March 17

Caring For Baby Otters

Picture of an otter in a river.

An otter is a fast swimmer.

Otters are mammals that live in every continent except Australia and Antarctica. Otters have webbed feet and a flat tail to help them swim through the frigid water. Otters live in oceans, lakes, and rivers and are  found in the shallow waters of the Northern Pacific Ocean. Sea Otters have two layers of fur to protect them from the freezing water. Otherwise if they didn’t they would freeze. When baby otters are born, they can float in the water right away. However that’s not all the facts about baby otters. 

About Otters 

Otters are  both carnivores and mammals. The average mother otter usually gives birth to 1 to 2 pups. The pups’ mother will stay with her babies for 6 months until her pups develop their survival skills overtime. The mother otter cares for her pups so they will be ready when they venture on their own. In fact sea otters have been swimming in the sea for more than 5 to 23 million years ago. 

Monterey Bay Aquarium

The Monterey Bay Aquarium is working to help save and preserve baby otters. They will most importantly use gloves and masks around the pup so the pup does not get used to people. Second of all they will feed the pup milk in exchange for its mother’s milk. Next they will move the pup into a big tank where they are taught by an adult otter. The adult otter will care for the pup and teach the pup survival skills to help them when they are released back into the wild. Once the pup is ready to go back into the wild, the aquarium staff will take the otter  in a boat and release it out into the ocean. The Monterey Bay aquarium wants to save and build the population of otters however it is not easy.

Mother Otters Care in the Wild

A mother otter will teach her pup different kinds of skills. For example swimming, walking, diving , rolling and hunting for themselves. The mother otter will keep her pup on her chest until her pup learns how to swim. A baby otter will usually learn how to swim four months after birth. A mother otter will wrap her pup in seaweed when she goes off to hunt so the pup will not float away. The pup’s mother feeds on crabs, snails, shrimp, squid, wood frogs, European fish, and rainbow trout. A mother otter and her babies’ will sleep in kelp beds in the ocean.

Baby sea otters are in trouble because their mother may sometimes get separated and the pup cannot survive because it needs its mother to live. Otters are predators meaning they help control the population of food species they prey upon. Not only are otters extremely important in our world, like all animals; they all surve a purpose in this world. Humans need to start to help save the population of otters.

Alexander Leisser, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons                                  

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February 28

Murder Hornets

A murder hornet.

Murder hornets are pests beyond imagination.

The American government of Washington state paid over $20,000,000 to the cause of killing Murder hornets! That’s probably more expensive than your house. You might ask why we need to spend so much, well one Murder hornet can kill an entire bee’s nest in a day. Since bees help pollinate plants that means by killing bees they will have a big impact on our food production if left unchecked.

What are they?

The Asian Giant hornet is dubbed the Murder hornet. It has a 2-3 inch body with a stinger strong enough to puncture a Beekeepers suit. They have a wingspan of about 3 inches long which means it’s as big as your hand. Murder hornet queens hibernate in the winter and nest in trees. Just one unlucky step could provoke a deadly massive assault by the hive.

Image of murder hornet's size.

Murder hornets are crazy big and can be as big as your hand!

Where did they come from?                                       

On November 2nd, 2019 murder hornets appeared in North America. The Murder hornet is a native animal in Asia, specifically in Japan. They hitched a ride in a cargo ship to the leading state of agriculture in the country, Washington state. Farmers were shocked and devastated by the impact they are having on the bee population.

How are they a menace?                                      

The Murder hornet species is a threat to wildlife and humans alike. They can demolish bee colonies and kill humans in a couple of strikes. They can also kill rodents and bugs. The people who have gotten stung by them say it’s the most painful thing that has ever happened to them. They can pierce through beekeeper suits, and bugs or rodents can’t scratch them because of the murder hornets’ impenetrable shell.  Also, they can spread disease, damage plants, and pose a big threat to agriculture by decimating the bee population.

What’s the solution?                                                          

Honey bees in Japan have adapted to these pests and defended themselves. They form a ball around it and circulate its lungs with carbon dioxide and heat and eventually kill the Murder hornet. The Murder hornet must be stopped as it is threatening the populations of wildlife and humans alike. In Washington, there is a volunteer job to set up hornet traps. One beekeeper named Ted Mich fall says that humans have to start taking action and vanquishing these beasts and many other people agree. 

Conclusion                                         

Humans and wildlife alike are in trouble When it comes to Murder hornets. Murder hornets are terrorizing us. They can destroy bee nests in under 30 min. They can be defeated by Japanese honey bees we should start letting Western honey bees adapt and do the same thing so they can start defending themselves against the Murder hornets. 

 

Attribution:

Ovpetryshyna.if19, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Yasunori Koide, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

 

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August 19

Unusual Sports

Extreme sports include the sport of cheese rolling.

Which sports do you play: Soccer, Baseball, Volleyball … or perhaps Cheese Rolling? You probably didn’t recognize that last one. Believe it or not, Cheese Rolling is an actual sport, where a round of cheese is sent down a very steep hill and people chase after it. The first person over the finish line at the bottom of the hill wins the cheese!

Want to discover which other unusual sports exist around the world? Keep on reading!

Chess Boxing – No pain, no gain

You know Boxing, and you know the game of Chess. What if I told you that those two can be combined into one? This is the sport of Chess Boxing!

It all started with a French comic book about boxers who would play chess after a round of boxing. A Dutchman, Iepe Rubingh, thought it would be a good idea to make this into an actual sport. The only thing he would change is that you would first play chess and then box.

The rules? First you play 4 minutes of chess, and then box for 2 minutes. You win by knocking your opponent out, winning at chess, or when your opponent runs out of time in the chess game. The first world championship was held in the capital of The Netherlands, Amsterdam, in 2003, where it was won by the founder of the sport. The sport of Chess Boxing is popular in Germany, the United Kingdom, India, and Russia. Sounds like a fun sport to me, but I wouldn’t want to get knocked out!

Crocodile Bungee Jumping – A mix of fun and fear

This next sport is just too crazy for words. You’re standing on a bridge with a bungee cord attached to you and you jump. Now imagine that in the water below you there are crocodiles. This next unusual sport is called Crocodile Bungee Jumping and it is especially popular in Australia. It may sound exciting, but it is also extremely dangerous. If your cord snaps, you may just die because of the hungry crocodiles. And there have been many accidents, so this sport is definitely not for the weak!

Extreme Ironing – Having a good climb and get some housework done

Extreme ironing in mid-air!

You may do this activity at home, but this the extreme version of it. This is Extreme Ironing! Extreme Ironing is where you travel to mountains, bodies of water, statues, canyons, or other exciting locations. It started when Phil Shaw came home from work in Leicester, England, he had to iron his shirts but also wanted to go evening rock climbing. Phil decided to combine both activities and make it a new extreme sport: one where your climb to the top of a mountain or dive under water and start ironing clothes. He traveled around the world to make the sport more popular. Today people practice this unusual sport all over the world in places like Mount Rushmore, the bottom of the ocean, the Grand Canyon. Amazingly enough it has not yet become very popular in North America. This sport is not for people with a fear of heights, depths, or enclosed spaces, but definitely for people who like ironing with a twist!

In conclusion, many of the crazy sports that you can think of are probably already being played in some part of the world. Some of the videos I saw showing unusual sports looked fun, but others were dangerous and you shouldn’t try them at home. The most fun sport for me to watch was Cheese Rolling. No matter how crazy the sport, this quote from Billie Jean King, a former professional tennis player, will always apply: ‘Sport teaches you character, it teaches you to play by the rules, it teaches you to know what it feels like to win and lose – it teaches you about life!’.

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January 13

Elephant Birds

I think everybody knows that the elephant birds are extinct. How did Elephant birds become extinct ? What were they like?

An extinct elephant bird.

The birds lived in Madagascar in Africa. Did you know that the elephant birds were the tallest birds? They were 3 meters tall and some even 4 meters. Elephant birds don’t fly. Elephant birds’ eggs were really big and strong. Some archaeologists could even stand and jump on the eggs and they didn’t crack and break them! The elephant birds become extinct because people were hunting them.

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August 13

Guinea Pigs

"Guinea Pig"

vantagepointfl / Pixabay

Do you want to own a guinea pig? If you are interested in owning one, here are some things to know.

First, you need a cage big enough for them to roam. You also need a bowl for food and a bottle for the water. Guinea pigs eat some human food like cabbage and lettuce. They mainly eat hay and guinea pig pellets. Some guinea pigs like a shelter or a mini house. They like to hide under this when they are scared. Loud noises and sudden movements scare them. When they are scared they also make loud squealing noises.

Next, make sure to build a friendship with your guinea pig. They are very smart animals and remember the sound of your voice. If you are able to get two they prefer to be with a friend than alone. They sometimes get lonely when alone. They like to be held and pet every day. There is a special carrier for guinea pigs when you want to hold them.

Last, their cages need to be cleaned every other day. This means that you need to change their wood shavings, water, and food. A fresh clean home would make a happy guinea pig.

I hope you learned a lot about guinea pigs!

 

Image credit:
No machine-readable author provided. EdNeave~commonswiki assumed (based on copyright claims). / CC BY-SA (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)

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January 14

Meet a Coywolf

The first-ever coywolf appeared in 1919 in Southern Ontario. The coywolf family is a mix of western coyotes and eastern wolves. They are all canid meaning that they are part of a dog family. An average coywolf can reach up to 5 feet in length and 35 to 45 pounds. Right now I will estimate that coywolves are about 10 to 20 pounds. What I will also say is that Coywolves have a thick coat that can be yellowish.

Coywolf pups

Coywolf pups Weight about 55pounds.Coywolves are up to times the size of regular coyotes, with bigger jaws and more muscle to match. Also, coywolves are a little bigger than coywolf pups. Coywolfs pups are born from mid-march to mid-may. Their eyes and ears close shut for ten days to two weeks. The pups can only drink their mom’s milk at that time. Before the pups are born the pack will make a den for the pups in large groups.

Video credit: YouTube

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January 14

The Lost Colony of Roanoke

The Roanoke colony disappeared.

You may not know about the lost colony on the island of Roanoke and that’s why I made this blog post. I hope you enjoy it! First off in August of the year 1587 the English make a permanent settlement with 90 men, 20 women, and 10 kids on the island. It was along the North Carolina coast, on Roanoke island, is where this mystery happened.

The colonist were living near the Seatan Indians and the indians have had a mean encounter with whites in early years and killed one man from the colony. John White was the leader of the colonist. They were running low on supplies and struggling to survive. The English were in the middle of a war and couldn’t send supplies to the colony so the colonist told John to go. In 1588 John sailed to England but ran into trouble and couldn’t return to the colony right away. After 3 years he sailed back to the island and finds the settlement gone! He only finds one clue– the word “Croatoan” carved into a post.

The disappearance helped the next group of settlers make their colony in the same area 17 years later. People have found some evidence for some theories about what happened with the colony:

  1. Hostile Spanish may came from the south and captured them
  2. They may have turned native, as there was a tribe close by just inland.
  3. They may have made a boat and tried to sail but sunk.

What do you think happened to the colony? Here’s a video with more information on Roanoke.

 

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January 13

How maple syrup is made

"maple syrup"

Yodyodyo / Pixabay

You may like maple syrup on your waffles but do you know where it is from? Does it come from unicorns? Does it come from Atlantis? Does it come from trees? Well close enough. It comes from the Maple tree. Did you know that maple syrup was discovered by native people boiling sap thinking it was water. Syrup comes from trees but you can’t just stick a straw in a tree and start drinking.

A maple tree is what starts the magic. People collect a water with a little bit of sugar called sap. Sap is more water then sugar, sap has 1% to 4% sugar. I bet that sap will taste as plain as milk, which means it is NOT syrup. I am sure the last time you ate syrup it tasted sugary. People who make maple syrup drill a hole in the maple tree, then sap will start to pour out, then you boil it. You may ask why you boil the sap? It is because you are getting the water part out of the sap by making the water evaporate so mostly sugar is left. That’s how it’s made! You might ask why you don’t boil all the way. Here is the answer: if you boil it all the way, it turns into maple sugar to make maple candies and it tastes like (you guessed it!) maple syrup. Sounds good, right? Well this is the conclusion of this post. I hope you use this information wisely.

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January 13

Can Animals get Sunburned?

You might think animals can get sunburned, and yes they can but they also can’t. The reason why some of the animals can’t is because some animals use sunscreen–not Coppertone but other things found in nature. Elephants use mud for sunscreen and seals use sand for sunscreen.

An elephant covers itself in mud so it doesn’t get sunburned.

Some animals don’t need sunscreen because they can’t get sunburned. That doesn’t happen to all animals though. It only happens to the animals that have really thick skin like otters or whales. If animals don’t put their sunscreen on then they will get sunburned. lf it’s a really hot day, pigs  on a farm might roll in mud so they won’t get sunburned.

Some animals like dogs and cats don’t have any sunscreen so they can get sunburned really easily. Next time it’s sunny make sure your dog or cat isn’t in the sun because he could get sunburned.

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January 8

Origins of Roller Coasters

The first rollercoasters originated with Russian sleds.

Did you know that modern roller coasters originated from Russian ice slides? These slides were constructed in the 18th century they featured sleds or wheeled carts being sent down a series of hills and loops made of snow reinforced by wood posts.the originally slides were very dangerous because riders would be pushed down a 70-foot drop at a 50 degree angle with only a measly string holding them from falling.

Later as technology evolved the slides featured a track similar to that of a railroad, with primarily wheeled carts the early modern roller coaster was born in this ara such as les Montagnes and mauch chunk these coasters were much safer.In the 20 century coasters changed to being made of steel allowing for greater acceleration and for the ability to invert riders. Today roller coasters are are enjoyed across the globe!

A very tall modern rollercoaster.

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January 8

Nazca Lines

There are weird lines and decorations called Nazca Lines that scientist are trying to find out who did it. Read this article to learn about them.

This is one of the most popular Nazca line drawings.

About the lines

Did you know that the Nazca lines are actually 2-6 in. deep but 2-7 miles in length! Also they were created in Peru over 2,000 years ago in the 200 BC. They can be seen only by flying over them.They were carved and are 200 miles away from south Lima. They were also found in the 1940s.  

sacrifices!

There are also more decorations of the people of Nazca. They would have sacrifice ceremonies!!!  scientist don’t know how they killed them but we know what they did with them.

After they kept their skulls and removed their intestines and sewed their lips with cactus spines. Also they drilled through their skulls and put a rope through their hole in their skull and hung them.But do you still wonder what happened with their body? Well they keep them for status but they replace their head with a jar and call all of their skulls battle trophies. They still don’t know that the skulls are from the same people that they know.

One last fact is that scientist think that the lines were drawn randomly creating pictures and then the carvings carried a water supply.

Hope you liked my article about the Nazca lines and other decorations.

Here is a video to learn more.
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January 8

Bermuda triangle

The Bermuda triangle is a very mysterious place because planes, ships, and things just disappear. The Bermuda triangle is also known as Devil’s Triangle or Hurricane Alley. The Bermuda Triangle is located in the western part of the North Atlantic. Many ships and aircrafts have disappeared in the Bermuda Triangle. The three corners of the triangle are Florida, Bermuda, and Puerto Rico. In reality the Bermuda Triangle is not really a triangle.

Flight 19 was lost in the Bermuda Triangle in 1949. The Bermuda Triangle devoured a DC-3 carrying 27 people.  A C-124 globemaster carrying 53 people in 1951 was also lost. Bermuda Triangle does not exist according to the Navy. Some people think the reasons ships and aircrafts have disappeared is because of an electric fog. Others things seaweed in the Sargasso sinks the ships. In conclusion the Bermuda Triangle is a very mysterious place.

The Bermuda Triangle is an imaginary triangle between Florida, Bermuda, and Puerto Rico.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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January 8

The Ancient City of Pompeii

 

The ancient city of Pompeii in Italy.

Pompeii is an ancient Roman city that was buried under meters of ash from a volcano called Vesuvius.  Pompeii is no longer a place where you can live because it’s too fragile. Pompeii is located in Pompeii, in the Province of Naples Campania, Italy.

Mount Vesuvius, a volcano near the bay just erupted on October 24, 79 AD. More than 2,000 people died of the heat, ash, and fumes.

Artifacts from the ancient city including a person who was buried by ash.

The shape of Pompeii’s victims were captured. The eruption was so bad it lasted 24 hours after the eruption the ancient roman city of Pompeii was lost for centuries. Pompeii was rediscovered by Demenico Fontana. He was digging a channel underground when he discovered the city.

Today a third of the city is still buried. People cannot live in Pompeii because it is way too fragile, but today still lies Pompeii, Province of Naples Campiana, Italy.        

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January 7

Pumpkin Boat Racers

Right now you might be thinking what the heck is a pumpkin boat. I was thinking the same until I found out? People carve giant pumpkins into boats and then race them. Pumpkin boats were started in Windsor, Nova Scotia. It is known for having great big pumpkins so it was perfect for having races using them.

The prize is $500 for the first place. Tony Wood won last year’s 2018 race. Rick Swanson got a Guinness World Record by traveling 25 miles in a pumpkin boat. The most common age of racers is 20-30 and sometimes children with an adult. The race happens every October unless something goes wrong. People use the paddles for steering and traveling in the pumpkin boats.

         

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January 7

Strange Animals

Image result for mutated animals"

I’m going to tell you about some strange animals. The first thing I will tell you about are mutations. Some animals like goats can have six legs. Cats can sometimes have only one eye but they die almost immediately after being born.

Other things just look weird like the Blobfish. Some animals are bred like ligers or mules. Most animals that are bred are bred with animals in their own species. Animals need to have a lot in common to be bred together. Donkeys have a lot in common with horses and produce mules. So lions with tigers have a lot in common and make ligers. Dogs have many other creatures like them, such as wolves.

Last but not least there is photoshopped animals. It’s cool to see what people think look cool but sometimes people just like to make things look goofy that’s all I’m going to to tell you.

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January 7

Sapsuckers

Have you ever gone camping and saw a woodpecker drinking sap from a tree? Well, that bird is called a sapsucker, and they make holes in the tree to get the good thick sap coming out of the tree. If you thought that it would hurt the tree because of the holes, you are wrong.

A sapsucker bird.

Sapsuckers live in both conifer and hardwood forests. The very good thing is that they are not endangered animals as they have a big population. They live in Canada and eastern Alaska because as you know Canada has a lot of maple trees, so there is a lot of sap for them.

Sapsuckers are beautiful colors, they have a yellow tummy and a red head  and a grey back. They look like woodpeckers but they make a very different sound because they are more high pitched.

Sapsucker birds, some that you would have never guessed they are true: kingdom- Animalia tribe- dendropicini Genus- sphyrapicus. Now that you now more about sapsuckers maybe that next time that you go camping you won’t get mixed up with a woodpecker and a sapsucker!

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January 7

The Emu, a Very Large Bird

Do you want to know about a bird that is the second largest? It is called an “emu”. I will tell about their eggs.

An emu egg is much larger than a chicken egg.

An emu egg is almost like an ostrich egg. But its color is a beautiful teal color (sometimes darker in color). An emu egg can fit 12 chicken eggs. The egg’s size is 13 cm times 19 cm and weight between 450 and 650 g. An emu can lay 20 to 50 eggs in a season. One emu egg can make an omelet big enough to feed four to six adults. Roosting males lose up to a third of their body weight while making eggs. The male emu incubate the eggs for about seven weeks without drinking, feeding, defecating, or leaving the nest.

An adult emu and it chick.

Some other interesting facts about an emu is it’s a flightless bird. This means it cannot fly. Emu have puny wings. Puny wings make them flightless. Emu chicks are black and white and stripy. It’s like a zebra stripe. Emu has a pouch in its throat that it uses to make booming grunting sounds to communicate during mating season. Emus are the only birds that have calf muscles. Emus grow up to 2 m tall. 

 So this is the emus fact and emus egg.

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January 6

Unusual Animals

I am going to talk about animals. If you look at the title, then you’ll know they will be unusual. So the first one is the blobfish. It was elected for the ugliest animal in the world! Do you think it’s ugly? I think a little. It lives in deep water around southeastern Australia and Tasmania!

The unusual blobfish. It looks a little like a human face.

Next is the Aye-Aye. The Aye-Aye is a scary animal. At least I think it is. It lives in Madagascar and if you see him, RUN! Well that’s what I would do. It’s eyes are BIG and scary. It’s part of the lima family. It lives in trees.

The aye aye is one little scary creature!

Last but not least, is the Axolotls! Axolotls are easy to handle. They do not bite. They are not dangerous either. This thing is so cute I wish that they lived here in San Diego. But if you live in Mexico city your in luck because the Axolotls lives in the lake complex of Xochimilco (SO-chee-MILL-Koh) near Mexico City.

This cute axolotis looks like an alien.

Were you suprised these unusual animals are real? I hoped you enjoyed learning about these unusual animals! Check out the video below. It has ten more unusual animals.

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December 18

Extinct animals

Extinct animals are animals that are no longer living. Today I am going to tell you about two extinct animals–Megladons and Dodo birds.

Megladons

Megladons

Megalodons lived about 23 million years ago. They lived in the ocean around Australia. Megalodons where over 60 feet long and weight over 60 tons. One cool fact about megalodons is that they had over 276 teeth and 5 rows of them! Megalodons ate fish, whales, sea turtles and more. Boy am I glad that megalodons went extinct over 3.6 million years ago. I don’t want to be eaten up by one.

Dodo Birds

Dodo birds

Dodo birds lived on the island Mauritius they ate berries, fruit, nuts and rocks to help them grind up the food in their stomach. Dodo birds couldn’t fly they were three feet tall and were the color gray and white. Dodo birds went extinct in 1681 about 338 years ago because of Dutch sailors who sailed to the island and hunted dodos for food because they couldn’t fly and where not afraid of humans.

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December 18

Coywolf Pups

Coywolf pups are so cute, you may want to cuddle with them any time not just in the night. Their little faces, their little bodies, their pointy ears, and their long snout makes them so cute. Pups are small enough you can hold them from your wrist to your elbow. Pups are so light you could hold them with just one arm. Coywolves live all through Canada to Eastern North America.

When and Where They Were Born?

Coywolf pups are born from mid March to mid May. The pups can’t do much when they are born. The pups eyes and ears are sealed for ten days to two weeks. Pups can only drink their moms milk at that time. Before the pups are born the pack will make a den for the pups in large rocky and dense areas with lots of trees. Sometimes they will use the dens of other animals. Coywolves live all though Canada to Eastern North America. Pups first come out of their den at three months old but they will stay very close to their den.

What Are They Like?

When the pups are born their fur color is grayish blond and will stay like that until they are adults. When they are adults their fur will change to blondish black. Pups have little pointed ears that are super soft. Pups have little snouts with lots of whiskers. Pups have very little paws when they are born until they are adults. Pups have round brown eyes for their whole life. Pups have very soft fur that will keep them warm for their entire life.
Pups Height and Weight

When the pups are born they are less than a pound. At about three to four months they are four to five pounds. Pups are only three to five inches tall. When they are adults they are twenty to twenty five inches tall.

How Long They Live?

Coywolves live for four to seven years old. When pups are about two years old they can leave their parents to start a new pack or they can stay with their parents for the rest of their life.

So now you know how cute coywolf pups are.

Video credit:

Music by Peter Frankl (Debussy Preludes, Book II, Bruyeres)

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