Teaching Strategies, Tactics, and Methods

All about fish

If you have ever wondered what fish are, the world’s largest fish, and whether fish have ears, you will find plenty of fun fish facts for kids within this teaching wiki.

What are fish?

Fish are aquatic vertebrates that live in water. There are over 34,000 different species of fish with a wide range of features.

Are all fish the same? – Characteristics

Fish are extremely diverse creatures, with individual species carrying their unique characteristics. In addition, each fish species has adapted to its specific environment over time, which means that, depending on where they live, fish tend to look different. As a result, fish are the most diverse

So, are all fish the same? No, it would be almost impossible for all 32,000 types of fish to be the same. However, there are still a few evolutionary adaptations and characteristics that all fish share.

All fish have the same characteristics:

• All fish are cold-blooded

Regardless of their species, all fish are ectothermic, meaning they are cold-blooded. As such, fish are not able to stabilize their body temperature. Fish, therefore, rely completely on their surrounding environment to keep them at a steady temperature. This means a fish’s body temperature will change and adapt depending on its surroundings.

Fish are super sensitive to temperature, so they must be very careful about what environments they enter. Most fish must stay in warm waters to maintain a healthy body temperature, while others can travel into more diverse temperature ranges.

• All fish live in water

This is perhaps one of the most obvious similarities between all fish species. All fish must live in water. If they are taken out of the water, they will die. However, some fish species can spend considerable periods outside the water without suffocating. For instance, a fish called the ‘walking catfish’ has a respiratory system that allows it to live out of water for several days.

• All fish use gills to breathe

Fish do not have the same respiratory system as humans, but they still need to breathe to survive. So instead, fish live through things called gills. Gills are respiratory organs that all fish possess, along with many other water-dwelling animals. They operate by extracting dissolved oxygen from the water and excreting carbon dioxide. In some instances, creatures with gills have adapted to respire on land as long as they are kept moist. Hermit crabs are an example of this.

While all fish have gills, some species of fish that live in environments where oxygen is sparse have developed lungs as well.

• All fish have a swim bladder

One of the uniting features among all fish is that they all have a swim bladder. What is this? A swim bladder is a specialized organ filled with air designed to help fish stay buoyant in the water. Without a swim bladder, fish constantly risk sinking or floating too much in the water.

Swim bladders also allow fish to sleep in the water without sinking to the bottom. In addition, some fish swallow air, which is then sent to their swim bladder. It is this adaptation that helps fish survive in environments where oxygen is very sparse.

• All fish have fins for movement

All modern-day fish have fins that allow them to move through the water. There are lots of different types of fins that fish have. Typically, fish will have the following fins:

• a tail fin,
• a matching pair of side fins,
• dorsal fins,
• an anal fin.

Overall, fins propel fish through the water, helping them move around and maintain stability as they do so. The tail fin is what drives fish through the water. Almost all fish also have pelvic and pectoral fins, which allow them to move around and maintain stability. Most fish also have dorsal and ventral fins, which reduce the rolling motion that happens while fish are swimming. These fins also help fish when making turns.

Are all fish the same? Unfortunately, no, but there are many similarities across the different species. Here are some other characteristics that many fish share:

• Over time, fish have adapted and developed special senses that allow them to thrive in their aquatic environment. For example, water can transmit sounds, disperse chemicals, and conduct electricity better than the air. Therefore, fish have evolved to rely much less on their vision and, instead, become more dependent on their hearing, taste, and smell.
• Certain species of fish possess something called a ‘lateral line.’ This organ can detect movements and vibrations that fish use to spot predators and prey.
• Sharks and many other fish species have a specialized structure in their eye, the tapetum lucidum, which amplifies incoming light.
• You have probably never seen a fish ear, but they have them! Fish ears are internal organs and, like in humans, help with balance and hearing.

Characteristics of modern fish:

Modern fish are divided into three categories:

• Agnatha: the jawless fish.
• Chondrichthyes: jawed fish that have skeletons made of cartilage, as well as sharks, rays, skates, and ratfish.
• Osteichthyes: jawed fish that have skeletons made of bone.

The structure of a fish

Fish are fascinating creatures with complex and intricate structures. This section will take a look into the inner workings of a fish.

The muscle system

The majority of a fish’s body is made up of muscles. These muscles are connected and work together to help the fish move smoothly and quickly through the water. The muscles are typically arranged in rows of V-shaped segments, each attached to vertebrae. These segments contract, allowing the fish’s body to bend and move through the water, propelled by strong tail strokes.

The digestive system

Teeth

In fish, the digestive process begins with the mouth, where they use their teeth to capture their prey or collect plant foods. The shape and structure of a fish’s mouth and teeth vary depending on its food type. Most fish are known as predacious, meaning that they feed on small invertebrates or other fish. Predacious fish have simple, cone-shaped teeth along their jaws, on some of the bones in the roof of their mouths, and special gill arch structures in front of the esophagus. Despite having so many teeth, most predacious fish do not use them to chew their prey; they swallow their prey whole. Instead, they use their teeth to hold

Some fish have sharp teeth, which they use for chewing and tearing up their prey. These fish include sharks and piranhas, with extremely sensitive teeth for biting chunks off of their food. Parrotfish are another species of fish that have very interesting teeth. Parrotfish have beak-like mouths with short, sharp teeth that they use for breaking off the coral and pavement-like teeth in their throats to crush coral. On the other hand, catfish have tiny, brush-like teeth arranged in rows on their jaws. These teeth are designed to allow catfish to scrape plant and animal growth off of rocks. There are also many species of fish that have no jaw teeth but instead have strong throat teeth.

Intestines

Another aspect of a fish’s digestive system that varies greatly depending on its diet is the intestine. For example, in predacious fish, the intestine can be no longer than the body cavity. In herbivorous fish, the intestine can be coiled around and have a length several times longer than the entire length of the fish. The use of intestine is primarily for absorbing nutrients into the bloodstream.

The respiratory system

One of the big questions that people ask about fish is, “How do they breathe?”

Fish live underwater, so their breathing is completely different from humans, but they still go through a process of exchanging oxygen and carbon dioxide. Most fish breathe by exchanging dissolved oxygen and carbon dioxide in water via their gills. The gills are located just behind and to the side of their mouths. Breathing can be broken down into a few steps:

1. Fish take in water continuously through their mouths.
2. This water then passes backward between the gill bars and over the gill filaments.
3. The gill filaments are where the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide takes place.

The circulatory system

Similar to humans, a fish’s circulatory system consists of the heart, the arteries, the capillaries, and the veins. However, fish have a single circuit for blood flow and a two-chambered heart with only one atrium and one ventricle. The atrium collects blood that has come back from the body, and the ventricle pumps it to the gills, where the exchange of gases occurs. This is where the blood is re-oxygenated.

Fish senses

Smell

Though humans cannot smell anything underwater, the sense of smell is extremely important to most fish. A fish’s nasal organ is lined with special sensory cells that pick up on chemicals dissolved in the water, such as substances from food. These cells send sensory information to the brain through the first cranial nerve, which is how fish smell.

Many fish also rely on their sense of smell as an alarm system. Other fish species, like eels, rely on their sense of smell rather than vision to locate food.

Taste

Many species of fish also have a very well-developed sense of taste. Catfish are a great example of how flavor works for fish, known as “swimming tongues.” Their taste receptors – small, pit-like taste buds – cover their bodies. Catfish also have whiskers to supplement their poor vision and boost their taste organs, as they are also covered in taste buds.

Sight

Sight is another important sense for the majority of fish. A fish’s eye is not overly different from other vertebrates but varies in structure and adaptation. Fish living in dark and dim conditions usually have large eyes unless they have a special adaptation that ensures their sight is not their dominant sense. In this case, the eyes will be smaller. Fish that live in brighter, often shallow waters tend to have fairly small eyes that are efficient at seeing.

Cyclostomes – strange-looking fish with no jaws – have basic eyes compared to other fish species. The skin of the Cyclostomes is stretched over their eyeballs, making their vision much less effective. Most fish have spherical lenses designed to see objects near and far away by moving with eyeballs.

Archaeologists have found that fish developed color vision over 300 million years ago by studying fish fossils. However, not all living fish have retained this ability.

Keep reading to learn what fish eat!

Hearing

Unlike humans, fish do not have ears that protrude from their heads and help them to hear. Instead, all of the organs for hearing are internal for fish, located within their skulls on either side of the brain and behind the eyes. The process of hearing for fish is as follows:

1. Sound waves, particularly those at low frequencies, travel through water.
2. These sound waves directly impact a fish’s bones and the fluids of the head and body.
3. These sound waves are then transmitted to the hearing organs.

Fish are extremely sensitive and responsive to sound, as it is often warning them of danger. For example, a trout has been conditioned to escape the clutches of fishermen by fleeing the instant that they hear footsteps on a stream bank. However, the range of sound frequencies that fish can listen to is very restricted compared to humans. Most fish communicate with one another by producing sounds in their swim bladders, rasping their teeth in their throats, and many other ways.

Other senses

In addition to the main senses listed above, fish have a range of other reasons.

• Touch – Fish seldom rely on one type of sensory information to interact with and interpret the world around them. Communication is one of the senses fish use to engage with the environment around them and determine whether it is safe. Like most other animals, fish have touch receptors all over the surface of their bodies, so their sense of touch is very effective. Touch, pain, and temperature receptors are also very important for fish. Fish’s reactions to pain and danger are very similar to those of humans. This suggests that fish experience a sensation of pain in the same way that humans do.

• Lateral line system – The lateral line system is a sensory system that is vital for fish but cannot be found in other vertebrates except some amphibians. The lateral line system consists of small, heavily innervated (supplied with nerves) canals. These canals are located in the skin and bone around the eyes, along the lower jaw, over the head, and down the mid-side of the body, where it is associated with the scales. Intermittently placed along these canals are small sensory organs designed to pick up on changes in pressure. This lateral line system enables fish to sense changes in water currents and stress, which, in turn, helps them to align themselves to the various changes that occur in the physical environment.

Where do fish live?

There is no one clear answer to the question: Where do fish live? This is because there are loads of different species that require other things from their environments to survive and thrive. As such, fish live in a variety of habitats. However, regardless of where fish live, there are a few things that fish need to live comfortably in their environment:

• Oxygen

Like almost all living things, fish need oxygen to survive. If an environment does not have an adequate supply of oxygen, fish will not be able to stay there. In addition, depending on the fish species, some will require more oxygen than others. Carp, for example, can live with much less oxygen than other types of fish.

What can affect the oxygen supply in an aquatic environment? Like plants and trees provide oxygen for us to breathe on land, living plants in and around water habitats supply the water with oxygen through photosynthesis. Moreover, oxygen can also be added to the water from the air around it.

Several factors can also take oxygen away from an environment. For instance, decaying plants use oxygen from the water to decompose. Pollution also contributes to reducing the amount of oxygen in the water.

The temperature of the water also affects its capacity to hold oxygen. Cold water can have much more oxygen than warm water.

• Food

Another feature that must be present in all places where fish live is food. Just like we, as humans, need a sufficient amount of food to survive, fish also must eat to live. Not only does there have to be an adequate amount of food available for fish to live somewhere, but there also has to be the right type of food and not too much competition. The kind of food that fish look for will change from species to species.

• Water Quality

Different species of fish require different levels of water quality. Some species of fish, for instance, can live in poor quality waters, such as carp, while others need much higher quality water to survive.

• Shelter

For a lot of fish, places to seek shelter are a necessity for any living environment. So, where fish live depends on what kinds of plants, rocks, logs, reefs, etc., are available to shelter under. There are a couple of reasons why fish seek cover. On the one hand, being able to hide away under different objects allows fish to avoid detection from predators. But, on the other hand, it gives them the element of surprise when capturing their prey.

Fish have adapted to live in a range of habitats, such as:

• Coastal waters
• The deep sea
• Coral reefs
• Rivers
• Streams
• Inland lakes
• Great lakes
• Coastal wetlands

How do fish adapt to their environments?

While fish are abundant on the planet, some species have shared characteristics depending on their environment. Here are a few examples of how fish adapt to different habitats:

Freshwater fish:

Freshwater habitats have low dissolved salt concentrations, so fish in these environments require different physiological adaptations.

Freshwater fish have less saline body fluids than their surroundings. This is because their gills diffuse dissolved gasses while keeping the salts in the body fluid inside, while their scales limit the amount of water diffusion through their skin. In addition, their kidneys are well-developed enough to reclaim salts from body fluids before excretion.

Reef fish:

Reef fish tend to be bright and conspicuous, matching their colorful environment. Their appearance can camouflage against the colorful background, protecting them from predators. Plus, it helps fish identify their species for mating.

Open-water fish have bodies adapted to swim faster. However, speed is less important in a coral reef. Coral reef fish often have flat and maneuverable bodies, allowing them to better navigate the different nooks and crannies.

Deep-sea fish:

Deep-sea fish are often drab in color or even transparent. The absence of red light at these depths means they are concealed from predators and prey, helping them to eat and avoid being eaten.

It can be difficult to mate with no light, but deep-sea anglerfish have adapted to find a way around this. The tiny male anglerfish attach themselves to their much larger mates with their hooked teeth and establish a parasitic relationship for life. The male receives nourishment from the female, while the female never has to find another mate.

Fish habitats and humans

Several factors have impacted water quality and fish habitats over the last century, leading to negative consequences for fish populations. These include:

• Coastal development: Developing coastal areas threatens the function and diversity of coastal habitats, which are fundamental for many fish species. For example, removing vegetation and trees from riverbanks limits shade and increases the water temperature. Plus, less vegetation leads to an increase in erosion, affecting spawning areas. In addition, dams and other infrastructure prohibit fish from migrating to reach spawning habitats and harm aquatic life.

• Invasive species: Introducing new species to ecosystems creates more competition for food and habitat, meaning fish species can be displaced.

• Pollution: Pollution is a huge problem for fish habitats. Industrial pollutants, waste, sewage, and plastic continue to impair water quality and destroy fish habitats.

What do fish eat?

Fish are such diverse creatures that their diet varies greatly from species to species. Fish can be separated into three categories based on what they eat:

• Carnivores
• Herbivores
• Omnivores

What fish eat depends on their species and environment, but they aren’t picky overall. Instead, fish roam around, devouring whatever they can catch or forage. Most fish are omnivorous, meaning they feed on meat and plant materials. Regarding their macronutrient breakdown, fish diets consist of around 40% to 50% protein, with the rest being made up of fats and carbohydrates.

Across the board, fish tend to feed on whatever is closest to them and in the most abundant supply in their surrounding environment. There are some fish, however, who have adapted to eat very specific types of food. For instance, some scale-eating fish feed primarily off other fish’s scales.

As we have discussed, what fish eat depends on their environment and genetic makeup, but there are a variety of key foods and food groups that tend to crop up in most fish diets:

• Insects: flies, crickets, grasshoppers, beetles, etc.
• Worms: mealworms, bloom worms, leeches, etc.

Larger fish also tend to prey on the following creatures:

• Rats
• Mice
• Frogs
• Turtles
• Smaller fish

Ten fish facts for kids:

Impress your class with your aquatic knowledge using these ten fish facts for kids!

1. Fish have been around for 500 million years – longer than the dinosaurs!
2. Most fish reproduce by laying eggs.
3. However, great white sharks give birth to live babies called pups.
4. Most fish have taste buds all over their body.
5. Fish can drown if there is not enough oxygen in the water.
6. Seahorses can swim upright.
7. The largest fish in the world is the whale shark, which can reach lengths of 41.5 feet! Despite its size, the whale shark eats plankton and is relatively harmless to humans.
8. By contrast, the recently-discovered Paedocypris progenetica is the smallest fish in the world at less than a third of an inch long!
9. The sailfish is the fastest fish in the world and can reach speeds of over 68 mph (ca. 109 km/h).
10. A fish species traveling in synchrony is called a school or shoal.

Animals with stripes include animals like hyenas, tigers, and zebras. Animals have lines for several reasons. These include:

• Hiding from predators
• Hiding from prey
• Warning other animals
• Looking like other animals that might be dangerous

Most animals have stripes to either hide from predators or to hide from prey. When this is the case, the stripes are known as camouflage stripes. Camouflage is any pattern that helps an animal hide. These patterns also include spots and splodges. They help animals to hide by breaking-up their shape or appearance when plants surround them. This makes them a lot harder to spot.

Other animals with stripes have them to act as a warning sign. For example, it’s thought that wasps have bright yellow and black lines to warn predators they have a nasty sting. By sending out a warning sign, these animals could avoid having to defend themselves. Some insects, like the hoverfly, have evolved to look like wasps, so predators don’t bother them.

Ten Animals With Stripes

There are loads of different animals with stripes. To help you learn more about them, here’s a list of nine other animals with bars:

• Tiger

The tiger is one of the most recognizable animals with stripes. They’re found in a few places throughout Asia, from Southern India to parts of China. The Siberian tiger, which lives in Eastern Russia, is the largest cat species on the planet. Sadly, tigers are endangered across their range. This is because of hunting by humans. Habitat loss from deforestation has also decreased the number of places for tigers to live.

• Zebra

Zebras are probably the next most well-known animal with stripes. Scientists have long thought that zebras might have lines to confuse predators. These days, many scientists believe zebra stripes are to keep flies away, which can carry harmful diseases. Unlike many animals on this list, zebras aren’t considered endangered, although they’ve lost much of their former habitat to humans.

• Bumblebee

The bumblebee isn’t just one insect but a family of over 250 species. As with wasps, the bright black and yellow stripes of bumblebees warn predators that they can give a nasty sting. However, unlike wasps, bumblebees have a barbed stinger, which means they can only sting once.

• Wasp

Wasps are another insect that has stripes to warn predators. Like bees, wasps live in a colony known as a ‘nest.’ There’s one female, the queen, that lays all the eggs. She’s tended to by a few males known as drones. Unlike bees, wasps can sting multiple times, but they don’t usually sting people unless they feel threatened.

• Okapi

Though it looks like a zebra, the okapi is more closely related to giraffes. They’re sometimes called the ‘forest giraffe.’ They live in the vast Congo Rainforest, which means they’re very hard to spot in the wild. Their stripes help them to hide from predators among the thick vegetation.

• Chipmunk

These lovable creatures are relatives of the squirrel. The chipmunk is about half the size of a squirrel and lives in caves underneath the ground. Because they don’t have any other defenses against predators, it’s thought that the chipmunk’s stripes are to help it blend in with the forest floor. This is to make it harder to spot.

• Skunk

The skunk is another animal that has stripes to warn predators. Unlike bees or wasps, skunks prefer to stink at potential predators when they feel threatened. They do this by spraying a foul-smelling liquid towards the eyes or face of another animal. The smell of this liquid is so strong that it can ward off animals as big as bears.

• Coral Snake

Coral Snakes are a family of venomous snakes with bright red, yellow, and black stripes to ward off predators. They’re found in Asia, as well as the Americas. Other snakes, like the non-venomous (at least, not to humans) milk snake, have evolved to mimic the coral snake’s distinctive pattern.

• Scottish Wildcat

The last animal with stripes on this list, the Scottish wildcat, is Britain’s only wild cat species. However, it looks like a domesticated tabby cat; the wildcat is absurd. They also have a slightly bigger jaw, different facial markings, and thicker fur. Unfortunately, the Scottish wildcat is on the verge of extinction, with only 400 individuals remaining in the wild.

Mountains are giant land features that can be found all over the world. Famous mountain ranges include the Himalayans, the Andes, and the Alps. Thousands of visitors visit these majestic mountain ranges every year, dreaming of, one day, summiting these famous peaks!

Typically mountains rise high into the air in a small area and are made from rocks and earth. The land feature must be over 600 meters tall to be called a mountain. Anything smaller than that is called a hill! This means that reaching the top of a mountain is an amazing achievement of perseverance and stamina!

Have you ever climbed a mountain? Keep reading below to discover ten amazing facts about mountains!

1. Mauna Kea (in Hawaii) is over 10,000 meters tall but only 4207 meters above sea level. The rest of the mountain is found underwater.
2. In 2021, Nepalese mountaineer Nirmal Purja and his team became the first to successfully climb 14 mountains (all 8000 meters above sea level) in under seven months! The previous record was seven years!
3. In 1998, Bear Grylls (aged 23) became the youngest person to climb Mount Everest (8848m above sea level).
4. Scientists believe that the fastest-growing volcano was an underwater volcano near New Zealand called the Monowai Cone. In 2011, it grew by 79 meters in just three weeks!
5. The worst avalanche in history was on Mount Huascaran in Peru in 1970. It was caused by an earthquake and sadly killed 20,000 people.
6. Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay were officially the first to climb Mount Everest’s summit in 1953.
7. The formation of the Andes Mountains redirected the Amazon river into the Atlantic Ocean – the river had previously flowed into the Pacific.
8. Whale fossils have been found on top of the Andes Mountains, proving that this rock had once been at the bottom of an ocean.
9. Mount Everest is growing by about 6cm each year due to the Indian sub-continent pushing into Asia.
10. The most difficult mountain to climb is K2 on the Pakistan-China border. It is only two and a half football fields shorter than Mount Everest. It’s called ‘Savage Mountain’ as it’s only possible to climb it by certain routes rather than all sides.

The blue whale is the largest animal on the planet, weighing as much as 200 tons! Even just its tongue can weigh the same as an elephant’s. It’s the largest animal known to have ever existed.

While they look blue underwater, and that’s how they got their name, blue whales are blue-grey.

Though the blue whale is the largest mammal in the world, they have a diet of krill, a tiny shrimp-like animal in the ocean. An adult blue whale can eat as much as four tons of krill daily.

They’re also a species of baleen whale. This means they have plates fringed with bristle, similar to your fingernail and called ‘baleen,’ attached to their upper jaw. The whales open their mouths wide to take in huge mouthfuls of seawater and push the water out with their tongue. Thousands of krill get stuck on the baleen, and the whale swallows it.

What is a blue whale’s habitat?

Blue whales live in all the world’s oceans. They’ve been found in tropical, subtropical, and temperate seas.

They migrate and travel across the world’s seas. In the summer, they tend to be in the cooler Arctic or Antarctic oceans, and then when it gets colder, they head to tropical waters near the equator for winter.

They might swim in small groups, but they’re often seen alone or in pairs. In areas with lots of food, however, there can be up to 60 whales at once.

How has the blue whale adapted to its habitat?

Besides its enormous size, the blue whale has adapted to its habitat in various ways. Here’s how:

• Streamlined bodies

It can take a lot of strength to swim through the ocean’s powerful waves, so the blue whale has a long, streamlined body to help it move through the water. This allows it to swim more efficiently.

• Flippers

The blue whale’s forelimbs are flippers that help with steering while swimming. This means the whale can ensure it’s heading in the right direction — especially helpful when you’re migrating to warmer waters!

• Horizontal tails

The blue whale’s tail, called its ‘flukes,’ is positioned horizontally on its body. The flukes move up and down to propel the whale through the water. It’s an efficient way to swim around the world’s oceans.

• Blubber

Like many other marine mammals, such as seals and dolphins, blue whales have a layer of thick fat. This keeps them warm in freezing temperatures, which is helpful if they’re swimming around in the Arctic or Antarctic seas. Fat also helps them to stay buoyant, so they float in water rather than sink.

• Blowholes

Blue whales are mammals that live underwater — so how do they breathe? They do this with a blowhole. These can be sealed underwater and positioned on top of the whale’s head, so they can live before they even fully come up to the water’s surface.

• No ears

While blue whales have a highly developed hearing but don’t have ears! Instead, they have an internal system of air sinuses and bones which detect sounds. Keeping things on the inside helps to reduce drag while swimming too.

What is the blue whale life cycle?

The lifecycle of a blue whale is in three main stages.

In terms of a blue whale’s productive life cycle, they can breed from around the age of seven and ten. Female blue whales breed every two to three years and give birth to one whale after up to a year of pregnancy. The babies are born around six to seven and a half meters long and rely on their mothers to survive. Baby blue whales are fed milk by their mothers for about seven to eight months after birth. They can drink up to between 22 and 90 kilograms of milk daily. Once the baby stops feeding from the mother and can hunt for food by itself, they leave and live alone for up to 90 years.

What do blue whales eat?

Blue whales sit at the top of the food chain and play an essential role in the marine environment’s overall health. Though gigantic, they feed on relatively small prey, primarily tiny shrimp-like animals called krill.

Blue whales act as a pump, ejecting the fish and zooplankton that they’ve eaten toward the surface of the oceans in the form of nitrogen-rich fecal matter. These nutrients are vital to the production of the marine ecosystem.

Endangerment

The development of technology in the 1900s led to the aggressive hunting of whales by whalers in pursuit of whale oil. This mass hunting nearly resulted in the extinction of blue whales, and although efforts have been made to increase their populations, their recovery has only been slight. As a result, they are federally listed as endangered and protected species.

Commercial whaling no longer threatens this magnificent species; however, climate change and its impact on krill, the blue whales’ major prey, makes them vulnerable.

Communication

Blue whales, particularly male blue whales, are quite the chatterboxes. But, unfortunately, they’re also the loudest species, too! Their calls can travel further than any other voice in the animal kingdom and reach 180 decibels – that’s as loud as a jet plane!

Both male and female blue whales produce several types of single-note calls, but only males sing. The purpose of their communication varies.

Some blue whale calls change with the seasons and the time of day, with single-note calls seeming to occur more often when whales return from deep dives. This type of call likely helps with pair bonding. Furthermore, individual calls are probably to animals nearby, whereas singing is an attempt to reach other whales further away.

Baby blue whales

• are born at around six to seven and a half meters long;
• weigh 3-4 tonnes when they’re born;
• drink up to 90 kilograms of their mother’s milk per day;
• leave their mothers at around six to seven months old;
• can swim after about 30 minutes of being born;
• have their mothers help them reach the surface to take their first breath.

Adolescent/mature blue whales

• are mature by around five to eight years of age;
• give birth to one new whale around every two to three years;
• use their voices to attract mates;
• are pregnant for around 12 months at a time;
• rarely give birth to twins.

Adult blue whales

• can live for up to 90 years, but usually around 70 to 80;
• produce milk that can be up to 50% fat (female adult blue whales);
• have a very strong bond with their calves (female adult blue whales);
• teach their calves how to swim, breathe, and eat (female adult blue whales);
• migrate to warmer waters to find mates;
• find warmer waters to hunt for prey;
• eat around 40 million krill per day, which are tiny crustaceans.

What’s the lifespan of a blue whale?

80-90 years.

Do blue whales find partners for life?

No.

Some animals find a partner of the opposite sex to reproduce with for life, such as beavers, gibbons, and bald eagles. Blue whales have been observed to not mate for life. During the mating season, many whales gather together to find a partner to reproduce with. It has been found that some whales may come into contact with more than one other whale over the mating season in the space of one year.

Sometimes, male whales can fight one another when competing for a female to mate with. Males also go to great lengths to get the females’ attention during the mating season. Some may perform elaborate dances, others sing, and some charge at other whales to show their youth and strength. It is ingrained into the DNA of whales that producing offspring during the mating season is of the highest importance.

The breeding season usually occurs during the year’s colder months, so the feeding season can occur during the warmer months. This is especially true for species that hunt in the waters surrounding the Arctic or Antarctic.

Fun facts about blue whales

• Blue whales communicate through songs. The voice of the blue whale is the loudest and deepest animal call on Earth.
• Some blue whales have a yellow underside, leading to the nickname ‘sulfur bottom’ whales.
• Its blood vessels are so big you could swim through them.
• A baby blue whale (a calf) can weigh up to 2700 kg when born.
• In good conditions, blue whales can hear and communicate with each other across distances of up to 1600 km.
• They can grow over 33 meters — twice as long as a Tyrannosaurus rex! This makes them the largest mammal in the world.
• They’re graceful swimmers and can dive as deep as 500 meters into ocean depths.
• Blue whales have been protected from hunters since 1966.
• Blue whales who have washed ashore will sometimes show affection to those who helped rescue them as if to say thank you.

Blue whale vocabulary

Adaptation – how living things are specialized to survive in their environment.

Baleen – bony, flexible strips in the upper jaws.

Blowhole – a whale nostril that is used for breathing.

Blubber – fat under the skin that keeps marine mammals warm.

Calf – a baby whale.

Diet – what whales eat.

Endangered – in danger of becoming extinct.

Fluke – the triangular tip of a whale’s tail.

Habitat – the natural environment of an animal or plant.

Krill – small, shrimp-like creatures.

Locomotion – the power to move from one location to another.

Mammal – warm-blooded, vertebrate animals with fur or skin.

Species – a group of living organisms with similar characteristics capable of breeding and exchanging genes.

The polar regions are found at the top and bottom of the Earth. The North Pole is in The Arctic, and the South Pole is in Antarctica. They are characterized by their extremely cold climates, making them an important ecosystem with distinct physical characteristics, plant life, and animals.

In polar regions, the sun doesn’t set in summer; in winter, the sun doesn’t rise, leaving them in darkness for months. For example, the average temperature in the Arctic is 0 °C in summer and -40 °C in winter. In Antarctica, it’s -28 °C in summer and a chilly -60 °C in winter.

Keep reading to learn all about the human impact on polar regions.

The Arctic

The Arctic is an ocean covered in sea ice and surrounded by land from Europe, Asia, and North America. Although it is largely covered in snow and ice, its dramatic landscapes include wetlands, tundra, glaciers, mountains, and rivers.

Antarctica

Antarctica is land surrounded by the Southern Ocean. And with 98% of it covered in thick ice, it’s also the highest, driest, windiest, coldest, and iciest continent on the planet.

Unlike other continents, Antarctica is unique because it isn’t inhabited by different countries and is largely uninhabited. However, several countries have claimed parts of it, including the UK, New Zealand, Australia, France, and Argentina.

What animals live in polar habitats?

Overall, far more animals live in the Arctic than in Antarctica. This is large because the Arctic has more varied landscapes and is connected to areas of land, whereas Antarctica is a harsher, isolated continent.

Most animals are exclusive to either the Arctic or the Antarctic. Only a few have been recorded in both regions, such as grey whales or Arctic terns. However, scientists have been puzzled by the discovery of more than 200 species of sea creatures that live in both polar seas, despite the 11,000 km (6,835 miles) distance between them!

The Arctic is teeming with life both on land and in the sea. Arctic animals found here include:

• Polar bear
• Arctic fox
• Arctic hare
• Arctic tern
• Snowy owl
• Moose
• Musk ox
• Narwhal
• Beluga whale
• Polar bear
• Reindeer
• Greenland shark

There are no land-dwelling mammals in Antarctica! Marine animals found here include:

• Adélie Penguins
• Chinstrap Penguins
• Leopard Seals
• Elephant Seals
• Snow Petrels (one of 3 birds found at the South Pole)
• King Penguins
• Emperor Penguins
• Killer Whales (Orcas)
• Wandering Albatross
• Blue Whale

How have animals adapted to live in freezing temperatures?

Animals in the polar regions have adapted to the extremely cold climate by having some special characteristics.

Many have a thick layer of fat or blubber that keeps them warm or dense fur covering their bodies and feet. Birds also have a layer of thick, windproof, and waterproof feathers and migrate south during the coldest months of the year. In addition, many animals have made their homes under the ground where it’s warmer or by burrowing into the snow – like an igloo! Plus, they spend a lot of time hibernating until summer arrives.

Carnivores in the Arctic have a varied diet, ranging from small rodents and birds to larger animals such as reindeer. However, meat-eating animals will also eat berries and eggs when food is scarce. Because plants are short, herbivores have adapted to eat lichen to give them the necessary nutrients.

What plants live in polar habitats?

Both polar habitats experience extreme cold, lack of sunlight, and permafrost (frozen ground year-round), so it’s difficult for plants to absorb nutrients from the water, soil, and sun. However, despite these challenges, plants have adapted to thrive in these conditions.

Arctic plants

The Arctic is described as a ‘tundra’ from the Finnish word ‘tunturi,’ meaning treeless plain. Trees don’t grow here, but approximately 1,700 species of plants live on the Arctic tundra, including flowering plants, dwarf shrubs, herbs, grasses, mosses, and lichens. These include:

• Arctic willow – a dwarf shrub.
• Bearberry – a low-growing evergreen.
• Purple saxifrage – grows tightly together in a low clump.
• Arctic poppy – about 10-15 cm tall, with a single flower per stem.
• Cottongrass – named after its fluffy, white tufts.

Antarctic plants

Almost 98% of Antarctica is ice, up to three miles deep! So, it’s home to far fewer plants than the Arctic. Nevertheless, a total of around 800 different species of plant life have been recorded, many of which are lichens. Lichens are particularly suited to this environment, as they can survive long periods of dormancy and dehydration.

Only two species of flowering plants are found in Antarctica:

• Antarctic hair grass – grows mostly in rocky areas of the Antarctic Peninsula around penguin colonies.
• Antarctic pearlwort – found in rocky coastal regions of the continent, has small, yellow flowers that follow the sun.

How have plants adapted to survive in cold climates?

Many plants grow very low to the ground and close together to retain warmth and protect themselves from extreme weather. They have small leaves to prevent water from being lost through their surface. Flowering plants such as the Arctic poppy have cup-shaped petals to ensure the sun’s rays reach the center of the flower.

Many plants have developed the ability to grow under a layer of snow and have shallow roots which don’t need to go too far down into the permafrost. Because there is darkness for prolonged periods, they have also adapted to carry out photosynthesis more efficiently during daylight months and to produce flowers quickly once summer begins.

Do any people live in polar habitats?

It is believed that around 4 million people live in the Arctic today. Very few live in the icy regions, but many live on the mainland, where it’s warmer, and have access to schools, doctors, and jobs.

Around 12.5% of people living in the Arctic are indigenous people. These include:

• Aleuts – people of the Aleutian Islands (divided between Alaska and Russia).
• Athabascans – a native of Alaska.
• Gwich’in – from the northwestern part of North America.
• Inuit – from the Arctic regions of Greenland, Canada, and Alaska.
• Sami – from northern parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia.
• Many indigenous peoples of the Russian Arctic.

Many indigenous peoples still live in remote areas of the Arctic, but their traditional nomadic lifestyles have adapted over time. Today, many people live in permanent, modern housing. Standard work, which would have been done by hand and on foot, is now done with snowmobiles and modern technology.

Due to its remoteness and cold weather, Antarctica is the only continent without an indigenous human population and no permanent residents! However, there are many researchers, scientists, explorers, and tourists, especially during summer.

Climate Change in Polar Regions

Polar regions contain a range of components that are made up of water in its frozen form. For example, glaciers, snow, permafrost, and iced-over water. Together, these components form the cryosphere, which is very sensitive to climate change in polar regions.

• Sea Ice

Sea ice is a key component of polar regions, covering huge areas of the Arctic Ocean in winter. Some parts of the ocean are covered all year round, but the edges of the ice tend to melt in the summer months, causing large packs of floating ice to break off and float away with the current. The result of this is that there is three times more ice in winter than in summer.

Sea ice in polar regions has greatly decreased in recent years. In addition to disappearing, the ice that remains is getting thinner. Studies have shown that the thickness of sea ice in the Arctic Ocean decreased by an average of 1.3 to 2.3 meters between 1980 and 2008. This means there are now numerous sections of the Arctic Ocean that are completely without ice for two months longer than they used to be.

Changes in sea ice are one of the biggest threats to polar regions. This is because it will greatly impact the wider habitat in the polar areas. For instance, animals like plankton, fish, seabirds, seals, whales, and polar bears have evolved to live on the edge of or just under the surface of sea ice. As the sea ice disappears, these animals will lose their habitats.

• Glaciers

Studies have shown that, as a result of climate change, almost all of the glaciers around the world are shrinking. Glaciers in the Arctic, Alaska, and northern Canada are up there, with the most affected worldwide. Disturbingly, the rate at which glaciers are melting is increasing, and it is predicted that the earth will lose anywhere between 15% and 85% of its glaciers by the end of the century.

One of the worst consequences of melting glaciers is their contribution to the rising sea level. The average sea level has been rising for many years and is expected to continue growing. The biggest cause of the rising sea level is the increasing temperature of the water. This is because, as the water gets warmer, its volume increases. The melting glaciers are the second-biggest contributors to the rising sea level.

• Snow

In the Arctic, the ground is covered in snow for three-quarters of the year, but studies have shown snow is decreasing. The decline in snow cover is primarily due to climate change in polar regions and is most obvious in warmer areas. It is predicted that the snow cover in the Northern Hemisphere will continue to decrease throughout the rest of the 21st century but as much as 25%.

The result of this decline in snow cover is a longer growing season, which may, in turn, lead to a change in vegetation. This may not sound bad, but a change in vegetation can result in less food for some animals and more for others, thus changing the entire ecosystem.

Human impact on the polar regions through climate change, and the consequent higher temperatures, will also lead to increased rainfall in the wintertime. This is bad because when rain falls on top of the snow, a layer of ice forms on the surface. This prevents grazing animals like reindeer from reaching forage (plant material) under the snow.

• Permafrost

A large portion of the land in the Arctic is permafrost, which is ground that has been frozen. Scientific observations have shown that permafrost temperature has increased in most places since the 1980s. For example, in certain areas, permafrost is now two °C warmer than it was 20-30 years ago.

Moreover, due to climate change, in certain areas of Scandinavia and Russia, the active layer of earth that lies on top of permafrost (and thaws in summer) has become as much as 20 cm thicker. As a result, there have also been huge reductions in permafrost in the European parts of Russia.

The situation with permafrost is so dire that the total area of the Northern Hemisphere with surface permafrost is predicted to decline by as much as 80% by the end of the 21st century.

One consequence of the decreasing permafrost is that when it thaws. When the permafrost thaws, it will hurt the water cycle in the area.

More threats to polar regions

Even though the polar regions seem isolated from the rest of the world, the activities of humans thousands of miles away can have a huge impact here. As a result, regular polar regions have many threats

Fishing

One of the biggest signs of human impact on the polar regions is fish, specifically overfishing in the Arctic Ocean and the Southern Ocean around Antarctica. Fishing on a small scale can be harmless for the environment, but in polar regions, it is being carried out on a large scale. Industrial fishing boats are coming in and removing fish from the ocean at a faster rate than the fish can reproduce. The result is that there are fewer fish in the sea, meaning less food for animals that eat fish.

Some of the biggest effects of overfishing are:

• There is a potential for over-fishing of targetted species of fish
• A lack of fish greatly affects predator populations, which depend on the target species of fish as a food source
• Other non-target species of fish are also killed when caught in fishing equipment
• Habitats in polar regions are being destroyed.

Long-line fishing, a commercial fishery that uses a long main line covered with baited hooks, is particularly harmful to fish. This is because it increases the risk of fish being caught on the line while fishermen seek another species of fish. So, essentially, way more fish are being killed than necessary.

Introduction of New Species

Another example of human impact on polar regions is introducing new species. While this may not seem harmful at first glance, the introduction of new species greatly risks the biosecurity of polar regions. Biosecurity prevents disease-causing species from entering or leaving any place that poses a risk to the animals. When new species are introduced into polar regions, they risk bringing in new diseases that could kill or harm the animals that live there.

The introduction of new species is of particular concern in Antarctica.

Rubbish

Perhaps the most obvious sign of a human impact on polar regions is litter. Nowadays, humans are much better at cleaning up after themselves, but this was not the cause just a few years ago. In the past, instead of disposing of waste in a way that wouldn’t harm the environment, people just got rid of rubbish in whatever way was easiest. If the debris were flammable, it would likely be burnt. However, if it wasn’t explosive, the destruction was:

• Thrown into the sea

This method of waste disposal is harmful as it pollutes the water and endangers the animals in the sea. If the objects were big, such as old or damaged vehicles, they were often taken onto the sea ice and dumped there. Then, when the ice broke up in spring, the large pieces of rubbish would fall into the sea.

• Just dumped on land somewhere and ignored.

Very little care was given to the rubbish disposed of on land in polar regions. Most of the time, the waste was either dropped down a crevasse or just left where it was. This littering is particularly harmful in polar areas, as the harsh winds can blow even large, heavy objects for miles. This means that old oil drums could be transported miles away from their original dumping spot, thus spreading the rubbish issue.

Seal Hunting

In addition to the human impact on polar regions caused by fishing, seal hunting greatly harms these regions. Seal hunting has been going on for many years. For instance, the Antarctic fur seal was nearly extinct in many locations through seal hunting by 1830. Primarily, seals were hunted for their fur, but there were also markets for ‘seal oil’ and parts of their bodies. Since then, efforts have been made to protect seal populations in polar regions. Seal hunting has been made illegal in many areas worldwide, reducing the number of seals affected.

Whale Hunting

Another old and harmful form of human impact on polar regions is whale hunting. Whale hunting began in the Southern Ocean towards the beginning of the 20th century and became very popular quickly. Whale hunters would target the species that was most profitable at the time and then move on to another species once they became more popular. Typically, whales were hunted because there was a large profit to be made from their meat and various body parts. For instance, some pharmaceuticals and health supplements use whale oil, fat, and cartilage. Moreover, whale meat was even used in pet food.

While whale hunting is illegal in most countries, dolphins and small whales are still being hunted in many parts of the world.

Oil and Gas

The Arctic is a sought-after destination for oil and gas companies, as it has one of the largest untapped reserves in the world. Drilling threatens polar regions by destroying polar habitats, draining fresh water supplies, and disrupting migration routes. Oil spills have a devastating impact on the environment.

Pollution

Toxins from pollution and the rubbish we throw away are transported to the polar regions by strong ocean currents. Ingested by sea creatures, these toxins are carried through the food chain, becoming more concentrated the higher up the food chain. Polar bears have high levels of these toxins, and even humans are affected! In addition, plastics in the ocean can entangle and kill wildlife and take hundreds of years to break down.

The geographical definition of a floodplain is pretty simple: it is generally a flat area surrounding a river or stream. However, a few components of a floodplain are necessary to understand.

Parts of a floodplain

Firstly, there is the floodway, which is usually what we consider the river itself. It is the main channel where the river flows. However, sometimes it can be a seasonal river, which means there are times in the year when there is no water in the floodway, but a channel of some description remains.

There is then the flood fringe, the land between the banks of the floodway and the valley wall or anywhere the valley land starts to rise.

The width of a flood fringe can vary according to the river, but it can be surprisingly wide. For example, the Mekong River in Vietnam, known for the size of floods it causes every year, can increase its size by up to 43%. On the other hand, flood fringes can also be surprisingly narrow, so the river then tends to reach fast speeds that can be used as Whitewater rapids.

How do floodplains form?

Floodplains develop in two common ways: erosion and deposition (also known as aggradation). When rivers start to meander, curving from side to side, the water erodes the banks of the river and creates a wide flat area around the sides.

It floods its banks when the river floods because of heavy rainfall or ice melting upstream. As a result, the water that moves out of the floodway and into the fringes loses the force carrying much of the sediment acquired from erosion upstream and deposits it on the surrounding land.

The portions of the river that have been consistently flooded will naturally start to build a bank up again. Likewise, as sediment is deposited over time, most of it is deposited where the land elevates out of the river bed and creates a bank where one had previously eroded.

These deposits flanking the river are called fluvial terraces and can tell geologists a lot about where floodplains used to be before the banks built up. Analysis of the rock and sediment deposited allows geologists to examine thousands of years of natural history.

The benefits of floodplains

Plastic sediment deposition in floodplains can be the source of major fertility. This sediment is usually built up of alluvium, or silt, considered some of the richest soil, containing nutrients like potash, phosphoric acid, and lime.

This kind of soil promotes many biodiversitieses and provides the perfect landscape to farm. For instance, it is believed that the Amazon’s biodiversity can be attributed largely to the fact that over 250,000 km2 are covered with water by rivers that overflow yearly. These rivers transport rich sediment from the Andes Mountains to the forest and are partially responsible for the vast number of species living in the Amazon Rainforest.

But nature is not the only beneficiary of floodplains. Plenty of communities subsist on flooding, whole economies even! For example, in Vietnam, the Mekong River brings in approximately 8-10 billion US dollars because of the farming the floodplains facilitate.

The disadvantages of floodplains

Of course, by their very geographical definition, floodplains are destructive. The unpredictability of flooding makes them dangerous land, and the many communities living on floodplains are vulnerable to natural disasters.

For Cambodia, this has led to several deaths and the mass destruction of homes. In addition, the nation has been ranked as one of the most vulnerable countries at risk from the effects of climate change because of increased rainfall that causes rivers to flood. Not only that, but the filling of lakes and floodplains for urban developments has meant the rain has less space to occupy.

How do you explain natural disasters to kids?

So, what are natural disasters for kids? Your kids have probably heard the term ‘natural disaster’ in the classroom or on the news. A simple definition of a natural disaster is an adverse event initiated by biological processes, such as a sudden change in the earth’s crust or climate. There are plenty of categories that we can use to distinguish natural disasters, but here are the fundamental three:

• Geological disasters
• Hydrological disasters
• Meteorological disaster

These basic categorizations, however, have been blurred in recent years with the growing threat of climate change. As a result, natural disasters that scientists predict may not have happened with as much frequency or intensity have been caused by the warmer climate, the rising sea levels, and the breakdown of ecosystems. In this way, Geography’s definition of a natural and unnatural disaster is less clear.

Geological natural disasters for kids

Avalanches and Landslides – This is when material runs down a slope. In the case of an avalanche, this will be snow that has either built up in a vulnerable position or fallen because of a sudden warm climate that has weakened the structure of the ice underneath. It is the same principle for landslides, which tend to occur because of cut material on mountainsides. This can be because of rain or excavation. Mines also tend to experience landslides because of the removal of supporting material when harvesting metal or other minerals.

Earthquakes – Energy is released when the earth’s crust moves, and two plates either converge or shift over one another. An earthquake results from that energy transferring into seismic waves, which carry everything around it, depending on where the epicenter (the point directly above the collision) often determines the consequences. Earthquakes are typically not the reason for the damage, but secondary events such as tsunamis, building collapses, and volcanic eruptions are hugely disastrous.

Volcanic eruptions – As mentioned, volcanic eruptions result from the energy generated by tectonic plates’ movement. When the earth’s crust generates this energy, some of this travels in the form of heat. Under the earth’s surface, it becomes hot enough for the rock to melt and become magma. This molten rock is lighter than the surrounding rock, so it travels to the surface, eventually exploding like a volcano. The molten lava, however, is often not the primary concern. Instead, the extremely hot gases and clumps of rock that take flight create a deadly pyroclastic flow. The speed with which this travels is typically how the disastrous effects are caused.

Hydrological natural disasters for kids

Floods – Floods can be caused for several reasons, and are not always disasters, making the definition of this natural disaster hard to establish in Geography. Floods are an influx of water in an area typically dry and inhabited by humans, such as a city, town, or village. This may be caused by unprecedented levels of rain that either flood valleys or burst boundaries where water is ordinarily contained. It can also be caused by the sudden melting of glaciers, where water travels from high latitudes to lower ground. Sometimes floods are welcomed, especially in natural or rural landscapes, because they enrich the soil. Check out this page on floodplains for more information about how floods in certain areas of the world are not disasters.

Tsunamis – This kind of natural disaster is the earthquake’s seismic waves have a repercussion on the water. Tsunamis are often more devastating than earthquakes because the waves can travel as far as 16 km on land after reaching the coast. And tsunamis do not consist solely of one wave; they usually possess a wave train where four or five waves may arrive after the initial wave hits. There can be up to 100 miles between a seismic wave, meaning the subsequent waves can come between five minutes and two hours later.

Limnic eruptions are far less common than other hydrological natural disasters, as only two events of this kind have been observed. Limnic eruptions or a lake overturn as it is sometimes called, are when pockets of carbon dioxide that have long been sequestered under a body of water then erupt, travel to the surface, and asphyxiate the humans, animals, and wildlife nearby.

Meteorological natural disasters for kids

Cyclones and hurricanes – These names are used interchangeably, depending on which sea or ocean the event occurs. Fundamentally, a hurricane occurs when warm moist air rises over the water. When this process continues, large swathes of heavy clouds, a storm, start to swirl. This is because of the earth’s Coriolis Effect, which dictates that anything suspended or in motion over long distances starts to detour from a straight line. When a cyclone reaches land, it can be dangerous because it inflicts extreme winds, rainfall, and flooding that can affect the area.

Heatwaves and droughts are significant periods of excessively hot weather, which can cause several issues, such as deaths from overheating, crop failure, and wildfires. In addition, in hot woodland areas, trees are often dried up by the sun, making them easily explosive and capable of spreading fire to neighboring trees and buildings.

Blizzards and hail storms – High winds stir up snow that has already fallen, obstructing travel, medical care, and agriculture. Sometimes precipitation and rain will freeze in very cold conditions and remain frozen after hitting the ground.

What are sloths?

Sloths are tree-dwelling mammals originating from tropical rainforests in Central and South America. They’re known for their sedentary lifestyle, as sloths spend around 15 hours sleeping daily. The rest of their time was spent eating, traveling from tree to tree, and hiding from predators. But, surprisingly, sloths are excellent swimmers and often drop from the tree tops into the water for a swim.

Sloths can belong to either the two-toed or three-toed family, depending on the number of claws on their front paws. Unfortunately, this makes their family names misleading. All sloths have three toes on their back feet.

Although there are two sloth families, there are six sloth species, and these are:

• Pygmy three-toed sloth, which is endangered
• Maned sloth, which is vulnerable
• Pale-throated sloth
• Brown-throated sloths are one of the most common mammals found in Central and South American rainforests
• Linnaeus’s two-toed sloth
• Hoffman’s two-toed sloth

There are extinct sloths, too. The illustration below is of one of the extinct ground sloths. This was a big group of animals. The giant ground sloth, Megatherium, was one of the largest land mammals ever, up to 6 meters tall and over 4 tonnes!

Where do sloths live?                                                                         

Sloth habitats range across Central and South America. They spend their lives in the tropical rainforests in these regions. The more consistent the rainfall and denser the trees, the better for sloths. Let’s look at two examples:

• The maned Three-toed sloth lives in wet, tropical forested lands on the coast of Brazil. They like to live in around 21 species of trees. These sloths have been found as high up as 1,290 meters above sea level.
• Hoffmann’s Two-toed sloth habitats span the forest, shrubland, and grassland of Peru, Bolivia, and the west coast of Ecuador, Panama, and Costa Rica. They have been found 3,300 meters above sea level! Like the maned Three-toed sloth, they prefer forests with high annual rainfall without much dry season.

Three-toed Sloth Habitats:

There are four species of three-toed sloths. These are the pygmy three-toed sloth, the maned three-toed sloth, the pale-throated three-toed sloth, and the brown-throated three-toed sloth.

The three-toed sloth’s habitats can be found in the high canopies of the rainforests of Central and South America – or, sometimes, in water sources such as rivers.

While some three-toed sloth, for example, the brown-throated three-toed sloth, live in a range of habitats – from rainforests to semi-deciduous forests and subtropical lowlands to swamps – others live in a very narrow range, like the pygmy three-toed sloth. They are restricted to an island off the Caribbean coast of Panama.

14 Fun Sloth Facts for Kids:

1. Sloths have a slow metabolic rate, making them move slowly as they travel. Unfortunately, they’re so slow that they don’t often span more than half the football field length daily!
2. Sloths move so slowly that algae and fungi have time to land and grow on them! This is a good thing because their greenish tinge helps sloths camouflage. Also, the type of algae and fungi that grows on their hair protects them from parasites and bacteria.
3. Being slow has its advantages against predators, who have keen eyesight and hearing, designed to seek out prey on the move. As sloths move slowly and are high up, off the ground, they can often avoid being hunted.
4. Baby sloths travel on their mothers for approximately six months. They learn how to eat and move between treetops during this time. After six months, they can communicate with their mother by calling each other.
5. Sloths travel from the treetops to the forest floor once a week to eliminate waste from their bodies. But, incredibly, they only do this once a week because being on the forest floor exposes them to predators, which they cannot fight. This is why sloths prefer to spend time high-up in the rainforest canopy.
6. Eating twigs, buds and leaves can be tough, especially as sloths don’t have incisors. They have to use their tough lips to break down their food before attempting to swallow it. Digesting it can take time, too!
7. Sloths have an incredible scent of smell. They use this to help them move around the trees, find food, and find a mate.
8. Because sloths are color-blind, their sense of smell and slow movement helps them to take in their habitat. Staying in the shade and being active at night also helps them too.
9. One of the most impressive sloth facts for kids: although sloths can’t move their eyes, they can rotate their heads 270 degrees, which is handy when swimming!
10. Not all sloths are endangered, but many are losing their natural habitats because of deforestation in Central and Southern America. All six species of sloth need healthy forests to survive; the more forests are destroyed, the harder it is for them to stay.
11. There are two different kinds of sloths – two-toed and three-toed. However, this name is somewhat misleading as the number relates to how many claws they have on each front foot or hand. Their long nails anchor them to branches, letting them hang easily and with little effort.
12. Sloths are very strong swimmers. They use their long arms to move through the water – in rivers like the Amazon. They can move about three times as quickly through the water as they can over land.
13. Sloths are completely blind in bright daylight. Staying in the shady canopy and being active at night helps them to see more clearly.
14. They sleep for around 15 hours each day. This leaves nine hours to wind their way through the trees and munch on leaves.

What are baby sloths called?                                                  

Baby sloths are called cubs. Sloth mothers give birth to cubs about once a year.

They are mammals, so they carry their baby for six months. After this time, the baby will cling to their mother for another six to nine months, learning all about being a sloth. After this time, the infant leaves. But they’ll still keep in touch with their mother through calls that echo through the canopy.

How do sloths stay warm?

This is a big question. Researchers are still trying to understand how sloths maintain their metabolism and temperature!

What we do know is that two-toed sloths have the most variable body temperature of any mammal!

Their body temperature can range from 22 to 33 degrees Celsius. This means their bodies are stable within a wider range of limits compared to other mammals like humans.

This makes sloths unique. Usually, mammals can regulate their body temperature within a narrow range. So they expend energy to shiver when it’s cold, for example, to maintain their body temperature.

Sloths don’t have much energy, so they don’t regulate their temperatures the same way. Instead, they do things like a move-in and out of shade. This is a bit like what reptiles do. Moving to places where it’s warm and cool helps them maintain their body temperature.

Sloths even use less energy when it’s hot! This is unique in the animal kingdom. They move somewhere cool and sleep without using power to cool themselves down.

1. Lightning, static electricity, and bioelectricity are all naturally occurring electricity.
2. Electricity travels at the speed of light (nearly 300,000km per second).
3. A lightning bolt can measure 3,000,000 volts and can reach temperatures of 30,000°C. This is five times hotter than the surface of the sun!
4. Electric eels have an electrical current of about 500V for protection and hunting.
5. Electricity makes the muscles in our heart contract. This causes the heart to pump blood around our bodies.
6. The human body conducts electricity! For example, nerves in our bodies carry small electrical currents. These electrical currents send messages to different parts of our bodies.
7. Electric cars are becoming much more popular. The sale of electric vehicles in the UK increased by 20% in 2018.
8. There are over eight million lightning strikes across the world every day.
9. Geothermal power uses the earth’s internal heat to generate electricity.
10. Iceland uses more electricity, per person, than any other country in the world. Much of this electricity comes from geothermal energy – a renewable energy source.
11. There are two types of electric charges, positive and negative. Two positive controls and two negative charges repel each other, whereas one positive and one negative attract each other.
12. Everything we touch is made up of tiny particles called atoms. They contain protons, neutrons, and electrons. Protons carry a positive charge, whereas electrons have a negative control.
13. Atoms are generally electrically neutral, but if an atom loses an electron, it becomes a positively charged ion. If an atom gains an electron, it becomes a negatively charged ion.
14. When electrons build up, and there is no circuit for them to move around, it creates static electricity. This makes your hair stand up if you touch it with a balloon!
15. Denmark is building the world’s first energy island full of wind turbines to provide energy and electricity to around three million homes.
16. There are many ways to generate electricity. Wind, hydro, and solar power are sustainable ways to produce electricity.
17. Lightening bolts are only about 3 cm in width, although they look much bigger! The bolts can reach a length of about 3 miles.
18. The echidna (or spiney ant eater) and the duck-billed platypus have electroreceptors on their snouts. These receptors detect electrical currents and mean the animal can burrow underground with its eyes closed and still be able to find its prey!
19. The honeybee flaps its wings so quickly that it can create an electrical charge. When the honeybee pollinates a flower, the electrical amount is transferred. Other bees can detect this electrical charge and know to visit another flower instead!
20. The author of Frankenstein, Mary Shelley, was inspired to write the monster’s story based on the idea that electricity could restart life.

A pincer grip, or pincer grasp, refers to closing the thumb and index finger together to hold an object.

Babies typically develop this skill between the ages of nine and 12 months, although all children develop at different rates.

A pincer grip is a sign of fine motor control, and if a child takes longer to display this skill, it can be interpreted as delayed development.

The pincer grip is also a neat or superior pincer grip.

It’s called a pincer grip because it resembles how crabs and scorpions pick objects up with their front claws.