03/26 Amazonian Manatee

This week we learned about the Amazonian Manatee, also know as sea cows.  These Manatees are found in the Amazon River and are the only fresh water Manatee.  We looked at a picture with the different types of Manatees, which showed us that the Amazonian Manatee is the smallest kind at up to 9 feet long.  One interesting fact is that people used to believe that Manatees were very old because of the wrinkles on their skin.

We talked about that Manatees are hunted for their 400 pounds of meat and also their bones, fat, and skin.  The kids expressed some concern for the welfare of the babies left behind.  The video that we watched showed some of these babies at an Amazonian Manatee orphanage.  The babies were very playful and very cuddly. 

03/19 Capybara

The Capybara is the largest rodent in the world and can reach 175 pounds!  In a native language Capybara means "master of the grasses", probably because they eat over 6 pounds of grass in a day.  They are found near swamps, water holes, rivers, and love to lay in the mud.  The Capybara is an excellent swimmer and has webbing between the toes and fingers to help them paddle.  The kids really liked the fact that the Capybara can sleep underwater with just their nose poking out in order to hide from predators. 

Because the Capybaras are very shy and tame creatures people also keep them as pets.  We watched a video of a person with a pet Capybara and listened to the soft squeaky noise they make.

We finished off class by coloring a picture of a Capybara.

03/05 Armadillo

During the month of March we will be learning about animals that live in South America.  The first animal we talked about was the Armadillo.  Armadillo is a Spanish word meaning "little armored one".  This is because of the bony plates that cover the back, head, legs, and tail.  Only the 3-Banded Armadillo can roll into a complete ball.

We looked at pictures of different kinds of Armadillos.  The class enjoyed the pictures of the baby Armadillos!  There was also a neat picture of an Armadillo skeleton that had a great view of the bony plates.

We watched a video clip of an Armadillo digging a tunnel.  We liked watching the dirt fly out of the hole! 

We also read a book that showed a variety of animals in South America. 

02/26 Indri

The last animal from Madagascar that we covered was the Indri.  The Indri is the largest of the lemurs at about 3 feet tall.  They spend their lives in the trees.

We watched video clips highlighting unique characteristics of the Indris.  The first clip showed their ability to leap up to 30 feet between tree branches in the forest.  In the second we heard how they communicate.  Their wail sounds similar to whale song and can be heard miles away.