THREE-TOED AMPHIUMA

They are usually 3m in length and they have smooth and slippery skin. They are nocturnal and retreat to burrows during the day. Adults don't have gills and use lungs to breath air, while babies are born with gills and lose them as they get older. They range from Western Alabama, Eastern Texas, Mississippi Valley and Missouri. They live in lakes, marshes, sluggish streams, swamps and ditches. They feed on earthworms, crayfish, fish, insects, snakes, tadpoles, frogs, mollusks* and smaller Amphiuma in the dark, night waters. They breed underwater during the spring and winter. They are one of the largest amphibians in North America.

They are neither threatened nor endangered.

* Snails, clams and sea slugs.

HOOPOE

The hoopoe lives all around Europe, Asia, and North Africa as well as Sub-Sahara Africa. They travel to the Tropics to migrate during the winter. Their habitat is usually covered in short grass or bare patches. Their nests are usually in a hole in a tree or in a wall. Like their relatives the "Kingfisher" Hoopoe's nests are highly protected and Hoopoe's may squirt fecal matter at intruders. They spend most of their time on the ground searching for insects and worms. The Hoopoe is 25-29cm long and their wingspan is 44-48cm long. It's is black, white, pink and very hard to miss. Especially when it's flying. Their song is a "oop-oop-oop" and that is how their English and scientific names came to life. Their used to be a Giant Hoopoe which is now extinct and it used to live on the island of St Helena. I for one like their Mohawk! I got this info from

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoopoe

Grey seal

The grey seal is mainly found on the coasts of britain and they inhabit the north alantic ocean. The grey seals come ashore to breed on exposed rocky shores. The pups are usually white when born and stay in their mothers stomachs for 11.5 months. When they are born they weigh around 15kg and they gain about 2kg a day due to their mothers milk which is 60% fat! They suckle for 3 weeks then the mother leaves the breeding ground (rookery) to go and mate again. The male grey seal can weigh up to 230kg while the female only weighs 155kg. The female can grow up to 180cm in length and the male can grow up to 210 cm. They are also much larger then the female having broad shoulders and a larger snout. The name grey seal does not mean that they are all grey. They vary in colour from a dark brown to grey or black with splotches. They mainly eat fish but can sometimes have the odd cephalopod (squid and octupus).

I found all my info from:

www.bbc.co.uk/nature/wildfacts/factfiles/277.shtml

Answers to bird quiz

1. Yes a blackbird is black and people think it is because black is conspicuous against almost everything in nature so if a blackbird wants to be seen then black isn't a bad colour to be.

2. There are currently 17 species of penguins and they are: Adelie, African, Chinstrap, Emporer, Erect, Crested, Fairy, Fjordland, Galapagos, Gentoo, Humboldt, King, Macaroni, Magellanic, Rockhopper, Royal, Snares Island and yellow eyed.

3. The Bullockornis.

4. The t-rex.

5. Pinguinos.

6.Aptenodytes Forsteri

7. A fairly small and swift Falcon.

8. I'm not sure but is it the Elf owl?

9. They are common all through out europe.

10. Troglodyte which means cave dweller.

Also a good site to visit about penguins is http:// www.gdargaud.net/Antarctica/PenguinFAQ.html

I hope most of these are right mirP and Kitty Kat.

:)

MARA

Scientific name: Dolichotis Patagonum.

The Mara comes from the south of America and lives in grasslands. They can grow up to 40cm high, 72cm in lenght and can weigh up to around 12kg. They are herbivorous and eat grasses and herbs. So in the summer when everything is dry they head for the ponds where grass is still growing. Then can run up to 45km when escaping predators which is mainly the Andean fox but can sometimes bo hunted by the Maned wolf. Having longer back legs also helps them escape. Maras stay with the same partners for their hole lifes and the males stay close to the females and guard them from other males. The mother Maras dig burrows to put their babies in with many other babies which kind of makes it a communial creche! One by one the mothers come and check on their babies. They know which one is theirs by their scent. All of the babies want milk but they must wait for their owns mums to come before they get fed. They make lots of grunting noises as their mums come to feed them. I wish that they lived in New Zealand!

The Spanish Lynx

The Spanish Lynx lives mainly in the southern part of Spain but can be found in isolated parts of Portugal. It feeds mostly on rabbit but can tend to snack on Deer fawn during the winter season. They can be mistaken for the Eurasion Lynx but the Spanish Lynx's coat is a lighter colour of yellow/brown. It is also half the size of an Eurasion Lynx and has long legs, prominent ear tufts and a very short tail. It is hunted heavily because of it's coat and is very rare through out the world. Mating is believed to occur during January and usually the Spanish Lynx has 1-5 kittens. The Kittens are independant at around 8 weeks old. They can live up to 14yrs average and weigh 15-25kg. Their body length in between 850mm-1100mm. Even though they are protectedin a reserev they are still legal to hunt everywhere else!!

Pig

You may know the saying "You're sweating like a pig" but as a true fact pigs don't actuallly sweat. They cool off by wallowing in the mud and that is why they are known as "dirty" animals. But pigs are hygienic animals and always seem to go toilet in the same place. They are really itelligent animals and have a great sense of direction. They could find their way home from a far distance. When piglets live around people they lern their names in around 2-3 weeks. Pigs live in social areas and groups and greet their friends by giving a nose to nose rub! So cute! Pigs tend to use their snouts to search for things. They can find mushrooms, roots and fruits to eat. They have a very strong bond with their parents and I have a very strong bond with my piglet Murtle!