Hello!  I am so excited to meet you!  My name is Dani and this is my big brother Wrigley!  He is super smart and knows... like... all the things!  So I asked him if he could tell me about all the crazy things we see in nature.  Come with us on our adventure!

Hello I'm Wrigley!  Are you ready for our adventure?  Well how about we start right over here, follow me!

These are called tracks!

Hey Wrigley, what are these dark spots on the ground?

Tracks are left behind by animals when they walk around on wet or muddy ground.  Tracks can tell you where an animal lives , when it travels, and if that animal is traveling by itself or many others!   No tracks are the same so lets follow these to see what animal left them!

Oh it's so cute!  Should we chase it?

Look Dani it's a deer!

Deer are hoofed mammals and can live in all types of environments.  There are over 60 species of deer around the world.  The male deer is called a buck and the female is called a doe.  A young deer is called a fawn, that's what we see here!  Deer love to eat foods like berries and vegetables as well as different types of plants.  

OH cool Wrigley!  These deer bounce!

No no Dani, these aren't deer, these are rabbits!

Rabbits, also known as bunnies, are a different type of mammal.  They are fuzzy, fluffy, and love to hop around!  Even though they aren't deer they are alike is some ways.  Just like deer, male rabbits are called bucks and females are called doe's, but baby rabbits are called kits.  Rabbits live in big groups in tunnels that they dig underground.

When rabbits are happy they make big leaps known as binkies where they twist and kick mid air!

Hey look Dani, a squirrel!

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy my favorite!

Squirrels are also a type of fuzzy mammal.  There are more than 200 different species of squirrels living around the world!  Most squirrels prefer to live alone, but when the weather gets cold they will group together.  Squirrels are known for their love of nuts but will also eat plants and meat. 

Over here I see some butterflies!

Butterflies are insects!  They go through a lifecycle that is made up of four parts.  They start as an egg, then turn into caterpillars also known as larva, then they form chrysalis, and when they come out they are an adult butterfly!  There are almost 20,000 species of butterflies in the world!

Hey Wrigley I found a ball!

Uh Dani, that's a porcupine.  You might want to back up!

A porcupine have as many as 30,000 quills on its back and tail that are very sharp and can poke you.  Porcupines can not throw their quills so just keep away and you will be fine!  They are a nocturnal animal and that means that they sleep during the day and are most active at night.  A porcupines vision is not very good but it has an great sense of smell.  They also only eat plants that makes them a herbivore!

Moo...

Good moo to you cow!

Well that was utterly informative!

Cows are herbivores too!  They only eat grass.  Cows have pretty crazy stomachs because they actually have 4 stomach compartments!  That means they can eat A LOT!  In fact, cows can weigh up to 4,000 pounds.  Female cows have utters and male cows also known as bulls have large horns on their heads.

I know this one!  This is a lizard!

Lizards are part of the reptile family which means they are cold-blooded.  They are also a reptile that has a backbone.  They have scaly and dry skin and lay soft shelled eggs.  There are many different types of lizards and they come in all sizes!  Some so small they can fit in your hand and other are as big as small children!  They love the sun, so you will often see them laying out on a rock to get warm.

Uh-Oh, danger noodle!

Snake!  Snakes are also part of the reptile family but they do not have a backbone... or legs...  Did you know that snakes can smell with their tongues and have no eyelids?  Some snakes can even see heat thanks to their heat vision eyes.  There are around 3,000 species of snake.  Snakes are carnivores, that means they only eat meat.  

Dani, lets go check out that pond!  I bet there is a lot we can learn about in the water!

I love the water, lets go!