The seal population is threatened today by the destruction of their homes.
Seals often get caught in fishing nets and lost fishing gear.The 3rd grade students used class time and computer time to complete these reports on animals.
SEALS, SEALS, AND MORE SEALS
There are many kinds of seals. Some are the Harbor Seal, the Harp Seal, the Northern Elephant seal, and the Wendell Seal. I am going to tell you about Harbor Seals.
Harbor seals are interesting animals. They eat crustaceans, mollusks, squid, and a variety of fish. Harbor seals do not chew their food. They tear it into chunks or swallow it whole.
Harbor Seals are about 6 feet long and weigh up to 375 pounds. Males are bigger than females. They have a rounded body with thick, short hairs. They are a variety of colors. They can be almost white with dark spots all the way to black withy white rings. Their back flippers help them move forward in water by moving the flipper from side to side.
Harbor Seals have few enemies. Sharks and killer whales hunt seals, and some seals are hunted by other seals. Some humans hunt seals for their furs, skins, and oil. Seals are clumsy out of water and have a slim chance of escaping a predator on land.
The seal population is threatened today by the destruction of their homes.
Seals often get caught in fishing nets and lost fishing gear.
Seals are wonderful animals. I hope they stick around for years to come.
By: Zoey
Cool Dogs
Dogs are wonderful animals. They have good friendship with people. The best age to get a dog for a pet is when it is a puppy four to six weeks old. This is when they start to relate to humans.
A puppy may be born in a litter of six to eight pups. They begin to walk at two weeks old. They play with each other at three weeks old. Adult teeth start to grow when the puppies are four weeks old. Puppies chew on things for fun and to help their teeth come in.
Dogs live with people in all places in the world. Because dogs get along so well with people, they are used for many different jobs. Some dogs are trained to lead blind people. Others are used to help people who are deaf. Some dogs are raced as a sport. Some are used to pull sleds in cold regions. They are also used to help people who go hunting. They retrieve birds.
You must always take care of your dog. Dogs must be fed regularly and groomed. They must have water at all times! A dog needs exercise to keep fit. Playing with your dog is a good way for your dog to get exercise. Dogs need shelter from cold and heat. Most of all, you need need to love your pet!
Dogs are great!
By William
Bison
A long time ago bison, or buffalo, grazed all over the continent of North America. They were very important to the Native Americans. Long before South Dakota was a state, the Sioux Indians called the buffalo “Tatanka.” The buffalo was very important to the Indians way of life. Every part of part of the buffalo was used. They used the hides for shelter and clothing. Bones were used for tools. It was an important source of food.
Adult bison are brown. They weigh about 2,000 pounds and are the biggest mammal in North America. The bison can run up to 35 miles per hour. The hump on its back is a large shoulder muscle to help hold up its head which has the horns that protect its skull. The horns stretch three feet from tip to tip.
The predators of the bison are wolves, coyotes, mountain lions, bears, and people. Most adult bison live for about 12 years, but some scientists have found bison that were 40 years old.
When fur traders, settlers, and the railroad came to the west, buffalo were killed by the thousands. They were almost extinct in the 1800’s. Now buffalo can be found in reserves and parks.
By Chance
Do you like gorillas? Gorillas are awesome animals. They are like humans in many ways. They have two arms, five fingers on each hand, two legs, and five toes on each foot. They use their hands to eat and grasp food.
Gorillas are the largest anthropoid apes. He has a broad chest, huge shoulders, long arms, and short legs. A large male gorilla may weigh up to 450 lbs. and standing on its feet it can be six feet tall. A female gorilla usually weighs about 200 lbs. and standing on her feet she is shorter than the male. They may look fierce, but they won’t attack humans unless disturbed or attacked. It has a shiny black face and canine teeth. When he gets excited or wants to frighten away intruders it stands up its legs and slaps its cupped hands against his chest one at a time. This makes a loud mean sound. Gorillas are shy and friendly animals.
When a gorilla walks on two feet his back is flat and he walks on his knuckles on his front feet. They usually walk on the ground but they will climb a tree to eat, sleep, sit, and get away from a larger animal. They live in rain forests of Nigeria/Cameroon and Uganda witch is near the equator. Gorillas usually have only one baby at a time. Gorillas live for about 50 years unless they get killed. People hardly ever call gorillas dangerous, aggressive, or killer animals. Gorillas are vegetarians. Because of habitat loss the gorillas are in great danger of becoming extinct. Gorilla’s arms are so long that they are longer than their legs. Their hair is brownish and almost all over their body except for their fingers, palms, face, armpits, and bottoms of their feet.
Gorillas are awesome animals. If you study them, you might think they are awesome too!!!!!!
The Fearsome Shark
I think sharks are cool, and you would like to study about them. Let me tell you a little about sharks and particularly about Hammerhead sharks.
Did you know there are more than 300 kinds of sharks? Sharks are known as man eaters. They have two or five rows of teeth. Sharks have two dorsal fins. Hey, some have three eyelids. The liver is the largest organ in a shark’s body. It’s 25 percent of the shark’s total weight. Hammerhead sharks swim in a group, called a school. They live from 20 to 30 years. Their average weight is 500 to 1,000 lbs. Hammerheads don’t attack humans unless something attracts them to an area where people are. Hammerheads have existed for 25 million years. When a hammerhead is left alone, it avoids humans. Their mouth is behind their eyes. This shark can’t feed often, and can’t see up close.
Thirteen to 42 sharks are born, but many don’t survive. Hammerheads live in tropical waters. Hammerheads live near the bottom of the ocean.
Hammerheads have a liver filled with oil that is lighter than water. It gives them enough buoyancy to seem like they’re floating. Well I hope you study about this excellent animal. Oh, and one other thing, they have a strange T-shaped head design.
By Todd
Lions
Lions are large cats. Their nickname is King of the Beasts. Lions hunt and eat zebras, warthogs, and gazelle. Lions live on flat grass areas with few trees in Africa and Asia.
Lions are light brown and yellow. Their color helps keep them camouflaged from their enemies, such as the hyenas. It also helps them hide when they hunt.
The male lion weighs more than 500 pounds and has a large mane that makes him seem bigger than he really is. The female lion weighs a little less than the male. They both have long tails and large paws with five sharp claws on the front and four claws on the back paws. They have thirty teeth. Four of the teeth are long, sharp teeth used for tearing meat. Female lions give birth to two –four cubs. The cubs weigh about three pounds. They are born blind and weak. They can’t even stand up.
Lions are in movies like The Lion King. I learned that lions have enemies even if they are large. I learned a lot about the ways of the lions and where they come from.
By Darius
Penguins
My favorite animal is the Emperor Penguin. The penguin is also called the Sea Bird. Emperor Penguins are the largest penguins. They are as tall as 3.7 feet and weigh up to 65 pounds. Their color is black on the back and white on its chest. They have webbed feet to use for swimming. They are covered with waterproof feathers. These penguins have 70 feathers per square inch. One interesting thing about penguins is that they molt each year or lose their feathers and grow new ones. Most other birds have hollow bones, but penguins have solid bones. All penguins have big heads, a short tail, and flipper-like wings.
Penguins live in the ice packed Southern Hemisphere where it is cold. Antarctica is one continent where they live. Penguins spend most of their lives in the ocean.
Penguins can be seen diving deep to find their food. The penguins eat krill, which is a shrimp-like fish. The penguins’ predator is the killer whale and the leopard seal. A dangerous time for penguins is when they are eating krill. This may be the time that killer whales want to eat also.
Penguins live in large colonies called rookeries. They are social animals and nest in large colonies. They huddle together to protest one another. They talk to each other with clicks and whistles. I used to think Emperor Penguins were cool, but now that I’ve learned more, I think they’re very cool!
By Jenna
The Tallest Animal in the World
My animal is a giraffe, the tallest animal in the world. A giraffe is a mammal.
Giraffes have dark tongues so the tongue doesn’t get sun burnt. Giraffes have camouflage fur to help them hide from enemies.
There are lots of different kinds of giraffes. The Okapi is one kind. It is a mix between a zebra and a giraffe.
Giraffes live on grassy plains and places with a few trees. They eat plants.
Giraffes have long necks and long legs. They can reach fresh leaves off the top of a tree with their necks and see if an enemy is coming. The long legs help it run fast up to 35 miles per hour. One giraffe kick could knock off a lion’s head.
A mother is a called cow. The dad is called a bull. A young is called a calf. They live in a group called a herd.
A mother carries their babies inside for 15 months before giving birth. Giraffes have two bony horns that grow from their skull, and one or more horn like bumps on their forehead a giraffe’s hoof is separated into two parts. A giraffe’s nose can close, so sand doesn’t get inside it. Even though a giraffe’s neck is very long it only has seven bones in it just like we do in our necks. Giraffes grow hair for a mane on their necks.
The number of giraffes is getting less because people hunt them and change their land into farms. People that hunt giraffes use some of their parts to make many things. Some times people raise them to eat.
I think giraffes are very pretty and interesting. Doing this report has taught me many new things about giraffes. You should read about them too!
By: Breanna
The Harpy Eagle
You could see a Harpy Eagle if you visited the tropical rain forests of Central and South America. They are one of the largest eagles in the world.
You would know the Harpy if you saw a black bird with white undersides, thighs with light gray feathers, gray tail feathers, and white breast feathers. The neck and head feathers are light. Its eyes are dark. It will weigh between 10-16 pounds and stand 3 feet tall. Their wing spread is 7 feet.
Harpy Eagles have big feet and large talons. The talon can be five inches long. The Harpy Eagle uses these huge claws to grab very big prey. They feed on monkeys, sloth, opossums, large reptiles, large rodents, and other birds. Their keen eyesight helps them hunt.
When catching a fish, Harpy Eagles spread out their wings, put their talons in the water, and grab a fish. Harpy Eagles will bring fish to their young and give them little pieces. Then they throw the bones out of the nest. The Harpy Eagles eat small animals whole, but eat only enough of the larger animal to get them small enough to carry back to the nest.
These birds mate for life. They lay 1 or 2 eggs in a clutch. Both parents care for the young. They build their nest high in a tree made of sticks and twigs.
The Harpy Eagle communicates with whistling and clicking calls.
The Harpy Eagle is an endangered species. The number of Harpy Eagles decreases as the forests are cut down. They are hunted by the Indians for food and feathers.
By Emanuel
