Sea
turtles are beautiful animals who seem to just glide through
the water. There are only seven species of sea turtles,and some
of them are: the leatherback sea turtle which is the largest
of all turtles and tortoises and can weigh more then 1,100lbs!
Another is the hawksbill turtle which is the most tropical sea
turtle, and last but definitely not least, the Pacific Ridley
which is the smallest sea turtle and weighs less than 90lbs!
Still,
people constantly used to cause turtles to suffer by digging
up their eggs, hunting them for their shells, especially the
hawksbill, which was used to make decorative items, and by building
tourist centers on their nesting beaches. However, conservationists
are taking measures to protect them.
Some
interesting facts I learned about sea turtles that I learned
are, that they have no teeth! Instead, they use the powerful
edges of their jaws to crush whatever food needs breaking up.
Some turtles can lay 50 to 150 eggs. Some people enjoy turtle
eggs. My opinion: Yuck!
Female
sea turtles dig a hole in the sand where they lay lots of eggs,
and then cover the hole back up. Later, when the eggs hatch,
the tiny baby turtles crawl across the beach to the water where
they'll grow up. The only thing is, there's always the possibility
of getting snatched by a hungry bird on the way. Run fast baby
turtles!
I
think sea turtles are amazing creatures. To learn more about
them and just about any other animal you can possibly think
of, check out "Animals of the world." I hope you enjoyed
this.
-
Rebecca, 12, Pennsylvania
(photo
courtesy of Cayman Islands Department of Tourism)
Furry
Friends Aren't Made to be Clothes!
Koalas
are marsupials, which means they carry their young around in
a pouch, just like kangaroos. Koalas can reach a length of up
to eighty-five centimeters. They have a life span of twelve
to eighteen years. Young koalas are kept in their mothers pouch
for up to six months, then their mothers will carry them on
their backs until they have reached half of their full size.
These
creatures may be found in eucalyptus trees in Australia, but
they are becoming so endangered that you may never be able to
see a live one again! One reason why they are becoming so very
endangered is because hunters and companies who make clothing
have been killing them so that they could have the Koala's soft,thick
fur. Most of these companies had used their fur for making clothes,
but Australia has enforced laws so that they cannot be hunted.
Instead, most of them are kept in captivity by Australia's parks.
-
Aidsley, 13, Florida
The
Amur Leopard
Fierce
yellow eyes, huge paws, gigantic body, yet so few. If you don't
know what I'm talking about, it's the Amur Leopard. The Amur
Leopard is like the unsung baby brother of the Siberian Tiger.
They both mainly come from Russia. But the Tiger is such a "magnificent
creature" that it gets all the press.
-Amber,
11, Canada
All
The Pretty Horses
At
the Farmington Polo Club, a boarding and riding stable there
are many Jack Russell Terriers, goats, cats and of course, horses.
There are many pastures where beautiful horses gallop with their
heads up high. There is also land where jumps are set up to
test the ability of horse and rider. There are many trails to
ride on and open fields to gallop through.
Many
new and exciting things happen at the Farmington Polo Club.
Here is something that happened this month: Ashley, the trainer
and riding school instructor tried to jump 5 feet tall jumps
on her horse Jake, who holds the record of being the tallest
horse in the barn for the past 5 years. She cantered him over
a jumping course of 8 jumps, all being 5 feet tall. Each jump
was jumped without being knocked down. Wow!
A
new 8 month old Jack Russell, Taylor (a.k.a Tay Tay) was adopted
by Ashley this month. She enjoys chasing the other dogs around
and fights with bigger dogs and wins! Marguerite, a former horse
owner, has been training 2 German Shepherds to be seeing eye
dogs. Their names are Kasey and Jaylor. She has trained them
well and all of us should give a big hand for them since they
passed the test to see if they are good enough to be a seeing
eye dog this month.
Diamond,
a chestnut (light brown) colored mare (female) made it over
3 foot jumps. Since Diamond's leg problems she has only been
able to jump 1 foot. So three cheers for Diamond's recovery!
Skinny, a former abused racehorse was bought by Karen, a loving
horse owner. Skinny is happy and is very spoiled now. He still
enjoys galloping but now he has the open fields, pastures and
trails to roam.
Catherine,
11, Connecticut
CALLING
ALL ANIMAL LOVERS!