Green World

Hello, Today's post is all about a rather interesting bird I don't know much about and so I can't wait to discover more! Habitat There are many different species of Lark so they are quite widespread. Different websites say different figures but most agree that there are between 90 and 100 different species of Lark. They live in open countryside from deserts to mountains. Their colour is adapted to their environment and so they can vary in appearance. Diet Larks are omnivorous animals and eat many species of insects as well as seeds, leaves, grasses and fruits, especially in Winter as insects are scarce. Some species will also eat snails which they break open on rocks. Lark Song The lark is reputed for its song, especially when it is in flight. This is the reason that they are sometimes represented in poetry. I love poetry and I haven't read any Lark themed poetry yet but writing this has made me want to. However, the wi...

Hello everyone, this week's post is all about cheetahs. These incredible big cats are known for their speed, but what else? Habitat and loss of it Cheetahs live and hunt in the grasslands and bushy areas of Africa and the Middle East. Once, they could be found all across Africa and Asia, now they are heading towards extinction. The loss of their natural habitats and the decline in their prey is the reason behind this massive decline. Hunting and Diet Cheetahs have excellent eyesight, which they use to spot prey during the day. They then creep up on their prey, camouflaged in the grass. Suddenly they dash for their prey. They are the fastest land animals in the world, reaching speeds of about 60 to 70 miles an hour (97 to 113 kilometres an hour). However they can only run this fast for about 15 seconds before they overheat. After that they have to catch their breath for half an hour before they can eat anything. They use this method to...

Hello, Today (29th November) is world Jaguar day so this week our animal is the Jaguar. The Jaguar is an animal I know pretty much nothing about so I am going to learn a lot too! Jaguars (panthera onca) live for 12 - 15 years. Their heads and bodies are 150-180cm long and their tails are 70-90cm long! They weigh 45 - 110 kg. Habitat Jaguars live primarily in the Amazon Basin, though they can be found in smaller numbers in Central America. They once lived everywhere from central Argentina up to the southwestern United States but since the 1880s they have lost over half of their territory. They are mainly found in tropical rainforests but can live in savannas and grasslands. Diet They eat fish and turtles as they are actually quite competent swimmers as well as deer, iguanas, birds and monkeys; they will eat almost anything! Are they endangered? Jaguars are classed as near endangered and face several threats. South and Central Americ...

Hello everyone, this week's post is about red foxes. Diet Foxes aren't fussy about what they eat. They will eat pretty much anything that they can get; rabbits, rodents, birds, frogs, earthworms, fruit, berries and a lot more. They also enjoy rummaging in food waste looking for scraps. Habitat and species Foxes normally live in forests but they are also found in mountains, grasslands and deserts. They live in burrows which they dig themselves. These provide safe places to store food and raise their young. They also are a nice cool place to sleep in. A burrow will have multiple exits in case a predator comes in. The most well known species of fox are the red fox and the artic fox. However there are many more types of fox that most people don't know about. Offspring Fox babies are known as pups. After mating, the female will make a nest out of leaves in the burrow. Foxes have litters of between two and seven pups. Looking...

Hello Everyone, This week's animal of the week is the red squirrel. There are lots of different types of squirrel (about 200 as this includes marmots and prairie dogs). I have some grey squirrels in my garden and you might too. We often see them so hopefully you can learn about red squirrels today. Habitat As you might know, squirrels live mainly in woodland areas. The red squirrel can live in all types of woodland, even if it is quite small. See the maps below for more information on where they live. Diet They feed on mainly nuts, fruit, fungi and other plants. They need to chew as their teeth grow continuously and so can grow so long that they can't eat if they don't chew often. When food is scarce they can eat some insects and small vertebrates. What is thought of them Squirrels are sometimes seen as pests, but not usually as much as many other rodents. They can raid bird feeders (they manage to get in to mine even if ...

Hello, This week we are going to talk about dolphins. Habitat Dolphins live in all of the oceans in the world. They also live in big rivers such as the Amazon in Brazil. Different species live in different parts of the world. Some species prefer coastal waters while others spend days at a time out on the high seas. Are dolphins fish or mammals? Although dolphins live in water they are not fish. Here are only two of the main reasons why dolphins aren't fish. Dolphins have lungs, whereas fish have gills. Because dolphins have lungs, they have to come up to the surface every few minutes. Fish are cold-blooded. Dolphins are warm-blooded. Dolphins are related to whales, who are also mammals. Different types There are almost 40 types of dolphin that live in the ocean and 6 types of river dolphins that live in rivers. The biggest type of dolphin is the orca or the killer whale . The smallest type of dolphin is the hector's dolphin. ...

Hello everyone, This week's post is about snow leopards. Snow leopards are incredible big cats that roam the mountain ranges of Asia. Snow leopards are very powerful and can climb up and down steep slopes easily, as well as jump up six times their body length. The snow leopard's tail provides balance, agility and warmth. The snow leopard is elusive and solitary and therefore very difficult to spot. They are very important though, because they are at the top of the food chain in this area. Habitat Snow leopards live in northern and central Asia's mountain ranges. These are some of the harshest conditions on earth. However, they white-grey coat with large black spots allows them to blend in with the rocky mountain terrain. They are found in twelve countries including China, Russia and Mongolia. Diet Snow leopards can kill prey up to three times their body weight. This is an incredible feat to pull off as they manage this on their ow...

Hello, Sorry this didn't come out on Sunday as planned but this week's animal of the week is the sloth because the twentieth of October is Sloth Day.  Habitat The sloth resides in Central and South America. It lives in the rainforests there and occasionally drops into the water for a bathe as, believe it or not, they are actually excellent swimmers! Diet Sloths eat leaves, twigs and buds which they find in the rainforest. As they don't have incisors they smack their lips together to make leaves more digestible. Sloths can survive on relatively little food as it takes a while for them to digest it. Sleep and Speed When you think of a sloth, you probably think of this slow, sleepy creature. They actually sleep for about 15 hours a day! Sloths have an extremely low metabolic rate (what basic calories your body needs to survive), which means they move at a slow pace through the trees. On average, sloths travel 40 yards per day ...

Hello everyone. This week's animal of the week is Orca. They are also known as killer whales. Habitat Orcas live all over the world. They migrate according to where their prey are. However they are more common in colder waters. Diet Orcas are at the top of the food chain and have very diverse diets, eating mainly fish but also penguins, and marine mammals such as seals, and even other whales. They hunt (and live) in groups, making them very dangerous to certain species. Dangers There are a few dangers that they face, although for now the population doesn't seem to be suffereing. Some of these are: -Hunting for entertainment as they are intelligent creatures and so appeal to people who want to test their skills. -Polluted waters can be a threat as when certain chemicals get into the orca, most likely from their prey, they can be lethal. These can get into the water by oil leaks and chemical leeches. -Prey as overfish...

Hello Everyone, This week our animal is the Great Spotted Woodpecker. It is the most common and widespread woodpecker in England. Habitat They live in forests, gardens, parks and other green spaces. They can become regular visitors to garden feeders if you have them. They perch on a variety of things including telegraph poles and more commonly trees. Appearance The Great Spotted Woodpecker is back and white with red markings under it's tail and on it's head. It is very distinctive but can be confused with the lesser spotted woodpecker, which is smaller and has slightly thinner markings. Diet The great spotted woodpecker is omnivorous. It can eat beetle larvae and other invertebrates including adult beetles, ants and spiders. They can raid smaller bird's nests for their eggs or chicks. In terms of plants, they can eat tree sap, buds and berries. They are regulars to garden feeders. Nesting The Great Spotted Woodpecker ...

Hello everyone, Today's animal of the week's post is about marine iguanas. Habitat Marine iguanas live on the Galapagos islands , which are situated on the equator, just off the east of South America. They don't live any where else in the world. Almost every Galapagos island has a different species of iguana. Diet Marine iguanas eat algae. They have to dive into the sea to do this. They have become excellent swimmers. They can dive down to depths of 20 metres. Marine iguanas can hold their breath for a very long time, more than 15 minutes. Marine iguanas have evolved to match their surroundings. Being cold-blooded means that they get very cold when they go swimming for algae. They have black scales, so that they can absorb as much warmth from the sun as possible.  Threats Unfortunately marine iguanas have quite a few threats.  1. El Niño  El Niño is a kind of storm. It happens every four to seven years. El Niño destroys ...

Hello Everyone, Welcome to this week's animal of the week post. This time about the ladybird, and personally I can't wait to find out more about these creatures. Enjoy! Which ladybird we are investigating today? Today, I am telling you about the seven-spotted ladybird (Coccinella septempunctata), which is the most common ladybird in Europe. Other species include the Two Spot Ladybird and other uncommon ladybirds such as the 16 Spot and other peculiar types. Habitat The seven-spotted ladybird lives in a variety of habitats such as meadows, gardens and hedgerows. They can also be found on farmland, especially with crops such as alfalfa, clover and wheat and corn before it grows too tall. Diet The seven-spotted ladybird feeds on a range of aphid species. This is why they are often referred to as a gardener's best friend as they eat these creatures who can damage plants. They can also eat white flies and anything else that is soft-bo...

Hi! It is International Whale Shark Day today, so we thought, we would do this week's animal of the week about whale sharks. Are whale sharks, sharks or whales? Whale sharks are not whales and they aren't a mix of whale and shark. They are sharks. So, why are they called whale sharks if they aren't whales? Well, they are very big. Whale sharks normally grow to a length of 5.5-10 metres. However, the largest whale shark to be accurately measured was 18.8 metres long! That is about as long as a lorry or as high as a short oak tree. Basically, whale sharks are massive. Habitat and Diet Whale sharks prefer warmer waters. They live in all tropical seas. Every spring, they are known to migrate to the continental shelf of the central west coast of Australia. The whale shark is one of the three known filter-feeding shark species in the world. Like whales, they eat plankton.  Images: Image 1:  This image is o...

Hi everyone, This week's animal is the Little Egret. This is a less well-known bird, so we are excited to share it with you! Habitat Little Egrets are a species of small heron and live in many different places across the world such as Africa, Australia, southern Asia, Europe and the UK. Like herons, Little Egrets live in open spaces that have a lake or river running through them. Some of the ones that live in Europe migrate to Africa. Diet Because it is an aquatic bird, the Little Egret feeds on a range of fish, amphibians, small reptiles and birds, insects and worms. They aren't fussy! Some Little Egrets have made use of humans and have been known to throw bread into the water to attract fish for it to eat. Dangers Little Egrets are classed as Least Concern , so their numbers aren't declining like many other amazing birds are at the moment. That's all for this week, we hope you have learnt some new facts! Images: 1...

Hello. On the 12th of August it was International Elephant Day, so we decided that this week's post should be about elephants. Elephants are the largest living land mammals. There are three types of elephant; the African bush elephant; the African forest elephant and the Asian elephant. African elephants have larger ears, whereas Asian elephants have smaller ears. Elephants use their trunks to breath, bring food and drink to their mouths and to grasp objects. Elephants' legs are like pillars. They carry the Elephant's massive weight. African bush elephants weigh 6000kg, Asian elephants weigh 4000kg and African forest elephants weigh 2700kg. Basically, they are very heavy.Elephants eat grasses, small plants, bushes, fruit, twigs, tree bark, and roots. Elephants can live up to 70 years old in the wild. They communicate by sight, touch and smell. Sadly, these wonderful mammals are in danger. African elephants are listed as vulne...

Hi! Today's animal of the week is the Giant Panda! These are fascinating creatures so enjoy! Habitat: Sadly, The only remaining giant panda habitat is on the eastern edge of west China. Giant pandas normally live in bamboo forests. Diet: A Giant Panda's diet consists of mainly bamboo stems and leaves. However, they occasionally consume other plants and even meat. Although they are very slow and so target injured rodents and other small creatures. As bamboo has little nutritional value, a Giant Panda needs to eat 23-40 kg of it a day. Dangers: Giant Pandas are currently classed as ' vulnerable ' after a re-surge in numbers in 2016. This means we still need to protect them but the work organisations have already been doing has paid off. Back in the 1980s, only 1 114 Giant Pandas were left in the wild, but in the most recent survey in 2014, an estimated 1 864 Giant Pandas lived in the wild. The cause of this is excess...

Hi everyone, This week's blog post is all about owls. Habitat There are many different types of owl: barn owls, long-eared owls, snowy owls and lots more. Different species live in different places. Here are a few examples. Snowy owls live in the Arctic . Great grey owls live in pine forests. Elf owls live in deserts. There are about 130 different species of owl. Owls can be found everywhere in the world apart from Antarctica . Owls live in trees, holes in the ground, barns and caves. Most owls do not migrate in winter. Diet Owls eat insects, spiders, fish, reptiles, amphibians, birds and small mammals. What they eat the most depends on the type of owl and where it lives. Screech owls feed mostly on insects. Barn owls mainly eat mice, shrews and voles. Eagle owls eat hares and young foxes. Some owls can even fish like the Asian Fish Owl. Even though some species prefer a certain type of food, most owls will eat whatever they can find...

Hello Everyone, This week I am investigating the turtle. They have long intrigued me and I hope you will learn a lot from this post. Enjoy! Habitat: The turtle is well adapted for aquatic life, with flippers and a streamlined body. Sea turtles only leave the ocean to lay eggs on the beach whereas freshwater turtles live in ponds and lakes, and climb out of the water more regularly. Diet: A turtle's diet varies according to the species. Some species are omnivores, eating a variety of plants and animals. However, others are more selective such as the hawksbill turtle, that eats primarily sponges and leatherbacks who eat mainly jellyfish. Some are also carnivore, like the loggerhead, and others herbivore, such as the green turtle. Dangers: Unfortunately, turtles are under threat. Nearly all species of turtle are classified as Endangered. Unfortunately, they are captured and killed for their eggs, skin, meat, and shells. Although in mo...

Hi everyone, This week's animal is the honey bee. Enjoy! General Information An average honeybee hive is made up of one queen, hundreds of male drones and thousands of female workers. If the queen bee dies then a new queen is created. The workers select a young larva and feed it with a special food called ‘royal jelly’. The ‘royal jelly’ makes the larva grow into a fertile queen. Queens live for several years but the workers only live for five or six weeks. An average worker will make a twelfth of a tee spoon of honey during her entire life. Drones are turned out of the hive and left to die in Autumn. In the summer months, the queen bee is very busy, she can lay up to 2500 eggs in a single day. How they affect the world around them Honey bees are very important for flowers, fruit and vegetables. This comes from the fact that they are pollinators. They help the plants by transferring pollen between male and female parts, meaning the plants can g...