Tree Frog Treks

posted by Tree Frog Treks! on Sep 27

This week, students in our After School Programs will learn all about bears. Students will investigate mammalian characteristics, find out what bears eat, and learn what bears need in their habitats to survive. Students will also learn about the effect that humans have on bear populations.

Bears are in phylum Chordata, class Mammalia, order Carnivora, and family Ursidae. Bears live throughout the world and are found in many different habitats from the tropics to the arctic. Brown bears, black bears, and polar bears are all found in North America. Common characteristics of bears include: a large body, stocky legs, plantigrade paws (bears walk flat on the soles of their feet), a long snout, shaggy hair, paws with five nonretractable claws, and a short tail. Bears also have an excellent sense of smell. Most bears sleep in dens during the winter for a long sleep (similar to hibernation). During the denning period the bear’s body temperature lowers, the metabolic rate decreases, and they can be easily aroused.

For further reading, check out:
Fraser Bear: A Cub’s Life – Maggie De Vries
Two Bear Cubs: A Miwok Legend from California’s Yosemite Valley – Robert D. San Souci

Photo credit: wikipedia

posted by Tree Frog Treks! on Sep 24

Dear Mr. Science,
What is the smallest lizard, snake, and frog?
Cole, age 6

Hi Cole,
Thanks for asking this question! We always talk about the largest animals but some of the smallest ones are the coolest because they are sooo tiny.

The smallest lizard is the Jaragua Lizard. This lizard is found in the Caribbean and is about the size of a dime.

The smallest snake is the Barbados Threadsnake. This snake is also found in the Caribbean, is as thin as a spaghetti noodle and can fit its whole body on a quarter.

The smallest frog was just recently discovered in Borneo. This frog is called Microhyla nepenthicola and is about the size of a pea! (See image above)

Keep those questions coming!
Cheers,
Mr. Science (a.k.a. Chris Giorni)

Photo credit: www.theage.com.au

posted by Tree Frog Treks! on Sep 23

The Townsend’s Warbler is found on the northwestern coast of Northern America. They have a yellow face with black stripes on their cheeks, a thin pointed bill, white wing bars, an olive back with black streaks, and a white chest. The males have a black cap, throat and a yellow lower breast whereas the females have a dark cap and yellow throat. These birds live in higher branches and mainly eat insects and spiders but in the winter will eat berries and plant nectar. The Townsend’s Warblers’ call is zee-zee-zee-bzz-zee.

Photo credit: www.10000birds.com

posted by Tree Frog Treks! on Sep 20

This week students in our After School Programs will learn all about birds. They will learn about basic bird characteristics, special bird adaptations, the importance of migratory bird habitats, and why we should help protect them.

Birds are in the class Aves and have certain characteristics that set them apart from other animals. Birds are in the class Aves. They are vertebrates (have a backbone), endothermic (warm blooded), bipedal (can walk/hop on two legs), and lay hard shelled eggs. Birds are very diverse, living all over the world in fact there are more than 10,000 species of birds alive today. Some birds are tiny, like the Bee Humming birds (only about 5 cm or 2 in), while others are enormous, like the ostrich (reaching 2.7 m or 9 ft). According to fossil record birds evolved from dinosaurs in the Jurassic period, 150-200 million years ago.

Every Thursday on our blog we focus on a new Bay Area native plants, animal, or bird. Here are some of the native birds we have talked about:
American Robin
Mallad
Anna’s Hummingbird
American Coot
Common Raven
Scrub Jay
California Quail

For further reading, check out:
Chickens Aren’t the Only Ones – Ruth Heller
Birds of San Francisco and the Bay Area – Joseph Morlan, Chris Fisher, Gary Ross, Ewa Plucienni

posted by Tree Frog Treks! on Sep 17

Dear Mr. Science,
How long can turtles hold their breath?
Erin, age 4

Hi Erin,

What a great question! Turtles can hold their breath for different amounts of time depending on the type of turtle and what they are doing. However, the average turtles can hold its breath for 20 minutes to an hour. Other turtles can hold their breath 4-7 hours while resting and 3-5 months when they hibernate.

The above picture is of Tuck and Mamma two Red Eared Sliders that live at Tree Frog Treks.

Keep those questions coming!
Cheers,
Mr. Science (a.k.a. Chris Giorni)

posted by Tree Frog Treks! on Sep 16

Photo credit: ruggedcountryplants.com

Woolly Sunflower or Eriophyllum is native to western North America. This flower is found in dry open places and can grow to heights of 1-2 inches. The flowers are yellow in color and look like true sunflowers sometimes growing as much as 2 inches wide.

posted by Tree Frog Treks! on Sep 13

This week, students in our After School Programs are learning all about bugs and butterflies. Students will investigate the basic characteristics of insects and the process of metamorphosis, discover the role insects play in their ecosystem and their importance to humans and will leave inspired to protect insects and their habitats.

Insects belong to the phylum Arthropoda and the Class Insecta. Arthropod means “joint foot” and all insects have jointed legs. (However not all Arthropods are insects. Crabs, lobsters, and barnacles are also arthropods.) Some examples of familiar insects include: butterflies, moths, mosquitoes, beetles, ants, bees, wasps, and crickets. Insects are the most diverse group of animals on earth with more than a million species. More than half of all known living organisms are insects. All insects are invertebrates; they lack a backbone.

What makes in insect an insect? Insects have: 6 jointed legs, three parts to their body (a head, abdomen, and thorax), compound eyes, antennae, an exoskeleton, and most insects have wings. Thus, spiders, who have 8 legs, are not insects, neither are worms, scorpions, millipedes, centipedes, snails, slugs, or beach fleas!

The above image is a Bay Checkerspot Butterfly and is native to the State of California.

For further reading, check out:
Insect – Laurence Mound
The Best Book of Bugs - Claire Llewellyn
The Beautiful Butterfly Book – Sue Unstead
A Ladybug’s Life – John Himmelman

Photo credit: wikipedia

posted by Tree Frog Treks! on Sep 10

Dear Mr. Science,
What makes waves?
Scott, age 8

Hi Scott,

What a great question! Waves are made by wind blowing against the waters surface. The stronger the winds the bigger the waves. However, tidal waves or tsunamis are different in the fact that those waves are created by underground earthquakes, volcanoes, or landslides.

Keep those questions coming!
Cheers,
Mr. Science (a.k.a. Chris Giorni)

Photo credit: Wikipedia

posted by Tree Frog Treks! on Sep 9

Photo credit: wildherps.com

Arboreal Salamanders are native to California and Baja California. They are purplish-brown in color with a gold or yellow belly and are found in oak and sycamore woodlands in thick shrubland. They are nocturnal and are approximately two to three inches in length.

Arboreal Salamanders may squeak if picked up or disturbed. The reason this happens is that the salamander retracts its eyes into its sockets as a dense mechanism and this action creates a sound.

posted by Tree Frog Treks! on Sep 7

This week, students in our After School Programs, will be learning about cats and dogs. Students will learn about domestic dogs and cats and compare them to their family members in the wild. Students will also explore the relationship between predators and prey.

Cats
All cats, from domestic house cats to lions and tigers, belong to the family Felidae. They are often referred to as Felids. There are 40 known species of felids in the world today. Felids are vertebrates, meaning that they have a backbone. Unlike our reptile and amphibian friends, cats are mammals. They are also carnivores, or meat eaters, and have large canine teeth. Cats are found on every continent except Australia and Antarctia. All members of the family Felidae are able to purr and have retractable or semi-retractable claws. (Retracting claws helps to keep them sharp.) Domestic cats have been living amongst humans for around 10,000 years, but there have been cats on earth for 25 million years.

Dogs
The domestic dog is a member of the family Canidae, a diverse group of carnivores which contains 36 extant, or currently existing, species. Caninds are found on every continent, except Antarctica and live in many different habitats including: deserts, mountains, forests, and grasslands. The smallest is the Fennec Fox (which is 24 cm or 9.4 in long) and the largest is the Gray Wolf (which can grow up to 200 cm or 6.56 ft and weigh 80 kg or 176 lb). Canines generally have long legs, lithe bodies, and are adapted to chase prey. Canines walk on their toes (are digitigrades), have non-retractile claws (unlike cats), and bushy tails. Many canines live and hunt in pacts, have complex social lives, and are very adaptable. Canids include: wolves, jackals, foxes, coyotes, the bush dog, the African wild dog, the Dhole, and the racoon dog.

For further reading, check out:
The First Dog – Jan Brett
Mammal – Steve Parker