Red Pandas

 Several years ago we got to visit the Boise Zoo with some of our grandchildren. We weren’t sure what we would get to see, because it was chilly and actually dropping a few flurries, but we decided to venture out anyway. In one enclose we got to see Red Pandas.

Red Pandas are normally found in southwestern China. It is not really a true panda but more closely related to raccoons, weasels, and skunks. They live in the coniferous forests close to water. They do eat bamboo leaves like the great panda, so that’s where it gets the name. They also like fruits, blossoms, and the occasional egg.

They have reddish fur on top and black fur underneath. They have white ears, with white cheeks, and a white face. They have a reddish tail with a black tip and little black rings. They are not really big. They
are only 2-3 feet long with their tail. They love to climb trees but they are a little shy. They can run quickly on the ground by trotting or bounding. They sleep in trees during the day and wander around at evening and during the night.

Red pandas make lots of noises. They can make growls, barks, squeals, hoots, bleats, grunts and twitters. This helps them communicate with pandas and other animals.

Red pandas can have 1-4 cubs and are very good parents. The mother makes a den in a tree or hollow log for them to live in for their first few months. Red pandas can live for 14 years.

Red pandas are endangered because the forests where they live because of poachers and people cutting down lots of trees.

Here is a video for you.

I hoped you liked finding out about red pandas!

Love Papaw.

Sloths

 

Next time you are at the zoo, make sure you go visit the sloths. Sloths are the slowest mammals on Earth. They live in the tropical rain forests of South America. They spend all their time in the trees. They only come down to go to the bathroom or to find a different tree.

There are two kinds of sloths, the two-toed sloth, and the three-toed sloth. I like the three-toed sloth the best. If you remember the sloth from the movie Zootopia, the one in the DMV, he was a three-toed sloth. Sloths are herbivores.  They like to eat leaves, stems, fruits and even the bark of trees and other plants. Their stomach is always full and sometimes the food takes a month to digest. I guess they do everything slow. Sloths are good swimmers so if they fall out of a tree and into a river, they can still get back to shore.

Sloths spend a lot of time sleeping or just hanging around in the trees. In fact they are so slow that they have a whole ecosystem living in their fur. There is a kind of moth that live there and nowhere else.  They have special bacteria and fungus that can act like antibiotics! I guess they don’t take baths very often. Here are some fun facts from (https://slothconservation.org/10-incredible-facts-about-the-sloth/).

1. There used to be sloths the size of elephants!

2. Sloths are three times stronger than us!

3. They poop once a week, and a third of their body weight in one go

4. Sloths are blind in bright daylight

5. They are 3x faster in water than on land

6. It takes sloths 30 days to digest a leaf

7. If it gets to cold, they can starve to death on a full stomach

8. Sloths can fall 100 feet without injury

9. They could cure cancer and help with bacterial resistance

10. Sloth lifespan: No one knows how long they live for  (one in a zoo lived for over 50 years!)

11. Sloths have a colony of hundreds of bugs living in their fur!

Here’s a short video about sloths.

I hope you liked our sloth talk!

Love Papaw.

Waddle, Waddle, Penguins!

 This week is about penguins. Penguins are pretty cool. With their black and white tuxedo-like feathers they look like they are going to a fancy dinner. You can only find them in the southern hemisphere so no penguins at the North Pole. Many live in Antarctica where it can get very, very, cold. 

There are 19 different types of penguins. Some are a meter tall. The smallest is the “little blue” or “fairy” penguin. Some have feathery plumes on the top of their heads. One even looks like it has a chin strap. That’s why they call it the chin-strap penguin. Penguins can’t really fly (unless you count flying underwater) but they are good walkers. Some penguin spend weeks at sea catching fish or krill (small shrimp) and then can walk miles to their breeding ground. 

They don’t make a nest. They balance their one egg on their feet so that the egg won’t touch the frozen snow.  They cover it with a special feathered pouch. When it gets really cold, they huddle together by the thousands to stay warm. 

https://www.calgaryzoo.com/plan-your-visit/animal-zones/penguin-plunge/rockhopper-penguins/

 My favorite penguin is the Rock Hopper. They have cool yellow crests and are really good at hopping up rocky beaches that other penguins can’t climb. 

Penguins have to be careful of predators. Seals, sharks, and orcas all have penguins on the menu. They have to be fast and agile to avoid all of those. 

(Fact Sheet from Fity.club)

Here’s a video of the rock hoppers.

Here is a video of scientists using a Penguin Robot Camera to watch them come ashore! Wow!

Well I hoped you like our penguin talk. 

Love you,

Papaw

Sea Turtles

Have you ever been to “Turtle Talk with Crush” at California Adventure or seen the movie Finding Nemo? Crush is a sea turtle. All turtles are reptiles. Reptiles always go to land to lay their eggs, even if they live in the water. In fact, whereas a female sea turtle will climb out on the sand once a year to lay their eggs, the males never leave the ocean their whole life. They still breathe air but they eat, sleep, and live in the ocean.

There are seven types of sea turtles in the world. The largest is the Leatherback turtle. Kemp’s Ridley sea turtles are the smallest. Disney's Crush is a Flatback sea turtle. They live in the waters around Australia. My favorite sea turtles are the ones found in the Pacific Ocean, especially around the Hawaiian Islands. They are called Green sea turtles. They are plant eaters and especially love to eat sea grass. Many sea turtles like to eat jellies often called jelly fish. (We don’t call them jelly fish anymore because they are not fish. The same goes with starfish. They are now called sea stars.) Other turtles may eat crabs, shrimp, sea cucumbers, or even reef sponges. Sea turtles can live for a long time. Most can live to be 80 years old. Some can even live to be 100!

Here is a picture of the seven kinds of sea turtles. Boy, that Leatherback turtle looks big!

If you ever get to see a sea turtle, remember they are a protected species. Be sure to say "hi" and take lots of pictures, but never touch them!

Well, Crush and I have to go, so “Gimme some fin Dude!”

Papaw out. 😊

National Honey Day

 

This Saturday is National Honey Bee Day. Honey bees are really important to our environment. They pollinate most of our crops – the things you eat. Here in California the farmers rent bees every spring to pollinate almonds, peaches, cherries, and a lot of other fruits.  

Almost all honey bees you see on flowers are female worker bees. They only live 5-6 weeks. Throughout their short life they have different jobs as they get older. They start out helping in the hive feeding baby bees (larva) making new cells, fanning their wings to keep the hive cool, and taking care of the queen. After a couple weeks they go out as hunter/gatherers. They look for new patches of flowers and report back to the hive. They do a little dance that tells everyone where to find them, and how far away the flowers are. Once the other bees have all the information they need, the hurry to the flower to collect as much sweet flower nectar as they can. They also collect pollen in special sacs on their legs. Both the pollen and the nectar become food for the colony. Everybody shares. Wow, what good bees they are! Some of the nectar is turned into honey so they have enough to eat in the winter. This is where we get our honey from.

Another important bee is the Queen. She stays home and runs the hive while laying lots of eggs that will grow into new worker bees. She is the queen because she eats food called royal jelly. The male is called a drone. Drones are only around during the spring. They don’t live very long.

Honey is the sweet, golden, stick stuff that bee keepers harvest in the fall. They don’t take it all so the bees have enough to live through the winter. It has different tastes, depending on what kind of flower the nectar comes from. Most honey in the store is clover honey. To get the best tasting honey, look for local honey at farmers markets or from local bee keepers. It’s the freshest and tastes so yummy!

Just be sure to not eat it all at one time.
Too much honey might give you a tummy ache. Also, you might end up like Pooh Bear and run out! Always save some for others.

"Bears love honey and I'm a Pooh bear
So I do care, so I'll climb there
I'm so rumbly in my tumbly
A time for something sweet"

(The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh)

Hope you like our bee talk!

Love Papaw.

Fun & Games

 

Games in various forms have been around for a long time. One of the oldest known board games called “Senet” comes from ancient Egypt nearly 4000 years ago. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senet). There are probably older sport like games. Everybody seems to like at least one game.

What is your favorite? Now days everyone seems to be busy playing video games, but I still like the old board games too. When I was growing up we often played Monopoly, Sorry, and Candy Land. My brother and I loved to play a game called Battleship. We would get to say, “You sunk my battleship!”  (Ask your parents. They can explain it to you.) My mother really likes to play Uno. My grandparents liked to play various card games and a game with dice called Yahtzee. We would play that for hours!

One thing I recommend is that you take time to play something that someone else likes and not just your favorites. It helps you to be a good friend. Here are some hints to help game playing stay fun & exciting.

1. Be a good loser. We can’t win every time so be excited when others win.

2. Be a good winner. Don’t rub it in. Don’t brag. No one likes that.

3. Make sure you take care of your games. Pick up all the pieces and put them away carefully when you are done. (Also, don’t eat peanut butter and jelly on your games.)

4. Make sure you let others choose the game sometimes. Play a game you’re not good at to help you learn.

5. Try to play several kinds of games. Be sure to play ones that make you think and choose. Its good for your brain.

6. Thank the person(s) for playing. It’s always good to be thankful.

So what game do you want to play? Maybe I can join you when I come visit.

Love Papaw

National Watermelon Day

 

Today, August 3, is National Watermelon Day. They are so common that no summer picnic would be complete without those juicy, sweet slices. There are over 100 varieties of watermelons. Part of the gourd family of plants, they originally came from Africa. The can be long or round. They are grown all over the world. They can be seedless or have black striped seeds and come in many colors like red, pink, or even yellow. The yellow ones are my favorite because I think they taste like honey. Here’s one that papaw grew in his garden. It was amazing! You almost think it will taste like lemon, but it still tastes like watermelon.

Watermelons have several nutrients like vitamin C and amino acids, and are full of water (I mean they are called watermelon) which can help you stay hydrated on a hot day. The seeds can even be roasted and eaten.

Sometimes people turn watermelons into works of art. They can be carved to make melon ball baskets. In Japan, they put them in molds so that they can have square watermelons! I guess they stack better.

     

So what kind of watermelon do you like? If you see it at your next picnic, be sure to eat a piece for me!

Love Papaw