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Animal of the week.
Salamanders are very diverse; some have four legs; some have two. Also, some have lungs, some have gills, and some have neither — they breathe through their skin. Salamanders belong to the order Caudata, one of three orders in the Amphibia class, along with Anura (frog and toads) and Gymnophiona (caecilians, which have no legs and resemble large worms).
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Pinnipeds are found all over the world, and there are 33 known species of them. 19 are seal species. This is due to the fact that they have winged feet. Depending on the species of seal, there is quite a difference from the sizes. The largest ones can be about 16 feet long with the smallest of them being about four feet long. The terminology for seals includes males being called bulls, females being called cows, and the offspring being called pups. Many researchers believe that there are many species that have died off in the past. However, there is still a great deal of research that has to be done in that field. One of the most common types of seals is the gray seal. There are more of them than any other, and their numbers continue to increase annually. However, there are many other species of seals that are in jeopardy of extinction.
The orca is the apex predator of the sea and the largest member of the dolphin family. It is highly intelligent, highly adaptable and able to communicate and coordinate hunting tactics. Not typically a migratory species, orca ‘migrations' are principally in response to changes in favoured prey abundance and can sometimes be long, e.g between Alaska and California. Depending on the type of social group and location, orcas will hunt fish, squid, seals, sea lions, seabirds and even whales much larger than themselves. There has never been a documented attack on a human in the wild, and there are some stories of orcas actually protecting humans at sea from sharks.
These legendary animals have two teeth. In males, the more prominent tooth grows into a swordlike, spiral tusk up to 8.8 feet long. The ivory tusk tooth grows right through the narwhal's upper lip. Scientists are not certain of the tusk's purpose, but some believe it is prominent in mating rituals, perhaps used to impress females or to battle rival suitors. Females sometimes grow a small tusk of their own, but it does not become as prominent as the male's.
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Information about this blog.
Every week I will blog about an animal for you to read about and I will take suggestions too, enjoy! (all of the facts are from other websites.) Archives
February 2019
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