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Showing posts from July, 2023

Sickle-fin Lemon Shark

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  Everyone say hello to the Sickle-Fin Lemon Shark, also known as the Sharptooth Lemon Shark, or by their scientific name, Negaprion acutidens. This shark is no threat to humans as it is extremely shy and, if confronted, tends to go off another way. The Sickle-fin Lemon shark can grow up to 14 feet long and resembles its sister species, the Lemon Shark, closely the only significant difference is its pectoral fins with an exaggerated curve. These sharks are yellowish brown and have a very pale underside. These sharks also have a broad wedge-shaped snout. As I mentioned, these sharks never go out of their way to attack humans, even if the bait is presented to them. But they will behave aggressively if they are poked. Sicklefin Lemon Sharks can give birth to 1 all the way up to 14 pups per litter. Typically born in October, November, December, and January, all depending on locality.  This shark has about 27 to 33 rows of teeth in each jaw. This shark feeds on a lot, including sma...

Zebra Sharks

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  This is one of my favorite sharks (I have a lot of favorites).  Say hello to our slow-swimming friend, the Zebra Shark also known by their scientific name  Stegostoma fasciatum . These sharks are non-aggressive and are bottom-dwelling sharks. When these sharks are babies, they have stripes just like a zebra, and when they become adults, these stripes become dots. In fact, their most common name in Australia is the Leopard Shark.  These sharks are night hunters; during the day, they rest on the sea floor or "stand" on their pectoral (side) fins.  These sharks can also wedge their way into tight spaces! You can find Zebra Sharks in coral reefs located in areas like the Western Pacific Ocean. These sharks eat things like  snails and bivalves but will also eat crabs, shrimps, and small bony fishes. The way that their mouths are helps them to grip, crush, and pulverize enclosed shells.  Because of this, they are a massive value to keeping the population d...

Black-footed Ferret

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                       Today for my endangered animal blog, I decided to talk about the black-footed ferret. The black-footed ferret is one of North America's most endangered mammals. These ferrets are also called  Mustela nigripes. These ferrets are about 18 to 24 inches and weigh in at about 1.5 to 2.5 pounds.   There are approximately around 390 in the world. These ferrets are officially on the endangered list.  "Biologists estimate that there should be 3,000 adult ferrets in the wild to successfully recover this endangered species." These ferrets live in North America, and they were once actually thought to have been extinct until the year of 1981 when in Wyoming, they were rediscovered. They live in grasslands or, more specifically, the Great Northern Plains.  These ferrets are rather important to their ecosystems as their recovery signifies the health of grassland ecosystems, which is how the...

Great Hammerhead Shark

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  Welcome to my blog, all about the great hammerhead shark whose scientific name is  Sphyrna Mokarran. Great Hammerheads are the biggest of all nine hammerhead types. They weigh in at about 500 pounds and are 13.1 ft, but the largest hammerhead was 20ft, with it weighing in at 991 pounds. There are approximately around only 200 of these gorgeous sharks left in the world.   Great Hammerhead Sharks migrate long distances, around 756 miles. These Great Hammerhead Sharks can be found on both the eastern and western shores of Africa, Australia, Western Europe, North America, and Japan.  The Great Hammerhead Shark has a huge role in the ecosystem! By eating the animals that are below them in the food chain, they ensure that the diversity of species is in balance with competitors!  Sadly these sharks are targeted because of their fins and how large they are. They are targeted by overfishing, where their fins are used for shark fin soup. More than 90% of these sharks di...

Extra Credit Blog

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Hello everyone. My name is Aubrie. I am majoring in Criminal Justice with a minor in psychology. My favorite animals would have to either be sharks like great white sharks and many others or any type of big cat like tigers and jaguars. As for plants, they all are really cool, but cactus are my favorites. I would love for animals not to be endangered. It always is sad when I learn about the animals that are all getting killed or dying because of how the world is.