Needle fish

http://ronniebo.com/ 

 Needle fish Strongylura marina

The needle fish belongs to the  Belonidae family. 

The needle fish has a long and slender body with a shimmery blue upper-side and silvery underside. It has a elongated jaw with rows of tiny, sharp teeth. 

They can reach up to 1.8m in length. 
They are have piercing teeth on beak - like jaws. The fish are predators. 

The needle fish live in many different warm aquatic environments, coastal, salt and fresh, they are also found the surf, rivers, streams, in and offshore. 

They are oviparous, they place their eggs on the sea vegetation, the eggs are 3.mm in diameter. When spawning takes place, it happens in the shallows where there is a abundance of algae. 

Centralfloridafishingreport.com, (2015). Needlefish Picture, Description and Information. [online] Available at: http://www.centralfloridafishingreport.com/FishProfile/86.html [Accessed 6 Apr. 2015].

Infoplease.com, (2015). needlefish. [online] Available at: http://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/science/needlefish.html [Accessed 6 Apr. 2015].

Sms.si.edu, (2015). Strongylura marina. [online] Available at: http://www.sms.si.edu/irlspec/Strongylura_marina.htm [Accessed 6 Apr. 2015].

blue heron

http://dunescenter.org/dunes-in-flight-the-great-blue-heron/ 

 Blue heron Ardea herodias

The blue heron belongs to the Ardeidae family 

This is the largest of the herons which occupy America, by standing four feet tall and wing span on six feet. They have black and white plumage on their heads and around the eyes. 

 They have a  blue/grey plume on the back and chest. The upper wing is paler then the fore-wing.

Their bills are a outstanding yellow. Whilst flying the heron tucks it head in like an S shape with slow wing beats. 

The heron fishes around the clock, they are a sit and wait predator, they stand still and wait for food (fish and frogs) to swim past them, they use their long necks and bill to pierce the prey They don't only eat aquatic animals they also like to eat a range of reptiles, invertebrates and small mammals.

The herons tend to congregate in rivers,marsh and salt and fresh water environments.  

The females lays the eggs (three to seven) in a nest constructed from twigs and leaves the nests are usually by a cliff edge, in a tree or in the reeds. The eggs take around four weeks to hatch, the females needs to take care of her chicks for around eight weeks before they are ready to flea the nest. They nest in groups, safety in numbers and return to the same place year in, year out. 

Allaboutbirds.org, (2015). Great Blue Heron. [online] Available at: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Blue_Heron/id [Accessed 6 Apr. 2015].

Nhptv.org, (2015). Great Blue Heron - Ardea herodias - NatureWorks. [online] Available at: http://www.nhptv.org/natureworks/greatblueheron.htm [Accessed 6 Apr. 2015].

Zebra

https://targetstudy.com/nature/animals/zebra.html

 Zebra Equus grevyi

The zebra belongs to the  Equidae family.

Zebra are the biggest of the wild horses, with a recognisable colour pattern, black and white strips. The strips are different and unique to every single zebra.

In the African savannah there three species:
1. Common Zebra (broad strips)
2. Grevy's Zebra (endangered)(narrow stripes)
3.  Mountain Zebra (endangered)(narrow stripes)

All three species are social and can travel long distances in herds in search for resources (water and food). 
Their bodies are made for speed to escape predators (40kph) and agility with their long, slim legs and slender hooves. They walk on the top of their hooves, with their single toe. The are able to reach the grass by the adaptation of the long neck. They have a mane running all along their bodies from the tail to the head. They eat vegetation and plant matter, they use the front teeth to tear and nibble of the grass, then the molars to grind the food. 

Zebras spend most of their days roaming and feeding (60%-80% of the day feeding) the savannah's and grasslands of Africa. The stallion guards his territory and the females and fouls from any predators. When the mating season comes around the males fight each other for the right to breed by kicking, biting and rearing up.

Females are not sexuality active for the first few years of life. They are slow breeders as pregnancy last ten months and then a further eleven months of weaning the foal. The foals stay close to their mother until the age of three, when the males leave the herd and try and find his own females to mate with and start a herd. Newborn foals are born with strips and a little tuft of hair on their stomach, they are able to stand very quickly after birth, so they are able to escape if predators are near. 

A-z-animals.com, (2015). Zebra (Equus zebra, Equus quagga, Equus grevyi) - Animals - A-Z Animals - Animal Facts, Information, Pictures, Videos, Resources and Links. [online] Available at: http://a-z-animals.com/animals/zebra/ [Accessed 7 Apr. 2015].

Red shouldered hawk

                Red Shouldered Hawk - Buteo lineatus

The red shouldered hawk are common for the wet deciduous woodlands. The are the noisiest of the buteos (latin name for buzzard), especially during spring because of courtship. 

The hawk preys on frogs, snakes, lizards, and small mammals. Females are larger than males, both female and males are alike in appearance.

 A medium-size bird with rounded wing tips. The adults have brown outer feathers with lighter feather edges and some have streaking on the head. Rufous (red)  on the upper wing coverts gives the “red shoulders.” The primary feathers are barred or checkered black and white, the dark tail has 3 white bands. The underparts are red and white. The young have  brown outer feathers, with less red colouring on the shoulders. The undersides vary with dark streaks and a brown tail has multiple narrow bands.

 Flight: all ages show a distinct light crescent at the base of the primary feathers. The wingbeats are quick and shallow with bursts of quick to aid with gliding. The hawk soars on a flat wing which are held forward, when gliding the wings are cupped giving a hunched look. 

They have long legs, sharp eyesight to aid in identifying and catching prey.

• Range mass

  550 to 700 g

  19.38 to 24.67 oz

• Range length

  43 to 61 cm

  16.93 to 24.02 in

• Range wingspan

  92 to 107 cm

  36.22 to 42.13 in

• Average wingspan

  100 cm

  39.37 in

• Average basal metabolic rate

A loud, repeated kee-ahh, often in groups of 8–10 repetitions.

A widespread breeder throughout East, into southern Canada. Found throughout the South, into eastern and southern Texas. California subspecies are coastal and in the Central Valley, up into Oregon and southern Washington. 

Breeding: Nests are placed in deciduous woodlands, usually near river bottoms or swamps.They are the habitat with the barred owl. They construct the nest  6-15 meters off the ground in trees. They are monogamous and very territorial. The courtship displays entails the female and male flying side by side in large circles and using vocalization to communicate. Males also might do a sky dance which involves them flying high and making many steep dives, these displays can be observed in late morning and early afternoon. They breed once a year between April and July. The nest, which is made from twigs, sticks and leave is used for several years but maintenance does happen. 

The eggs are white with brown blotches on. The eggs are then incubated for 33 days, usually the egg that was laid first is the first to hatch. The hatch lings are born helpless and depend on mother and father 100% (altricial). The father brings the female food to feed to the chicks. When the chicks reach 6 weeks they begin to leave the nest, but they are still fed by the parents for a remaining 10 weeks. At the age of 19 weeks the chicks are independent. 

 Migration: northern birds migrate to southern states and into Mexico. Southern forms are non-migratory.

• IUCN Red List

  Least Concern 
  
  

• US Migratory Bird Act

  Protected

• US Federal List

  No special status

• CITES

  Appendix II

• State of Michigan List

  Threatened

Callahan, P. 1974. The Magnificent Birds of Prey. New York: Holiday House

Crocoll, Scott T. Red-shouldered Hawk: Buteo Lineatus. American Ornithologists' Union, 1994.

Society, National. 'Red-Shouldered Hawks, Red-Shouldered Hawk Pictures, Red-Shouldered Hawk Facts - National Geographic'. National Geographic. N.p., 2015. Web. 12 Mar. 2015.

Web, Animal. 'Biokids - Kids' Inquiry Of Diverse Species, Buteo Lineatus, Red-Shouldered Hawk: INFORMATION'. Biokids.umich.edu. N.p., 2015. Web. 12 Mar. 2015.

Gopher tortoise

Gopher tortoise at Lovers Key

 Gopher tortoise Gopherus polyphemus 

The gopher tortoise belongs to the Testundinidae family.

Gopher tortoises use their shovel like legs to enable them to dig burrows. They all have tails but the females are shorter than the males. The males shell goes to under their chin, whereas the females doesnt, this is used for battling rival males, however the males are smaller compared to the females. They are brown/yellow in colour with a beige underbelly. 

These tortoises can be found in dry uplands around Florida and Georgia. The uplands have  huge diversity of plants for example oak hammocks, long leaf pine and sand hills.  The habitat must allow the gopher to dig their burrows and open space so they can bask in the warm sun. Gophers are keystone species, when there are wild fires, the gophers burrows can be twelve metres in length and three metres deep, they are a welcomed shelter for other animals in the ecosystem. The size of burrow indicates the size of the tortoise, as they make their burrow with enough room they can turn around in, the loose sand at the entrance is called the apron. They eat a range of vegetation and fruit like blackberries, apples and pawpaws. 

These tortoises can live for more than sixty years. The males have a plastron, which is a  curve on the lower part of the shell.  Their breeding season is April to June. The females lay the eggs (three to fifteen) in the sand between May and June, the eggs are in the sand mound for around ninety days. Hatchlings are young are predated on by a lot of animals, raccoons, snakes and bears. 

There are many factors affecting the populations by the development of houses, limestone, phosphate, sand mining, relocation can cause the spread of disease and road kill as they are trying to get back to their .home', pine trees are too close together they reduce the sunlight so the plants cant grow and the gophers are unable to eat  and food for humans.

Defenders of Wildlife, (2012). Basic Facts About Gopher Tortoises. [online] Available at: http://www.defenders.org/gopher-tortoise/basic-facts [Accessed 7 Apr. 2015].

Gophertortoisecouncil.org, (2015). About the Gopher Tortoise | Gopher Tortoise Council. [online] Available at: http://www.gophertortoisecouncil.org/about-the-tortoise/ [Accessed 7 Apr. 2015].

great blue heron

http://dunescenter.org/dunes-in-flight-the-great-blue-heron/ 

 Blue heron Ardea herodias

The blue heron belongs to the Ardeidae family 

This is the largest of the herons which occupy America, by standing four feet tall and wing span on six feet. They have black and white plumage on their heads and around the eyes. 

 They have a  blue/grey plume on the back and chest. The upper wing is paler then the fore-wing.

Their bills are a outstanding yellow. Whilst flying the heron tucks it head in like an S shape with slow wing beats. 

The heron fishes around the clock, they are a sit and wait predator, they stand still and wait for food (fish and frogs) to swim past them, they use their long necks and bill to pierce the prey They don't only eat aquatic animals they also like to eat a range of reptiles, invertebrates and small mammals.

The herons tend to congregate in rivers,marsh and salt and fresh water environments.  

The females lays the eggs (three to seven) in a nest constructed from twigs and leaves the nests are usually by a cliff edge, in a tree or in the reeds. The eggs take around four weeks to hatch, the females needs to take care of her chicks for around eight weeks before they are ready to flea the nest. They nest in groups, safety in numbers and return to the same place year in, year out. 

Allaboutbirds.org, (2015). Great Blue Heron. [online] Available at: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Blue_Heron/id [Accessed 6 Apr. 2015].

Nhptv.org, (2015). Great Blue Heron - Ardea herodias - NatureWorks. [online] Available at: http://www.nhptv.org/natureworks/greatblueheron.htm [Accessed 6 Apr. 2015].

Eastern lubber (grasshopper)

http://bugguide.net/node/view/8811

 Lubber Romalea microptera

The  eastern lubber belongs to the 

Acrididae family.

The eastern lubber is known for its colouration and size. The wings are aid in movement (jumping) but they cant not fly, they are relatively small compared to the body. The eastern is known to be slow and lazy. Lubber in old English means clumsy/lazy. 

They are found in Florida and other south eastern states. The females produce pods (clusters of eggs), the eggs are wrapped together by frothy substance, which lets the babies leave the eggs easier. The nymphs (young lubber) have a difference look than the fully grown adults, they are black all over whereas the adults are brightly coloured, yellow and orange with red stripes down the dorsal. 

The adult are around 8cm in length, the bulk of the body is sturdy and strong and the legs are thin and dainty. The tegmina (front wings) and the hind wings have different colour variation, the front having black dots and the hind having red dots. 

The eastern lubber live all near round, but their numbers drop in the colder months. The male guards the female. They are oviparous. The females dig small hole to hide and deposit the eggs with the frothy substance over the top. The eggs develop all through winter and hatch in the spring. The females produce young once a year around February and March. The young molt as they get older, shedding their juvenile skin for the adult skin, there is usually five different instars (stages) before the young as fully grown. 

The best environment for the grasshoppers are dry open woods and fields containing weeds and flowers. The grasshoppers like to feed on vegetation, flowers and fruits.

Aos.org, (2015). [online] Available at: https://www.aos.org/Default.aspx?id=129 [Accessed 15 Apr. 2015].

Www2.stetson.edu, (2015). Lubber grasshoppers. [online] Available at: http://www2.stetson.edu/~pmay/woodruff/lubbers.htm [Accessed 15 Apr. 2015].