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Meet a real-life water monster!

Dragons, gremlins, Bigfoot, trolls and… Mexican salamanders? These monsters have a lot more in common than you might think! Let’s take a closer look at the axolotl, an underwater salamander found in Mexico who has some wacky supernatural powers!

This little guy may have gills and live under the water, but call him a fish and you’ll be in trouble! The axolotl is quite proud to be a cold-blooded amphibian, whose name actually translates to “water monster”.

Let’s compare his superpowers to those of our favorite, most frightening of Hollywood monsters to see who comes out on top:

Gill-Man

Round #1: Gill-Man Vs. Axolotl

Our first contender comes to us from deep in the Black Lagoon. This man-fish creature first appeared in horror films in the 1950s and he really gives us the creeps! With gills on either side of his head and a pair of lungs to boot, he can breathe on land and in the water. He’s just waiting to chase humans into his swampy lair. Pretty spooky, huh?! Let’s see how axolotls stack up.

You see those fuzzy, branch-like things poking out of the axolotl’s head? Those are gills, and just like Gill-Man, axolotls ALSO have lungs! But wait… there’s more! Axolotls actually have 4 different ways of breathing! They can breathe oxygen from water through their skin and through the back of their throat too.

Kraken

Round #2: Kraken Vs. Axolotl

The legendary Kraken is a giant octopus known for its many spikey tentacles and fearsome hunger. This sea monster fought many ships in the Greenland Sea and if wounded, we have no doubt that it would be able to heal and regenerate like other octopi.

Though axolotls don’t have spiky tentacles, they CAN regrow their limbs and even their spines when injured! They also have a hungry carnivorous appetite for small fish, worms, insects, and just about everything else small and meaty. Watch your toes!

Photo Credit: Amandasofiarana
Frankenstein’s Monster

Round #3: Frankenstein’s Monster Vs. Axolotl

Those of us who have seen the movie Frankenstein know that the monster is a science experiment gone wrong. A scientist tries to bring to life a child-like creature that ends up storming the town like a hangry person having a temper tantrum.

Now, axolotls aren’t known for having a terrible temper, but they are stuck in a child-like state…sort of. While most amphibians are born and develop in water, they eventually go through a metamorphosis that allows them to live on land. Axolotls, on the other hand skip that metamorphosis and they live their entire lives underwater. Just like Frankenstein’s monster, you could say that axolotls are forever frozen in childhood. However, unlike Frankenstein’s monster, they prefer to play under the waves and explore the muddy bottom with their sticky little feet rather than chasing townspeople.

Photo Credit: Emőke Dénes
Dracula

Round #4: Vampire Vs. Axolotl

The vampire has GOT to be the monster best known for their perfect, pointy pearly whites. Their smiles are known to lure in unsuspecting victims and their fangs are perfectly designed for sucking blood.

Ignoring the blood-thirsty part, just TRY to tell us that you aren’t blown away by this axolotl’s huge, adorable smile. Just like catching a contagious yawn, we can’t help but smile along with these happy-go-lucky miniature monsters.

So who’s the winner? Axolotls, duh! Each of these monsters has cool powers but axolotls are the only ones that are real.

Let’s give a big round of applause for this awesome little water monster.

The Power of Poop

Our next stop on the renewable energy tour starts with a quiz: what type of energy can you get from wood, crops and… poop? Got your guess? The answer is biomass!

It might surprise you, but you’ve probably seen biomass energy in action. Ever sat next to the warm glow of a fire? BOOM! You’ve been biomassed (that’s a word, right?)

Burn Baby! Burn!

Plants, animals and even our poop have energy stored in them. Plants convert sunlight into energy (you might know this as photosynthesis) and animals get energy when they eat food. Since animals can’t absorb all the energy they take in, some of that energy also ends up in their poop.

When you burn this organic matter, you release the energy that was stored in it. This energy can be used to keep you or your house warm and help you cook your food. If you have the right equipment, you can even use it to create electricity!

Wood is the most popular source of biomass energy but another good source is garbage. Power plants that burn garbage and turn it into energy are called waste-to-energy plants, and in some cases, they can generate as much electricity as coal. Unfortunately, creating electricity this way is pretty expensive, but it does help the planet because using garbage as an energy source means less of it ends up in landfills.

Pee-yew! What stinks?!

Burning organic matter isn’t the only way to create energy from organic materials. There’s another way, but we have to warn you…it’s stinky!

When certain organic matter (like poop, vegetable and fruit peelings, or that dinner you didn’t finish last night) breaks down or rots, it gives off a gas called biogas, which we can capture using HUGE vessels called anaerobic digesters (ADs).

Hey! Want to know something funny? Our bodies are like big AD machines. The food we eat gets broken down in our intestines, which creates a biogas (farts)!

After a little cleaning, the biogas collected in ADs becomes biomethane, which can be injected into the underground pipes of the local gas utility where it is sent to everyone’s home to be used in furnaces and hot water heaters to keep our families warm and cozy. This is what’s known as renewable natural gas (RNGs).

This is definitely a type of energy that we can get behind!

Check out other types of renewable energy!

Generously sponsored by:


Sources:
http://alliantenergykids.com/EnergyandTheEnvironment/RenewableEnergy/022398
https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/?page=biomass_waste_to_energy

 

Podcast Bonus Episode: Bring Back the Wild

The Earth Rangers Podcast is back with a special bonus episode and this time, things get wild – Bring Back the Wild, that is! Catch up with Emma and learn about some awesome animals that need your help.

The Earth Rangers Podcast is the BEST animal podcast EVER! You’ll join Emma, our podcast host and Earth Ranger Extraordinaire, as she journeys from ecosystem to ecosystem on a quest to solve some of nature’s greatest mysteries!

Bonus Episode:
Bring Back the Wild

We’ve been very busy at Earth Rangers, but boy was it worth it! We have very exciting news for you about our BRAND NEW Bring Back the Wild project animals. Spoiler alert: they are adorable! Plus: Hear from other Earth Rangers.

Just click the play button on the player below and get ready for another adventure!

Check out the show notes for this bonus episode and
subscribe to the podcast so you don’t miss an episode!

Check out these super cool animal x-rays!

Halloween is just around the corner and what’s more Halloweenie than skeletons? Check out these animal x-rays courtesy of the Oregon Zoo and let us know which one you think is the coolest. We like the ball python!

Chameleon

Photo Credit: Oregon Zoo
 

Toco Toucan

Photo Credit: Oregon Zoo
 

Rodrigues Flying Fox

Photo Credit: Oregon Zoo
 

Ball Python

Photo Credit: Oregon Zoo
 

A Beaver’s Tail

Photo Credit: Oregon Zoo

Tell us which animal skeleton you think is the coolest in the comments!

 

The Power of the Earth

We’ve already told you about the power that comes from the wind and the sun, but did you know that you can get power from the Earth too? This form of renewable energy is called Geothermal and it’s awesome to the core!

The word “geothermal” comes from Greek and translates to “the Earth” (geo) and “heat” (thermal), meaning heat that’s stored in the Earth.

Things are heating up!

The Earth’s core is VERY hot, reaching temperatures of almost 6,000 degrees Celsius at the centre – that’s 133 times hotter than the hottest day ever recorded in Canada! This heat spreads through the layers of the planet, all the way up to the rocks and water close to the Earth’s surface. With the help of special machines, we can access this stored heat and turn it into electricity to power our homes. We can also use this heat to warm homes or buildings.

But what happens if you don’t have those special machines? Well, you can still take advantage of this type of energy! People have been using geothermal energy for thousands of years to do their cooking and bathing. In some countries, you can dig just a few feet deep, and it gets hot enough to boil water and even roast marshmallows! But you won’t be able to do that here in Canada because these areas are usually close to volcanoes. What you will find in Canada, though, are people lounging and bathing in naturally occurring hot springs. Hot springs, geysers and volcanoes are some of the signs that there is lots geothermal energy available.

The famous Snow Monkeys (Japanese Macaques) enjoying a dip in the hot springs, which are heated by geothermal energy.

Geothermal energy is very good for the environment because it creates little to no pollution. At Earth Rangers, we think that this type of energy rocks!

Check out other types of renewable energy!

Generously sponsored by:


Sources:
https://www3.epa.gov/climatechange//kids/solutions/technologies/geothermal.html
http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/geothermal-energy/

Podcast Episode 6: Wild Wetlands, and Mighty Metamorphosizing Frogs

Here it comes! It’s Episode 6 of the Earth Rangers Podcast! Hooray! This time we join Emma as she makes a splash and learns about some happy hoppers. Ribbit!

The Earth Rangers Podcast is the BEST animal podcast EVER! You’ll join Emma, our podcast host and Earth Ranger Extraordinaire, as she journeys from ecosystem to ecosystem on a quest to solve some of nature’s greatest mysteries!

Episode 6: Wild Wetlands, and Mighty Metamorphosizing Frogs

In this episode, Earth Ranger Emma visits a wetland where she learns about transforming frogs. Plus, we also finally find out if The Device works.

Just click the play button on the player below and get ready for another adventure!

Check out the show notes for Episode 6 and
subscribe to the podcast so you don’t miss an episode!

Podcast Episode 5: Migrating Monarchs, and Hare Camouflage

The wait is over! Episode 5 of the Earth Rangers Podcast is here and this time, we float like a butterfly, swim like a turtle and hop like a hare.

The Earth Rangers Podcast is the BEST animal podcast EVER! You’ll join Emma, our podcast host and Earth Ranger Extraordinaire, as she journeys from ecosystem to ecosystem on a quest to solve some of nature’s greatest mysteries!

Episode 5: Migrating Monarchs, and Hare Camouflage

In this episode, we learn how climate change is affecting monarch butterflies, baby sea turtles and find our why snowshoes hares are asking “do I wear the brown coat, or the white?”.

Just click the play button on the player below and get ready for another adventure!

Check out the show notes for Episode 5 and
subscribe to the podcast so you don’t miss an episode!

Podcast Episode 4: Eagles vs. Falcons, and Powerful Pollinators

Welcome to Episode 4 of the Earth Rangers Podcast!

In this episode, we compare hawks and falcons in an Ultimate Animal Showdown and find out the buzz about pollination. On this page, you’ll find some awesome pictures, cool articles, a mysterious puzzle and anything else we mention in the podcast.

Make sure you’ve listened to the podcast first before you go any further. And don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode!


After everything you heard in this episode, who do you think wins this Ultimate Animal Showdown?

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This week, Emma taught us all about pollination and the super star pollinators: BEES! Unfortunately, some bee populations are declining due to things like habitats loss and climate change. That’s why Emma stopped by Pioneer Brand Honey’s apiary (where bees are kept) to have a Conservation Conversation with Andre Flys. Check out some of the pictures of her visit in the slideshow!

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One of the best ways you can help pollinators is to plant a pollinator garden. That’s a garden of flowers and other plants that attract native bees and butterflies in your area. Lucky for us, there’s an Earth Rangers Mission all about creating an awesome pollinator garden called Pollinator Power!

Some of our members have gone above and beyond to help bees, like Joel. He started Joel’s Bee Factory, a company that specializes in making bee condos. These are places for bees that don’t nest in hives to lay their eggs. Check out our exclusive interview with Joel to hear all about bee condos and Joel’s Bee Factory from the creator himself!

Looking for more information about pollination? Check out these articles!

Top Ten Countdown-longest-migration

After listening to the different ways animals survive the winter from the last episode, Ranger Lucy had a question. She wanted to know which animals travel the farthest each year. You’ll find the answer to Lucy’s question and learn about other cool migrations in the slideshow below:

Travelling 71,000 km a year, Arctic terns have the longest migration of any animal.

Humpback Whales have the longest migration of any mammal. One female was recorded travelling more than 9,800 km!

Sooty Shearwaters have the second longest migration at 65,000 km per year. Photo Credit: Mike Baird

A monarch butterfly’s migration cycle is longer than its life span so no one butterfly makes the entire round trip.

Travelling 14,000-18,000 km, globe skimmer dragonflies have the longest known insect migration. Photo Credit: J.M. Garg

Chinook Salmon swim upstream back to where they were born to spawn.

Travelling 17,600 km, Adélie penguins have the longest migration of all the penguins.

Semipalmated sandpiper fly non-stop over the Atlantic Ocean. Their migration is so tough that some young don’t even migrate north until their second year.

Wildebeest are continually on the move. They follow the cycles of rainfall in search of grass and water.

All red crabs of Christmas Island migrate at the same time. There are so many of them that sections roads have to be closed to allow them make their journey.

Thank you so much to everyone who sent in their animal sounds! We got just enough to power up The Device and try it out with Animal Ambassador Finn. Unfortunately, after a few attempts, The Device ran out of juice. That’s why we’re asking you to send in even MORE animal impressions and we’ll try again next time.

As a reminder, you can use the voice recorder on your phone and ask your parents to email it to podcast@earthrangers.com, or click on the button right under this sentence.

This episode was jam-packed with so much awesome stuff, that we didn’t have time to include the outtakes. That’s why we included them here! But there’s a problem: you’re going to need a password before you can listen to it. Simply figure out the code from the images below and you’ll be good to go! HINT: this code is the same as the one from Episode 1

CLICK HERE to listen to more great kids and family shows at BestRobotEver.com

Caption This: What’s this Otter Thinking?

We need your help! The otter in this gif is trying to tell us something but we can’t figure it out! Do you know what it’s thinking and why it’s chasing its tail?

See if you can come up with the best caption!

Post your ideas in the comment section below.

Looking for more fun stuff? Check out our other captions, try and figure out a pixel puzzler, take a quiz or watch a cool video!

Podcast Episode 3: Black Bears, and Winter Survival Skills

We hope you’re enjoying the Earth Rangers podcast so far because we’re back with Episode 3! In this episode, there’s a chill in the air that we just can’t bear!

The Earth Rangers Podcast is the BEST animal podcast EVER! You’ll join Emma, our podcast host and Earth Ranger Extraordinaire, as she journeys from ecosystem to ecosystem on a quest to solve some of nature’s greatest mysteries!

Episode 3: Black Bears, and Winter Survival Skills

While investigating how animals survive the winter, Earth Rangers Emma finds out that hibernation might be more than just a 4 month power nap. Plus, Emma joins Mike McIntosh from ‘Bear with Us’ as he releases 2 black bears back to the wild.

Just click the play button on the player below and get ready for another adventure!

Check out the show notes for Episode 3 and
subscribe to the podcast so you don’t miss an episode!