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Canada geese usually graze together in fields, eating grasses, sedges, grains, and berries. Their bills have serrated edges, which helps them cut tough grass stems. These birds also feast on aquatic vegetation. When eating in water, they „tip up,“ reaching underwater and tearing water plants with their heads beneath the surface and their rear ends sticking up in the air. Male geese fight one another to win a particular female. The winning male gets the female as a mate, and the pair may stay together for life. The female of the pair picks a good spot to make her nest. She finds a place—always near water—which is isolated and a little higher than anything right around it. The female makes her nest of dry grasses, twigs, and other plant material. She uses her body to shape the nest into a bowl. The baby geese, called goslings, take about a month to hatch. Babies are covered with soft feathers called down. They hatch with their eyes open and will leave the nest within 24 hours, following their parents. Goslings can swim right away. In less than two months, the goslings grow adult feathers and learn to fly.
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In its native range—from the southern United States to northern South America—the cane toad is, well, just a big, ordinary toad. It hatches from an egg laid in water, begins its life as a tadpole, and eats pesky insects. Cane toads have poison that can kill animals that try eating them. Predators in the toad’s original range—including caimans, certain snakes, eels, and fishes—find cane toads tasty. Some are immune to their venom; others avoid the most venomous parts and can tolerate the venom they do eat. Cane toads are active at night. In late March, the males begin calling their mates. Once a male attracts a female, they mate as the female lays her eggs. She lays from 4,000 to 36,000 eggs at a time in the water of a stream or pond. Tadpoles hatch from the eggs within about three days. As tadpoles, cane toads eat algae and other plants that grow in water. Cane toad tadpoles metamorphose, or change, into fully formed frogs in 12 to 60 days.
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A three-foot-deep watering hole in northeast India hums with buzzing insects and chirping birds. Suddenly seven Asian elephants stomp through the grass surrounding the pool and splash into the water. It’s bath time for the herd. THE BIGGER THE BETTER Asian elephants live in the tropical forests and grasslands of Southeast Asia. They’re a little smaller than African elephants but can grow nine feet tall and weigh nearly six tons. That’s heavier than two medium-size cars! Even newborns are on the hefty side, weighing some 200 pounds. Given their size it’s no surprise that these guys are big on food. Adults can eat 300 pounds in one day, nearly 75 times what the average human eats! An Asian elephant’s ideal meal includes roots, grasses, fruit, and bark. Much of an Asian elephant’s time is spent searching for grub. In fact the animal may travel 50 miles a day to find food. Asian elephants also enjoy taking dips in the water. To cool down their backsides, the animals will fill their trunks with water and spray it over themselves like a hose. SOCIAL NETWORK Asian elephants are gentle and super-social. Related females live with their young in herds. (Adult males go off on their own.) To communicate with each other they use rumbles, bellows, growls, and moans. Some of their vocalizations can be heard more than a mile away. Talk about a long-distance call! Text by Andrea Silen / NGS Staff
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A tree stands in a forest under a cloudy sky. Suddenly it appears as if a twig is crawling down the trunk. The object isn’t actually a twig that’s sprung legs—it’s a stick insect. The stick-like trickster uses its appearance to protect itself from enemies so it doesn’t end up in, well, a sticky situation. FOOLED YA Stick insects—also known as walking sticks—live in tropical and temperate (or mild) forests all over the world. Related to grasshoppers, crickets, and mantises, these creepy-crawlies are usually brown, green, or black. They’re also the world’s longest insects. The largest one ever found stretched 22 inches with its legs extended. (Most are only up to 12 inches long.) This bug spends much of its time in trees, munching on leaves. When predators such as birds approach, the insect tries to remain completely still in order to blend with the branches. If a predator isn’t fooled and grabs the bug by the leg, it’s no big deal. The insect can detach the leg and scuttle away. It will later regenerate, or grow back, the lost limb. A GOOD EGG About 3,000 species of stick insects exist. Some are master mimics even before they hatch. The females from these species lay eggs that look like plant seeds. This prevents carnivorous insects from eating the eggs. This crawler really knows how to go undercover. Text by April Capochino Myers
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Co-what-i? You may not be familiar with this fur ball, which inhabits parts of South America, Central America, and North America. But you no doubt know about the mammal’s famous family. The coati is closely related to the raccoon. And like its cousin, this mammal is the size of a large house cat, has a ringed tail, and hangs out in trees. SNOOZE AND CHEWS Unlike the nocturnal raccoon, which is active at night, the coati mostly gets its z’s when it’s dark. These animals turn treetops into bedrooms, even building comfy twig-and-leaf nests in branches for their babies. As a coati sleeps, it tucks its nose into its belly. During the day, the coati is all about snacking. It uses its long, flexible nose to probe gaps between rocks and search under piles of leaves for grub. Coatis eat insects, fruit, rodents, lizards, and small snakes. MAKE SOME NOISE Female and baby coatis eat, sleep, and travel in packs of about 30. At age two, males leave to live on their own. In groups these animals are chatty—they click, grunt, whistle, and bark as they forage for food. So while it may not be as well known as its raccoon relatives, the coati definitely lets you know it’s there. Text by April Capochino Myers
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Caribou are mammals that live in the northern regions of Europe, North America, Asia, and Greenland. When snow begins to fall, caribou move south and travel to more sheltered climes where they can feed on moss or lichens. These members of the deer family dig for food using their large hooves. The underside of each hoof is hollowed out like a big scoop and allows the caribou to dig through snow in search of food. Caribou trek north in the summer in one of the largest animal migrations on Earth. They travel more than 600 miles (965 kilometers) along well-traveled routes. They spend the summer feeding on grasses, mushrooms, and plants in the tundra. They begin to move south in the winter and over one year they will have migrated over 1,600 miles (2,574 kilometers). One adult caribou eats about 12 pounds (5 kilograms) of food each day. Caribou are hunted by indigenous northern people throughout much of their range. Woodland caribou are listed as endangered, but other caribou populations are stable.
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A red-bellied piranha calmly swishes through a river. Suddenly, it spots dinner: a shrimp swimming nearby. The fish glides closer and opens its mouth to reveal rows of razor-sharp, triangular teeth. Then it snaps up its prey in its powerful jaws and swallows the shrimp whole. Finished with its first course, the fish swims off in search of more food. ON THE HUNT Red-bellied piranhas live in lakes and rivers in South America. They sometimes use their mighty mouths to gobble up other fish or animals such as shrimp, worms, and mollusks. They swim and hunt in shoals, or schools, that can include more than a hundred individuals. According to legend, the animals, which can grow about 14 inches long, have even devoured human swimmers. MISUNDERSTOOD FISH Despite their big bite, scientists believe that the animals’ fearsome reputation has been exaggerated. Researchers think that these fish swim in groups for protection, not to carry out underwater takedowns . And reports of the fish going after humans are extremely rare. When some red-bellied piranhas do get aggressive, they have an interesting way of telling others to „back off“—they make bark-like sounds! Guess these guys are all bark, and just some bite. Text by April Capochino Myers
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A 40-pound mammal creeps along a tree branch in a steamy forest. The animal looks like a cross between a cat and a bear. And its appearance isn’t even its strangest quality. What’s even weirder is the creature’s smell: It gives off the scent of buttered popcorn! This is the binturong, an animal that’s full of surprises. GET A GRIP Binturongs live in the rain forests of Southeast Asia. They belong to a family of carnivorous mammals that also includes civets. The animals spend most of their time hanging out in the treetops. When they aren’t lounging on branches, they’re looking for yummy snacks such as insects, birds, and fruit. The animal uses its tail—which is almost as long as its body—like a fifth limb as it climbs through the forest. This tail is prehensile, which means it’s capable of gripping things. The binturong is one of only two carnivores that has a prehensile tail. (The other is the kinkajou.) By grasping onto branches and trunks with the furry extension, the binturong is able to move more easily along the trees. PASS THE POPCORN As they travel, binturongs rub a pungent substance produced in their scent glands onto branches and foliage. The animals use the odor to mark territory as well as to attract mates. The substance smells like buttery popcorn. With all its cool qualities, you definitely can’t turn your nose up at this odd-smelling animal! Text by Andrea Silen, NGS Staff
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Bull sharks are among the most dangerous sharks in the world, according to many experts. This is because they’re an aggressive species of shark, and they tend to hunt in waters where people often swim: along tropical shorelines. Bull sharks live throughout the world, in shallow, warm ocean waters. They’ve been known to swim up into freshwater rivers. Humans are not part of a bull shark’s normal prey. Bull sharks will eat almost anything, but their diet consists mainly of fish. They also sometimes eat dolphins and sea turtles. Bull sharks even eat other sharks. They hunt during the day and at night. Sharks must keep salt in their bodies to survive, and most can live only in salt water. But bull sharks have developed special adaptations—the way their kidneys function and special glands near their tails—that help them keep salt in their bodies even when they’re in freshwater. Scientists are still studying these sharks to figure out why they developed this unusual ability.
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The blue whale is the largest mammal in the world. A blue whale calf weighs two tons (1,814 kilograms) at birth and gains an extra 200 pounds (91 kilograms) each day of its first year. Blue whales are able to breathe air, but they are very comfortable in the ocean waters where buoyancy helps to support their incredible bulk. These mammals are found in all the world’s oceans and often swim in small groups or alone. These giant creatures feed on tiny shrimplike animals called krill. Only a few thousand blue whales are believed to swim the world’s oceans. They were hunted for many years for their blubber and oil, and they were almost hunted to extinction. They were protected under the 1966 International Whaling Convention and are now considered to be an endangered species.
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