Did you know...? North American Animals

 Did you know... 98% of the prairie dogs territory is gone thanks to habitat destruction, shooting and poisoning.

Did you know... prairie dogs are like living fertilizer machines.

Did you know... prairie dogs live in 2% of the range from Canada to Mexico.

Did you know... 2 prairie dog species are listed as endangered and threatened and the other 3 are listed as least concern.

Did you know... prairie dogs have the most sophisticated animal (apart from humans).

Did you know... Black-footed ferrets are nearly extinct.

Did you know... prairie dogs are an umbrella species species for many animals.

Did you know... Gila monsters are the most poisonous lizards.

Did you know... Elf owls are the smallest kind of owl. They normally make their nests in saguaro cacti.

Did you know... Grant's caribou migrate 4800km to find fresh grass to eat.

Did you know... a pronghorn can run at 56km/h for 6.6km.

Did you know... American bisons were nearly hunted to extinction in the 1800s.

Did you know... the largest type of deer is a moose.

Did you know... the axolotl is a baby salamander that never grows up.

Did you know... that alligator snapping turtles exceed 100km.

Did you know ... a longhorn steer had a hornspread of 3.2m.

Did you know... the Brazilian free-tailed bat is the fastest mammal in flight.

DOÑANA NATIONAL PARK

INTRO 

Doñana National Park (DNP) is located in the south west of Spain, in the provinces of Huelva and Seville. It was declared a protected area in 1969 thanks to the efforts of Jose Antonio Valverde, an ornithologist from Valladolid, who was then the first director of the park. DNP is the largest wildlife park in Europe. 

It stretches over 543 km ² and is home to more than 360 species of birds, 37 non-aquatic mammals, 13 kinds of reptiles, 20 species of freshwater fish and 10 species of amphibians. It has three main ecosystems: marshes, dunes and woods.

It is also an important and essential pit stop for many migratory birds coming from Africa to the North of Europe. It is also very well known to be home to the Iberian lynx.

                                 BIRDS 

Out of the 160 species of birds that are registered in DNP, here are some of the most common:

WHITE FLAMINGOS

The name of the flamingo comes from the Latin flamen, which means flames

20-30 years is the average lifespan of a flamingo

There are 6 species of flamingo: 4 species of flamingo native to America, while 2 species are native to Asia, Europe and Africa

Bahamas's national bird is the flamingo

The oldest flamingo ever was 83 years old, that's one old bird.

SPATULA BIRD

The spatula birds beak has the form of a spatula, that's why it's called the spatula bird

The spatula birds beak has sensors to detect prey

The spatula bird is in the same family of pelicans, cranes, herons, woodpeckers, etc. ( Threskiornithidae).

Spatula birds live in marshes and lagoons.

They are really easy to identify thanks to their unusual beak

                                           GLOSSY IBIS

Black ibises have iridescent plumage

Black ibises share their home with other birds including herons and egrets

The only breeding site in South-West Europe is Doñana National Park

Usually feeding on  fish they also feed on insects, beetles, crabs, and snails

Normally they live in lagoons, salt marshes and wetlands

B LACK KITE 

The easiest way to recognize a black kite is by its forked tail

Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia are were black kites arefound

They swoop down, eagle style, and jump on their prey

Distinctive shrill whistle followed by a rapid whinnying call is how they communicate

They are partially migrant birds

                                          

Did you know...? Asian Animals

Did you know... snowy monkeys (Japanese macaques) will eat anything, even soil!!!!

Did you know... that snow monkeys can swim up to 1km and a half. They also wash their food before eating it.

Did you know... snow monkeys can develop their own and unique culture!!!!!!!!

Did you know... snow monkeys can live 2.92608km above sea level.

Did you know... snow monkeys really love to kick back and relax inside hot springs.

Did you know... the siamang is a type of gibbon. Did you also know it can inflate its  vocal sac to the size of its head!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Did you know... Red pandas are actually in the racoon family not in the panda one.

Did you know... elephant cubs have reddish eyes after birth.

Did you know... the puma (cougar, mountain lion, etc.) has more than 40 names in English language.

Did you know... a newborn Giant panda is about 1/900th of their mother's size.

Did you know... the black snub-nose monkey is the highest living monkey.

Did you know... the chiru has hairs that are 7-10 micrometers long.

Did you know... a Snow leopard has a tail that is around 1m long.

Did you know... Snow lizards give birth to live young, which is a very unusual among reptiles.

Did you know... Siberian ibexes live in places 6,700m high.

Did you know... jerboas have legs a bit like a kangaroo's. They can jump 3m into the air to escape predators.

Did you know... Siberian tigers are the largest tiger and wild cat.

Animal Dictionary

ANIMAL DICTIONARY

WRITE IN THE COMMENTS THE WORDS YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND AND WE'LL EXPLAIN THEM! 

CHIRU: A TIBETAN GAZELLE THAT HAS SANDY-COLORED FUR AND BLACK HORNS

JERBOA: A DESERT-DWELLING RODENT WITH VERY LONG HIND LEGS LIKE KANGAROO'S

WING SPAN: THE  MAXIMUM EXTENT ACROSS THE WINGS OF A BIRD OR OTHER FLYING ANIMAL (MANTA RAYS LIVE IN THE WATER BUT THEIR FINS LOOK LIKE WINGS. THAT'S WHY THEY HAVE WINGSPAN), MEASURED FROM TIP TO TIP.

THUNDERCLAP: IS A  SHORT LOUD NOISE THAT YOU HEAR IN THE SKY JUST AFTER YOU SEE A FLASH OF LIGHTNING

DECIBEL(dB): A UNIT TO MEASURE THE INTENSITY OF SOUND

Did you know... ? Ocean Animals

 Did you know... Sperm whales eat Giant squids and to find them they have to dive 1 km deep every day. They can hold their breath for an hour and a half(90 minutes) !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Did you know... the whale shark is the the largest fish as well as the largest shark.

Did you know... Great White sharks are said to be descendants of the Megalodon!!!!!!!!

Did you know... that the Megalodon is the largest shark.

Did you know... that the lion's mane jellyfish is the heaviest type of jellyfish.

Did you know... a Cusk eel is the deepest living fish.

Did you know... the deepest dive by a mammal is by a Cuvier's beaked whale.

Did you know... in November 2016, there were 30 vaquitas (a type of porpoise) in the wild.

Did you know... that in 1999 there was a bowhead whale aged 211 years old, the longest age for a mammal.

Did you know... Spinner dolphins can rotate in the air more than any other dolphins.

Did you know... the largest eye of any animal is the one of a Giant Squids.

Did you know... that there's an octopus called the Dumbo octopus, yes, like the Disney character!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Did you know... that adult Sunfish weigh 1,000kg. The heaviest one found was 2,300!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Did you know... Shortfin Makos are the fastest sharks. They can leap 6m out of the water!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Did you know... a Sperm whales echolocation clicks are 236dB, 44 times louder than a thunderclap.

Did you know... a Manta ray's wingspan is wider than a tennis court!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Did you know... the largest cuttlefish is the giant cuttlefish.