Donkeys!

They’re like horses, but smaller and not as much color, and bigger ears. Can you guess what it is? It’s a donkey. The donkey is a herbivorous animal and the smallest member of the horse family.

 The correct term for the animal known as the donkey, is a burro, or jack stock. The young of a donkey is called a foal. A young male is a colt and a young female a filly. The correct name for a female donkey is jenny and the correct name for a male donkey is jack.

A mule is the offspring of a male donkey and a female horse. A hinny is the offspring of a male horse and a female donkey.

There are three categories of donkeys. Miniatures are 36 inches and under. Standards are between 36 and 54 inches. Mammoths are over 54 inches. All measured to the shoulder. (Meaning not including the head)

Donkeys can live for 25 to 35 years of age. However, donkeys in third world countries live over 10 years.

Jennies are pregnant for one full year and usually give birth one foal. Twins are very rare for a donkey.

Donkeys are used as guard animals for goats and sheep against the threat of coyote attack. They are also used to protect cows while calving. The coyote is the only natural threat to donkeys. Donkeys therefore do not like any canines.

Donkeys can easily carry 30% of their body weight in live load and 20% in dead weight.

Cockatoos!

There are five common species of the white cockatoo, the Galah/Rose-Breasted, Goffin’s, Moluccan, Sulphur-Crested, and the Umbrella.

The Galah/Rose-Breasted are one of the smaller ones of the cockatoo family, they’re only 14 inches tall. They have gray wing feathers and a white and pink crest (head).

The Goffin’s bird is one of the smallest, standing at 11 inches tall. Their feathers are white and yellow, and they may seem like the quietest but they can make noise when they want to!

The Moluccan’s are the largest of the cockatoos. They are about 20 inches tall and have salmon and pink colored feathers and a white crest.

The Sulphur-Crested birds are the same size at the Moluccan standing at 20 inches tall. They’re white with a yellow crest and yellow tail feathers.

The Umbrella bird is slightly smaller than the Sulphur-Crested and the Moluccan, but has the personality of the Moluccan. They have a broad-feathers white crest, and have a touch of yellow under its wings and tail.  

The cockatoo is a very affectionate companion bird if raised properly. They bob their heads and dance for attention and they find great joy in showing off their tricks if you’ve taught them.

Turtles!

Today, my third blog post is going to be about turtles. Turtles have been on the earth for more than 200 million years. They evolved before mammals, birds, crocodiles, snakes, and even lizards. 

Turtles live on every continent except Antarctica. Turtles will live in almost any climate warm enough to allow them to complete their breeding cycle. Turtles, along with water snakes, crocodiles, alligators, dolphins and whales, will drown if kept underwater for too long, and turtles can be found on every continent except Antarctica. Some turtles can reproduce up to 4 years after mating, and they don’t lay eggs in water, only on land. Male and female turtles have different sounds and you can tell their gender by their sounds because males grunt and females hiss. Turtles will live in almost any climate warm enough to allow them to complete their breeding cycle. Turtles can go from a 1 inch baby turtle, to 500 pound Giant Tortoise.  Giant tortoises can live to be 300 years old.

Sea turtles live in the sea, but can’t breathe underwater, the just hold their breath for long periods of time. Adult sea turtles can grow to weigh from 150-1000 pounds! They use their jaws to cut and chew food. Some turtles can live for more than a year without food. The shell of a turtle is made up of 60 different bones all connected together. When in danger the green turtle can swim almost 20 miles an hour to escape.

If you want to learn more about turtles, you can click here and find out!