Who am I – Pro Edition

Earth Rangers

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November 9, 2023

We’re on route to our next National Park destination, but Emma just stumped herself with a “Who Am I?” animal sound quiz, that is so tricky that even she doesn’t know how to solve it.

Thankfully she gets some help from Sophie Guarasci, one of the amazing wildlife heroes at the Marine Mammal Centre to solve the case!

Emma is on a long train ride towards her next national park. She’s been playing a series of games to pass the time, one of which features… the seal! But just not any seal: a habor seal.

A seal with many harbors

*Photo Credit: Dan Friedman at The Marine Mammal Center*

Harbor seals can be found a large range of geographic locations, from the coasts of North America, Europe and Asia. You can come across them in both freshwaters, like the harbor seals of Ungava Peninsula in Quebec, and saltwater like those found along the coast of California.

So does that mean that there are different kinds of harbor seals that live in different places? Yes! There are 5 subspecies of harbor seals: Eastern Atlantic harbor seals, Western Atlantic harbor seals, Eastern Pacific harbor seal, Ungava seals, and Kuril harbor seals. Each of them is just as cute and spotted as the other!

One thing that’s special about these seals is that they don’t have any ear flaps, known as pinna. They instead have an ear opening, that closes when they dive.

And did you know that their cute whiskers (similar to a cat’s) can help them navigate better by detecting the wave pressures of nearby fish.

Have you ever seen a harbor seal relaxing on rocks before? They do that to rest, enjoy the sun, or even spend time together with other seals. But Harbor seals don’t necessarily have to spend their nights on land! They can sleep on both land and in water, as long as their head remains above-water so they can breathe.

A Slippery Start

A harbor seal can do much more than just float around while sleeping! Seal pups may occasionally ride on their mothers when they are too tired to swim. These cute family interactions don’t last long, as harbor seal pups stay with their mothers for about 4 to 6 weeks before they’re old enough to start trying to forage on their own.

It is during these early stages of a pup’s life that they are most at risk of danger. While separated from their mothers, they can easily get caught up in fishing nets, or end up on urban beaches where they might be at risk of dogs – who can not only injure them, but spread diseases. Seal pups should be left alone, and your dogs should not be allowed near them. If you see an entangled, injured, or stranded seal, report it to your local experts so they can come and tend to it. Specialists such as those at the Marine Mammal Center have the expertise to properly care for an injured harbor seal pup and rehabilitate them back into the wild.

A Marine Lifesaver

In this episode, Emma calls animal researcher Sophie Guarasci to talk about the harbor seal project. Being a pinniped expert, she knows a ton about seals of all kinds! Sophie is responsible for supervising the care of all animal patients. In addition to performing physical exams and providing surgical assistance, she also oversees and trains students and volunteers in the care of marine mammals.

Sophie works at the Marine Mammal Center, which is focused on advancing global ocean conversation through animal care, research, and education. Their centers take care of all types of different marine mammals, including harbor seal pups. The treatment process involves protecting these pups from stress, making sure they are well-fed, and taught how to dive and hunt on their own, before eventually being released back into the wild.

Sophie has been doing an incredible job helping these adorable animals, and Earth Rangers is determined to help her out! You can too by joining the Shoreline Saver mission, and if you want something fun – why not check out these fun Wildwire articles featuring the harbor seal?

What your favorite harbor seal fact of the episode? Let us know in the comments below!

For more information about the Harbor Seal or to learn more about The Marine Mammal Center’s mission, please visit their website at https://www.marinemammalcenter.org/

Toasty Grizzly

Earth Rangers

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November 9, 2023

268

Toasty Grizzly

Time:10 min

Difficulty:Easy

Do you feel a rumbly in your tumbly? Breakfast, lunch, or snack, we’ve got your family covered!

Here’s what you need:

A slice of bread
A sandwich spread (like peanut butter, jelly, jam, honey, etc…)
Blueberries
Banana

Here’s how you make it:

Step 1: Put a slice of bread into the toaster. While it is toasting, peel and slice up the banana.

Step 2: When your bread is done toasting, slather it with the sandwich spread of your choice.

Step 3: Take two banana slices to make the bear’s ears. And a third banana slice to make the bear’s snout.

Step 4: Take two blueberries to make the bear’s eyes. Place another blueberry on top of the snout to make the bear’s cute little nose.

There you have it! A Toasty Grizzly ready for you to dig in!

Pawsitively Hilarious Jokes #15

Earth Rangers

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November 6, 2023

61

What’s an owls’ favorite book?

A Hoostery novel.

Tap here for more cool stuff like this!

Pixel Puzzler #35: The Great Reveal

Earth Rangers

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November 3, 2023

25

We got tons of great guesses on Part 1 of this Pixel Puzzler and now it’s time for the answer. Are you ready for the great reveal? Find out if you got it right!

The answer to this Pixel Puzzler is (drum roll please) a Swift Fox! How did you do? Tell us in the comments!

Tap here for more cool stuff like this!

Help swift foxes with a Wildlife Adoption!

Head to the Adoptions Section in the App or visit the Earth Rangers Shop!

Indoor Camping

Earth Rangers

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November 2, 2023

193

Indoor Camping

Time:60+ min

Difficulty:Medium

Stop, don’t turn that thermostat up! We know it’s getting colder, so why not enjoy a week of chilly adventures and try some indoor camping?

About the game:

Objective: When it’s cold, rather than turn up the heat, try out some tried-and-true camping tricks… inside! Build yourself a fun indoor tent, pretend you’re an arctic explorer, and find ways to stay warm even while your thermostat is turned down low!
Players: 1 or more players

Here’s what you need:

Chairs
Sheet, tablecloth, or cozy blankets
Cozy decorations for your indoor tent (ie. Comfy pillows, plushies)
Flameless candles or a lamp
3-4 sticks or paper rolls
An adult to help

Here’s how you play it:

Step 1:

First, you need a tent. If you don’t have your own camping tent, no problem! You only need 3 chairs, a big sheet (for a tent cover) and some books.

Place the chairs facing out, hang the sheet over the top of the chairs, and put the books on top to hold the sheet on the chairs. For extra warmth, build the tent in a sunny spot (like near a window).

Step 2:

Decorate the inside of your tent! Add pillows, some plushies, or you decide!

Step 3:

Make yourself somewhere comfy to sleep on. Bring a sleeping bag or blanket into the tent – the more layers between you and the cold floor, the better!

Step 4:

Want to enjoy a safe indoor campfire? You’ll need a flashlight or flameless candle and some sticks or paper rolls.

In front of your tent, set up the flashlight or flameless candle and put the sticks or paper rolls around it to create your fire. So cozy!

Step 5:

Your tent is done! Throw on a comfy sweater, or a toasty toque, and invite some friends over for hot cocoa and a fun camping adventure!

How did your indoor camping go? What cool things did you use to decorate your tent? Got any fun stories to share? Let us know in the comments!

Did you know that turning down your thermostat in the winter can actually help slow down climate change? Learn more in the Re-set the ‘stat Mission in the Missions section in the Earth Rangers App!

Halloween Hiding

Earth Rangers

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October 31, 2023

21

Safe and happy Halloween Earth Rangers!

This is the perfect day to be spooky, scary, AND TOTALLY GOOEY!

Some of you might decide to go out trick-or-treating, some of you might stay home watching scary movies, some might play spooky games, and some of you… might not celebrate Halloween at all?

Trick…or treat?

The origins of Halloween go back more than 2,000 years to the Celtic New Year’s Day of Samhain, when it was believed that spirits walked with the living. There was no trick-or-treating back then. So when did that start?

There are two possibilities: the 16th century British All Souls’ Day, or the German Christmas custom of Belsnickling from the 18th and 19th century. The candy-based celebration came after World War II, much later in the 20th century.

Today, you can see Halloween costumes and candy in stores before it’s even October. With so much candy, some might decide to enjoy tasty treats before October 31st!

But what happens after Halloween is over? Where do all the candy and old pumpkins go?

Why not compost it?

Tired of all the sweets? Got sore teeth after Halloween? Don’t have any place to donate the leftovers? Along with pumpkins, Halloween candy can be composted.

BUT WAIT!

Don’t throw everything into your compost bins. Worms love pumpkins, and microorganisms will use the sugar in the candies to break down green and brown matter faster…but let’s not forget, so do other animals! This food isn’t good for mice or rats, even though they will certainly want to eat it. You need to be sure your compost bin is well-built before throwing candy out.

Can you SPOT THE FAKE?

Now that you know that there are a lot of tricky things that don’t belong in a compost bin, see if you can spot the fakes: the items that do NOT belong in the green bin!

Click on the items you think are the fakes!

Beware of hidden plastic!

Now that you know what candies to watch out for, let’s remember one special icky gooey sweet that can’t be composted: chewing gum!

If you receive any gum for Halloween, it must be thrown out in the garbage. Chewing gum and bubble gum are made with synthetic rubbers, plastic, and wax that are not compostable.

Gross Out!

Composting is an important part of helping the planet. But it can get gross. Vermicomposting brings some extra friends to help: worms! Together with your worm friends, composted material can be turned into organic soil for plants. Halloween is the perfect gross and gooey celebration to go into the compost.

Before throwing your food into your green bin, remember to do the following:

Double-check that your compost bin is secure
Crush hard candy into smaller pieces
Remove all plastic packaging
Throw all chewing gum in the trash.

Worms, like you, get full. So consider composting your candy in moderation over a long period.

Why not assemble a squirmy squad while you do it? Once you compost your Halloween leftovers, be sure to log your habit in the app. And join the Gross Out challenge now!

What did you do for Halloween? Did you go trick-or-treating? What will you compost? Let us know in the comments below!

Would you Rather #53

Earth Rangers

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October 30, 2023

184

Would you rather…

Join a pack of wolves or a pride of lions

Tell us which one you pick in the comments!

More “Would You Rather” Questions!

Pixel Puzzler #35: Part 1

Earth Rangers

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October 27, 2023

68

Let’s put your identification skills to the test! Can you figure out what is hidden in this picture? Make your guess in the comments.

Check back next week for the answer!

Tap here for more cool stuff like this!

Loony Loons

Earth Rangers

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October 26, 2023

68

Today, Emma is taking a break from her whirlwind tour of National Parks in order to relax and have a fun night at the movies. Hey, she’s supposed to be on vacation after all. But something in the movies’ sound effects starts her on a little side quest to learn more about one of North Americas most famous wailers: The Common Loon.

This episode features an interview with Kylie Clatterbuck, one of the wildlife Heroes at International Bird Rescue.

A Surprising Superstar!

Almost everyone has heard a loon’s wail, but not all may know what they are! You might recognize a loon’s mournful cry in films. They often appear to create atmosphere, tension, or wilderness scenes, even in places where the real animal doesn’t exist – like space!

Emma described the common loon as ranging between a Mallard duck and a Canadian goose. It can in fact grow as big as 32 inches, with its wingspan going up to 54 inches, not far from a small goose!

The beautiful common loon isn’t the only one out there. There is a great deal of diversity among the loons. In Canada and the United States alone we can find five different species of loon: The Common Loon, Pacific Loon, Arctic Loon, Red-throated Loon, and Yellow-billed Loon.

Several of these loon species change color between summer and winter. During summer, you can recognize the common loon with its back and white spots, black head, and red eyes. In winter, they become plain gray. Some loons, like the Red-throated loon, will even lose their red patch during the winter.

A Loony Prize!

Aren’t loons awesome? I don’t know about you, Earth Rangers, but I’d love a cute loon plush hanging out with me (especially if I can enjoy listening to its call!). Well…Guess what? One of you can have just that! But who?

To find one out, let’s play a game: Share which trivia you liked the most after listening to the podcast, and you might be the one to win your very own common loon plush bundle, just like the one below.

How will we pick the winner? The winner will be picked completely at random from a raffle of the first 200 people to comment on their very own loon facts.

Remember – this is the question you need to answer:

“What is your favorite loon trivia from the episode?”

A Loon Expert

In this episode, Emma had the pleasure of talking with bird expert Kylie Clatterbuck, Manager of Bird Rescue’s Los Angeles Wildlife Center! Kylie has been a lead responder for oil spills and other wildlife emergencies, helping to save loons and many different birds across the word. She even traveled to save some flamingo chicks in South Africa!

Kylie and the others at the International Bird Rescue care for loons that are injured, oiled, sick, or suffering from starvation. They help them recover so they can be released back into the wild to live a happy life for years to come.

Thanks to Kylie, Emma learned some fun trivia about loons. But that is not all! There are plenty of other loon facts to dive into. Earth Rangers has plenty of fun Wildwires to check out, so why not give it a look?

Gettin’ looney for loons!

A New Generation of Wildlife Heroes

Would you Rather #44

What was your favorite loon fact from the episode? Do you have any other fun loon trivia?
Let us know in the comments below!

For more information about the Common Loon or to learn more about the International Bird Rescue’s mission, please visit their website at https://www.birdrescue.org/

Terrific Tiger Battery Box

Earth Rangers

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October 26, 2023

50

Terrific Tiger Battery Box

Time:45 min

Difficulty:Easy

Don’t know what to do with your old batteries? We’ve got the purr-fect solution for you!

Here’s what you need:

Box
Paint
Scissors
Glue
Black marker
Colored markers
Paper, foam, or felt sheets
Tip: Upcycle an old piece of paper or newspaper instead of using something new

Here’s how you make it:

Step 1: Paint the sides of your box! What color are you making your tiger? Are they orange, yellow, white, blue, grey, or another color?

Step 2: While your paint is drying, cut out some shapes for your tiger’s features (paws, snout, nose, eyes, ears, and tail). Paint them the same color as your box and use some markers to add details.

Step 3: Before gluing your features on, let’s add some details to the box! Use a black marker and add stripes.

Step 4: Grab a glue stick and apply your tiger’s features! Your tiger is ready to hunt for old batteries!

Start collecting batteries and fill your box!

Did you know batteries that go in the garbage end up in landfills, adding to solid waste that can be harmful to the environment? Check out the Battery Blitz on the Earth Rangers app to learn all about properly recycling your batteries!