Friday, February 21, 2014
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Sea Otters
Sea otters are very good swimmers. They can spend their
whole lives in the water though they may occasionally haul
out on land to rest. However, they are very clumsy on land
and won’t venture more than a few yards away from water.
Sea otters are very social animals. They sometimes travel in groups and may gather together to rest. Concentrations of over 1,000 animals have been seen floating together in a single area.
Breeding males are territorial and defend areas where females are concentrated. They will drive other males out of their territory. Nonbreeding males may form their own groups in an area just outside the breeding territory.
Sea otters do not undergo long distance migrations. They generally remain in a home range that may be a few square km up to 40 km2.
Sea otters are very social animals. They sometimes travel in groups and may gather together to rest. Concentrations of over 1,000 animals have been seen floating together in a single area.
Breeding males are territorial and defend areas where females are concentrated. They will drive other males out of their territory. Nonbreeding males may form their own groups in an area just outside the breeding territory.
Sea otters do not undergo long distance migrations. They generally remain in a home range that may be a few square km up to 40 km2.
Monday, February 17, 2014
Saturday, February 15, 2014
Bird Facts
The chicken is the closest living relative to the
Tyrannosaurus Rex.
Many birds kept as pets, including doves, parakeets, and
lovebirds, enjoy living in pairs for companionship.
The smallest bird egg belongs to the hummingbird and is
the size of a pea. The largest bird egg, from which the ostrich
hatches, is the size of a cantaloupe.
A bird’s eye takes up about 50 percent of its head; our
eyes take up about 5 percent of our head. To be comparable to a
bird’s eyes, our eyes would have to be the size of baseballs.
The penguin is the only bird that can swim, but not fly.
It is also the only bird that walks upright.
Owls turn their heads almost 360○ (a complete circle)
but they cannot move their eyes.
Chickens have over 200 distinct noises they make for
communicating.
When it comes to birds, the males tend to have the more
glamorous feather shape, coloration, songs, and dances. Female
birds choose their mate based on how attractive they find them!
It is estimated that one third of all bird owners turn
on a radio for their pet when they leave the house.
Friday, February 14, 2014
Thursday, February 13, 2014
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Alaska Fun Facts
Mountains:
Of the 20 highest peaks in the United States, 17 are in Alaska. Mt. McKinley, the highest peak in North America, is 20,320 ft. above sea level. Denali, the Indian name for the peak, means "The Great One."
Water Bodies:
The Yukon River, almost 2,000 miles long, is the third longest river in the U.S. There are more than 3,000 rivers in Alaska and over 3 million lakes. The largest, Lake Iliamna, encompasses over 1,000 square miles.
Glaciers:
Alaska has an estimated 100,000 glaciers, ranging from tiny cirque glaciers to huge valley glaciers. There are more active glaciers and ice fields in Alaska than in the rest of the inhabited world. The largest glacier is the Malaspina at 850 square miles. Five percent of the state, or 29,000 square miles, is covered by glaciers.
Compass Points:
Alaska boasts the northernmost (Point Barrow), the easternmost (Pochnoi Point on Semisopochnoi Island in the Aleutians), and the westernmost (Amatignak Island in the Aleutians) points in the United States.
Coastline:
Alaska has 6,640 miles of coastline and, including islands, has 33,904 miles of shoreline.
Volcanoes:
There are more than 70 potentially active volcanoes in Alaska. Several have erupted in recent times. The most violent volcanic eruption of the century took place in 1912 when Novarupta Volcano erupted, creating the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes which is now part of Katmai National Park.
Of the 20 highest peaks in the United States, 17 are in Alaska. Mt. McKinley, the highest peak in North America, is 20,320 ft. above sea level. Denali, the Indian name for the peak, means "The Great One."
Water Bodies:
The Yukon River, almost 2,000 miles long, is the third longest river in the U.S. There are more than 3,000 rivers in Alaska and over 3 million lakes. The largest, Lake Iliamna, encompasses over 1,000 square miles.
Glaciers:
Alaska has an estimated 100,000 glaciers, ranging from tiny cirque glaciers to huge valley glaciers. There are more active glaciers and ice fields in Alaska than in the rest of the inhabited world. The largest glacier is the Malaspina at 850 square miles. Five percent of the state, or 29,000 square miles, is covered by glaciers.
Compass Points:
Alaska boasts the northernmost (Point Barrow), the easternmost (Pochnoi Point on Semisopochnoi Island in the Aleutians), and the westernmost (Amatignak Island in the Aleutians) points in the United States.
Coastline:
Alaska has 6,640 miles of coastline and, including islands, has 33,904 miles of shoreline.
Volcanoes:
There are more than 70 potentially active volcanoes in Alaska. Several have erupted in recent times. The most violent volcanic eruption of the century took place in 1912 when Novarupta Volcano erupted, creating the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes which is now part of Katmai National Park.
Monday, February 10, 2014
Ermine
Ermine have a typical weasel form with long body, short
legs, long neck supporting a triangular head, slightly
protruding round ears, and long whiskers. Their pelage is
reddish-brown above and creamy white below in summer, and
changes to completely white in winter with the tip of the tail
remaining black in all seasons. Males are generally 25% to 50%
larger than females however, the sexes of ermine on Haida
Gwaii (M. e. haidarum) are more similar in size.
Ermine resemble the long-tailed weasel (Mustela frenata) in general appearance and coloration, but is smaller, has a shorter tail, and has white fur on the inner side of the hind legs. Least weasels (Mustela nivalis) are also similar in appearance to M. erminea, but are smaller and do not have any black on the tail.
Ermine resemble the long-tailed weasel (Mustela frenata) in general appearance and coloration, but is smaller, has a shorter tail, and has white fur on the inner side of the hind legs. Least weasels (Mustela nivalis) are also similar in appearance to M. erminea, but are smaller and do not have any black on the tail.
Sunday, February 9, 2014
Pink Salmon
Pink salmon are the smallest of the Pacific salmon found in
North America weighing on average between 3.5 and 5 pounds,
with an average length of 20-25 inches. As with all members of
the salmon family, pink salmon are coldwater fish. They are
also the most numerous Pacific salmon and have been harvested
and canned commercially in Alaska since the late 1800’s. Young
pink salmon are completely silver without any dark vertical
bars or spots. In the ocean, adults are bright greenish-blue
on top and silvery on its sides. They have very small scales
and pink flesh. As adults get closer to returning to fresh
water, they develop a lot of large black spots on their back
and all over their tail. When pinks approach their spawning
streams, males turn brown to black on their back with a bright
white belly. Females have a bright white belly but turn an
olive green with dusky bars or patches that can be lavender or
a dark gold. By the time males enter the stream where they
will spawn, they have developed a very large hump, and hooked
jaws called a kype.
Saturday, February 8, 2014
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
Sunday, February 2, 2014
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Alaska Time





