Scorpion: 11 Elemental Facts

There are approx. 20 species
in the United States.

       Scorpion, the name of a group of animals belonging to the same class as the spiders.

11 Elemental Facts About Scorpion:

1. They live in tropical and warm temperate regions, and are not found in America north of Nebraska.
2. In the southern part of the United States there are about twenty species.
3. The body consists of two parts, one containing the head and thorax and called the cephalothorax, and the other a long, jointed abdomen, the last five segments of which form a tail.
4. Four pairs of legs and two pairs of mandibles or pincers are attached to the cephalothorax; the second pair of pincers resemble a lobster's claws.
5. The abdomen contains breathing pores and the last segment of the tail is armed with a sharp poisonous sting, the poison being secreted by two glands at its base.
6. The eyes vary in number from six to twelve, according to the species.
7. Scorpions are usually black or yellowish in color.
8. The young are carried on the body of the mother for several days after birth. They cling to her body by the pincers.
9. Scorpions remain hidden in crevices and under rocks by day, and are active at night.
10. They feed upon insects and spiders, and are dreaded by man because their sting causes a serious and painful wound, though it is seldom fatal.
11. The poison should be sucked from the wound as soon as possible, and the wound bathed with ammonia, which should be also taken internally. 

More About Scorpions from The Web:

• Scorpion at The San Diego Zoo
• Scorpions by ScienceDirect
• Insects and Scorpions - Health and Safety from CDC

Crafts About Arachnids:

• Draw a Design from A Spider's Web
• Craft a Ruote Pasta Web
• Draw a Shaded White Spider Web

Sepia Or Cuttlefish

Watch Kisslip Cuttlefish Changing Colors from

Monterey Bay Aquarium

       Sepia, the name of a cuttlefish, also of a pigment used by painters to produce a beautiful brown color prepared from the secretion of an organ in the cuttlefish, called the ink bag. The original black color is changed to brown by dissolving in caustic potash. This solution, after boiling and filtering, forms the sepia of commerce. The black coloring matter obtained from the ink bags is marketed, after undergoing several processes, as India ink. 

More About Cuttlefish From The Web:

• Cuttlefish Use Hypnosis to Hunt
• Can Cuttlefish Camouflage in a Living Room?
• How To Clean Squid or Cuttlefish - without bursting the ink sack (If you were harvesting fish for sepia ink, you would need to know how to remove the ink sack

Cheetah

Leopard on top, Cheetah on bottom.

       Cheetah is an animal of the cat family, found principally in Africa and India, and most commonly known as the limiting Jeopard. It derives this name from the fact that it can be trained to hunt antelopes and other like game. The cheetah has a little longer body in proportion to its size than the other cats, and its legs are slender. It can maintain a greater speed for a short distance than can any other land mammal. 

More About Cheetahs From The Web:

• Learn About The Cheetah at the Smithsonian's National Zoo
• The Cheetah's Wild Life
• You Can't Outrun a Cheetah by Animalogic

Crafts About Cats:

• Paper cut of a very fuzzy cat (template)
• How to draw a Halloween Cat
• Old-Fashioned Halloween Silhouettes (templates)

Chameleon: 5 Foundational Facts

Chameleon a genus of lizards, natives of the Old World, but found also in the Southern United States and the West Indies.

5 Foundational Facts About The Chameleon:

1. The best-known species has a naked body six or seven inches long, and feet and tail all suitable for grasping branches.
2. The skin is cold to the touch and contains small grains which in the shade are of a bluish-gray color, but which in the light of the sun become a grayish-brown or tawny color.
3. The chameleon possesses the curious power, however, of changing its color, either in accordance with its surroundings or with its temper, when disturbed.
4. Its power of fasting and habit of inflating itself gave rise to the fable that it lived on air, but in reality it feeds upon insects, taking its prey by rapid movements of a long, sticky tongue.
5. In general habit chameleons are dull and sluggish. They are often kept as pets.

More About Chameleons From The Web:

• Beautiful Footage: Chameleons Are Amazing by National Geographic and The Illegal and Secretive World of Chameleon Ranching

Watch a Chameleon Chang Its Colors by 

The Animal Box Office.

Whose Eyes Are These?

       Teachers or parents may print out the animal eye chart to quiz their kids about whose eyes are these. Here are the answers:

1. Eye of Solitary Frog
2. "stalk eye" of Crab
3. Eye of the Toad
4. Whirligig Beetle Eyes
5. The Chameleon's Eye
6. Eyes of the Snail on Stalks
7. Cat's Eye
8. Moth's Eye
9. Eye of A Dog
10. Spider Eyes
11. Eagle's Eye
12. Grasshopper's Eye
13. Sheep's Eye
14. Eye of the Fly
15. The Cow's Eye

Numbers 4, 8, 12, and 14 are all compound eyes!

Take the Nature Check Animal Eye Quiz!

and visit them to play more animal games.

Weasel

Cute But Deadly Weasel by Casey Anderson

Weasels that have white coats are called Ermine.

       The weasel is a small, carnivorous animal, a native of almost all the temperate and cold parts of the northern hemisphere. The body is extremely slender, the head small and flattened, the neck long and the legs short. It preys upon mice, birds and other small animals and is very destructive to poultry. The weasel is usually nocturnal in its habits. It is a fine hunter, having a very keen scent and sharp sight, and, being unwavering in pursuit of its victim, it often wears to exhaustion animals larger than itself. Several species are common in the United States, and others are found in. most parts of the temperate zones. The long-tailed, or New York, weasel is one of the most familiar species in North America. It is dark brown above and white beneath, and in winter in cold climates it turns pure white, except for the tip of the tail, which is black.

More About Weasels From The Web:

• This Minnesota Weasel is a Farmer's Favorite for Good Reason
• Stoat and weasel guide: how to identify, habitat, diet and best places to spot

Draw the cunning little weasel step-by-step.

Weaver Bird

      Weaver bird is a small bird resembling the finch, with pointed wings, a sharp, conical bill and unusually long claws. The name has reference to the bird's manner of building its nest, which is a wonderful structure of woven vegetable substances. The form and workmanship of the nests vary with the several species.

       The yellow weaver, or baya, of India, builds a long, bottle-like nest, and hangs it from a slender branch of tree or shrub, often over the water, where it is impossible for anything but a bird to enter. The sociable weaver birds build a large dome-shaped structure, or roof, in the forks of branches, and underneath this common roof many families build their nests, each with a separate entrance. While all members of the community work on the roof, each pair works alone on its own nest. 

More About Weaver Birds From The Web:

• Watch a Weaver Bird Build a Nest In A Single Day
• BBC Home Making: Weaver Bird

Kangaroo: 12 Incredible Facts

The kangaroo's tail helps to support the animal
as he or she sits and leaps.

       The kangaroo is one of the most strangely-formed animals in the world, found in a wild state only in Australia and nearby islands.

12 Incredible Kangaroo Facts:

1. The most noticeable feature about the kangaroo is the disproportion between the upper and lower parts of the body. The head is small and deer-like in shape, with large ears; the fore legs are small, and the hind legs are relatively large and powerful.
2. The tail is long and thick at the base and helps to support the animal when it sits erect, and to assist it in its long leaps.
3. When moving at an ordinary rate, the kangaroo jumps about its own length, but when frightened it can leap from three to four times that far.
4. Kangaroos are among the most ludicrous of all animals, and are objects of great interest in a "zoo."
5. The young are born very immature, being in most instances less than an inch long, and are protected and nourished for about eight months in a pouch on the mother's abdomen.
6. Kangaroos live entirely upon vegetable growths, and where still plentiful, they are a serious pest to farmers.
7. They are very timid, but are alert in time of danger.
8. The kangaroos include many species, varying in size from that of a hare to that of a large sheep, and remains of still larger extinct species have been found in Australia.
9. The larger and more common kinds belong to a genus including the giant kangaroo, the gray kangaroo and the brush kangaroo.
10. The kangaroos can kill a dog with a blow of the hind foot.
11. The animals were hunted for their hides, which make excellent leather, and also for their flesh.
12.  Smaller species include the tree kangaroos and the wallabies.

More About Kangaroos From The Web:

• Family Macropodidae, Genus Macropus from Bush Heritage Australia
• Kangaroo Life In The Wild
• Inside a Kangaroo Pouch by SmarterEveryDay
• Baby Kangaroo Rescue!

Superclass Tetradoda Class IV Mammalia.

Lion: 11 Facts

       A lion, a wild animal belonging to the cat family, celebrated for its strength and ferocity. The large head, flashing eye and heavy mane, characteristic of the male, give it a regal appearance that is reflected in the name king of beasts.

11 Facts About Lions:

1. The voice of the creature is a mighty roar, and is probably the loudest call among animals.
2. By nature the lion is less ferocious than the tiger, and is disinclined to attack man, but when angered or driven by hunger, it becomes fierce and terrible; when roused is a most dangerous adversary.
3. The lion is one of the largest members of the cat family, sometimes reaching a height of three feet and a weight of 500 pounds.
4. It is distinguished by its tawny or yellow color, tufted tail and, in the male, full flowing mane.
5. When the male is three years old its mane begins to grow; at six or seven years the lion is full grown, and at about twenty-two it is feeble and decrepit.
6. Lions make their lairs in hidden eaves, dense thickets, brushwood and other secluded places.
7. They hunt their prey at night, attacking antelopes, zebras and other wild animals, if these are available; in regions where wild game is scarce they seize camels, cattle, ponies, goats, etc.
8. The young are born in the spring, and the whelps, usually three in number, begin life with their eyes open.
9. They are given tender care by both parents until able to take care of themselves.
10. Lions are found at large only in Africa and parts of Central and Western Asia, but long years ago they were common in Europe and in many parts of Asia.
11. Today there are none in Asia Minor, Egypt or Arabia, and there are few left in India.

More About Lions From The Web:

• Best Lion Moments - BBC Earth
• Part of The Lion Pride - Dean Schneider living with lions
• The Man-eaters of Tsavo - Big Cats

Antique illustration of Senegal Lions guarding prey after a kill.

Grouse: 14 Facts About

Sometimes grouse are called partridges or pheasant.

       Grouse are a group of wild birds, related to the domestic fowls. 

14 Facts About Grouse:

1. Grouse usually live on the ground, and they always nest there. 
2. During a part of the year they live in families and confine themselves to forests and partially barren regions, where they feed on berries, buds, leaves and insects, which they often uncover by scratching. 
3. When hunted, it is their habit to lie hidden until their enemy is almost on them and then fly off rapidly with a great whirring of wings.
4. The male birds become fierce in the breeding season and, after dancing, drumming and performing various antics before the hens, they fight viciously, the victor mating with the whole flock of hens; as soon as the females begin to sit, the male leaves them alone to take the entire care of their offspring.
5. The eggs number from eight to fourteen.
6. The young are very sprightly and leave the nest almost as soon as they are hatched, and on the least alarm they hide themselves skillfully.
7. In the United States there are a number of different species, chief of which is the ruffed grouse, partridge, or pheasant, as it is called according to locality. 
8. This bird is of a brownish color, with a light-spotted breast, and trim, plump form. 
9. On the neck of the male are two large patches of black feathers, which open out, fanlike, at times.
10. The ruffed grouse are considered among the finest American game birds. 
11. Most of the states limit to a few months the period during which they may be hunted. 
12. The prairie chicken, another grouse, once was exceedingly common throughout the Central States, but it has been almost exterminated. 
13. The sound the prairie chicken makes is a loud, hollow booming that is almost as peculiar as the drumming of the ruffed grouse. 
14. There are a number of different species of the grouse in Europe, where they are favorites with sportsmen.

More About Grouse From The Web:

• Voices: Ruffed Grouse by Cornell Lab of Ornithology
• Sooty Grouse Calling by Jon Timmer
• Buster and Pheasant by Caroline Freegard

Lobster: 15 Fast Facts

Lobsters are greenish until cooked; then they turn red.

       The lobster is one of the most singularly-formed members of the animal kingdom, called a crustacean by the scientist because it is invested with an outer hard, shell-like surface, or crust. As a crustacean, the lobster is related to the shrimp, crab, barnacle, etc.

15 Fast Facts About Lobsters:

1. The body of the lobster has seven distinct segments, while thirteen minor ones, which form the thorax and head, are so blended together as not to be easily distinguished.
2. The animal has two pairs of antennae and six pairs of mouth organs.
3. The first pair of legs is long and terminates in large claws, one of which is thick and very heavy and is used for crushing objects.
4. The other claw is shorter, smaller, more or less curved, toothed and pointed at the tip.
5. The claws are really pinchers, which can be closed when fighting or when the animal seizes its prey.
6. The tail is composed of the last segment and has two wide appendages on each side, making a broad incurved organ, which the animal uses in swimming.
7. By straightening this tail and drawing it forcibly under, the lobster is thrown backward through the water at a rapid rate.
8. The animal has two large, compound eyes, situated at the end of thick stocks.
9. Its senses of hearing and sight are keen.
10. The female carries her eggs on the under side of the abdomen until they hatch, when the young are driven away and for a time swim about freely near the surface.
11. After about a month they descend to the bottom, where they remain. The lobster lives on the bottom of the sea and rarely rises more than a few feet from it.
12. It walks about on the tips of its legs, extending the large claws forward and pushing itself along by the swimming feet.
13. Lobsters are highly esteemed for food. They are caught in pots, which are traps made of wood, sunk among the rocks in the clear water in which the animals live. The pots have a funnel-shaped opening and are baited with fresh meat, which attracts the lobsters.
14. When they have once entered the trap they are unable to escape.
15. When taken from the water the lobster has a greenish appearance. The brilliant red color of those placed upon the market is produced by boiling.

More From The Web About Lobsters:

• Pinched by A Lobster!
• 6 incredible facts that will change the way you think about lobsters

Woodcock

       A woodcock is a bird belonging to the same family as the snipe, differing from the latter in having a more bulky body and shorter legs. It is widely distributed over North America, Europe, Northern Asia and Japan. It spends the summers in pine forests and the winters in southern swamps and moist woodlands, where worms, snails and slugs are plentiful. It is active by night and quiet during the day. If discovered near its nest it feigns injury, or it may carry its young away to safety, one at a time, between its thighs. The bird is about twelve inches long. The upper plumage is an intermingling of ruddy, yellowish, and ash, and is marked with black spots. Underneath, it is yellowish red with zigzag markings. The eyes are large and are set far back. The bill, nearly half the length of the body, is used with great skill in digging worms.

More From The Web About Woodcocks:

• Woodcock Facts from The Ruffed Grouse Society
• Taxonomy of The American Woodcock
• American woodcock (Scolopax minor) by New Hampshire Fish and Game

Lang Elliott filmed the American Woodcock