Although they look similar, salamanders and geckos are not related! In fact, one of these two is not even considered a lizard, closer to its frog cousin. What does one have that the other does not? Who would win in an Ultimate Showdown?
Geckos, like all other lizards, are reptiles. These lizards can be found in the wild in mountain regions, deserts, or rainforests. The majority of gecko species do not have eyelids, with the exception of the Eublepharidae who are known as the “Eyelid Geckos”. Many have special feet that let them stick to walls and ceilings.
Salamanders, including axolotls and newts, are amphibians. They can be seen in damp areas in or close to water sources such as rivers, creeks, or ponds. They are born but often don’t remain, in water, and similar to frogs usually undergo an evolution cycle.
The awesome thing is both of these critters can regenerate limbs! As a defense mechanism, certain geckos might drop their tail to get away from danger and regrow it later, while all salamanders (including axolotls) can regenerate any limb, even their heart! What’s cooler than what these two have?
Which of these two cool critters do you think has what it takes to win an ultimate showdown?
This past summer, Earth Rangers was lucky enough to work with four young people from the Canada Summer Jobs program! Every year, CSJ connects non-profit organizations like Earth Rangers to folks at the very beginning of their careers. We sat down with two of our summer students, Abigail and Vicki, to chat about the paths that brought them to Earth Rangers. They’ve got great advice for kids who love animals and dream about working in conservation when they grow up!
Meet Abigail!
What made you want to work at Earth Rangers?
I wanted to join Earth Rangers because of their profound impact on environmental education and advocacy. As a biology graduate, working for a sustainable and environmentally friendly company is extremely important to me, and here at Earth Rangers, they live harmoniously with nature and animals.
What do you like most about working in conservation?
I love working in conservation not only to spend more time in nature but to preserve it for future generations. As we are faced with numerous climate catastrophes, it is important for my role in society to educate and advocate for future generations.
What advice would you give to kids who are curious about green jobs?
My advice to kids curious about green jobs is to pursue that interest! If you are really passionate about helping animals, the environment or just the planet in general, then there are lots of roles for you in the world right now. Find something you love and something you are good at (writing, speaking, art, etc.) and combine those things to find a green job that suits you!
What’s your favourite day-to-day way to bring down your carbon footprint?
My favourite day-to-day way to bring down my carbon footprint would have to be working remotely. Any day I can avoid the commute using my car is a good day! I also love using my re-usable water bottle and limiting electricity at home.
If you could be any animal, which one would you be and why?
If I could be an animal, I would be a blue whale, because they are the largest animal on Earth, with a heart as heavy as a car, enjoying the ocean. I love to swim and these animals are extremely beautiful when they are living freely.
Meet Vicki!
What made you want to work at Earth Rangers?
As a kid, I always loved and supported Earth Rangers. I was even an Earth Ranger myself. All my life, I’ve cared about animals, and our planet, which houses all of them. My dream was to be an Earth Ranger and to work with animals. Though my passions have shifted to graphic design, this opportunity to work at my dream job AND do something for the animals I so care about has been nothing less of a dream.
What do you like most about working in conservation?
I love working in conservation because I care so deeply about wildlife and preserving our natural environment. Not only that, but I get to work with people who also share the same love and care that I do. My co-workers are some of the most thoughtful, passionate and caring people that I have had the honor to meet.
What advice would you give to kids who are curious about green jobs?
My advice for kids is to stay curious, passionate and innovative! Asking questions, finding ways to help or even just talking about conservation or green jobs are all great ways to learn more. Furthermore, never give up! You never know what opportunities may arise if you keep working hard.
What’s your favourite day-to-day way to bring down your carbon footprint?
My family does this fun game where we always ensure that, when someone leaves a room, we turn off the lights. If you leave the light on, you have to pay up a loonie! We also have a garden in the backyard where we put good food scraps, like egg shells and fruit cores. Finally, we actively practice recycling and keep our recycle bins bigger than our trash bins to remind us to recycle the items that we can.
5. If you could be any animal, which one would you be and why?
If I could be an animal, I would be a quokka! They are the cutest little marsupials from Australia with the most adorable smiles. They are so small and look so happy. I would love to spend my days as a lounging quokka eating some fresh leaves.
Time to get down and dirty like a snail and worm! Ready to GROSS OUT and fight climate change? Get stinky, mucky, and super-yucky by joining the Gross Out Challenge!
Upcycle your plastic bottle into one of these flashy flowers!
Here’s what you need:
An upcycled plastic bottle
Paint
Scissors
Glue
Something for a stem, like a stick, popsicle stick, or thin dowel
Two different colored paper, foam, or felt sheets
An Adult to help
Here’s how you make it:
Step 1: After you remove and recycle the label from your bottle, cut the bottom of the bottle off—with an adult’s help, of course!
Step 2:Flip the top of your bottle over so the part where you drink from is facing away from you. With an adult to help, cut slits about 3 cm apart around the bottle. They should go all the way to the bottle’s neck. These are the petals. Bend them down so they look like a flower.
TIP: You can make a bonus flower with the bottom of the bottle too!
Step 3: Start painting your petals. Feel free to give them different colours and patterns!
Step 4: While your paint is drying, cut some leaf out of one of the coloured sheets. Cut a circle out of the other one to make the centre of your flower.
Step 5: Once the paint is dry, glue the circle onto the bottle cap. Next, glue the leaves onto the stem.
Step 6: Finish up by gluing the stem to the back of the flower.
That’s it! You’ve got your own bouquet of plastic petals!
Whoa! Earth Ranger Emma is grounded? Number One is putting Emma on a mandatory holiday to make sure she does not get overworked, but our intrepid reporter is not having it! She’s one “rest-less” mission to turn this relaxation into exploration! Adventure is calling! Tune in and find out!
Hey Earth Rangers, it’s time for another epic adventure with Earth Ranger Emma! But uhh…There’s just one teeny, tiny problem: she’s not supposed to be on an “epic adventure”.
She’s supposed to be on vacation.
See, Earth Ranger Emma has been stressed out ever since the end of Quest for the Best, and her boss, Number 1, noticed. Now Emma’s only assignment is to take a summer vacation.
Summer vacation is the perfect time to lay back and relax. There’s no better way to bust stress than to have fun and not worry about work!
But instead of taking a quiet holiday, Emma is going to check off an item on her bucket list: to explore national parks in Canada and the USA. She’ll see the sights, learn about the plants and animals in each place and, maybe (just maybe) find a moment or two to relax.
Is this a good idea? How stressful might a trip through the national parks end up being? What adventures – oops! I mean “relaxing sights” might Emma see there? Do you know any nice places she could check out that could help make this a nice trip?
What are your thoughts about Emma’s vacation destination? Do you have any ideas of where she could go? Don’t know any good national parks, let us know what’s your favorite kind of relaxing thing to do during summer vacations!
We’ve gotten 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 mouse! How did you do? Tell us in the comments!
Do you like sticky snacks? What about sustainable sticky snacks? We’ve got a hot recipe for you! It’s time to use solar energy to roast some s’mores!
Here’s what you need:
A cardboard box with a lid (a shoe box or old parcel box would work, as long as it’s more than 8cm deep!
A repurposed plastic bag or plastic wrap
Upcycled Tin foil
Tape
Glue
Aluminum pie tin
Stick
Ruler
Scissors or an exacto knife
Marshmallows
Chocolate
Graham crackers
Help from an adult
Here’s how you make it:
Step 1: With the help of an adult, cut a 3-sided flap in the top of the lid of your box. Be sure to keep a border of about 2 1/2cm between the flap and the outer edge of the lid!
Step 2:Cover the inside/bottom of the flap in tin foil, gluing it in place with the shiny side facing out. Make sure to do so gently, keeping the tin foil as smooth as possible. Cover the rest of the inside of the box with foil as well.
Step 3: Lay your clear plastic across the top of the opening, making sure the flap is still open. Tape down the plastic to seal the box tightly.
OPTIONAL: If you want, you can add two layers of plastic wrap to trap even more heat inside your solar oven.
Step 4: Prop the box’s flap to stay open using a stick, pole, ruler, or anything else you can find. You may have to tape it to ensure it stays open.
When you are done, place the box in the sun and allow it to get hot for about 30 minutes.
Step 5: Once the box is preheated, open one side of the plastic wrap and place the pie tin inside the box.
Set down 2 graham crackers, with a square of chocolate and a marshmallow on top of each, inside the tin. For now, leave the top graham cracker off of the s’more.
Step 6: Seal the plastic wrap tightly again, making sure there are no holes. Point your box towards the sun, angling the flap so that it will reflect the light and heat into the box.
TIP: By securing the plastic wrap, you will trap more heat, and your s’mores will roast faster!
Step 7: All that is left is to wait! Your s’mores should take anywhere between 30-60 minutes to roast. Once roasted, the marshmallows will be soft, and slightly goopy, and the chocolate will be melted.
Add another graham cracker and you’ve got yourself your very own solar s’more sandwich! Enjoy!
Looking for more ways to harness the power of the sun? Check out the We’ve Got the Power Mission on the Earth Rangers app to learn all about solar power (along with other types of green energy).
