantids are usuall green or brown and easily camouflaged on leaves and stems. One kind of mantis is pink. They have wings but are very poor at flying and walking.They like to sit and wait for their prey.When prey comes close, they are very fast with their forelegs to catch it. The reflex of their forelegs is so fast it is difficult for our eyes to see them grab a meal. Mantids are voracious eaters and are carnivores only eat animals such as bees, beetles, moths, butterflies, aphids, crickets, flies, and other insects. They are cannabalistic and will eat other mantids or their mate. The female is famous for biting the head off of the male after mating. Large adult mantids may even eat small birds, frogs or lizards. They are solitaary hunters with biting and chewing mouth parts. Mantids molt or shed their exoskeleton to grow larger. They have 2 large sensitive compound eyes that can tell if something moves 60 feet away.with 3 simple eyes between them. The mother mantid lays several hundred eggs in an egg case made from a frothy secretion that hardens to protect the eggs. The egg case can withstand severe winter weather and hatches after about 8 weeks of warm weather. A mantis may lay several egg cases usually attached to twigs, leaves, or fences.. The egg case will hatch the following spring and about 200 tiny nymphs that look very much like adults will crawl from betwween tiny flaps in the egg case and hang from silken threads to dry out. The egg case does not change appearance in any way. Mantids are harmless to humans and they can become tame enough to eat insects from your fingers. The praying mantis is considered diurnal meaning they are most active in the day time, but sometimes you can see them flying around at night. Their average life span is 1 year.

EGGS

Why did the egg have to take a nap? It was Egghausted!

How do ghosts like their eggs? Terrifried.

What do you call a bird that’s afraid of it’s shadow? A chicken.

Why does a duck lay an egg? If she dropped it , it might break

Why did the egg cross the road? To get to the shell station

Expressions: He's a good egg. You have egg on your face. He's an egghead. I have a nest egg. Don't put all your eggs in one basket. Don’t egg me on. Last one is a rotten egg..

An egg looks like a stone, lifeless.It is the most complete food that exists. Many animals lay eggs. Most animals layed eggs outside of their bodies untill mammals. There are 2 mammals that lay eggs: the platypus and anteater. The ocean is perfect for eggs. Water creatures lay millions of eggs. It is wet so they won’t dry out, the temp. stays much the same and is full of oxygen and minerals plus there is plenty of food when the egg hatches. Many water creatures lay eggs at night.

Some people long ago thought the world hatched from an egg.

The band you see around earthworms is eggs. An octopus lays 150,000 tiny eggs twisted together in strings that hang on the ceiling of caves under the water. The seahorse male keeps the eggs in a pouch till they hatch 250-600 eggs. Frogs spawn eggs in chains or bunches of jelly. Except for vipers, most snakes lay eggs that look like a jelly bean with a rubbery outside instead of a hard shell. Turtle eggs remind me of ping pong balls and are laid in clutches in a hole in ground. Spiders make silken egg sacs. Oysters lay the largest number of eggs = 500 million a year. A chicken will lay eggs for 10 years - 371 in a year. They take 22 days to hatch. One end is more rounded than the other. Pullets are young chickens.

The smallest bird egg is the hummingbird. The largest egg is the ostrich. It also has the toughest shell

The owl, hawk, and eagle keep the same nest. Other birds build new ones. The largest nest is the bald eagle. The sparrow egg has the best speckled camouflage. The fastest egg to hatch is the spotted woodpecker - 10 days. The largest ever eggs were the dinosaur eggs as big as a beach ball. The longest time an egg can last before hatching is 15 years = brine shrimp. The longest incubation period belongs to the albatross. They lay 1 egg in 2 years and it takes 80 days to hatch.

Many animals are egg eaters. Eggs are rich in vitamin D( rare in many foods) and protein. Eggs are hidden ingredients in many foods and we eat them scrambled, boiled, fried, or poached.

Many babies have an eggtooth to crack and crawl out of the egg; birds, turtles, snakes, and crocodiles. It falls off after it hatches.

The shape of eggs may be oval or round (owls, kingfishers, and penguins) or pointed on both ends as pelican and the comorant. Most eggs are white, some speckled, or brown, or bluish, green, or black. If you push an egg it won’t roll straight. The shell has pores for the exchange of gases and moisture and allows the embryo to breath. The germ spot is in the yolk which is in a sac and is the food for the embryo. The animals diet determines the yolk color. Occasionally there is a double yolk. The egg white is clear albumin and for cushioning the yolk. The 2 white twisted cords are the chalaza that holds the yolk in the middle. The shell has a membrane with air space inside on the blunt end. In a boiled egg the flattened spot is the air cell. The largest chicken egg weighed 1 lb and had 2 yolks.

Fish and amphibian eggs have hard socker ball shells and the baby uses chemicals to get out. If an egg is left long enough, it will dry up completely.

Chickens with white feathers lay white eggs. Chickens with red feathers lay brown eggs. The shell is calcium carbonate, the mineral in bones and teeth. A wasp lays it's eggs in a plant forming a gall. The python incubates eggs by wrapping around them.The paradise fish lays eggs beneath sticky bubbles shaped like a bowl that float. Each egg contains a large drop of oil. If any float away the father catches in his mouth and spits them back into nest.

Many birds work together to build nest and incubate eggs and feed babies. The hornbill seals herself inside a tree hole and the male feeds her through a slit. For the rhea of S. America - 5-6 females build the nest and guard 50 eggs.

Many dinosaurs were egg eaters. Scientist discovered fossilized nest of proceratops eggs. The Chinese discovered a 1,000 yr. old egg covered in clay. A raw goose eggwhite turns black and yolk bright blue and green

What is sweet and made of egg whites and sugar and we toast them? marshmallows

exp. Find the hard boiled egg by spinning ( The boiled egg quickly stops, the raw one keeps on spinning because of the liquid inside. An old egg will float in fresh water. A fresh egg will sink to the bottom. Eggs float in salt water. Beat some egg whites for kidsa to see and feel. Put an egg in hot water to see the bubbles of air rise. Make egg tempera paint. Batik eggs or blow out some eggs and make eggheads. Soak an egg in vinegar to remove the shell and leave the rubbery membrane. Put a dozen plastic eggs in a see through egg carton and let children see if they can pick them up with a scissor spoon and transfer to a plastic plate (used for a dozen deviled eggs).Use clear eggs and put animals inside that hatch from them. Let them each crack an egg after you show them how and then seperate the yolks from the whites. They can line up to do this. You will have 2 bowls. Show them what happens when the whites are whipped and make egg tempera paint with the yolks. Small pieces of matboard are great for this.

WORMS Examine worms. Worms are important to composting soil. Worms have 5 hearts, a brain with two tiny lobes and a long spinal chord. It is divided into segments, has no bones but moves using muscles and very tiny hairs that are on each segment. They breath through their skin and it needs to stay moist for them stay alive. A worm has no arms, legs or eyes. There are approximately 2,700 different kinds of earthworms. Worms live where there is food, moisture, oxygen and a favorable temperature. In one acre of land, there can be more than a million earthworms. The largest earthworm ever found was in South Africa and measured 22 feet from its nose to the tip of its tail. Worms tunnel deeply in the soil and bring subsoil closer to the surface mixing it with the topsoil. Slime, a secretion of earthworms, contains nitrogen. Nitrogen is an important nutrient for plants. Worms are cold-blooded animals and have the ability to replace or replicate lost segments. This ability varies greatly depending on the species of worm you have, the amount of damage to the worm and where it is cut. It may be easy for a worm to replace a lost tail, but may be very difficult or impossible to replace a lost head if things are not just right. Baby worms are not born. They hatch from cocoons smaller than a grain of rice. Though worms don’t have eyes, they can sense light, especially at their anterior (front end). They move away from light and become paralyzed if exposed to light for too long (approximately one hour). If a worm’s skin dries out, it will die. Worms are hermaphrodites. Each worm has both male and female organs. Maxine Moore, my biology teacher at Spartan High sent me out to discover every creature and plant - and gave me extra credit for disecting the brain and spinal chord from a worm in one piece! I was amazed. I didn't know a worm had a brain!

Fish Facts

Fish are coldblooded water animals with a backbone and skeleton. They migrate, have gills, teeth, and no eyelids, lay eggs, and swim in schools. European eels have the longest migration of 4,660 miles.
Fish may have headlights, be round or flat, have both eyes on one side of head, and generate electricity! Their scales are a thin layer of skin that secretes slime and get larger with age.
The mudskipper breathes air. The lungfish breathes in or out of the water and is the last link between land and sea.

There are 2 classes of fish:

1. Cartilaginous such as sharks, rays, and mantas. They have no air bladder

2. Those with Bony Skeletons and air bladders. These are true fish.








There are many strange and beautiful fish in the ocean. Many of them we eat! Some fish live in both fresh water and salt water such as the sturgeon, salmon, and eels.
There are jawless fish such as the blind hagfish and lampreys with rasp-like teeth. They have no bones, fins, or nervous system. They are suckers.

Some odd fish:

The parrotfish sleeps in a cocoon of mucus. The porcupine fish fills with water and blows up. The archerfish shoots pellets of water and the anglerfish actually fishes with a light. The cleaner wrasse grooms other fish. Stickelbacks build nests and live where the river meets the ocean. Flying fish have four wings and actually glide. The barracuda feeds by sight not smell. The butterfly fish has an eyespot. The male cardinal fish carries the eggs around in its mouth. A seahorse male carries the young. Flounders are flat as a pancake and have 2 eyes on one side of their body. The drum makes a drumming sound and toadfish squeak. The hatchet fish have binocular eyes. The viperfish has needlelike fangs and rows of lights along its body. Cuttlefish are the camouflage champions and produce an ink. The wrasse changes sex. The dragon fish has poison fins.
Sharks have a cartilaginous skeleton and are living garbage cans with 2 rows of teeth. Bluefin tuna have ferocious feeding frenzies.
Eels spawn in the Sargasso Sea. The ocean sunfish can lay 300 million eggs and is the bulkiest bony fish.
The electric eel can generate 600 volts of electricity.

The largest living animal, a mammal, is the blue whale – 33.5 miles long and 160 tons.
The biggest fish is the whale shark measuring 50 feet long and weighing 3 tons. The largest recorded fish is a whale shark 18 miles long and weighing 43 tons. The blue fin tuna reaches 14 feet and 1 ton. The smallest fish is the goby ½ “ long.

The stonefish is the most poisonous. The tuna is a fast swimmer and maintains its body heat. A sailfish is faster than a cheeta at 68.18 mph. A cheeta’s speed is 63mph, a marlin 57.6mph and a wahoo is 48.5 mph .
The mermaids purse or devils pocketbook is the egg case of a skate. The tan chains of little round pockets we find on the beach are the egg cases of welks. Open one. You may find some tiny baby welks inside! My students love to open them and see the tiny shells.

These animals are not fish , but the cuttlefish is a mollusk, the starfish is an echinoderm, and dolphins and whales are mammals.
You can find a variety of ocean animal replicas for children to examine or you might examine a real fish and then do a “gyotaku” or fish print. Add some goldfish in a tank after you do the program and let the children watch the, draw them and learn to care for them. The department of natural resources has a chart of freshwater fish and one of saltwater fish. Sometimes I talk about their teeth and the fact that fish always get new teeth if they lose any, but we are diphyodonts and will only have 2 sets of teeth. If kids are older I will give them a sharks tooth.

SHARKS Sharks are fish. They average 2-3 feet long and live everywhere from tropical to Polar Regions and from the top to the bottom of the Ocean. Sharks migrate. We think the magnetic fields help them find their way.

Sharks have a flexible cartilaginous skeleton and their skin is covered with denticles (hooks for protection). They have a dorsal fin, pelvic fin, pectoral fin and tail fin. Many have a layer of skin that protects their eyes. If they don’t have this layer they roll their eyes back in their head. They have good vision,

A shark’s ears are inside the head and good to hear deep low sounds. They have two nostrils for smell and can detect blood two miles away. They are sleek with pointed snouts and gill slits. They feel movements and detect electrical signals through the holes on their snouts. Their skin tubes with hairs detect movement. The barbells on the ends of their snouts are used to feel under the sand.

The spiracles are holes behind the eyes that suck water. Sharks have several rows of teeth

Shark babies are called pups. Some sharks are born alive and some sharks lay egg cases

Sharks are relatives of the RAYS with poisonous spines on their tails

The whale shark is the largest fish, longer than a bus, 46 feet long and it has several hundred pups in one litter. It sucks water like a vacuum and filter feeds. The basking shark is the 2nd biggest fish. They have taste cells on bumps on the roof of their mouths

The spined pigmy shark is the size of a banana. Cigar sharks grow to 20 inches long. The pygmy shark gets 10 inches long. The manta ray can be 23 feet wide.

Sharks are most active at night and shark attacks are rare. The great white is the most dangerous and largest meat eating shark at 18 feet long. It is rarely seen. Included among the most dangerous are the tiger, bull, and white tip sharks. Bull sharks swim up rivers. The largest sharks eat plankton (basking shark and the whale shark)

The spiny dogfish shark stays inside its mother for 2 years. It lives the longest at 100 years. In 1991 a soupfin shark was recaptured that had been tagged and it was 41 years old, The Megalodon is a prehistoric shark that was 50 feet long.

Spiny sharks and frilled sharks are deepwater fish. Cookiecutter sharks are luminous. The megamouth is the rarest. There have been only 14 seen since 1976. The inside of their mouth glows to attract prey. Nurse sharks pile together and rest in the daytime. Reef sharks have black tips (Cat sharks, hound sharks, baleen sharks, soup fin sharks, saw sharks, leopard sharks).

The BLUE SHARK can go 40 mph. The MAKO is the fastest at 60 mph and can jump out of water.

Two thirds of shark attacks happen in shallow water less than 6 feet deep. Divers study sharks in chain- mail suits in cages. The smell of blood attracts sharks. You should avoid shiny clothing that can be mistaken for fish scales.

Many sharks are killed by people. Fish nets trap and kill them – about 100 million a year. Pollution of chemicals from industry, sewage, oil leaks, and reef loss are a threat to the survival of sharks.

Whales and dolphins are mammals and cannot breathe water but must come up for air. There are about 80 species. Whales are the largest and most intelligent animals in the sea. They live everywhere. Dolphins are a kind of small whale and even live in some rivers There are two types of whales:

1. Baleen whales - like the rorqual, gray, right, pygmy (bristles)

2. Toothed whales like the sperm, beaked, narwhal, beluga, dolphin, porpoise and they have from a few teeth to many.

Whales have sleek streamlined blubbery bodies, oily skin, two flippers, a HORIZONTAL tail and tail flukes. Fish have vertical tails. BREACHING is when they jump out of the water. SPYHOPPING is looking out of the water. Sometimes whales will hold their tail up and sail in the wind for fun.

Baby whales are born under the water tail first and are called calves. The mother gives birth near the waters surface and she lifts them out of the water so they can breathe. The baby feeds from teats in slits on the mother’s belly. The milk has lots of fat. Baby whales stay with the mother for 2-3 years. Pods are fixed family groups. There are schools, pods and nursery groups. Pairs of male bottlenose dolphins are known to stay together for 15 years. Toothed whales may live in groups of as many as 500.

Sperm whales have the largest head of any animal and have dark wrinkled skin

Belugas are smooth and white. They have callosites and lice on their skin. Blue whales are the largest whales - longer than 3 busses and weigh as much as 25 elephants. The humpback whale has the longest flippers - 16 ½ inches long. Baleen whales have 2 blowholes side by side. Toothed whales have 1 blowhole. The single breath from a blue whale can blow up 2000 balloons.

Some whales can go as fast as 35 mph. They chase each other in a dance. Southern right whales are slow swimmers and float to the surface if killed.

The porpoises are the smallest whales. There are tales of dolphins saving people from sharks

Whales have 4 senses = sight, touch, taste, and hearing. They hear by detecting vibration through a small opening behind the eye. Their eyes have a constant trickle of oily tears to wash away dirt; they see well. They can even see in dim light. Their eye reflects the light back. Whales have touch sensitive skin. They use sound to hunt food, find their way and communicate with each other through echolocation. Sperm whales have an oily wax in their heads they use for weight and echolocation. The humpback whales make groans, moans, trills, chirps and a love song. The longest heard lasted for 22 hours.

Whales travel long distances for food (warm water), to mate, or to give birth (cold water). The gray whales migrate the longest and are the most curious. Whales find their way with the help of the magnetic forces of the earth. Toothed whales usually don’t migrate, but belugas do.

Whales used to be hunted for their blubber, meat, and oil but they are endangered and hunting them is banned now.

The Rorqual whales are the longest, the loudest, and the heaviest. Blue whales have folds of skin. Their throat grooves unfold to eat. Their tail flukes are 26 feet wide, and their heart is the size of a small car. Humpbacks have shorted fatter bodies and longer flippers. They use bubble netting to catch fish. They circle beneath a school of fish blowing bubbles, then swim through the bubble net trap and gulp down a mouth full of fish. The gray whales roll over on sides and suck up water and mud for food. The bowhead whale (a right whale) lives the longest, 130 years.

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