Let’s Chase the Moon and the Morning Star Some More!
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Our Glossary & Fun Facts
Alpacas have short spear-shaped ears that stand straight up. Llamas have much longer, banana-shaped ears.
From Britannica Kids
The alpaca belongs to the camel family and resembles the llama, to which it is closely related. The alpaca’s Latin (or scientific) name is Lama pacos. It is valued for its wool and reared mainly in South America.
The alpaca is found on marshy grounds at altitudes above 13,000 feet (4,000 meters). It is presently found in central and southern Peru and western Bolivia in South America. The Indians of the Andes Mountains of South America began raising the alpaca several thousand years ago.
Although the alpaca is a member of the camel family, it does not have a hump.
The alpaca has a natural life span of 15–20 years.
The alpaca is bred mainly for its fine wool, and the animal is normally sheared, or trimmed, every two years.
From Our Book
alpaca (I’m not a lama either!) A lama is a Tibetan spiritual leader.
@Andes Mountains, South America under a First Quarter Moon
The Andes Mountains of South America make up the longest mountain chain in the world, stretching from north to south along the entire western side of South America.
From Britannica Kids
The Andes Mountains stretch from north to south along the entire western side of South America. They separate a narrow strip of land along the Pacific Ocean from the rest of the continent. The Andes are about 5,500 miles (8,900 kilometers) long and in most places are no wider than 200 miles (320 kilometers).
Many Andean peaks are higher than any mountains in North America. At 22,831 feet (6,959 meters), Argentina’s Mount Aconcagua is the highest mountain anywhere in the world outside Asia.
The desert of northern Chile is one of the driest places in the world, but on the eastern side of the mountains, rainfall is generally heavy. Lush tropical forests can be found at lower elevations of the Andes. Read more…
From Our Book
alpaca (I’m not a llama – I’m not a lama either!) Alpacas have short spear-shaped ears that stand straight up. Llamas have much longer, banana-shaped ears. A lama is a Tibetan spiritual leader.
@Andes Mountains, South America under a First Quarter Moon
Anemones (uh • NEH • muh • nee) are marine, predatory animals named after the anemone, a terrestrial flowering plant, because of the colorful appearance of many. They are related to corals, jellyfish, tube-dwelling anemones, and Hydra.
From Britannica Kids
Sea anemones look like flowers but are actually animals. Their “petals” are armlike body parts called tentacles, which circle the mouth. The tentacles may be red, yellow, green, blue, orange, brown, white, or a mixture of colors. Sea anemones use their tentacles to sting the shrimps, fish, and other small animals that they eat.
There are more than 1,000 species, or kinds, of sea anemone. They live in oceans throughout the world. Read more…
From Our Book
It is easy to see anemones in the low tide pools of the coast, e.g., at the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve, Moss Beach, San Francisco Coast area, USA.
@California coast, USA under a Third Quarter Moon
Antarctica is the southernmost continent in the world and surrounds the South Pole.
From Britannica Kids
Its name means “opposite to the Arctic” (the Arctic is the region around the North Pole). The fifth-largest continent, it has a greater land area than both Europe and Australia. But Antarctica has no permanent human population.
An ice sheet covers nearly all of Antarctica. It contains 90 percent of the world’s ice and 70 percent of the world’s freshwater. At its thickest point, the ice sheet is 15,670 feet (4,776 meters) deep. Around the coast, glaciers continually break off icebergs into the sea.
Antarctica does not have 24-hour periods divided into days and nights. At the South Pole the Sun rises on about September 21 and moves in a circular path until it sets on about March 22. This “day,” or summer, is six months long. From March 22 until September 21 the South Pole is dark, and Antarctica has its “night,” or winter.
The extreme cold has kept the continent almost empty of life… About 45 kinds of birds live in Antarctica. The emperor and the Adélie penguins are found in large numbers around the entire coastline.
From Our Book
Aurora Australis (uh • RAW • ruh / auh • STRAL • uhs) A natural light display in the sky caused by particles from the sun interacting with Earth’s magnetic field. It is the green light in this scene but can be other colors.
Crevasse (kruh • VAS) A deep open crack, especially one in a glacier
Emperor Penguin Did you know that dad keeps baby warm while mom hunts for food in the ocean?
@Antarctica under a Waning Crescent Moon
Aurora Australis: An aurora is a natural electric phenomenon that creates bright and colorful light displays in the sky. … In the Arctic Circle, they are known as aurora borealis or the northern lights, while in the Antarctic Circle they are called aurora australis or the southern lights.
From Britannica Kids
The Earth is a huge magnet surrounded by a magnetic field. The Earth’s magnetic field forces the charged particles in the solar wind toward the planet’s northern and southern polar regions. The particles move downward through the Earth’s upper atmosphere. As they do, they crash into atoms and molecules of gases such as oxygen and nitrogen. These collisions cause the atoms and molecules to give off light. This light is an aurora. Read more…
From Our Book
Aurora Australis (uh • RAW • ruh / auh • STRAL • uhs) A natural light display in the sky caused by particles from the sun interacting with Earth’s magnetic field. It is the green light in this scene but can be other colors.
Crevasse (kruh • VAS) A deep open crack, especially one in a glacier
Emperor Penguin Did you know that dad keeps baby warm while mom hunts for food in the ocean?
@Antarctica under a Waning Crescent Moon
A basilica is a large oblong hall or building with double colonnades and a semicircular apse, used in ancient Rome as a court of law or for public assemblies.
From Wikipedia
The first known basilica—the Basilica Porcia in the Roman Forum—was constructed in 184 BC by Marcus Porcius Cato (the Elder)…
In the Catholic Church, a basilica is a large and important church building. This designation may be made by the Pope or may date from time immemorial. Basilica churches are distinguished for ceremonial purposes from other churches. The building does not need to be a basilica in the architectural sense. Read more…
From Our Book
basilica (buh • SI • luh • kuh) A church such as Saint Peter’s Basilica in this scene, built in the Renaissance style
retractable claws that hide inside the cat’s paw unless they need them out!
@Vatican City, Rome, Italy under a New Moon
The ability of living organisms to generate light through an internal chemical reaction is called bioluminescence.
From Britannica Kids
Animal life in the deep seas has adapted, or changed, in order to survive the harsh conditions. These conditions include constant cold, darkness, and strong pressure of the water… Their light-producing organs attract both prey and potential mates. Read more…
From Our Book
bioluminescence (bai • ow • loo • muh • NEH • sns) A glowing light produced by a chemical reaction within a living organism.
humpback whale, one of about 10 species of balen whales
@Pacific Ocean under a Full Moon
The Chiricahua Mountains, a large mountain range in southeastern Arizona which is part of the Basin and Range province of the west and southwestern United States and northwest Mexico, are a premier birding area of the United States
The range is part of the Coronado National Forest. Activities and MAP.
The region is also referred to as the Sky Islands. Some of the mountains rise more than 6,000 feet above the surrounding desert floor making the lowlands and high peaks drastically different. Plants and animals living in the mountains could never survive in the surrounding deserts. Thus by analogy, the mountains are “islands” surrounded by deserts that are “seas.”
From Our Book
meteor shower
saguaro cactus (suh • WAA • row) Large, columnar cacti with arms covered with protective spines, white flowers in the late spring, and red fruit in summer.
@Chiricahua (chr • uh • KAA • wuh) Mountains, Arizona, USA under a Full Moon
Costa Rica is a Central American country with coastlines on the Caribbean and Pacific. Costa Rica is known for its rainforest, beaches, volcanoes, and biodiversity. Roughly a quarter of its area is made up of protected jungle, teeming with wildlife including three-toed sloths and red-eyed tree frogs.
From Our Book
red-eyed tree frog, who despite their conspicuous, bright coloration, are not venomous.
@Costa Rica under a Waning Gibbous Moon
A crevasse is a deep, wedge-shaped opening in a moving mass of ice called a glacier. Crevasses usually form in the top 50 meters (160 feet) of a glacier, where the ice is brittle.
From National Geographic Encyclopedia
Crevasses usually form in the top 50 meters (160 feet) of a glacier, where the ice is brittle. Below that, a glacier is less brittle and can slide over uneven surfaces without cracking. The inflexible upper portion may split as it moves over the changing landscape.
Crevasses also form when different parts of a glacier move at different speeds. Read more…
From Our Book
Aurora Australis (uh • RAW • ruh / auh • STRAL • uhs) A natural light display in the sky caused by particles from the sun interacting with Earth’s magnetic field. It is the green light in this scene but can be other colors.
Crevasse (kruh • VAS) A deep open crack, especially one in a glacier
Emperor Penguin Did you know that dad keeps baby warm while mom hunts for food in the ocean?
@Antarctica under a Waning Crescent Moon
The dromedary, also called the Arabian camel, is a large camel with one hump on its back. It is the tallest of the camel family. The Bactrian camel has two humps on its back.
From Britannica Kids
Camels are large mammals that live and work in several of the world’s deserts. They are known for their humps. The Arabian camel, or dromedary, has one hump on its back. The Bactrian, or Asian, camel has two humps. Camels belong to the same family as the llama and the alpaca. Read more…
From our Book
dromedary (DRAA • muh • deh • ree) I’m the camel with just one hump.
haboob (huh • BOOB) A violent wind blowing in summer stirring up sand and creating a wall of sediment that precedes the storm cloud.
@Sahara Desert, Northern Africa under a New Moon
A haboob is a type of intense dust storm carried on an atmospheric gravity current, also known as a weather front. Haboobs occur regularly in dry land area regions throughout the world.
From Wikipedia
During thunderstorm formation, winds move in a direction opposite to the storm’s travel, and they move from all directions into the thunderstorm. When the storm collapses and begins to release precipitation, wind directions reverse, gusting outward from the storm and generally gusting the strongest in the direction of the storm’s travel.
When this downdraft of cold air, or downburst, reaches the ground, it blows dry, loose silt and clay (collectively, dust) up from the desert, creating a wall of sediment that precedes the storm cloud. This wall of dust can be up to 100 km (62 mi) wide and several kilometers in elevation. At their strongest, haboob winds often travel at 35–100 km/h (22–62 mph), and they may approach with little or no warning. Often rain does not appear at ground level as it evaporates in the hot, dry air (a phenomenon known as virga). The evaporation cools the rushing air even further and accelerates it. Occasionally, when the rain does persist, it can contain a considerable quantity of dust. Severe cases are called mud storms. Read more…
From Our Book
dromedary (DRAA • muh • deh • ree) (I have one hump.)
haboob (huh • BOOB) A violent wind blowing in summer stirring up sand and creating a wall of sediment that precedes the storm cloud.
@Sahara Desert, Northern Africa under a New Moon
Crabs are members of the animal group called crustaceans. One group of crabs, the hermits, are known for their habit of taking over empty snail shells for shelter. There are over 800 species of hermit crab.
Author’s Note: These little guys made a fun pet for our children when they were young. They had the amazing ability to escape whatever cage we used, though, and we’d hear him scratching his claws along the hardwood floors as he made his way to adventure, thus our character’s name, Scratch…
From Pet Assure
Hermit crabs are among the more unusual pets, although they do make interesting, easy-care companions. They have distinct personalities, are active and curious, and their unique characteristics and low maintenance requirements make them good pets. Hermit crabs are not “true crabs.” They have a smaller, soft abdomen which they protect by living in an empty snail shell. They must find larger shells as they grow, and owners of these pets must provide progressively larger shells as their pets grow. In the wild they are omnivores, feeding on both plant and animal material. There are both marine and land hermit crabs. Read more…
From Britannica Kids
A hermit crab drags the shell behind it as it walks about. As the crab grows larger, it seeks a larger shell.
A crab’s two large eyes extend from the head on movable stalks located above two pairs of antennas. The mouth is on the underside of the head.
Crabs and other crustaceans have a hard covering known as the exoskeleton. Like its relative the lobster, a crab has five pairs of legs. The first pair has large pinching claws that help with feeding and defense. The last pair may be broad and flattened to serve as paddles for crabs that swim. The tail of a crab is curled under its midsection. Crabs breathe by using gills, but the gills of land crabs have developed in such a way that they act like lungs. Read more…
From Our Book
low tide pools
anemone (uh • NEH • muh • nee) Anemones use their tentacles to close in over their food and digest it.
@California coast, USA under a Third Quarter Moon
A hummingbird is a small bird with a long, slender bill, many having brightly colored, glittery feathers. The birds are named for the humming sound made by the rapid beating of their wings. There are about 320 kinds of hummingbirds. They live only in the Americas.
From Britannica Kid
A hummingbird is a small bird with a long, slender bill. Many hummingbirds have brightly colored, glittery feathers. Often the males are more colorful than the females. The birds are named for the humming sound made by the rapid beating of their wings.
There are about 320 kinds of hummingbirds. They live only in the Americas. Most of them live in the warmer parts of South America. About 12 kinds are found regularly in the United States and Canada.
All hummingbirds are small, and many are tiny. The largest of these birds is only about 8 inches (20 centimeters) long. It is called the giant hummingbird. The bee hummingbird is slightly longer than 2 inches (5 centimeters). It is the smallest living bird of any kind.
Hummingbirds have long wings and muscular bodies. They can fly forward, sideways, straight up or down, and even backward. Hummingbirds also hover, or hang in one place while beating their wings. Some small hummingbirds beat their wings 80 times per second.
Hummingbirds feed mainly on nectar, a sweet liquid made by flowers. The bird hovers in front of the flower and reaches inside with its long, curved bill. Hummingbirds drink nectar at the rate of about 3 to 13 licks per second. Read more…
From Our Book
meteor shower
saguaro cactus (suh • WAA • row) Large, columnar cacti with arms covered with protective spines, white flowers in the late spring, and red fruit in summer.
@Chiricahua (chr • uh • KAA • wuh) Mountains, Arizona, USA under a Full Moon
The humpback whale is one of the baleen whales that do not have teeth. Instead, they have blade-shaped plates hanging from the roof of the mouth. These plates are called baleen, or whalebone. The inner sides of the baleen have bristles that trap food.
From National Geographic Kids
Humpback whales are known for their magical songs, which travel for great distances through the world’s oceans. These sequences of moans, howls, cries, and other noises are quite complex and often continue for hours on end. Scientists are studying these sounds to decipher their meaning. It is most likely that humpbacks sing to communicate with others and to attract potential mates.
These whales are found near coastlines, feeding on tiny shrimp-like krill, plankton, and small fish. Humpbacks migrate annually from summer feeding grounds near the poles to warmer winter breeding waters closer to the Equator. Read more…
From Our Book
bioluminescence (bai • ow • loo • muh • NEH • sns) A glowing light produced by a chemical reaction within a living organism.
humpback whale, a member of the balen whale family
@Pacific Ocean under a Full Moon
Low Tide Pools are small pockets of water in holes, slopes, and cracks on the ocean’s shore exposed during the lowest point in the tidal cycles. At low tide, an amazing array of sea life is exposed in the nooks and crannies of the shoreline.
From Ocean Conservancy
Tide pools can be found in mudflats, sandy beaches and rocky shorelines (where there are lots of crevices in the rock). In fact, some of the United States’ best tide pools are on rocky coasts, like in the Olympic Peninsula, Monterey Bay and Acadia National Park. Tide pools are an amazing way to see sea life up close, but it’s important to do so in a way that is respectful to the animals and ecosystem. Read more…
From NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)
Formed in depressions along the shoreline of rocky coasts, tide pools are filled with seawater that gets trapped as the tide recedes. While these small basins at the ocean’s edge typically range from mere inches to a few feet deep and a few feet across, they are packed with sturdy sea life such as snails, barnacles, mussels, anemones, urchins, sea stars, crustaceans, seaweed, and small fish. Read more…
From Our Book
low tide pools
anemone (uh • NEH • muh • nee) Anemones use their tentacles to close in over their food and digest it.
@California coast, USA under a Third Quarter Moon
Meteors are space particles. When streams of meteors enter Earth’s atmosphere at extremely high speeds on parallel trajectories, they are called meteor showers. Most meteors are smaller than a grain of sand, so almost all of them burn up before they hit the Earth’s surface. The ones that make it through can be seen as streaks of light. If you are lucky to see one, make a wish!
From NASA’s Space Place
A meteor is a space rock—or meteoroid—that enters Earth’s atmosphere. As the space rock falls toward Earth, the resistance—or drag—of the air on the rock makes it extremely hot. What we see is a “shooting star.” That bright streak is not actually the rock, but rather the glowing hot air as the hot rock zips through the atmosphere.
When Earth encounters many meteoroids at once, we call it a meteor shower. Read more…
From Our Book
meteor shower
saguaro cactus (suh • WAA • row) Large, columnar cacti with arms covered with protective spines, white flowers in the late spring, and red fruit in summer.
@Chiricahua (chr • uh • KAA • wuh) Mountains, Arizona, USA under a Full Moon
The Pacific is the largest of Earth’s oceans. It covers more of Earth’s surface than all the dry land put together.
From Britannica Kids
The Pacific Ocean extends to North America and South America to the east. Asia and Australia lie to the west. From north to south, the Pacific extends from the Arctic Ocean to the Southern Ocean.
The deepest point in the Pacific—or anywhere on Earth—is the Mariana Trench, near the Mariana Islands. At 36,201 feet (11,034 meters), it is much deeper than Earth’s highest mountain, Mount Everest, is high. Read more…
From Our Book
bioluminescence (bai • ow • loo • muh • NEH • sns) A glowing light produced by a chemical reaction within a living organism.
humpback whale, a member of the balen whale family
@Pacific Ocean under a Full Moon
The red-eyed tree frog is a brightly colored frog that lives in rain forests of Central and South America.
From Kiddle
Red-eyed tree frogs spend most of their time on large tropical leaves. They are not poisonous. To protect themselves, during the day, they stay still, cover their blue sides with their back legs, tuck their bright feet under their stomachs, and shut their red eyes. So they look almost completely green, and are well hidden amongst the leaves. When a red-eyed tree frog detects a predator, it abruptly opens its eyes and stares at the predator. The sudden appearance of the red eyes may startle the predator, giving the frog a chance to flee. Read more…
From Our Book
red-eyed tree frog, who despite their conspicuous, bright coloration, are not venomous.
@Costa Rica under a Waning Gibbous Moon
Derived from Soft Paws.com
Retractable Claws: A cat’s claws rest in the fur of its paws. That means that when a cat is walking, the claws aren’t touching the ground. This cuts down on the wear and tear of the claws and ensures that they retain their sharpness. It also means that cats can walk quite quietly, the better to sneak up on their prey.
When the cats’ claws come out of the front of their toes, they act as tools that are used to catch and hold prey, tear meat from bones, defend their bearer, and climb. Read more…
From Our Book
basilica (buh • SI • luh • kuh) A church such as Saint Peter’s Basilica in this scene, built in the Renaissance style
retractable claws that hide inside the cat’s paw unless they need them out!
@Vatican City, Rome, Italy under a New Moon
Rome (Italian Roma), the capital city of Italy, is located in central Italy on the Tiber River. It is the home of the pope (in the Vatican City) and was one of the most powerful ancient cities. It contains numerous museums, basilicas, and palaces, such as the Colosseum.
From Britannica Kids
Rome is filled with notable palaces, churches, and public squares called piazzas. The city also has more than 300 public fountains. Museums such as the Borghese Gallery display famous works of art.
The remains of many ancient monuments still stand in Rome. Read more…
From Our Book
basilica (buh • SI • luh • kuh) A church such as Saint Peter’s Basilica in this scene, built in the Renaissance style
retractable claws that hide inside the cat’s paw unless they need them out!
@Vatican City, Rome, Italy under a New Moon
The saguaro cactus is la arge, tree-like cactus that may develop branches (or arms) as they age. These arms generally bend upward and can number over 25. Saguaros are covered with protective spines, white flowers in the late spring, and red fruit in summer.
From the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
Quick Facts
- The saguaro is the largest cactus in the United States.
- Most of the saguaros roots are only 4-6 inches deep and radiate out as far from the plant as it is tall. There is one deep root, or tap root that extends down into the ground more than 2 feet.
- After the saguaro dies its woody ribs can be used to build roofs, fences, and parts of furniture. The holes that birds nested in or “saguaro boots” can be found among the dead saguaros. Native Americans used these as water containers long before the canteen was available.
From Our Book
meteor shower
saguaro cactus (suh • WAA • row) Large, columnar cacti with arms covered with protective spines, white flowers in the late spring, and red fruit in summer.
@Chiricahua (chr • uh • KAA • wuh) Mountains, Arizona, USA under a Full Moon
The Sahara in North Africa, is the one of the largest deserts in the world. It has been both larger and smaller at different times since the last Ice Age. The Sahara has about the same size as the whole United States.
From Kiddle – Sahara facts for kids
Oases are where dates, corn, and fruits are grown… Other sorts of vegetation include scattered concentrations of grasses, shrubs and trees in the highlands, as well as in the oases and along river beds…
Animals living in the Sahara include gerbil, jerboa, cape hare and desert hedgehog, barbary sheep, oryx, gazelle, deer, wild ass, baboon, hyena, jackal, sand fox, weasel and mongoose. The bird life counts more than 300 species. Reptiles, including 4 species of snake also live here. The most venomous scorpion in the world lives here.
4,000 years ago, the Sahara would have been a thriving savanna grassland with a great variety of wildlife… The climate has changed, causing the rainfall to drop and turn the Sahara into the barren, desert wilderness as we know it today. Read more…
From Our Book
dromedary (DRAA • muh • deh • ree) (I have one hump.)
haboob (huh • BOOB) A violent wind blowing in summer stirring up sand and creating a wall of sediment that precedes the storm cloud.
@Sahara Desert, Northern Africa under a New Moon
San Francisco is located on the West Coast of the United States, midway up the California coast and includes significant stretches of the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay within its boundaries. The area offers surfing spots, rugged scenery, food, history, and marine life along its coasts.
From Our Book
low tide pools at Fitzgerald Marine Reserve, a state park in Moss Beach, California
anemone (uh • NEH • muh • nee) Anemones use their tentacles to close in over their food and digest it.
@California coast, USA under a Third Quarter Moon
The word savanna comes from a word for prairie or plains. They are covered with tall grasses and may have scattered bushes and trees, but not enough to keep grasses from growing. The most common definition of savanna is the tropical grassland, such as in Africa. They have seasonal rains and dry periods.
From Kiddle – Savanna facts for kids
The savannas of Africa are the best-known savannas. Some herbivores found in the savanna are antelopes, impalas, gazelles, buffalos, wildebeests, zebras, rhinos, giraffes, elephants, and warthogs. There is also a large number of carnivores, including cats (lions, leopards, cheetahs, servals), dogs (jackals, wild dogs), and hyenas. The vegetation in Eastern African is also rich with grass and some scattered trees, mostly acacia trees. The dry season is the winter, from December to February it may not rain at all. But in the summer there is lots of rain. Read more…
From Our Book
savanna (sa • VAN • nuh) A grassy plain in tropical and subtropical regions with few trees
umbrella tree
@Serengeti, Tanzania, Africa under a First Quarter Moon
The Serengeti is a region of savanna (woodlands and grasslands) in East Africa. The south of it (80%) belongs to Tanzania. The north of it is in Kenya. It is one of the greatest areas for wildlife.
From Kiddle – Serengeti facts for kids
Northern Serengeti: the landscape is dominated by open woodlands and hills, from Seronera in the South, to the Mara river into Kenya. Apart from the migratory wildebeest and zebra (which occur from July to August, and in November), the bushy savannah is the best place to find elephant, giraffe and dik dik… Giraffes also live in the Serengeti National Park. Read more…
From Our Book
savanna (sa • VAN • nuh) A grassy plain in tropical and subtropical regions with few trees
umbrella tree
@Serengeti, Tanzania, Africa under a First Quarter Moon
Sloths are slow-moving mammals that spend most of their lives in trees. Sloths evolved to expend very little energy because their diet does not provide them with a lot of calories and nutrition. They cling to the trunks or hang upside down from the branches. Sloths live in the tropical forests of Central and South America. Three-toed sloths often sit on the branches rather than hang from them.
From National Geographic Kids
There are two main species of sloth, identified by whether they have two or three claws on their front feet. The two species are quite similar in appearance, with roundish heads, sad-looking eyes, tiny ears, and stubby tails. Two-toed sloths are slightly bigger and tend to spend more time hanging upside-down than their three-toed cousins, who will often sit upright in the fork of a tree branch. Three-toed sloths have facial coloring that makes them look like they’re always smiling. They also have two extra neck vertebrae that allow them to turn their heads almost all the way around! Read more…
From Animal Fact Guide
Sloths evolved to expend very little energy because their diet does not provide them with a lot of calories and nutrition. Brown-throated sloths primarily eat tough, rubbery rainforest leaves. These leaves are also full of toxins (a form of protection for the rainforest trees). But sloths have developed a digestive system to handle these highly indigestible leaves. Their stomachs are multi-chambered, similar to a cow’s stomach, and house a mix of bacteria which helps to slowly break down the leaves. It takes two weeks for a sloth to digest one meal — the slowest digestion time of any mammal!
Sloths are specially adapted to live among the treetops. Their fur hangs upside down, running from their stomachs to their backs. This is because sloths themselves usually hang upside down. The orientation of their fur helps the rainwater flow away from their body. Read more…
From Our Book
red-eyed tree frog, who despite their conspicuous, bright coloration, are not venomous.
three-toed sloth (cover)
@Costa Rica under a Waning Gibbous Moon
The umbrella tree (Acacia tortilis) has become almost a symbol of the African bush. Giraffes can eat as much as 29 kilograms of acacia leaves and twigs daily (go Ellie & Gerald!).
From Tanzania Experience
While on safari in Tanzania you will not only see animals, but also trees. Tanzania has hundreds of tree species but today I am highlighting one in particular, the acacia family. East Africa has around 62 species of which six are endemic to Tanzania. Acacias can grow as trees and shrubs, but the most classic acacia trees seen on safari include the umbrella tree, whistling thorn, wait-a-bit acacia and the yellow fever tree. Read more…
From Our Book
savanna (sa • VAN • nuh) A grassy plain in tropical and subtropical regions with few trees
umbrella tree
@Serengeti, Tanzania, Africa under a First Quarter Moon