Explore the Outdoors!
Here, I write about animals and their small curiosities, feeding habits, and their role in the ecosystem!
Jays, like the Blue Jay or Steller’s Jay, are colorful birds that are known for their mischievous antics. These birds are found in wooded lands and backyards throughout North America and are very adaptable to different habitats. Jays are omnivores and eat a wide variety of food items. In the wild, they eat acorns, nuts,…
You might wonder if gophers hibernate, especially if you often notice them on your property. So many different animals hibernate, after all, so why wouldn’t gophers? Well, surprising as it sounds, gophers don’t hibernate. They’re more active during the spring and fall, then dig deeper into the ground during the winter. That way, the gophers…
Lions and tigers and bears oh my! Despite the catchy tune that comes along with this saying, are these creatures ever actually found together in nature? And can they harmoniously co-exist, or is it possible that lions would hunt and eat bears? We will answer all these questions in this post! Lions, while carnivores, are…
Elk are known to have pretty fine-tuned senses and instincts which help them evade hunters and predators. Looking at an elk’s eyes, they are quite small, but size doesn’t necessarily dictate ability. When it comes to how elk see, are elk color blind? Elk are technically not color blind, but they do not see color…
Just like flowers, birds can be beautiful creatures that many of us enjoy watching in our gardens. Whereas most birds prefer to eat seeds and insects, they are largely herbivores and many birds will eat a variety of plants – including flowers! Different types of birds will enjoy different types of flowers. While some may…
Blue whales are the largest animals on the planet and can weigh up to 150 tons. These massive creatures are actually gentle giants and have a diet that consists mostly of krill – tiny shrimp-like crustaceans. A single blue whale can eat up to 40 million krill in a day! Blue whales are primarily carnivores,…
Gulls (seagulls) are omnivorous birds that live near the coast. In the wild, gulls play an important role in the food web as they eat a wide variety of food items and sometimes also scavenge for food. However, gulls are not true scavengers, but they can function as scavengers because they eat almost anything they…
Alligators are large carnivorous reptiles that live in freshwater environments, such as rivers and swamps. In the wild, alligators play an important role in the ecosystem as both predators and scavengers. Alligators are opportunistic feeders and will eat anything they can catch. Their diet consists mostly of fish, but they also eat amphibians, reptiles, birds,…
Sharks are carnivorous fish that live in the ocean. In the wild, sharks play an important role in the food web since they eat a wide variety of fish and provide a nutritious meal to many other animals in the sea. Sharks are not decomposers but can function as scavengers in the ocean. Whereas they…
Corals, along with sponges, are members of the Phylum Porifera, which literally means ‘pore-bearing’. This name refers to the pores that allow gas exchange (similar to fish gills) and for the release of waste products. Coral are omnivorous animals that play an important role in the food web of the reef ecosystem. They are…