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Top Ten Weirdest Looking National Birds

Did you know that countries have national birds? Here’s our countdown of some of the weirdest looking national birds from all around the world. If you could pick your country’s national bird, which species would you choose? Leave a comment to share your suggestion.

1) Ecuador: Andean Condor

Male Andean Condor
2) Malaysia: Rhinoceros Hornbill

rhinocerous hornbill
3) New Zealand: Kiwi

Kiwi
4) Angola: Red crested Turaco

Red Crested Turaco

5) Trinidad and Tobago: Scarlet Ibis

Scarlet Ibis
6) Peru: Andean cock-of-the-rock

cock of the rock
7) Nepal: Lophophorus

Himalayan Monal
8) Kiribati: Magnificent Frigatebird

Magnificent Frigatebird

 

9) Guatemala: Quetzal

Resplendent Quetzal
10) Antigua and Barbuda: Frigate

Female Frigate

Top Ten Funny Halloween Animals

These animals are in the Halloween spirit year round thanks to their striking black and orange colouring. We’ve given them some fun captions to share what we think they’d have to say about Halloween! Can you think of any other animals that remind you of Halloween? Share your suggestions below.

1) Orange tarantula

“Check out my ghost costume, I spun it myself!” Tarantula

2) Cheetah

“Halloween is upon us… I can sense it”

Cheetah

3) Black-capped squirrel monkey

“I’m going to steal all of your Halloween candy!”

Black-capped squirrel monkey

4) Orangutan

“I’m not smiling again until it is Halloween”

Baby orangutan

5) Puffin

“Do you want some of my Halloween treats?”

Atlantic Puffin

6) Tiger

“You’re going as a tiger too! Costume party fail”

Sumatran Tiger

7) Toucan

“Think how much candy I can fit in this beak…”

toucan

8) Orange poison dart frog

“So… are we going trick or treating now?”

orange poison dart frog

9) Slug

“I’m going to visit twice as many houses this year, a whole two houses!”

Slug

10) Owl

“I’m on such a Halloween candy sugar buzz that I stopped blinking”

Owl close up
Photo credit: Flickr user Takoyaki_King

Team Sunflower!

Meet Elizabeth, Tia, Alannah and Shawnice – four friends working together to help protect animals and preserve the environment.

sunflower seed fundraiser

Elizabeth has been an active Earth Ranger for the past three years and raised funds to help protect polar bears through a Bring Back the Wild birthday party, garage sale, doing extra chores and even donating part of her allowance. Tia also hosted a birthday party for her Bring Back the Wild campaign for the polar bear.

fundraiser sighnThe girls were eager to do more so they started selling sunflower seedlings (baby sunflower plants) at their school’s Fun Fair. The sunflower sale was so popular that this year their friends Alannah and Shawnice joined the group to help with the planting of 150 seeds and care and selling of the seedlings. All of the proceeds from the plants sales were donated to Earth Rangers.

These friends are extremely committed to maintaining a healthy planet and participate in various activities like their school’s Eco Club, an annual spring clean-up in their community, recycling and helping to raise awareness for the environment through their Sunflower Fundraiser.

Elizabeth says, “It is important to protect all animals including insects, rodents, predators, spiders, amphibians and reptiles because they all play a part in keeping the ecosystem in balance.”

We couldn’t agree more. Thank you for sharing this amazing idea!

super ranger friends

Earth Rangers is a non-profit organization that works to inspire and educate children about the environment. At EarthRangers.com kids can play games, discover amazing facts, meet animal ambassadors and fundraise to protect biodiversity.

Happy World Smile Day

It’s World Smile Day! To celebrate we’ve brought together some of our favourite animals to see if they can make you smile. Do you have a toothy grin like a zebra, a sly smirk like an alpaca or a cheetah chuckle? Leave a comment to share which animal you look like when you smile.

Cheetah Chuckle

Cheetah Laughing

Red Panda SnarlSmiling Red Panda Bear

Sleepy Seal Smile

Sleeping Weddell Seal

Toothy Zebra Grin

Zebra smile

Sly Alpaca Smirk

Alpaca smile

Beaming Chimpanzee

Chimpanzee smile

“Hey There” Crocodile Grin

crocodile smile

Photobombing Ostrich Smile

ostrich smile

‘Laughing to Yourself’ Owl

Barn owl smile

Happiest Chameleon Smile

smiling chameleon

Earth Rangers is a non-profit organization that works to inspire and educate children about the environment. At EarthRangers.com kids can play games, discover amazing facts, meet animal ambassadors and fundraise to protect biodiversity.

Top Ten Fun Fox Facts

Foxes are fascinating animals, and that’s why we’re counting down our favourite fun facts about them! Which fox fact is your favourite? Leave us a comment to cast your vote.

1)  A group of foxes is called a skulk or leash

group of red foxes

2) Foxes have whiskers on their legs and face, which help them to navigate

fox whiskers

3) Grey foxes can retract their claws like cats do

Grey fox

4) A male is called a ‘dog fox’ while a female is called a ‘vixen’

male and female bat fox

5) Foxes are generally solitary animals; unlike wolves, they hunt on their own rather than in packs

Arctic fox

6) Foxes dig underground dens where they take care of their kits and hide from predators

red fox cubs and den

7) Their pupils are vertical, similar to a cat, helping them to see well at night

red fox stare

8) The tip of a red fox’s tail is white, whereas swift foxes have a black-tipped tail

red fox and swift fox

9) Foxes have excellent hearing. Red foxes can reportedly hear a watch ticking 40 yards away!

Red Fox

10) Foxes stink, their funny ‘musky’ smell comes from scent glands at the base of their tail

red fox smile mom and baby

Find out more about the swift fox and help protect them!

 

If you think animals are amazing, the Earth Rangers Podcast is for you!

Join Earth Ranger Emma as she travels the world on a quest to solve some of nature’s greatest mysteries! With top ten countdowns, animal guessing games and epic animal showdowns, this is a journey you won’t want to miss!

Asia’s Community Clean Up, Growing One Street at a Time

Meet four-year-old Asia. She may be young but she is extremely dedicated to keeping her community clean and inspiring others to do the same.

Asia and her mom pick up garbage in their neighbourhood each year. This year they made a short video which they shared with family and friends asking for help with their annual clean up.

Asia community clean up

To their surprise people from Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia and the Yukon responded saying they are going to pitch in by cleaning up the streets in their communities and a local environment group called NEAT has also put their support behind the cause.

We were so inspired by Asia’s story that we grabbed some gloves and bags and headed out to the street and spent a lunch hour picking up garbage too!

We think Asia’s commitment to the environment is amazing. An active animal and environmental enthusiast, not only does she pick up garbage to help keep the environment safe for animals, she also recycles and composts.

Keep up the great work Asia!

Earth Rangers is a non-profit organization that works to inspire and educate children about the environment. At EarthRangers.com kids can play games, discover amazing facts, meet animal ambassadors and fundraise to protect biodiversity.

Ten Things You Didn’t Know About Bobolinks

Have you ever heard of a bobolink? They are amazing animals that Earth Rangers like YOU are helping to protect! Check out these ten fast facts to learn more these little songbirds.

1. Bobolink is pronounced baa-baa-link, like baa baa black sheep!

baabaalink

 

2. They have a beautiful song.

song - musical notes

 

3. No other bird looks like a male bobolink…

Photo Credit: Larry Kirtley
Photo Credit: Larry Kirtley
 

4. not even the female!

Photo Credit: Flickr User HarmonyonPlanetEarth
Photo Credit: Flickr User HarmonyonPlanetEarth
 

5. Bobolinks measure 15-21 cm in length…

length - add arrow to show length

 

6. and weigh about the same as 8 quarters.

0F bobolink weight

 

7. Its scientific name is oryzivorus, meaning “rice eating”.

rice

 

8. Unlike many other birds, bobolinks build their nest on the ground.

0F bobolink nest

 

9. They fly about 20,000 km to get to their wintering grounds and back.

Bow Lake in Banff National Park, Canada.

 

10. That’s like flying half way around the world!

earth_small

Sign up to protect the bobolink!

Generously Supported By

Holcim

 

A Conservation Project With

 

CouchichingConservancy_Logo

Earth Rangers is a non-profit organization that works to inspire and educate children about the environment. At EarthRangers.com kids can play games, discover amazing facts, meet animal ambassadors and fundraise to protect biodiversity.

Top Ten Cutest Wolf Pups

We think wolves are pretty cute, don’t you? Wait until you see them as pups! Check out these top ten cutest wolf pups and let us know which one is your favourite.

I think I can! I think I can!

big_steps

 

Om nom nom…tastes delicious!

chew

 

One day I’ll be big and strong!

cute

 

They’ll never find me here!

fluffy

 

Mom! You’re cramping my style!

head_rest

 

Is it safe to come out yet?

hide and seek

 

Ahhhwooooooo!

howl

 

You make a good pillow!

naps - Tambako The Jaguar
Photo Credit: Flickr User Tambako The Jaguar
 

Can I eat you?

smell_the_flowers

 

Do you like my new hat?

redwolf pups - laura kali
Photo Credit: Laura Kali

Now that you’ve seen some super cute wolf pups, are you ready to protect them?

Sign up for a Bring Back the Wild campaign for the eastern wolf.

Generously Supported By

ontario power generation

A Conservation Project With

MinistryOfNaturalResources_Logo2

 
Earth Rangers is a non-profit organization that works to inspire and educate children about the environment. At EarthRangers.com kids can play games, discover amazing facts, meet animal ambassadors and fundraise to protect biodiversity.

Mya’s Mission: To Keep Our Planet Clean

Meet Mya, an enthusiastic and dedicated Earth Ranger. Not only did she help protect the beluga whale with a cool fundraiser, Mya and her family recycle as much as possible and also reuse lots of items that Mya and her sister use to make crafts.

Super Ranger Mya
Here’s Mya to tell us about her fundraiser for the beluga whale.

Hi! My name is Mya. I am 11 years old, and I love animals, especially dragonflies! I love singing, drawing, colouring, dancing and nature! I dream of becoming a vet or a teacher. I love the Earth Rangers website, and spend lots of my time looking at articles!

My friend introduced me to Earth Rangers. I first heard about it at school, when she was in the newspaper. She was one of the winners of the Whales, Trails, And Polar Bear Tales contest! She told me about Earth Rangers, I loved the idea!!

When I looked on the website, I thought of a plan! I knew that I had toys that are put away, abandoned. So, why not have a garage sale! I could sell the toys, and then donate all the money that I earned! My mom suggested a bake sale, so I thought, let’s do both! My sister and I set up the sale, with help from my mom. We spent an evening and an afternoon selling tasty treats and toys.

In the end, I raised $150! I had to pay my mom $20 for the baking treats, so I ended up with $130! I went straight to the website and donated it all for the beluga whales! I even made a sash for my pins!

Amazing Mya! When we last spoke with Mya she was working on the Battery Blitz Mission and had this to say, “Try and recycle as much as possible so there will be less garbage ruining the Earth!”

Thank you Mya for sharing your story and for helping to protect our planet.

mya's bake sale

Earth Rangers is a non-profit organization that works to inspire and educate children about the environment. At EarthRangers.com kids can play games, discover amazing facts, meet animal ambassadors and fundraise to protect biodiversity.

Top Ten Animals Chillin in the Sun

School is out and it’s the height of summer in Canada. We think it’s time to kick back and relax in the sun. Check out this top ten list of animals taking advantage of the warm sunny weather where they live. Which animal would you like to trade places with for the day? Tell us in the comment section below.

Sunbathing fox

fox sunbathing

It’s beach time for this fur seal

Fur seal on the beach

Hippo sun appreciation club

hippos, sun

Sweet lion dreams under the sun

lion sleeping

Sunbathing is serious business for this lizard

lizard, sun

Meerkat beach chair

meerkat

Monkeys need R&R time too

monkey, resting

Relaxing otter style

otter, sun, napping

Tiger sun naps are always better with a log 

tiger nap

Turtle time in the sun

turtle, sun, pond