Happy Labour Day to These Hard-Working Animals!
From the SEIU Archives at Wayne State University’s Walter P. Reuther Library.
This Monday, September 4, we’re celebrating Labour Day! “Labour” is another word for “work.” This global holiday began in the 1800s, back when it was legal to hire kids like you to perform dangerous jobs from sun-up to sundown, often for just a few pennies a day!
Grown-ups also faced unsafe workplaces, low pay, and long hours. Some of these workers formed groups called “unions,” joining together to demand fair pay, safe places to work, and enough time to rest.
Because of the labour union movement, kids in Canada and the United States can go to school instead of worrying about making money to support their families. Plus, grown-up workers have more rights. This is what we celebrate on Labour Day!
But it’s not just people who work! For thousands and thousands of years, animals have helped humans do their jobs. This Labour Day, we’re spotlighting five hard-working animal heroes!
Pigeon Post
You can find the humble pigeon in huge swarms on any city street. Lots of people think of these birds as pests. Some even call pigeons “flying rats!”
But pigeons have a special ability: they can find their way home from hundreds of miles away – no map necessary! They can also fly as fast as 97 kilometres per hour. Long before planes, trains, or automobiles were invented, people relied on the quick and precise pigeon to deliver their mail! They simply tied a note to the bird’s feet or tail feathers, then let them fly!
In Ancient Greece, pigeons proclaimed the winners of the Olympics. In 1860, Paul Reuter, the founder of the Reuters news service, used a fleet of pigeons to send and receive news reports. And all throughout history, from the time of Genghis Khan to the modern day, pigeons have carried crucial strategic messages during battles. During World War II, 32 pigeons received the Dickin Medal for Gallantry for transmitting crucial messages that helped the Allied Forces defeat the Nazis!
Ship’s Cats
We all know that cats love mice – and throughout history, this has made them very useful on ships!
On long sea voyages, sailors can only bring a limited amount of food. If mice get into that food supply, sailors could go hungry or get sick! That’s why, ever since ancient times, voyagers have brought cats aboard their ships. A good ship’s cat catches mice and gobbles them up, keeping the ship’s food stash safe for sailors!
Francesco Morosini, a famous naval commander from the 1600s, loved his cat Nini so much that he never set sail without her! When Nini passed away, Morosini had her mummified with a mouse between her paws.
Rats… for Peace?
Would it surprise you to learn that rats are leading anti-war efforts all over the world?
Rats may get a bad rap, but they’re helping peace activists all over the world disarm dangerous weapons known as land mines. A land mine is an explosive device that soldiers bury in the ground. When a person walks over a hidden land mine, it explodes!
That’s where rats come in! These tiny rodents don’t weigh enough to set off a land mine. They can sniff out these dangerous devices without causing an explosion! When a rat finds a land mine, it scurries back to a team of workers, who then remove the land mine safely, so nobody gets hurt.
One heroic rat, Magawa, sniffed out more than a hundred land mines during his five-year career. He saved countless lives and even won a gold medal from the People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals. Pretty good for such a little guy, don’t you think?
Guide the Way, Dogs!
Hundreds of millions of people around the world are blind or have low vision. They use assistive tools to navigate through the world and avoid obstacles. Some blind people sweep white canes across their paths to make sure the way is clear. Other people use guide dogs, also known as seeing-eye dogs, for the same purpose. Blind people tell their dogs where they’d like to go. Then the dog finds a safe route and leads the way!
Using guide dogs, blind people can take care of their day-to-day needs on their own, which makes them confident in themselves. Dogs also help blind people relax while exploring unfamiliar places. Many blind people also say that having a guide dog helps them make friends–a dog is a great conversation-starter!
Just remember that guide dogs aren’t pets: they’re hard at work! Never touch, feed, or distract a guide dog. These clever canines need to focus on helping their handlers!
Quit Hogging the Truffles!
Have you ever tasted a truffle? No, not the chocolate kind! This funny-looking fungus is actually a delicious, savoury food, with a taste somewhere between garlic and roasted nuts.
Chefs all over the world use truffles in haute cuisine, and certain special truffles are worth hundreds–or even thousands!–of dollars per pound.
But truffles can be hard to grow on farms, and even harder to find in the wild. That’s because they need special conditions to thrive, deep in the soil beneath the roots of trees.
So how do we harvest these tasty treats? Easy: With truffle hogs!
Pigs have an amazing sense of smell, and they can sniff out a truffle’s distinctive scent as deep as three feet underground! Plus, they love to root through the earth for food, which makes them naturally great at digging up these delicacies.
Some pigs!
Pixel Puzzler #32: The Great Reveal
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 lynx! How did you do? Tell us in the comments!
Tap here for more cool stuff like this!
Save the polar bears and protect their icy habitat!
Hello, Earth Rangers! I’m Nicholas Paroshy. I’m a researcher at the University of Alberta, and I love polar bears! I’m studying them in an area of the Arctic called the Beaufort Sea.
Fun fact: Polar bears don’t have white fur! Their fur actually has no color, but in the reflected light it looks white, helping them blend in with the ice around them. Talk about cool!
These extraordinary animals live in the Arctic regions of Canada, the United States, Greenland, Norway, and Russia. As apex predators, they’re found at the top of the food chain. They use ice platforms to hunt seals, their favorite food, and they’re built for this chilly environment. Polar bears have thick layers of fat and fur to keep them warm. Their wide paws help them travel over the ice and swim through the water. Plus, their curved, sharp claws keep them steady and help them grip their prey.
Polar bears need those layers of fat to stay warm, so they’re big eaters. They can eat up to 150 pounds (68 kg) of seal blubber in one sitting. With all that hunting and eating, polar bears use up a lot of energy, so they’re also excellent at sleeping and napping. In the summer they sleep curled up on the ice, and in the winter they burrow into the snow and can snooze for days. They’ve even been known to sleep through blizzards!
Polar bears rely on sea ice for food, but their habitat keeps melting as temperatures rise due to climate change. My research looks at how these changes are affecting the way these creatures live, so we’ll know how to help them. You can help, too!
Head to the Adoptions section in the Earth Rangers App or visit the Earth Rangers Shop to get your Polar Bear Adoption Kit and make a difference today!
Ringed Seals: More than Adorable
Hi, I’m Katie Florko, a University of British Columbia researcher helping to protect the ringed seals in an area of the Arctic called the Hudson Bay.
We can all agree that ringed seals are super cute, with their plump bodies, spotted gray fur, and big brown eyes. But there’s a lot more to these animals than their lovable looks.
In their habitat all around the Arctic, ringed seals are the smallest seal species. They live near the ice for most of the year, so they have a thick layer of blubber to keep them warm. They’re also great divers and can hold their breath underwater for around 45 minutes! These superpowers come in handy as ringed seals hunt for the fish and other small sea creatures they eat. And it helps them hide from the polar bears and other predators that want to eat them.
Ringed seals are expert diggers, too. Using the claws on their flippers, they create snow caves to stay warm and protect themselves and their young from predators, and they cut holes into the ice so they can quickly dive and hide beneath it.
Ringed seals rely on the Arctic ice for food and protection, but their habitat keeps melting as temperatures rise due to climate change. I’m studying the relationships between these creatures and others in their food chain, so we can better help the ringed seals for years to come. But I need some help!
Head to the Adoptions section in the Earth Rangers App or visit the Earth Rangers Shop to get your Ringed Seal Adoption Kit and make a difference today!
Protect the caribou and their shrinking home!
Hi, I’m Yifeng! I’m a researcher at Queen’s University, and I’m researching an important caribou habitat in an area of coastal Labrador called the permafrost peatlands. That’s where thick layers of decaying plants called peat help the ground stay frozen. And it’s where lichen and other plants grow that caribou love to eat.
Caribou have large hooves, huge antlers, and thick, brown fur. They belong to the deer family — you might also know them as reindeer!
These amazing animals live in the arctic tundra and boreal forest in Canada, Alaska, and the western United States, but certain types are also found in Norway, Sweden, and Russia. Their hooves are like big wide shovels that help them dig through the snow for food, and walk on top of the snow instead of sinking in. In the summertime, their footpads grow spongy and springy so they can travel over different types of ground. Plus, caribou hooves can act as paddles to help them swim! Another cool fact? They’re the only member of the deer family where both males and females grow antlers.
Caribou are great at moving from place to place to find food and shelter, but these days they’re threatened due to climate change in their habitats. We need to do whatever we can to help. That’s where you come in!
If I can study where and how the permafrost peatlands are changing, it will help us figure out how to help the caribou for years to come. But I can’t do it alone!
Head to the Adoptions section in the Earth Rangers App or visit the Earth Rangers Shop to get your Caribou Adoption Kit and make a difference today!
Save the Eastern wolf, river otter, and moose!
Hi, I’m Megan Quinn, the Coordinator of Conservation Biology with the Nature Conservancy of Canada. My team and I are working in the Frontenac Arch, a region of forests, wetlands, and lakes in Eastern Ontario. It’s home to all kinds of animals, including eastern wolves, river otters, and moose!
Eastern wolves live in the forest, roaming in packs and communicating with each other using howls and barks. They prey on plant-eating species like beavers, deer, and moose, so wolves play a key role in keeping the forest ecosystem balanced. But they’re not solely carnivores. In the summertime, eastern wolves have been known to snack on blueberries. That’s one of my favorites, too!
River otters have adapted to live in all sorts of aquatic habitats, so they’re found in rivers, lakes, and wetlands across Canada. They have streamlined bodies, water-repellent fur, webbed feet, and even third eyelids that help them see underwater. River otters are amazing swimmers — they can dive up to 60 feet and can hold their breath underwater for up to eight minutes!
Moose are the largest members of the deer family, and they live near bodies of water all over Canada. Male moose have antlers that span up to six feet. These creatures are herbivores, so they only eat plants like shrubs, pinecones, and aquatic plants. Moose are also excellent swimmers; they swim to beat the heat and can dive to search for food. They can stay afloat for several miles at a time!
In our work with the Nature Conservancy of Canada, my team and I are doing all we can to study and protect the Frontenac Arch, as it’s such an important ecosystem. The more we learn, the more we can do for the eastern wolves, river otters, moose, and other wildlife that live there. But we need lots of help!
Check out the Adoptions section in the Earth Rangers App or visit the Earth Rangers Shop to get your Eastern Wolf, River Otter, and Moose Adoption Kits. You can make a difference today!
The Swift Fox Returns — Let’s Save Their Habitat!
Hey, Earth Rangers! I’m Peter Soroye. I’m a researcher working with Wildlife Conservation Society Canada. And I’m on a mission: to identify and help protect Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs), like the Saskatchewan grasslands where swift foxes live!
Swift foxes definitely live up to their name — they can run up to 37 miles per hour! They’re one of the smallest of the fox family, and they’re about the size of a housecat. Their fur is yellowish-red, gray, and black. Swift foxes spend a lot of their time underground in dens, where they can hide from predators and raise their young. They appear above ground at night to hunt for rodents, birds, and insects, though they’ll also eat fruits, grasses, and even prey killed by other animals. These little foxes can make a meal out of just about anything!
Swift foxes disappeared from Canada around the 1930s, after so much of the grassland where they lived was turned into farmland. But in the 1980s and 90s they were reintroduced, so Canada now has a more stable population. Talk about making a comeback!
But there’s still a long way to go before swift foxes are no longer at risk. Most of Canada’s grasslands have been lost, and they’re continuing to disappear due to human development and climate change. In fact, the Canadian grasslands are one of the most endangered ecosystems on Earth. We need to do all we can to help. In my work with Wildlife Conservation Society Canada, I’m working with a team that’s making sure we know where swift foxes live, so that we can makes sure we’re giving them the best protection possible. By adopting a swift fox, you can help, too!
Check out the Adoptions section in the Earth Rangers App or visit the Earth Rangers Shop to get your Swift Fox Adoption Kit. Make a difference today!
Nature Bingo
Nature Bingo
Time:45 min
Difficulty:Medium
Did someone say BINGO? Forget numbers, grab a pen and your shoes, this is a Nature Bingo! Let’s see who can get Bingo first!
Objective: Try to fill 5 squares in a row (across, up/down, or diagonal) to win a bingo!
Players: 1 or more
Here’s what you need:
- A notebook or paper to write down your Bingo squarel
- Something to write with like a pencil, pen, or marker
- Your favourite outdoor space
- Friends or family to join you
Here’s how you play it:
Step 1:
Make your way to your favourite outdoor space. It could be your local park, a walking trail, a beach, or even your backyard!
Step 2:
Look over the Bingo square. You can save or screenshot this to your phone, or write the words down on a piece of paper.
| Tree | Flower | Berries | Pinecone | Spider web |
| Hole | Puddle | Moss | Mushroom | Rock |
| Stick | Feather | FREE SPACE | Leaf | Nest |
| Animal Tracks | Water | Grass | Sand | Mud |
| Bug | Pet Cat/Pet Dog | Squirrel | Reptile/Amphibian | Bird |
Step 3:
Start exploring and looking around! Take note of what you see and be sure to check your bingo sheet. Do it by yourself, work as a team, or challenge a friend to see who can get BINGO first!
