BEAR

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A baby bear is called a cub. There are eight species of bears; three of which live in North American. How many can you name? My friend Wendy will sometimes sees black bears strolling down her street and in her local forests.

BEAVER

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The beaver is the national animal of Canada. Their sharp teeth help them cut down trees to make their homes which creates dams. Their flat tails and webbed back feet help them swim in the water.

ECHIDNA

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The echidna evolved over 20 million years ago and is one of the few mammals that lay eggs. This type of mammal is called a “monotreme.” Echidnas have spiky quills on their body, so they look a bit like a porcupine. 

A baby echidna is called a “puggle.” It hatches from an egg in its mother’s pouch. They are distant relatives of the platypus. They use their long snouts to find and gobble up worms, ants, and termites, but they don’t have any teeth!

EMU

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Due to its tiny wings, this bird cannot fly, but thanks to its long legs, the emu can spring 50 kilometers per hour. Its long legs and tall neck make the emu the second tallest bird in the world. Do you know which bird is the tallest in the world?

It is the male emu that incubates the eggs.He barely eats or drinks while keeping the eggs warm so, he can lose up to a third of his weight while brooding.

The emu egg is so large that one egg can make an omelette to feed at least four people! Use the earlier picture in the book to figure out the unusual color of emu eggs.

KANGAROO

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Kangaroos are the largest of the marsupials (mammals that have pouches). Their main natural habitat is Australia. Baby kangaroos, more affectionately called joeys, are born incompletely developed. When they are born, they are the size of a grape, have no ears or back legs and are blind.

Many joeys will not leave their mother’s pouch until they are at least four months old, and some of those kangaroos will continue to return to their mother’s pouch for milk until they are 18 months old. There can be two joeys in the pouch at once – one tiny and one fully developed.

KOALA

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The koalas are the laziest of Joey’s pals because they are often sleeping. Koalas sleep up to 20 hours daily, staying safe in a tree, to digest their food. They eat eucalyptus leaves. Their hands and feet curl so they can hang on tightly to trees.

Did you know koala mothers also have a pouch, but their pouches face downward? Newborn koalas are as small as a jellybean and can’t see or hear. They climb from the birth canal into their mother’s pouch to continue growing, and then climb onto their mother’s back.

KOOKABURRA

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You might think this bird is the silliest of Joey’s friends because it is always laughing, but that’s just its bird song. The laughing kookaburras live in Australia and use their laughing sound to tell other kookaburras where their family’s territory is. The family is made up of a mated pair and their grown-up babies who help them sit on eggs, find food, and protect the territory until they are about 4 years old.

The word kookaburra comes from the Wiradjuri (one of the Aboriginal Australian languages) name for the bird which is guuguubarra. This name is a phonetic imitation (onomatopoeia) of the bird’s call.

MANTA RAY

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The largest of the manta rays can have a wingspan over 7 meters, which is about the height of a two-story house. The graceful way it swims through the water looks like a bird flying.

MOOSE

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Male moose can have antlers that weigh 30 kilograms! Just like cattle, a male moose is called a bull, a female moose is called a cow and a young one is called a calf. Most moose are found in North America.

Do you know the plural of moose? It is not like the plural of goose!

QUOKKA

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The babies of these marsupials are also called joeys. Quokkas sleep during the day, which means they are nocturnal. They are also herbivores, which means they eat only plants. They mostly munch on grass and leaves and can even climb short trees for a snack. Quokkas are known for their appearance of smiling. These inquisitive animals are hardly found anywhere in the world; they can be mainly found on two islands off the western coast of Australia.

RABBIT

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Perhaps you have a pet rabbit. Rabbits are known for many things but especially having many young ones. A rabbit couple can have over 50 offspring in one year!

SOUTHERN CROSS (also called Crux Constellation)

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In the Southern Hemisphere, the Southern Cross Constellation (group of stars) can be used to calculate due south. Historically, these four bright stars were such an important navigational tool that this constellation is on  Australia’s  national flag. In fact, five countries in the Southern Hemisphere have the Southern Cross on their flags. Can you find the Southern Cross in the book?

TURTLE

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Some turtles can live to be 100 years old. The females return to the beach they where born to mate and lay their eggs. Conversely, many male turtles will never return to the beach they were born at. Scientists claim that turtles have been on earth for hundreds of millions of years.

WHALE

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There are about 90 different species of whales. Whales, kangaroos and humans are mammals. The one Mamma Kangaroo visited is a Southern Right Whale. The Blue Whale is the largest animal on the earth and some weigh more than the heaviest dinosaur. Impressively, compared to humans, they barely use the world’s resources and don’t pollute.  They help to provide a significant amount of the oxygen you breathe. According to the International Monetary Fund, “one whale is worth thousands of trees.”

WHISKY JACK/CANADA JAY

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The Whisky Jack name comes from the Algonquin name for these friendly birds, namely “Wiskedjak.” They have a mutually beneficial relationship with moose because the Jay eats the parasites off the moose’s back. They are not “bird brains” but rather have amazing memories. Currently, there is a movement in Canada to make this bird its national bird. Click here for a great article from Canadian Geographic about this bird.