Dein Suchergebnis zum Thema: Online

When you see a snowy owl, it’s clear how the bird probably got its name: they’re snow-white. Males are generally whiter than females. As males grow older, they get whiter. The females never become completely white—remaining brownish with darker markings. These large owls mainly live in the Arctic in open, treeless areas called tundra. Snowy owls perch on the ground or on short posts. From there they patiently watch for prey. Their favorite target is lemmings—small mouselike rodents—but they also hunt for other small rodents, rabbits, birds, and fish. Snowy owls have excellent eyesight, but they obviously can’t see their prey when it’s underneath snow or a thick layer of plants. To capture those meals, the owl relies on its other keen sense: hearing. In flight, snowy owls generally cruise low to the ground. Once they spot their prey, they approach it from the air, and snatch it up using the large, sharp talons, or claws, on their feet. Most owls sleep during the day and hunt at night, but the snowy owl is active during the day, especially in the summertime. They tend to be most active at dawn and dusk. Snowy owl pairs usually mate for life. Female snowy owls lay from 3 to 11 eggs at a time, in a nest built on the ground. When there is plenty of food available, snowy owls tend to lay more eggs than when food is scarce. Lemmings make up the main part of the snowy owls‘ diet, and lemming population numbers rise and fall naturally. Sometimes, if there is not enough prey around to feed baby owls, the adult pair won’t lay any eggs at all until the supply of food improves. The female snowy owl sits on her eggs until they hatch. The male feeds her while she keeps their eggs warm and safe. After about one month, the eggs hatch. Babies are covered in soft white down when they hatch. As new feathers replace the down, the birds become light brown. The young leave the nest less than a month after they hatch. By the time they’re about a month and a half old, the young owls can fly well, but their parents take care of them for another ten weeks or more.
Legal Terms of Use Privacy Policy Your California Privacy Rights Children’s Online

Check out how this dino was the fiercest predator of its time.
Legal Terms of Use Privacy Policy Your California Privacy Rights Children’s Online

Get pictures and fun facts about eight words for groups of animals.
Legal Terms of Use Privacy Policy Your California Privacy Rights Children’s Online

Check out these easy-to-make recipes for hot cinnamon apple cider and gingersnaps.
Legal Terms of Use Privacy Policy Your California Privacy Rights Children’s Online

Axolotls (pronounced ACK-suh-LAH-tuhls) are salamanders! Thes amphibians spend their whole lives underwater. They exist in the wild in only one place on Earth—the lake complex of Xochimilco (pronounced SO-chee-MILL-koh), a network of artificial channels, small lakes, and temporary wetlands that help supply water to the millions of residents in nearby Mexico City. Axolotls have long fascinated scientists for their ability to regenerate lost body parts and for their rare trait of neoteny, which means they retain larval features throughout life. Rather than undergoing typical metamorphosis, axolotls keep their youthful appearance, including their tadpolelike dorsal fin and feathery external gills that fan out from the head. As they age, axolotls simply get bigger and bigger, like amphibious Peter Pans. In rare cases, axolotls have matured past the larval stage and emerged onto land as adult salamanders. Neoteny doesn’t affect the axolotl’s ability to breed. Females mate with males and lay eggs underwater. As Mexico City has grown, the lake complex has shrunk and parts have become contaminated, distressing the axolotl population. The introduction of large numbers of carp and tilapia fish, which compete with axolotls for food and also eat axolotl eggs, has further lowered their population. A 2009 survey suggests there are fewer than 1,200 axolotls in the Xochimilco Lake complex. Axolotls feast on a menu of mollusks, worms, insect larvae, crustaceans, and some fish.
Legal Terms of Use Privacy Policy Your California Privacy Rights Children’s Online

The great horned owl has no horns! It is named for the tufts of feathers that sit on top of its head, called plumicorns. Scientists don’t know why these owls sport the tufts, but they do have a few theories. The tufts might help members of their own species to recognize each other among the forest around them, or they may use the tufts to blend into their surroundings, making them look more like broken tree branches than a tasty meal. The great horned owl is one of the most common owls in North America, found in a range of habitats that includes forests, swamps, deserts, tundra edges, tropical rain forests, cities, suburbs, and parks. If you live in North America, there’s a good chance you’ve heard the deep, soft, stuttering hoots of this owl: hoo-h’HOO-hoo-hoo. This owl uses this hoot to advertise its territory. It can also make a variety of other sounds, including whistles, barks, shrieks, hisses, coos, and wavering cries. You are most likely to hear an owl hoot at night because they are nocturnal birds. They have big eyes and wide pupils that allow them to spot their prey. Unlike people’s eyes, their eyes don’t move in their sockets, but the owls can swivel their heads to look in any direction. Their short but wide wings allow them to fly through the forest, and their soft feathers help them approach prey very quietly. Great horned owls eat a wide variety of prey—from small rodents to skunks and geese. Like other owls, these birds sometimes swallow their prey whole and later regurgitate pellets composed of bone, fur, and other unwanted parts of their meal. These fierce predators are also great parents. Mated pairs will find a nest—usually a disused nest from another large bird species—and will defend it from intruders at all costs. Baby great horned owls are ready to fly at between 10 and 12 weeks old. Text by Allyson Shaw / NGS Staff
Legal Terms of Use Privacy Policy Your California Privacy Rights Children’s Online

The ostrich is the tallest and the heaviest of all birds. While the huge ostrich is a bird, it does not fly. Instead it runs. One stride can cover up to 16 feet (4.9 meters)—about the length of a mid-size family car! The bird is speedy, too. It can run just over 40 miles (64 kilometers) an hour for a short distance, and can keep up a speed of more than 30 miles (48 kilometers) an hour over longer distances. The ostrich uses its short wings for balance, holding them outstretched when it runs. Strong legs can also be used for self-defense. An ostrich will kick with a force mighty enough to kill a lion. When danger approaches, an ostrich will often lie low to hide, stretching its neck along the ground. Its feather colors blend with the sandy soil where it lives. From far away, it looks like the ostrich has buried its head in the sand. Many people thought that was what ostriches did when they were trying to hide, but that is a myth. Ostriches live near grazing animals such as wildebeest, antelopes, and zebras. The grazers stir up insects and rodents for the ostriches to eat, and the ostriches warn the grazers to dangers such as approaching lions. An ostrich group, called a herd, numbers about 12 individuals. Male ostriches compete for control of a group of several females. A herd has a dominant male and a dominant female. She mates only with him, though he may mate with other females as well. All the egg-laying females, called hens, lay their eggs in the nest of the dominant female. Then that female—whose eggs are positioned in the center of the nest, the most well-protected spot—and her mate take care of all the eggs in that one nest. Each egg can be up to 6 inches (15 centimeters) long and weigh 3 pounds (1.5 kilograms)!
Legal Terms of Use Privacy Policy Your California Privacy Rights Children’s Online

Get pictures and fun facts about eight micro-bacteria that live on you.
Legal Terms of Use Privacy Policy Your California Privacy Rights Children’s Online

Sun bears are named for the golden patches of fur on their chests, which some people say resemble a rising sun. While their tongues may be extra-big, sun bears are actually the smallest bear species.
Legal Terms of Use Privacy Policy Your California Privacy Rights Children’s Online

Also known as woodchucks, groundhogs spend much of their days alone, foraging for plants and grasses and digging burrows up to 66 feet long.
Legal Terms of Use Privacy Policy Your California Privacy Rights Children’s Online