Smart Elephants

If I told you to name a very intelligent animal you would probably say something like a dolphin, but you wouldn't think of an elephant. Well guess what? It's true, elephants are some of the most intelligent animals in the world.They can throw sticks and rocks at electrical fences to shorten the power, they can block water holes with bark to drive other animals away from the water, and they can even swat the bugs away with branches. Elephants can figure all of this out because they have the biggest brain of all land animals in the world. I chose this topic because I thought it was very interesting because I never knew elephants were so smart. If you want to read more about this, click here. (by Russell)



http://www.eonline.com/news/529865/18-videos-that-prove-baby-elephants-are-the-cutest-baby-animals-ever

Hummingbirds

Did you know that hummingbirds are among the smallest birds in the world. The hummingbird brain is about 4.2% of its body weight and the heart is about 2.5% of its body weight. The heart beats about 1,260 times per minute and about 250 times when resting. The hummingbirds average body temperature is 107° Fahrenheit! It's wings beat 70 times per second and 200 times when diving. Hummingbirds connect to our class because we have been studying about amazing organisms in class. I chose this topic because they have so many special adaptations and not a lot of organisms can survive without adaptations. Not to mention that they have a lot more characteristics than normal birds. Hummingbirds are some of the most fascinating birds in the world. What do you think the world would be like without hummingbirds? For more information, visit worldofhummingbirds.com and click on the green icon at the top that says “Facts”.  (By Ian)

Rock Snot

Have you ever heard about rock snot? If you have then you know how disgusting it is. Now, I  can imagine your puzzlement. Where did this thing come from, how come I've never heard of it? Well here's why. This is Didymosphenia geminata, known as rock snot, or didymo for short. It's not harmful to humans, thankfully. What it does is that it takes up space and it kills off smaller organisms in rivers which could collapse the entire ecological system. It also plugs drainage pipes and when it gets to the dams in rivers it clogs them up which can cause damage. The thing is that humans caused this huge explosion of algae, with the help from a little phosphorus. Although it is not actually an invasive species anywhere (except for New Zealand), what I am trying to say is that this is real and it’s bad. (by Elijah)

Sources: BBC and Muse Magazine
http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20140922-green-snot-takes-over-worlds-rivers

Invasive Plants

Did you know that Falmouth, Maine has been dealing with invasive plants? First of all if you don't know what invasive means, it basically means that the organism was accidentally introduced into the place they ended up and they started a problem. The opposite of invasive is native and native means they are from that habitat. There are some people in Falmouth, Maine dealing with some plants that are invasive. They have very extensive infestations from knotweed. I wonder how they are handling this situation? It is probably a lot of work. Professionals will probably be needed. (by Bella R)

This is the link I used for my information:

http://www.theforecaster.net/falmouth-spends-less-than-planned-to-stem-invasive-plants/

Land Hermit Crabs

Ouch! Watch your fingers! These crustaceans can be defensive if you don't treat them well. The Hermit Crab is an interesting animal. It has one big claw and a small one; it drags the big claw around because it's too heavy for the crab to hold up. They drag it around like an injured leg! Usually the big claw is colored purple or blue. They can eat mostly fruits, vegetables and little pellets of compacted food. I usually feed my Hermit Crabs pellets and vegetables to keep them healthy. A Hermit Crab’s life span is about 30 to 70 years in its own habitat; that's a long time for a little crustacean. But after being removed from its habitat and put in captivity it only lives for up to about a year. Hermit Crabs in captivity actually die slowly from suffocation because their modified gills require high humidity in order to breathe. Hermit Crabs need lots of friends for climbing, foraging and exploring. That's why I have two Hermit Crabs named Acadia and Baxter. Click here for a video to see how they move around. (By Joe)

How does your body react when you’re scared?

For my blog post I wanted to look at current events. My question is how does your body react when it is scared? I thought there was no better time because Halloween just happened. According to Dr. Robert Glatter who is an emergency physician at the Lenox Hill Hospital many things happen. When your body is scared it goes into something called fight or flight response. That was helpful a long time ago when there were bears chasing cavemen. But unless something like that is happening to you it is not that helpful. When you are scared adrenaline rushes into your body, which comes from your Autonomic Nervous System. Adrenaline is a hormone that makes your body react differently when you are scared. That can lead to a rapid heartbeat, dilated pupils, and blood flow to muscles like your heart. Adrenaline also triggers calcium. Calcium also rushes to the heart and makes it contract. (by Maeve)

Here is my source of information: 

http://www.livescience.com/52573-can-you-die-of-fright.html