In the 2023-2024 school year, the students are learning about ecosystems around the world. Students research about an animal in the ecosystem and then write a report about it. Enjoy!
The Sonoran Desert
The Cottontail
I love the cottontail. It has big ears to get the heat out. It has a fluffy tail and is fluffy. The cottontail hare jumps high and it eats grass and bushes and other plants. I love the Cottontail.
- 5 year old
The Sonoran Toad
The Sonoran Desert Toad is surprisingly very interesting. It’s the biggest toad in North America. The biggest Sonoran Toad is 7.4 inches. The smallest is 4 inches. The oldest was 40. Also, their look is fascinating. Want to know why? Well, they have very few warts, unlike other kinds of toads. They also have a very creamy white stomach. One other question is how do they protect themselves? They actually have these things called toxins on their skin, so nothing can eat them, but some manage to eat them. The other question is what do they eat? It turns out they eat insects, small vertebrates, owls, snakes, and even smaller toads. They also eat very ferociously. Also, I wonder how many babies they have at a time? It’s amazing, they lay 8,000 eggs at a time! Now, good question, what’s their shelter? Well, there found near water, and you will be surprised, but they hibernate under ground. I loved talking about the Sonoran Toads, and I wish I could talk to you more, but see you next time!
- 9 year old
Sonoran Desert bobcats are very clever cats. The Sonoran bobcat is a very good hunter. The bobcat eats rabbits, birds, lizards, snakes, and rodents. The Sonoran Desert bobcat is nocturnal. Nocturnal means they come out at night. It cools down at night. It is dark and easy to get their prey. The Sonoran bobcat has dark brown spots and lighter brown around the rest of its body. The Sonoran Desert bobcat gets their water from their prey. I love the Sonoran Desert bobcat.
- 9 year old
Pepsis
There are 15 different species of Pepsis. Pepsis also can be called the tarantula hawk wasp. Very few animals are predators to the Pepsis because of it’s deadly sting. Pepsis can get up to 1.75 inches long. Males live from 1-2 months and females live longer. Pepsis larva feed on tarantulas. Some predators to the Pepsis are the roadrunners and the bullfrog. The roadrunner is a funny looking bird. The Pepsis is not endangered! I loved learning about the Pepsis.
- 9 year old
Scorpions
Scorpions eat bugs, spiders, centipedes, and even other scorpions. Scorpions can have 30 babies or Scorpions can have 100 babies. Scorpions glow in the dark.
- 6 year old
The Sonoran Desert
The Sonoran Desert is an amazing habitat. The Sonoran Desert has tree-covered mountains, grassy plains, and hot valleys. It has rivers, but a lot of the time the rivers do not have water in them because it does not rain, snow, or hail very often. Plants in the Sonoran Desert are fascinating. Saguaro cacti can go a long time without water. When they are about 75 years old the saguaro cacti grow arms like small curved cacti In the spring, the cactus grows white flowers. Saguaro cacti can grow up to 200 years old, but some grow up to 400 years old! The Palo Verde is beautiful. Palo Verde translates to “green stick”. The Palo Verde tree has green bark and the bark stays green all year. It can live up to 100 years old. It can grow up to be 20 feet tall! The Palo Verde grows yellow flowers with lots of bees. You can eat the flowers that the tree produces. it is common to see a Palo Verde tree surrounding a baby saguaro cactus. Ocotillo are fascinating. Ocotillo can grow up to be 20 feet tall. They grow in rocky soil. It gets many green leaves with red buds at the end of the plant. The Brittle Bush is an amazing plant. The brittle Bush gets tiny yellow flowers. It gets up to 2 feet tall. They live up to 20 years old. Creosote Plants are a little hardy. Creosote Plants can go two years without water. They have tiny green leaves and yellow flowers. It also gets small white balls that look like cotton. Teddy Bear Cholla is a very sharp plant. Teddy bear Cholla is called “The Teddy Bear Cholla” because it might look soft, but don’t touch it because it has the sharpest spikes in the desert. The Fruit Chain Cholla is very weird. Fruit Chain has hanging balls like hanging cacti. The temperature ranges from 43-75 degrees. Most rain falls in July and September. The Sonoran Desert is 100,000 square miles. It is bigger than the state of Oregon. The Sonoran Desert is very unique.
- 9 year old
Do not touch a desert tortoise. Desert tortoises can live over 50 years in nature. Desert tortoises have more than one burrow. Burrows are homes to desert tortoises. Desert tortoises use their legs to dig burrows. They use burrows to be hot. Desert tortoises get water from plants. Desert tortoises lay two sets of eggs. The eggs nest is cold. There are 14 or less eggs in the nest.
- 7 year old
The Arctic Tundra
The Arctic Hare
Arctic hares are cute. The hares diet is woody plants like twigs, roots, mosses, and berries. They make shelter in the ground or snow. Their shelter is called a burrow. The habitat is a place were it lives. They live in a harsh and cold environment. In the northern arctic tundra. Their color is white in the winter and grayish brown in the summer. The white color in the winter is because they protect themselves in the snow from evil, fearsome, and big predators! The grayish brown color in the summer helps protect themselves in the grass and dirt from mean predators. They adapt to their cold habitat. They have small ears because their nose lets the heat out too. The arctic hare has up to 20% of fat to keep them warm in the winter! Arctic hares are nice and fun to learn about.
- 7 year old
The Arctic Tundra
The Arctic tundra is a very cold place. In the arctic, there is a very low biodiversity. Polar bears have a four inch tail. One of the only shelters for polar bears are holes in the snow called a den. Polar bears mostly eat seals. Polar bears fur is clear or translucent. Translucent means light can go through polar bears fur! Polar bears are the largest carnivore on earth. Polar bears can weigh up to 1,500 lbs. The largest snow man on earth is 122 ft. tall. Reindeer feet are hollow and some reindeer walk 5,000 kilometers! Arctic foxes have a cool compact body. They have fur on their feet to keep warm air in. Adult arctic foxes are around three feet long and weigh up to 20 lbs. The arctic is a wonderful place and if global warming keeps going, all the animals could die in the arctic. I don’t want that to happen! Scientists are working to cool the arctic. The arctic is wonderful! I know people can save the arctic and its animals. The arctic is a wonderful place that we should protect.
-8 year old
The Arctic is a mysterious place. The name Arctic comes from the Greek word “bear”. There are six months in the winter and six months in the summer. Did you know that polar bears, walruses, arctic foxes, arctic hares, and reindeer do not live in Antarctica, but they do live in the Arctic. the Arctic is rich in copper, iron ore, nickel, and diamonds. The Arctic is floating on the Ocean. The first person to discover the Arctic was Robert Peary. The Arctic was fun to learn about.
- 8 year old
Polar Bears
Polar bears are the biggest bear in the Arctic. Polar bears are about 7 to 8 feet long and adult males weigh between 770 to 1540 pounds. Polar bears have tiny tails that are only 4 inches long. Polar bears are good swimmers. Also, polar bears eat seals. Polar bears eat lots of fat to keep them warm in the arctic winters. It was fun to learn about polar bears.
-8 year old
