My Takeaways From Reading Other Science Blogs

African Elephants

By reading African Elephants I learned a lot.I thought it was interesting how African elephants use their trunks for breathing, drinking, grabbing, and trumpeting.I was sad to hear that African elephants are endangered because of people poaching them because of their meat and ivory. Elephants are very unusual animals,there is so much more to learn about African elephants.

Okapi

By reading Okapi I learned a lot.I had no idea that okapi were related to giraffes.  Okapi look a lot like zebras, except for their brown stomach.I was fascinated to hear that okapi are about eight feet tall--two times me!  Okapi are very interesting, I would love to learn more about them.
By:Clara

    

Fall is in The Air

Fall Is In The Air

By: Sylvie

Many things come to mind when I think about fall.  Pumpkins, leaves changing color, and falling acorns.  I have researched these things to find out more about what makes fall so special.

Have you ever wondered how pumpkins grow? Pumpkins begin as a seed planted in the ground. A process called photosynthesis converts water and nutrients from the soil into plant tissue. Pumpkins require a long growing season of 75-100 frost free days. Pumpkins grow from vines.  The pumpkin plant grows a blossom which turns into the pumpkins we enjoy in the fall.  The pumpkin is actually an organ that stores sugar and starch.  We enjoy eating them, decorating them and carving them.

Why do you think leaves change color in the fall? As summer ends and fall begins, the days get shorter and shorter.  This is how the trees know to begin preparing for winter. Trees also use photosynthesis.  In the winter there is not enough light or water for photosynthesis.  In the fall the trees begin to cut off the food making process and the green color begins to disappear. The bright reds and yellows are in the leaves all year long, but when the green begins to disappear it makes those color shades show up more. The red color is mostly made up of glucose trapped in the leaves after photosynthesis stops. Trees bear many gifts in the fall.The leaf is one of the most  important part of  of a plant.

Acorn anyone?  Order up….coming your way.  Acorns are falling everywhere in the Ozarks. Acorns are also called oak nuts.  Acorns fall from fifty - eight different species of Oak trees in the United States.  Around one hundred species of birds and and animals eat acorns. Acorns contain one or two seeds in a tough leathery shell. They are held together at the top by a cup shape shell. Collecting acorns is a lot of fun. They come in many different sizes.  Fall is fun.  Look around for falling objects!

Pig-Nosed Vampire Rats

                          Click HERE to see my TV newscast on Pig-Nosed Vampire Rats

                                                By: Alexee

A to Z about Earth

Click HERE to see the new A to Z about Earth

Science Behind Kendamas

Click HERE to learn the science behind kendamas, a Japanese skill toy.

Click  here for my A to Z about Chemistry!

                               African Elephants

                  African elephants are the largest land animal on earth slightly bigger than their cousin indian elephants. You can tell them apart by their ears, the african elephants have big ears shaped like Africa and indian elephants have smaller rounded ears. When an elephant gets hot they suck up water in their trunks and let it out on themselves. An elephants trunk is for breathing, drinking, trumpeting, and mostly for grabbing. The trunk contains about 100,000 different muscles.

                 They can weigh up to 13,000 pounds (6.6 tons). People poach for their meat, but mainly their ivory. It is illegal to poach elephants for their meat or ivory. 

               Elephants eat roots, grasses, fruit, and bark, and they eat a lot of these things. An adult elephant can consume up to 300 pounds (136 kilograms) of food in a single day. These hungry animals do not sleep much, and they roam over great distances while foraging for the large amounts of food that they require for their massive bodies.

                Habitat loss is the biggest threat to elephant with their habitats getting hotter and drier threatening the calfs survival. Their were a few million african elephants turning the 20th century and today their are only about 450,000- 750,000 left. This animal is classified on the endangered list, while their cousin the asian elephant is on the verge of becoming extremely endangered.

Mating season is during the rainy season. Gestation lasts 22 months. A litter size is one calf (twins are rare).Calves weigh between 200-250 pounds at birth. At birth, a calf's trunk has no muscle tone, therefore it will suckle through its mouth. It takes several months for a calf to gain full control of its trunk.

    My sources National Geographic, African Elephant Facts, and Basic Facts About Elephants

                                                  By Ty Jenkins