Showing posts with label endangered animals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label endangered animals. Show all posts

Thursday, October 8, 2015

AMAZING NATURE - HOW BABOONS HAVE ADAPTED TO CHANGE.



CHLOE WRITES: In the grasslands of Kenya there has been an amazing discovery about the Olive Baboon. An anthropologist has been studying the baboons for 42 years and say that that is not enough time to thoroughly see the baboon's natural habits.  The baboons have been suffering due to the human population doubling and climate and environmental change. The baboons then had to readjust their lifestyle when they changed their habitat. They then also had to change their diet to the prickly pear.
While other animals eating the fruit suffered the consequences like mouth and gut ulcers and internal bleeding caused by the hairs on the fruit, the baboons knew how to cope. The baboons rub the prickly pear in the dirt to get the hairs off and in the dry season the males would squeeze the juice out of the fruit and eat the skin after.Since they changed their diet to the prickly pear they have become healthier.The Olive Baboon is such a smart animal! 

Angus explains: In Kenya there has been a long term study on Papio Anubis. You may know Papio Anubis as the Olive Baboon.Baboons have been in trouble from land hungry humans doubling in around a decade,but climate change is also playing a part in the decrease of Baboons. As parts of Kenya were degraded the Baboons were pushed to their limits and started to eat Prickly Pears.When other animals eat Prickly Pears  they get stomach ulcers and internal bleeding, killing them, but baboons have adapted a technique to roll the fatal hairs off the Prickly Pears in the dirt.

This is Marvelous story of evolution…


Ciaran notes: A unique species of primate has recently adapted to eating the harsh fruit in the boiling grasslands of Kenya…the Olive Baboons.
A patient anthropologist in Shirley Strum has been closely following these animals for a long 42 years. She has seen the dramatic changes to the outskirts of the towns and how degraded they now are. Against the odds, the baboons have demonstrated pure genius to overcome the dangers of such a powerful…fruit! The prickly pear is one of the toughest and roughest creatures around. If eaten, it viciously kills you. The intelligent baboons roll the dangerous fruit onto the dirt to scrape off the prickles. However, the baboons wouldn’t have had  to modify their diet if it wasn’t for us greedy, land hungry humans. The population in Kenya has significantly grown. In the last two decades Kenya’s human population has doubled. Our sometimes silly and disgraceful actions to purchase and take land we don’t need, nearly wiped out this beautiful species.  

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

MELBOURNE ZOO - a response

The students were asked to respond, in any way, to the wonderfully educational visit to Melbourne Zoo. Read Jess' response!

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Celebrating Reading, Writing and Thinking!

Margaret Wild and Ron Brooks's latest collaboration, "The Dream of the Thylacine," has linked beautifully with the Middles' current inquiry  "Endangered Animals" and inspired our young writers.

C. O'Malley writes:

The front cover seems to be showing the thylacine in pain, roaring at what it once dominated. The description of the cage makes it sounds really horrible and I instinctively feel sorry for the thylacine. Did it have to go through so much pain? I believe this is a true story.

"The Dream of the Thylacine" shows the comparison between captivity and the wild, where the thylacine belongs. The dull colours show sadness and the bright illustrations, show happiness. The last illustration shows that the thylacine belongs with the wild land and   dreams with it. When the thylacine died, the land took it home...where it longed to be....where it was happy. The thylacine deserved a much better life!

N.Kinsella writes:
I think the language was really effective in "The Dream of the Thylacine." I felt like I was part of the story.The illustrations were amazing and really caught my attention. I loved the way Ron Brooks used real images of the last thylacine and his own drawings as well. The story tells how, back then, they had really bad zoo enclosures with cold floors and cement.

C. Brennan writes:
I liked the story, mainly because of the way the illustrator juxtaposed the dark and colourful illustrations.I loved the way the author used the language which had a big impact on me. From what the author wrote, I could easily tell the story was coming from the thylacine's point of view. Just as this book was great to listen to, it also challenged me to think deeply and it had an emotional effect on me. It makes me sad to think how on earth we could be so harmful to the animals a long time ago. But yet I feel happy because of the change of heart we have had and now I hope all animals are safe.