Line+of+Inquiry+3

THE WAYS IN WHICH WE CAN SHARE THE RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT AT SCHOOL WITH THE ANIMALS

By: Juliana Enriquez, 30/05/11

=Conclusion :=

===Animals feel pain and fear like we do, but they are often helpless victims because they cant say what happened to them. In fact some people choose to abuse from animals instead of people, for this very reason if we wish to create a human society, we must stop cruelty against those who are more vulnerable, like animals. One of the most powerful tools we have for preventing cruelty to animals is education. It is important to plant seeds of kindness in children early, Children not only need to learn what they shouldnt do, but also what they can do. When Children see that their pets are happy and loving, it will make the student feel good too. We can share spaces with animals in any way and it will be good because we are saving some lives and we make better the environment for the kids because it improves air quality and here are some tips to avoid the wildlife problems:===

-Allow two feet of vegetation for the school.


=Synthesis :=

===By every measure, earth is loosing natural habitat and species at an alarming rate. Extinction is nothing new. Every year some new species emerge and are gone forever. But the earth now is expiriencing an exinction rate that that is huge. If our school becomes a wildllife habitat we could save some lives and species, we could have more animals to learn about. We could share spaces and resources with many different living things. It benefits both sides, another reason of sharing spaces ( creating a backyard wild life habitat ) is, it improves air quality for the students, nourishes soil and reduces erosion. And there is another good reason for sharing spaces which is, it adds value to the school. Trees, shrubs, and flowers add beauty and interest to the school. If you are still unconvinced===

• All of the above (no places for nest-building or safely rearing young)
**Why bother to share spaces at school with animals?** ===Why share our space with wildlife?, well, because urbanization destroys their habitat. Suddenly homeless, they flee to a new, often an unsuitable place. For many, its a matter of life or death as they face the challenges of the unfamiliar. By giving back some of the space that was taken from them, we do the morally right thing for wildlife and for the environment.===

Animal friendly schools do more than just teach about animals. They encourage both, teachers and pupils to think about animals needs and to develop a sense of care and responsibility for them.
By : Juliana Enriquez 30/05/11

By: Juliana Enriquez 30/05/11 = Information : =



= =







Reason One

By every measure, earth is losing natural habitat and species at an alarming rate. Extinction rates for plants and animals are so high they're threatening our planet's ability to sustain the resources humans need for survival, like forests, oceans, healthy soil, potable water.

Extinction is nothing new. Every year some new species emerge and some are gone forever. But the earth is now experiencing an extinction rate that's huge: Scientists estimate that every year up to 50,000 species disappear forever because of human activity.

Take birds, as an example. The expected extinction rate for them is about one species per century. Yet, 500 species have gone extinct in the past 500 years and current studies predict that 10 additional species will go extinct every year from hereon if something isn't done to reverse this pattern. What's causing this? The usual suspects: habitat destruction, over-hunting, ill-advised introduction of alien species into established ecosystems and, now, global warming.

Reason Two

You get to observe exotic species. The idea of our urban wildlife as "exotic" may seem farfetched. But exotic means out of the ordinary and most of what we deem commonplace in our part of the world is unusual to someone living in a very different environment. Conversely, their most commonplace species may be exotics to us. Consider this:

• The Northern Cardinal, that brilliantly colored favorite of many backyard birdwatchers, is an exotic species to anyone who doesn't live in the Americas.

• The cheery Carolina Chickadee is known in only a handful of states in the southeastern U.S. and nowhere else in the world.

• The California condor, our largest bird species, lives only in California and Arizona. People travel around the world just to catch a glimpse of one of these majestic, rare birds who live on the edge of extinction.

• The Florida Scrub jay lives only in one small area of Florida and the Yellow-billed magpie lives only in California. Colorado will never see one of these.

• There are 15 bird species who live only within the geographic borders of the U.S. and nowhere else in the world.

• One hundred sixty bird species are unique to North America and Mexico. Another 750 bird species live only in North America and south to Panama and the Caribbean. No one else in the world gets to see these species.

• In the U.S. and Canada, about 92,000 species of insects have been named so far. Thousands of these species live in your part of the country and nowhere else in the world.

• Two hundred thirty-three mammals are endemic only to North America and Mexico.

• Among plant species, 7,807 are unique to North America and Mexico.

When we watch a "common" Northern Cardinal at a bird feeder, happily consuming the black-oil sunflower seeds we've provided, or the "common" American Robin searching for worms in a freshly watered garden, we're seeing beautiful birds who most people in the world will never see. Even the ubiquitous Virginia opossum is unique -- he's the only marsupial living in the U.S.

Who hasn’t excitedly planned a vacation in one of the most scenic, naturalized spots in the world that would fit within our budget? Perhaps your dream is an Amazon cruise, an African safari, birdwatching in Europe or New England in the fall. Maybe it's camping on tree-studded mountains in Colorado or rafting through the Grand Canyon. We're drawn to areas of beauty defined by forests, wilderness, and unspoiled vistas. We listen in wonder to the sounds of wildlife -- the sweet voices of songbirds, the haunting call of the coyote, a tiger's roar, the trumpeting of elephants, the other-worldly song of a whale. We love natural areas so much that we wage war against politicians when they propose to drill for oil in the Arctic or threaten to build roads in old-growth forests.

Urban land -- the land we city folks live on -- was once some of the wilderness we admire. Before humans stripped it of its native life, your plot of ground was covered with trees and undergrowth. Or, depending on where you live, maybe it was a savanna, playing host to a tangle of grasses and an oasis of trees. Or a prairie dotted with wildflowers and tall, windblown grasses. All the loveliness of your land was the result of millenniums of animal and plant activity.

When developers tame our property into urban standards of acceptability, they forfeit our stake in nature. Not only that, but they rob indigenous animals and plants of habitat and sometimes their lives. than doing nothing. This homeowner planted a butterfly garden. ||
 * [[image:http://www.welcomewildlife.com/bins/site/templates/default.asp?resolutionfile=pxpath%7Cpublic%20access/Images/Habitat/Garden1.jpg align="right" link="http://www.welcomewildlife.com/bins/site/templates/default.asp?_resolutionfile=templatespath%7Cdefault.asp&area_1=public%20access/Pages/SpecialTopics/BotherLeft&area_2=public%20access/Pages/SpecialTopics/BotherMain&area_3=public%20access/Pages/SpecialTopics/BotherRight"]] ||
 * Even a small patch of yard dedicated to wildlife is better

The good news is that nothing prevents us from inviting nature back, even in the heart of a city. No, we can't put it back exactly like it was before. Even if we could, most of us don't want to go quite that far. But, more and more, people are coming to realize that some of what was taken needs to be returned, and it's within our power to do it. We’re looking for a balance that fits the needs of both humans and wildlife. Even if your "outdoors" is an apartment patio or a pocket garden, even if your wildlife habitat is only a corner of your yard or a butterfly garden surrounded by lawn, you're giving something back.

When we provide them the essentials they need to live, there will be life all around us -- in the trees and shrubs, in the soil, in the water, under the rafters and in the air.

Reason three

Planting for backyard wildlife improves air quality, nourishes the soil and reduces erosion. Shade from trees planted judiciously cools our home. Shrubs can create privacy and buffer the noise of street traffic.

Reason four

Curb appeal. It adds value to your property. Trees, shrubs and flowers add beauty and interest to your yard.

Yes, they have feelings!
 * [[image:http://www.welcomewildlife.com/bins/site/templates/default.asp?resolutionfile=pxpath%7Cpublic%20access/Images/Mammals/FoxPlay.jpg link="http://www.welcomewildlife.com/bins/site/templates/default.asp?_resolutionfile=templatespath%7Cdefault.asp&area_1=public%20access/Pages/SpecialTopics/FeelingsLeft&area_2=public%20access/Pages/SpecialTopics/FeelingsMain&area_3=public%20access/Pages/SpecialTopics/FeelingsRight"]] ||
 * Young Red foxes playing with their mother (Steve Byland) ||

It wasn't so long ago that the idea of animals having feelings was scientific heresy. Recent hard research, however, is putting the kibosh on that notion. Of course, pet owners have known all along that their dogs and cats have feelings, but there's now irrefutable evidence that wildlife of all stripes also experience empathy, joy, grief and love. Even gratitude. Some hardliners still adamantly disagree, but they're becoming outnumbered; it seems there's more to animals than instinct and, it turns out, humans aren't as unique as we thought.

Anecdotal reports of animals' emotions have been around for ages, but about 10 years ago neurobiologists began discovering physical evidence, such as specific nerve cells that are associated with empathy in both humans and non-human primates. They've also found a brain cell that's common to humans, other primates and whales which plays a part in empathy, intuition and feelings for others.

This shouldn't surprise us, says author/scientist Jonathan Balcombe in his book, Pleasurable Kingdom,* since humans and other mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fishes share many of the same physical characteristics: a bony skeleton, nervous system, central brain, circulatory system, hormones, etc. All this, plus a sensory system that includes sight, smell, hearing, touch and taste. Balcombe and other scientists believe it stands to reason that humans and animals would react in similar ways. They don't deny that animals react simply and automatically to certain stimuli, nor do they believe animals have human-like emotions. But their research is telling us there's more mental and emotional complexity to animals, deeper dimensions that give them more fulfilling lives than we ever imagined. Here's a sampling. (P.J.Malsbury) ||
 * [[image:http://www.welcomewildlife.com/bins/site/templates/default.asp?resolutionfile=pxpath%7Cpublic%20access/Images/Mammals/Elephants.jpg align="right" link="http://www.welcomewildlife.com/bins/site/templates/default.asp?_resolutionfile=templatespath%7Cdefault.asp&area_1=public%20access/Pages/SpecialTopics/FeelingsLeft&area_2=public%20access/Pages/SpecialTopics/FeelingsMain&area_3=public%20access/Pages/SpecialTopics/FeelingsRight"]] ||
 * Playful young elephants.

Joy and play

While play often serves the purpose of allowing wildlife to fine-tune skills they'll need for survival, there's no doubt it's fun for them. In our own yards we can observe young squirrels playfully romping and wrestling, and rabbits chasing each other, running and leaping. Anthropologist Mary Thurston tells about an adult male squirrel who pulls towels off patio chairs and hops and twists until he is completely covered. His behavior seems to be just for the joy of it because there's no survival, mating or food behavior associated with it.

Numerous other observed instances offer proof that animals play and experience something akin to joy. Primatologist Jane Goodall tells of Marcus, a rescued chimp who loves to dance in heavy rainfall, swinging and swaying rhythmically. Junior, an orangutan at the St. Louis Zoo will clean up his cage in return for getting to play with a whistle. Researchers at Dian Fossey's Rwandan research station have watched young gorillas wrestle with their Labrador retriever pets. When rats are playfully tickled, they squeal** with glee and show an increase in the production of dopamine, which is associated with the pleasure center of the brain (in humans, too). The rats also ran to the tickler whenever they sensed they were going to be tickled.

Otters seem to be having "fun" as they repeatedly use muddy, sloping embankments for "slippery slides" into water or to play-slide on ice in winter. "Pigface," a Nile softshell turtle who lives at the National Zoo in Washington, DC, plays with toys by pushing, pulling, shaking and nosing them around. A wood turtle has reportedly devised a fun activity for himself by repeatedly climbing up and sliding down a board into water.

Dolphins (who, it has recently been discovered, call each other by name) blow hoop-shaped bubbles from their blow-holes, move them around and change their size (see a wonderful video of it on [|this web page], along with some information). Dolphins also play tug-of-war with seaweed. Captive octopuses have been observed playing with plastic bottles and a Lego®, passing them from tentacle to tentacle. Wild Reindeer eat hallucinogenic mushrooms for the "high" it gives them.

Love

Haven't we all seen photos of ape mothers tenderly cradling their babies? Huge Polar Bear mothers carefully holding and protecting a newborn no larger than a mouse? Two lovebirds, mated for life, who stay near each other day and night?

A mare, upon seeing a daughter return after a two-year absence, whinnied and screamed from two fields away, and they reunited with a show of great joy. There's a adult bull living in a herd of cows in Germany who goes his own way until midday, at which time he always goes to graze near his mother. screw-on lid. ( Matthias Kabel/WikiMedia) ||
 * [[image:http://www.welcomewildlife.com/bins/site/templates/default.asp?resolutionfile=pxpath%7Cpublic%20access/Images/OtherAnimal/Octopus1.jpg link="http://www.welcomewildlife.com/bins/site/templates/default.asp?_resolutionfile=templatespath%7Cdefault.asp&area_1=public%20access/Pages/SpecialTopics/FeelingsLeft&area_2=public%20access/Pages/SpecialTopics/FeelingsMain&area_3=public%20access/Pages/SpecialTopics/FeelingsRight"]] ||
 * An octopus plays with a jar's

There's evidence that love, or something like it, is also felt within groups of whales, dolphins, hyenas, foxes and mongooses. Birds, too. A male Barn swallow stayed with his mate after she struck a window and fell to the ground, seemingly dead. A few minutes later she revived and they flew away together. Greylag geese mate for life and may spend dozens of years together. When one dies, the other appears to mourn, with sunken eyes and hanging his head. Many birds "nuzzle" each other and bring their bill tips together as in a kiss.

Empathy

In the news from time to time we see a story about one species who "adopts" a different species -- a dog raising an orphaned goat, a pig playing mother to a kitten. Recently, a French bulldog nursed a Bengal tiger. ( [|Here's a photo] of them.) This form of empathy, or at least the "mother" instinct, seems to be a rather common phenomenon. Empathy shows up in other ways, too, however. Researchers have observed elephants slowing down their walking pace to accommodate a crippled member, Blue jays delivering food to an old jay who was losing his eyesight, even a mouse helping a weaker sibling to survive. In Alaska, one of two orphaned Grizzly bears took salmon to her injured brother until he recovered. Other reports include the story of a Dunnock (small European bird) who struck a window and died, whereupon his two companions dragged his body to a shallow channel of water and repeatedly lifted his neck. Were they fond friends trying to revive him?

Grief

One expert observer tells the story of watching four magpies as they tried to rouse and feed a fifth one who had been struck dead by a car. When that failed, they stood vigil over their dead companion for several seconds before flying away, suggesting a moment of grief. Gorillas have been known to hold wakes. A llama owner reports one of her llamas stayed in his barn and wailed for two days following the death of an older companion. Cows sometimes bellow for days when their calves are taken from them.

Nearly all primate mothers react with intense grief if their infant dies, sometimes carrying the dead body for days or weeks. Grief is strongly felt by their young, too. Goodall tells the story of an 8-year-old chimpanzee, Gombe, whose mother died. He'd had an unusually close bond with his mother and was inconsolable. He was old enough to care for himself, but so depressed he wouldn't eat. Within a few weeks he curled up and died near the spot where his mother's body had lain.

At Sea Life Park in Hawaii, when one of two dolphins who performed together died, her companion wouldn't open his eyes for days. The park took pity on him and introduced a new young dolphin. He allowed her to swim with him, but for the first week, whichever side she was swimming on, he kept that eye closed, seemingly unable to bear another dolphin taking his friend's place. The Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tenn., a refuge for African and Asian elephants, describes elephants suffering obvious intense grief over the death of a companion.

Gratitude

In December 2005, a 45-foot-long female Humpback whale got tangled in crab lines off the coast of California. Hundreds of yards of lines loaded with heavy weights wrapped around her body, tail and mouth. The weight kept pulling her down, making it difficult for her to keep her blowhole above water to breathe. Four divers spent an hour cutting the lines away from her body, including the one tangled around her mouth. A single sweep of her tail would have easily killed a diver, but the whale allowed them to help. After the whale was freed, she swam around the divers in what appeared to be "joyous circles" and then gently nuzzled each diver separately before swimming away. The divers said they felt no fear and thought they were being thanked.

Squirrels: the Fox and the Gray

the game of birdseed theft. (Gail Johnson) || Skip down to: [|Habitat/Behavior/Food sources] [|Reproduction]
 * [[image:http://www.welcomewildlife.com/bins/site/templates/default.asp?resolutionfile=pxpath%7Cpublic%20access/Images/Mammals/RedSquirrel.jpg align="left" link="http://www.welcomewildlife.com/bins/site/templates/default.asp?_resolutionfile=templatespath%7Cdefault.asp&area_1=public%20access/Pages/Mammals/SquirrelsLeft&area_2=public%20access/Pages/Mammals/SquirrelsMain&area_3=public%20access/Pages/Mammals/SquirrelsRight"]] ||
 * This squirrel is throwing himself into

Most people don't pay much attention to tree squirrels. That is, until they decide to feed wild birds. Squirrels love the birdseed, particularly the meaty sunflower seeds. This might be fine if they weren't so greedy: "Yum, plenty of seed, so easy to get at, and all mine, mine, mine."

It's expensive to feed squirrels. Eventually, on behalf of our pocketbook, and the birds who aren't getting their fair share, the war of the humans and the squirrels commences. We try a method to keep the squirrels away, then another and another. We move the bird feeders here and there. We try baffles and wires and water spray. Embarrassingly, the humans lose at every turn. Anyone who's tried to outwit squirrels and has failed (which means most of us) will agree that squirrels seem smarter than humans! You have to admire their intelligence and determination. And, don't they seem to enjoy the challenge? The squirrel who keeps challenging you is probably the Eastern Gray or the Eastern Fox, the most common urban squirrels.

Squirrels are rodents belonging to the scientific order, Rodentia (row-DENCH-ee-uh), the largest group of mammals. This is a group of gnawing mammals who all have chisel-shaped teeth in common. To some people, squirrels look like big rats. They aren't rats, but, being rodents, they are related. Mice, beavers, prairie dogs, chipmunks and porcupines are members of this group, too.

Squirrels fall into one of three groups: tree squirrels, ground squirrels and flying squirrels. Flying squirrels, who seem rather exotic, don't actually fly. They glide. They have a fur-covered membrane that extends from ankle to wrist on each side of their body. By spreading their legs wide, they're able to glide from a higher perch to a lower one. They reportedly can glide the length of a football field from a 50-foot-high perch. Like other squirrels, they can also run on the ground and dash through trees.

In contrast to flying squirrels, who tend to be nocturnal, ground and tree squirrels are active during the day (diurnal). Ground squirrels spend their time on the ground and live in burrows. The most common urban squirrels are the Fox and the Gray tree squirrels, who are very similar in most respects, so the following applies to both species, unless otherwise noted.

Physical description

Fox squirrels are named for the color of their fur. Their back is reddish-orange and the belly a paler shade of red or orange. Adults are 18-29 inches long, not counting the tail. The tail is about 12 inches. An adult weighs about 2 pounds.

Eastern Gray squirrels are also named for the color of their fur. Their belly is whitish, however, and in winter, the ears may be white. Their tail may be a lighter color, too. They're smaller than Fox squirrels -- about 14-20 inches long, with the tail 7-10 inches. The adult Gray weighs about 16-24 ounces.

Some extreme color variations can be seen in both species, often particular to the region in which they live. For instance, a population of dark-headed, gray-backed Fox squirrels lives in the southeastern part of their range. A black population of Fox squirrels lives in one small Kansas town, Marysville, and a totally white (but not albino) population of Gray squirrels lives in Brevard, North Carolina and other towns.

The Fox squirrel has 20 teeth and the Gray squirrel has 22. All squirrels have upper and lower incisor teeth that grow throughout their lives -- about 6 inches a year. The teeth would grow too long if they weren't regularly chiseled down by the rough, herbivorous diet they eat. They also habitually gnaw on things, like tree bark, and grind their teeth constantly, even when they sleep. The ears of tree squirrels are large and they have excellent hearing. Their vision is first-rate, too.

A squirrel's tail is fluffy and about the same length as his body. The tail isn't just for show; it serves squirrels in several ways: It shields them from rain, or from sunshine on a hot day when they sweep it up and over their back. It blankets them when they sleep, wrapped around their body. (As a matter of fact, the name "squirrel" derives from the Greek skia (shadow) and oura (tail): tail that casts a shadow.) The tail also acts as a stabilizer when they go airborne from branch to branch. It's something of a parachute if they fall and serves as a rudder when they swim. And it sometimes saves a life when a chasing predator catches a squirrel by the tail -- the fur, skin and some of the vertebrae will easily break off and the squirrel keeps on going. (The tail, however, doesn't grow back like that of lizards and amphibians, leading one to hope this doesn't happen too often to the same squirrel.)

Squirrels have four toes on their front feet and five on the back. Each toe has a strong claw. Their wrists are double-jointed, allowing them to turn 180 degrees. This, combined with strong hind legs, helps them move nimbly up and down trees. They can leap, too: An Eastern Gray squirrel was observed leaping more than 8 feet to a platform holding seeds. With a predator in pursuit, a squirrel's hard to catch once he gets to a tree. On the ground, they can run and dodge, but they're much more vulnerable. Squirrels seem to be able to nimbly negotiate almost everything (think of telephone lines). However, they do fall sometimes. One extremely lucky squirrel fell 100 feet without injury.

Range and habitat

The Eastern Fox squirrel and Eastern Gray squirrel inhabit the eastern half of the U.S., as well as the West wherever they've been introduced. There's also a "Western" Gray squirrel (Sciurus griseus), but he's a shy species of the West who lives mostly in the forests of mountainous or hilly regions.

The Fox and the Gray, being tree squirrels, live where there are trees. The Fox spends the most time on the ground and is the one most tolerant of a prairie-type environment with fewer trees. The Gray squirrel likes heavier tree coverage. Fox and Gray squirrels have a home territory of a few acres, where they spend their lives. You may have several squirrels living in your yard in overlapping territories.

Behavior

winter coat. || Gray squirrels and Fox squirrels are mostly solitary animals. Females share a den with offspring while raising them, and squirrels will sometimes share a den in cold weather. Otherwise, they stay alone. They're most active in the early morning and late afternoon. They rest in the afternoon, sometimes in a day nest, or they may just lay atop a tree branch. They're generally early to bed, usually curling up in a tight ball well before sunset. Squirrels are at their most active in the fall, when hints of coming cold weather ignite a need to find and stash winter food. At this time they begin to eat more, too, packing on fat to help carry them through the winter. Squirrels don't hibernate; in very cold weather they will sometimes spend several days curled up in their nest.
 * [[image:http://www.welcomewildlife.com/bins/site/templates/default.asp?resolutionfile=pxpath%7Cpublic%20access/Images/Mammals/SquirrelSnow.jpg align="right" link="http://www.welcomewildlife.com/bins/site/templates/default.asp?_resolutionfile=templatespath%7Cdefault.asp&area_1=public%20access/Pages/Mammals/SquirrelsLeft&area_2=public%20access/Pages/Mammals/SquirrelsMain&area_3=public%20access/Pages/Mammals/SquirrelsRight"]] ||
 * Fox squirrel in his

As you may have personally experienced, squirrels can be very vocal. Many of us have been subjected to their scolding: a loud, staccato, clucking sound accompanied by a herky-jerky, flicking tail and “get out of here” stare. They scold each other similarly, but have other forms of communication, too, including barks, whistles and, in the case of Gray squirrels, a quacking sound. The vocalizations are used to warn of nearby predators, in courtship and in territorial displays. Infant squirrels being fed or touched by wildlife rehabilitators are known to produce a purring sound, presumably something they would also do in the wild while being tended by their mother. They may also make a loud shrieking sound when startled or frightened.

Another way squirrels communicate is through scent marks they leave on branches. Their sweat glands, which leave a distinctive odor, are located on the bottom of their feet (on a very hot day, a squirrel walking across a sidewalk might leave damp paw prints.) They also scent branches with their urine or anal fluids to mark their territory. One research study has shown that squirrels can identify a relative by his scent trail.

Squirrels protect themselves first by running -- by one account as fast as 20 miles per hour. If they must swim, they can. And they do it well. Often they simply remain motionless to avoid detection (their coloring blends in with tree bark). If all else fails, they'll claw and bite their attacker. Another strategy is to keep a vertical object between themselves and a predator. Perhaps you've seen this maneuver yourself when approaching a squirrel who's clinging to a fat tree trunk. As you move around the trunk, the squirrel does too, so the trunk always stands between you two.

How smart are squirrels? Very. For a fun example of squirrel intelligence, watch [|t][|his video] on YouTube.com. It shows a squirrel using his teeth to lift the pop-up spray head of a sprinkler system. The sprinkler is not operating, but each time the head is raised, it dispenses a little water, which the squirrel drinks. He repeats this again and again until his thirst is slaked.

Food sources

Both Fox and Gray spend a lot of their life on the ground, either seeking food -- young shoots, buds, berries, fallen nuts and fruits -- or tending to food: They bury nuts in late summer and fall to serve as food stores through the winter. (They reportedly can smell buried nuts under a foot of snow.) Although squirrels are considered to be herbivores, they supplement their nutty, veggie, fruity diet with a small quantity of insects, bird eggs and even nestlings, mostly while raising their young.

In winter, squirrels dig up nuts as they need them. The nuts aren't buried all in one spot and while it's possible they remember where some of them are buried, they may just smell them. The nut one squirrel digs up might well have been buried by a different squirrel. It's through this practice of caching nuts that squirrels help to reforest areas, as more nuts are buried than are retrieved. Next time you're digging in your garden and find a buried nut, you'll know it isn't there by accident. It's this behavior that's also behind the holes we sometimes find in the disturbed soil of our flowerpots and planters.

Cover and nesting

Squirrels prefer to nest in a hollow tree or other location that offers cozy protection. They have a thick coat of fur and, in winter, it keeps them pretty toasty. But, it isn't waterproof. Those leafy nests (called dreys) we see clinging to tree branches are built for temporary use. If a squirrel can't find a suitable hollow tree or other sheltered den site, especially in winter, he'll build a drey. For winter the drey is heavily constructed with thickly interwoven twigs. He creates an entrance through the side so that once inside he has a roof over his head. In the warmth of summer, the drey might be built as nothing more than a simple small saucer. The squirrels are also known to nest in chimneys, attics and other places that offer protection from predators and weather.

Reproduction

Depending on the climate, December, January or February is a busy month for squirrels, with much chasing up, down and across tree branches and leaping from tree to tree. It's the first of twice-a-year mating rituals. The males compete for females by trying to chase each other away. They also chase females, hoping to be the final suitor. Gray squirrel males start following a female five days before estrus (the time she is willing to mate and able to conceive.) They have a very narrow window of opportunity, as she'll be in estrus only a few hours. The Fox female, on the other hand, can mate anytime, but her mating peaks in December and June. Both species may mate again from April through June. Both male and female squirrels may mate with more than one partner. squirrel built her nest in a Wood duck nesting box. ||
 * [[image:http://www.welcomewildlife.com/bins/site/templates/default.asp?resolutionfile=pxpath%7Cpublic%20access/Images/Mammals/Squirrelbaby.jpg link="http://www.welcomewildlife.com/bins/site/templates/default.asp?_resolutionfile=templatespath%7Cdefault.asp&area_1=public%20access/Pages/Mammals/SquirrelsLeft&area_2=public%20access/Pages/Mammals/SquirrelsMain&area_3=public%20access/Pages/Mammals/SquirrelsRight"]] ||
 * The mother of this baby Fox

The female prefers a den of dry leaves in a hollow tree or, if she must, she'll make a drey in the fork of a tree or other place she considers suitable. She lines the drey with leaves, moss, fur and just about any other soft thing she can find. One drey, constructed at the very tip of a Washington Hawthorne tree, couldn't be missed: It was topped with a purple-colored silk flower the squirrel had found. Like a ship's flag, it waved colorfully in the breeze just as though she'd planned it that way.

About 45 days after mating, the female gives birth to as many as seven (usually three) blind, deaf and mostly naked babies, weighing about a half-ounce. Their skin is very pink and their only adornment is their "vibrissae," which are small hairs sprouting from several spots on their head and neck. These are stiff and similar to whiskers. Squirrels use them for touch, like a cat does. In about three weeks, the infants begin to grow hair and their ears, which were laying flat at birth, open. At four to six weeks their eyes open. By the seventh week, weaning will start, and by the tenth they're fully weaned, ready to take on the world with a lifetime supply of quick wits and keen senses.

Until then, their mother shows them lots of care. She spends plenty of time in the den, even lying on her back to make it easier for them to nurse. She'll aggressively protect them from predators and move them one-by-one to another location, if necessary. She fusses over them by keeping them clean and free of parasites. She keeps the den clean, too, by removing the babies' excrement. (Adult squirrels are very clean, spending time with personal grooming every day. Should their nest become contaminated with parasites, they move.)

As juveniles, the squirrels learn social skills and how to fend for themselves. They play-fight and chase each other around, they practice mounting behavior, and also groom each other. They follow their mother up into the treetops and down to the ground. They learn what trees offer food, which are tasty to gnaw on, how to crack open a nut, how to judge when a limb is too flimsy to support them and how to escape predators. They stay with their mother for several weeks after they're fully weaned but, more and more, they yearn for a life alone.

If these youngsters are gray squirrels (who are gregarious), once they have left the family group they might continue to live in their mother's territory, providing it can support the extra population. Fox squirrels, on the other hand, are solitary except when in a reproductive phase. Males of both species are more likely to disperse to new territories than females. Fox and Gray squirrels raised in captivity live to be about 18 years old. In the wild they live six to 12 years.

By: Carolina Orrego

Pat Moore, deputy head of behaviour at the Battersea Cats and Dogs Home, has suggested that, because young children and dogs are unable to speak, they both need to be shown how to behave properly. "Neither puppies or toddlers can be expected to immediately know how to behave in certain situations and need clear, consistent guidance. They key is to use more simplified verbal communication and distinctive body language. The tone of voice is key along with your facial expressions," she said. "If you are giving a command, you don't need to yell and shout but you should make sure your voice is firm and your meaning clear." She claimed that rewarding good behaviour with a praise or a treat was a more effective approach than punishing poor behaviour when dealing with children and dogs. The technique, known as "positive reinforcement" is outlined in next week's edition of the charity's Paws magazine. "When training the dogs at Battersea we use a mixture of rewards including tasty treats for really good behaviour." But she warned that the value of the treat used was an important factor in improving behaviour. "If you use the best treats all the time, such as a chew, it loses its value and isn't so attractive. While we aren't child psychologists, it seems that parents should act in a similar way, keeping a range of rewards for different circumstances. "Behaving well on a shopping trip may result in a trip to the playground or a packet of sweets. It wouldn't usually mean buying a very expensive toy."

Predators

Predators include hawks, foxes, coyotes and an occasional house cat. Automobiles kill thousands, perhaps millions, a year.

By : carolina gomez, 28/05/11

=Prior Knowledge :=

The ways in we can share space and resources with the animals at school, we could share by giving them more space and not invading their habitat. Also another way of sharing resources and space Is to not litter or to throw rubbish because in that way their habitat will be natural and with a good environment. We can share the school that is like our habitat and also, the animals place we should respect animals so, they will respect us...

First of all we need to teach kids how to treat an animal in a correct way, if do it we can all learn how to share the resources and environment. If kids learn how the animal behave and learn all their needs, animal mistreating at school will be lower and we would have a better relationship.

Secondly, we should interact more with animals, in this way people will see how they act with them, when people are treating them in a correct way. This will keep them closer ad animals will be ore confident with school people we will share the resources and environment in a way that will stop animal mistreat.

Thirdly,a good idea to learn how to share the resources and environment at school will be have at least one class at the farm estimulating kids to care, respect and love animals, and dont treat them bad.