2/27/15

For my March science discovery I researched kangaroos. Kangaroos are the largest living marsupials from the family Macropodidae. There are four species of kangaroo: the Red Kangaroo, the Eastern Grey Kangaroo, the Western Grey Kangaroo, and the Antilopine Kangaroo. Kangaroo diets consist mainly of grass because they're grazing herbivores. Kangaroos can survive months without water. The kangaroo is the national symbol of Australia. Kangaroos are found in Australia and Tasmania, as well as on surrounding islands. Kangaroos live in varied habitats, from forests and woodland areas to grassy plains and savannahs. Kangaroos live and travel in organized groups or "mobs," dominated by the largest male. Male kangaroos are called boomers, bucks or jacks; females are called, flyers, or jills, and young kangaroos are known as joeys. The collective noun for kangaroos is a "mob", "troop" or "court".Because of its long feet, a kangaroo can't walk normally. Kangaroos are the only large animal known to use hopping as a means of locomotion. To move at slow speeds, a kangaroo will use its tail to form a tripod with its two forelimbs. It then raises its hind feet forward, (in a form of locomotion called "crawl-walking.") Female kangaroos usually give birth to one joey at a time. New-born joeys weigh as little as 0.03 ounces at birth (as small as a lima bean). After birth, the joey crawls into its mother's pouch, where it will nurse and continue to grow and develop. Red kangaroo joeys do not leave the pouch for good until they are more than eight months old. Gray kangaroo joeys wait until they are almost a year old.

2/27/15

For my science discovery this week I researched ocelots. The scientific name for ocelots is Leopardus pardalis. Ocelots range in color from light yellow to reddish gray, with dark spots and stripes. They have dark stripes on their cheeks and their tailed have rings of dark fur. Ocelots are carnivores and hunt animals such as rodents, rabbits, young deer, birds, snakes and fish. Once ranging as far east as Arkansas and Louisiana, throughout Texas and in Mexico, ocelots are currently only found in southern Texas and north-eastern Mexico. They are also found in every country south of the United States except Chile. Ocelots can live up to 20 years while in captivity and 7 to 10 years in the wild. Ocelots are nocturnal, and rest in trees or dense brush during the day. Ocelots travel from 1 to 5 miles per night. Males usually travel further than females. Ocelots capture an average of one prey for every 3.1 hours of travel. Following a 79- to 85-day gestation, young are born in litters of one to three. Kittens are independent after about one year, but may stay with their mother for an additional year. Some threats to ocelots habitat loss due to agriculture, hunting for their fur, and pet trade. Ocelot weights vary up to 40 pounds and length varies up to 4 3/4 feet long.