Wildanimals4Kids.blogspot.com : Chimpanzee

NATURAL WORLD : WILD ANIMALS - CHIMPANZEE

Shiny black marble eyes! Almost human!

Chimpanzees are the closest relatives of humans because they share almost 99% of their DNA with us. Just like humans, they can recognize themselves in the mirror, feel emotions like love, anger, etc. and can make faces at you.

Absolutely amazing! It's that 1% of DNA that makes us  different. Yet there are similarities. Here are some of them.

• Chimpanzees are mammals like us which means they have four long limbs that they use to walk, climb and hold things. In fact, primates (monkeys and apes) are the only animals that have  a thumb with four fingers. It is called an opposable thumb because it enables a creature to make a fist and use the thumb to grip things.

• They are very social like human beings and live in large groups. Grooming is important to them because it helps them bond together as they remove ticks and fleas from each other's bodies.

• They can walk upright on their soles too but unlike humans, they walk on fours using their knuckles for support most of the time.

• They can use tools too : stones to smash open hard nuts, sticks to poke into holes for insects,  chew and soften leaves to use as sponges for soaking up drinking water, etc. Other mammals like lions and hippos cannot do any of these things.

• Just like humans, they are omnivores too. They eat a wide variety of foods that include fruits, plants, meat, eggs, honey, insects and almost anything that they find edible in the forest. 

Black or brown hair covers the body leaving the face, ears, fingers and toes bare. Ears that stick out of their heads are large enough to catch the sounds of other chimps in the forest. Different sounds like clapping hands, hissing, grunting, clicking lips, etc. are used to communicate.

Female chimpanzees give birth to a single baby at a time and rear them until they are around 7 years old. As an infant it rides on its mother's back or hangs from her belly.

Let's talk about them...

CHIMPANZEE

1.Chimpanzees are the cleverest animals in the world.

2.They are apes and don’t have tails.

3.The body is covered with fur but not the face.

4.They can use stones and sticks as tools.

5.Fruits, nuts, meat, honey and plants are their foods.

6.Chimps live in the forests of Africa.

Public Speaking
Note for educators and parents : Describe and explain with the help of information given on this page. Help the child memorize these lines and speak in front of a camera with actions.  Young Learners may post their videos and comments here.

Those interested may send their write-up on an animal not mentioned here. (300 words max. and 3 images). Name of the contributor will be mentioned.

Email:  cqfoundation@gmail.com

Wildanimals4Kids.blogspot.com: Animals - Rabbit

NATURAL WORLD :  WILD ANIMALS - RABBIT

 Shhh! Who's that perking up its ears?

Rabbits are cute furry animals. With its 4 inch long ears, whiskers and a bob tail, it is as big as a cat. Some can grow slightly larger. There are around 30 different kinds of rabbits around the world in different shades and combinations of brown, black, grey and white. A female or doe is almost the same size as a male or buck.

Sharp, quick, crafty...these are words to describe a rabbit. Bunnies hop, lop, jump, skip, scamper and dash.

With 28 teeth that grow throughout the year, rabbits have enough problems with their teeth, two of which poke out of its mouth. Just like human beings, they too have baby teeth which fall out for the new ones to grow. They also break and regrow their teeth often as they gnaw on plants.

Rabbits dig burrows and live in grasslands, meadows, mountains, woods, deserts and wetlands, They build tunnels and have separate places for nesting, storing food, sleeping and are smart enough to build several escape routes. This  home of inter connected burrows is called a warren and groups of rabbits are called colonies.

This is very important because larger animals like lions, wolves, foxes, etc. as well birds like owls and eagles are their predators. This is also the reason why rabbits are the busiest at dawn and dusk because they can escape easily in the low light.

Rabbits have three to eight babies and they have them three or for times  year. That's a lot of bunny rabbits! 

Farmers in many parts of the world are always careful because they know these small nimble creatures are always on the look out for fresh leaves, grass, plants, seeds, vegetables, fruits and roots. That makes them herbivores or plant eating animals. Many farmers consider them as pests and set traps for them. 

Many people keep rabbits as pets and build hutches for them in an open area. Hutches need to be cleaned regularly.

A ball of fur or a cushion?

No..no..I'm a rabbit too...Angora!

Angora rabbits are bred domestically for their silky soft wool which grows 3 cms. per month. They shed their coats three or four times a year. Breeders need to take a lot of care cleaning and brushing the wool regularly so that they are free of tics and mites. This is an English Angora Rabbit. German, French and Satin are other types of Angoras. Sweaters, caps and scarves are knitted with this wool.

Let's talk about them...

RABBIT

1.    A rabbit is cute and furry with a pink nose.

2.  It has long ears and button eyes.

3.  A rabbit eats plants, vegetables and fruits.

4.  It digs a burrow under the ground.

5.  People keep rabbits as pets.

6.  Angora rabbits are bred for silky wool.

Public Speaking

Note for educators and parents : Describe and explain with the help of information given on this page. Help the child memorize these lines and speak in front of a camera with actions.  Young Learners may post their videos and comments here.

Wildanimals4kids.blogspot.com - Panda

NATURAL WORLD : WILD ANIMALS - PANDA

Chomp! Chomp! the bamboo is delicious!

Giant Pandas are huge bears with black and white fur. They live in the rain forests on the mountain slopes of  south west China. They have heavy bulky bodies and short stubby legs. They weigh around 150 kgs. Although they are heavy, they are expert tree climbers and can climb as high as 13000 ft. and can also swim well. 

Pandas eat two or more types of bamboo all day because they take a long time to digest it. Since they eat the shoots, leaves and stems, it takes them around 12 hours to chew. Like all bears, they are omnivores and sometimes they also eat small birds and rodents. Broad flat teeth in their mouths help them to chew the bamboo which they hold and tear with their paws. The paw has a long wrist bone that works like a thumb to hold the bamboo.

Panda babies are born blind and have no hair. They begin to have fur only after they are three weeks old. They are so tiny at about 100gm. of weight, that a mother carries them gently in her mouth if she is walking. At other times, she holds them in her arm and feeds them just like humans do. The babies learn to crawl by the time they are three months old.

They like to live alone and it is very difficult to find them in the forest. But they have a very strong sense of smell with the help of which males find the females for mating. 

Are Pandas endangered?

Cutting down of trees and climate change has reduced the number of bamboo trees and that is why the Giant Pandas are dying. There are only 1500 Pandas left in the world. Many zoos and conservation centers have come up where pandas are looked after, especially when a mother has twins. In such cases she might mix up her babies and forget to feed one or even crush them. 

Let's talk about them ...

GIANT PANDA

1.    Giant Pandas are huge fat bears.

2.  They have black and white fur.

3.  They live in the rain forests of China.

4.  Pandas eat bamboo and sleep a lot.

5.  They can climb trees and are good swimmers.

6.  Panda babies are blind and pink and mothers carry them in the mouth.

 

Public Speaking

Note for educators and parents : Describe and explain with the help of information given on this page. Help the child memorize these lines and speak in front of a camera with actions.  Young Learners may post their videos and comments here.

Wildanimals4Kids.blogspot.com : Hippo

NATURAL WORLD : WILD ANIMALS - HIPPO

Gobble! Gobble! Gobble!  

That's how a hippo eats a whole watermelon. Since its mouth is as large as a dinner plate, it can chomp on a dozen bananas or a whole pineapple in a single bite, chewing slowly the rind, pulp and all.

Hippos are herbivores which means that they eat grass and plants. They are also nocturnal. i.e. come out at night to feed. When they are kept in zoos, they also eat fruits and other plants.

The Hippopotamus or 'river horse' in Greek has a heavy bulky body with short legs. It weighs around 3500 kg. This land animal finds it easier to move when it is in the water and spends around 16 hours a day in rivers, ponds and lakes. It can hold its breath for about 5 minutes underwater. Now how does it do that?

Well,  its body is built in such a way that its nostrils and eyes are on top of its head. When it dips underwater, a transparent membrane covers the eyes while the nostrils squeeze shut. It needs to spend the hot day in the water to keep cool, mate and have babies.  Since the water is so important to them, they guard their territories here and can attack boats and crocodiles too, if they feel threatened. 

Hippos live in groups with one dominant male. A female hippo has a calf only once in two years. Mother hippos give usually give birth to babies underwater and also spend some time there until the baby is older. Hippo babies can swim soon after birth. 

What is a strange fact about hippos?
They secrete an oily red substance that looks like blood but is not. This liquid covers its skin from the hot African sun, moisturizes its skin and protects from germs.

Are they dangerous?
Yes they especially when they are guarding their herds from predators like crocodiles, hyenas and lions. To scare them off they grunt and hiss loudly and also open their mouth wide to display large curved teeth. 

Let's talk about them...

HIPPOS

1.Hippos are huge fat grey coloured land animals.

2.They live near ponds and lakes in Africa.

3.They come out of the water at night to eat grass.

4.They can chew a whole watermelon with big jaws.

5.A baby hippo is born underwater.

6.Crocodiles and lions are afraid of hippos.

Public Speaking

Note for educators and parents : Describe and explain with the help of information given on this page. Help the child memorize these lines and speak in front of a camera with actions.  Young Learners may post their videos and comments

Wildanimals4Kids.blogspot.com - Lion

NATURAL WORLD : WILD ANIMALS - LION

Look at this dangerous and powerful cat proudly looking over the forest. This is the Lion - the king of the jungle!

Lions are wilds animals that live in grasslands, savannas, scrubs and open forests in warm regions of Africa and Asia. Large in size, they have sharp teeth and claws, ideal for attacking and killing animals for prey. A bushy golden yellow mane frames the face of  a male lion. The muscular body has a long sleek back with short legs giving it a swinging walk. The eyes have yellow irises with black pupils and narrow menacingly.

They are predators of smaller fleshy animals like deer, rabbit, buffalo, antelopes and in some instances a lone young zebra, hippo or giraffe. If they stray anywhere near a farm, they prey on cattle like cows and goat, although that is rare because they prefer to stay within the deep forests and far from humans.

Just like kings, they mark their territories. In fact their royal households or a lion's family is called a pride. A pride of lions has on an average around 15 members consisting of  one or two male lions, many lionesses and cubs of different ages. In fact a male lion stays in a pride only for two to four years  after which they are kicked out by competing younger lions.

They mark their territories by urinating, defecating or rubbing their body parts around the boundaries. An evening roar just before a hunt at night and one in the morning is how this majestic animal shows its presence.

How are are the lionesses different from male lions ?

• Well, the first thing that we notice is the absence of a shaggy mane. Female lionesses are also slightly smaller in size.

• She is the provider and protector of her cubs. They spend long hours with their cubs teaching vital life skills like hunting and scavenging.

• Independent and fierce, she is the main hunter who goes out to kill for feeding her pride.

• She keeps the pride together and relies on the male to provide overall protection.

Let's talk about them....

LION

1.    The lion is the king of the jungle.

2.  A group of lions is called a pride.

3.  Male lions have a mane of hair around the face.

4.  Lionesses hunt animals for feeding a pride.

5.  Lions mark their area by urinating.

6.  Lions live in the grasslands of Asia and Africa.

Public Speaking

Note for educators and parents : Describe and explain with the help of information given on this page. Help the child memorize these lines and speak in front of a camera with actions.  Young Learners may post their videos and comments he