a Science Week break thru the New Year

I know we have skipped yet another week, but with Thanksgiving preps and crafting projects, we are working a jumbled schedule around here. I expect this to be true for the majority of December as well, so if you are following along, please plan to catch-up or resume the weeks with us after the New Year.

When we resume, we will learn about:
the fur-bearers and musk gland group
Bears, the kings of the forest lands
whales, dolphins, porpoises and manatees
fin-foots and kelp-dwellers (seals, walruses, and sea otters)
the burrowing life of shrews, moles, pocket gophers, chipmunks, ground squirrels, prairie dogs, marmots and armadillos)
Leafy Treetop dwellers (red tree mouse/red tree heather vole, pinon mouse, golden mouse, southern flying squirrel, red squirrel, gray squirrel, fox squirrel, marten, the fisher)
mammals of the flowing water (northern water shrew, mink, chocolate cottontail, marsh rabbit, muskrat, coypu, river otter, beaver)
desert dwellers (pocket mouse, kangaroo mouse, ord kangaroo rat, collared peccary)
mammals of the barren ground and polar seas (lemmings, arctic ground squirrels, arctic fox, ringed seal, narwhals, white whales, bowheads, musk ox)

We'll see you back here for Science Week lessons beginning on January 7th.

Science Week 15: Trailers and Climbers

This week covers animals that trail and climb.
Dogs, such as pointers, spaniels, retrievers and setters follow hunters into the field.
Terriers chase small game, such as foxes, badgers, and even rats.
Hounds sniff the trails of game and pursue them to their trees and burrows.
Greyhounds, wolfhounds, and deerhounds chase by sight, galloping swiftly after the prey and holding or crippling it until hunters arrive.
Bloodhounds are trained to find lost children or escaped criminals by tracking their movements.
Among the snow avalanches of the high Alps, Saint Bernard dogs have located buried travelers, and aided monks in rescue work, said to have aided in the rescue of over 2500 people over their years of use.
There is also a Newfoundland breed that is used to rescue shipwreck victims.
Collies and sheep dogs mover, or herd, livestock.
German Shepherds guide the blind, aid police officers, guard homes and businesses.

Several species of wild dogs live in the United States, 4 fox and 3 wolf species. Like cats, dogs have 4 toes on the hind foot and 5 on the front foot with the inside toe too high to show in their track.  However, the footprints of the two animals are slightly different. Dogs' claws are more blunt, and cannot retract so they leave marks, especially in muddy tracks. The leading edge of the heel pad is more rounded. Cats' claws rarely leave a trace. Two lobes share the forward margin of the feline's heel.

The smallest mammal in the canine group is the kit fox. It hunts only at night and is rarely seen. When chased, the kit fox will zigzag with lightening speed, however will soon tire and must enter one of their many burrows to escape harm. They are the prey of eagles, coyotes and wolves. Close kin to the swift fox, the fastest runner among fox species, who is slightly larger and darker, with smaller ears. Read more about the kit fox at Wild Facts

the kit fox

the swift fox

Read about the red fox here

Read more about the gray fox here

Notes about the Fox:

Here are some interesting facts about the fox: 

- Although it is a member of the dog family, some of fox habits are very cat like as well.

- The red fox can reach a speed of 48 km/h (30 mph).

- Foxes live 2 to 3 years, and up to 10 years or even longer in captivity.

- Like cats, foxes often play with their catch before they kill it.

- Foxes have abundant ectoparasites (mites, fleas, ticks and lice).

- Foxes can hold up to one kilogram of flesh in their stomachs.

- Foxes can hear a watch ticking 40 yards away.

- The pupils of a fox's eyes are almond-shaped rather than round.

The coyote, a small wolf, extending its range in areas with abundant ground squirrels, woodchucks, jack rabbits, reptiles, acorns, and other favored foods. Read more about the coyote at Living with Coyotes, Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife

coyote

Read more about the red wolf here

Read a Wikipedia article on the gray wolf

Two mammals that do not trail their prey but spend some of their lives in trees are the opossum and the porcupine. Neither are of the canine family, but is each the only mammal of its own family. The porcupine is the second largest rodent in North America.

Read more about opossum at Planet Possum

Read more about the porcupine at the San Diego Zoo Animal Bytes pages

Lapbooks and Reading:
Harry the Dirty Dog lapbook at HomeschoolShare
Wild Dogs, ZooBooks lapbook at HomeschoolShare
Gray Wolf resources and lapbook at HomeschoolShare...utilizing stories such as White Fang, Call of the Wild, Look to The North, A Wolf Pup Diary, etc.
various lapbook resources at HomeschoolShare connecting dogs
Endangered Species Handbook selected passages here and here
Handbook of Nature Study Outdoor Challenge #51
examples of Native American (porcupine) quill work baskets, earrings, etc.
Porcupine reading comprehension pages, downloadable PDF

Science Week 14: Secret Claws and Ringtails

Wild cats are native to all continents except Australia and Antarctica. They are found in all types of climates—from polar regions to tropical rain forests There are about 40 existing species of cats. The largest, the tiger, may reach about 9 feet (2.74 m) in length, excluding the tail. Other notable wild cats include the caracal, European wildcat, margay, serval, and saber-toothed tiger (an extinct species). Panther is a general name for any of several wild cats, especially the cougar and leopard. Wildcat is also a general name applied to several species. Mountain lion and puma are other names for the cougar. Read more at Animal Planet

Leopard

Everybody knows what a cat is, once you have seen a single adult cat you can instantly recognise nearly every other species as being closely related. The possible exceptions to this are the Jaguarundi and the Manul as well as the Flat-headed Cat and perhaps the Kodkod, however once you look closely at even these exceptional species you soon see their cat genes at work. A house cat, although small and domesticated, is a Jaguar, a Tiger or a Leopard in miniature, their beauty, grace and fluidity of movement have brought great joy to mankind for thousands of years. Read more at EarthLife

Tiger

Big Cats Facts

• The cheetah is the world's fastest land mammal. It can run at speeds of up to 70 miles an hour (113 kilometers an hour).
• An adult lion's roar can be heard up to five miles (eight kilometers) away.
• Long, muscular hind legs enable snow leopards to leap seven times their own body length in a single bound.
• A tiger's stripes are like fingerprints—no two animals have the same pattern.
• The strongest climber among the big cats, a leopard can carry prey twice its weight up a tree.
• The Amur leopard is one of the most endangered animals in the world.
• In one stride, a cheetah can cover 23 to 26 feet (7 to 8 meters).
• The name "jaguar" comes from a Native American word meaning "he who kills with one leap."
• In the wild, lions live for an average of 12 years and up to 16 years. They live up to 25 years in captivity.
• The mountain lion and the cheetah share an ancestor.
• Cheetahs do not roar, as the other big cats do. Instead, they purr.
• Tigers are excellent swimmers and do not avoid water.
• A female Amur leopard gives birth to one to four cubs in each litter.
• Fossil records from two million years ago show evidence of jaguars.
• Lions are the only cats that live in groups, called prides. Every female within the pride is usually related.
• The leopard is the most widespread of all big cats.
• Mountain lions are strong jumpers, thanks to muscular hind legs that are longer than their front legs.
• Tigers have been hunted for their skin, bones, and other body parts, used in traditional Chinese medicine.
• Unlike other cats, lions have a tuft of hair at the end of their tails.
• After humans, mountain lions have the largest range of any mammal in the Western Hemisphere.

Read more about Big Cats at National Geographic 

Mammals in the cat family are found in cold and warm climates except for Australia and Antarctica.

Felines have very characteristic eyes. Most vertebrates have eye muscles that, in strong light, close the pupil to a small round hole. Cats have eye muscles that pull the sides of the iris together until only a small slit shows. 

A feline's eyes are so sensitive that during the day a tiny crack is sufficient for seeing. At night the muscles relax and the pupil becomes large and round. Faint rays enter making it possible for the cat to see form and indistinct outlines.

A cat's claws differ from most other animals because they are retractable.

The most common wild cat in the United States is the bobcat. Defenders of Wildlife Bobcat Fact Sheet

The only unspotted wild cat in the United States is the adult cougar, also known as a mountain lion, puma, and panther. Unlike the bobcat and lynx, it has no ruffle at its neck, nor does it have any sort of mane. it is light in color on the insides of the legs and underneath. On the cheeks, the tips of the ears, and the end of the tail are blackish markings. it has clear, yellow eyes, big heavy whiskers, and a long, round tail. Read more at the Washington Dept. of Fish and Wildlife 

Jaguars are larger and heavier than cougars and are covered from face to tip of tail with markings called rosettes. Rosettes are rings, sometimes with spots in the middle. The ground color of a jaguar's coat is yellowish or buff, and the rosettes are dark-brown or black, enclosing a slightly darker color and an occasional black center spot. Read more about jaguars at National Geographic

A ringtail cannot fully retract its claws. There are 5 toes on both front and hind feet. It lives at altitudes up to 6,000 feet and is an excellent climber, as well as having the ability to jump across expanses of up to 10 feet. It's main predator is the owl. 

The raccoon is another nighttime creature, but more commonly seen and known to man.  The black mask covering the eyes and cheeks, and the bushy tail with its 4-7 dark bands make it distinctive in appearance.  The soles of a raccoon's feet are bare, and unlike other mammals that walk only on their toes, the raccoon walks fully on its feet. Its claws cannot be pushed out and pulled in like those of other cats. The raccoon swims well and is at home in water as well as trees. Read more about raccoons at PBS/Nature

Read about early accounts of raccoons in history here and here

Cats lapbook at HomeschoolShare

Tiger lapbook at HomeschoolShare

How to draw a cat

Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats

The cat in Ancient and Modern Egypt

Felidae Conservation Fund list of cat species

Science Week 13: Hoofs, Horns, Antlers...and special stomachs

We did continue along, even though I didn't get the updates posted. It's been a hectic autumn season around here with a few extra incidents needing attention compared to normal. So, here are the updates thru November, and I will get the December weeks posted in a decent time-frame. With the holidays, we won't be 'on-track' for a week by week plan, but we'll make it up again come January. I hope for those following along this doesn't cause too much of an issue.

Although sometimes called antelope, pronghorn are not closely related to the animals of African plains. In fact they are so different from other hoofed animals that they are the only members of the family Antelocapridae. Their head ornaments set them apart from deer and elk whose branched, solid antlers are shed each year, and from goats and cattle whose hollow horns are made from hair and are not shed. Pronghorn have branched, hollow, hairlike horns that are shed annually. They are the only animal with this combination. Read more from U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

photo via San Diego Zoo

Fleet-footed pronghorns are among the speediest animals in North America. They can run at more than 53 miles (86 kilometers) an hour, leaving pursuing coyotes and bobcats in the dust. Pronghorns are also great distance runners that can travel for miles at half that speed. Read more from National Geographic

Mountain Goat

Dall's Sheep

Dall's Sheep

Desert Bighorn Sheep

Peninsular Bighorn Sheep

Bighorn Sheep

American Bison

white-tail deer

Caribou

Mule deer

Bull Moose

elk

wildlife images by PROFESSIONAL STOCK PHOTOS

By Alaska Photographer Ron Niebrugge

Horns and Antlers:

The terms horns and antlers are often used interchangeably, but in reality, they refer to quite different structures. Antlers are a pair of bony, branched structures that protrude from the frontals of the skull of animals and are shed annually; horns are also paired and protrude from the frontals, but they are permanent, unbranched, and made up of a bony core and a keratinized sheath. See more information at Animal Diversity Web

Horns and Antlers from Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch

Deer Antlers from the Izaak Walton League of America

ZooPax from WhooZoo

Special Stomachs:

  Rumen:     "The fermentation vat"  The largest compartment that is key to volatile fatty acid absorption.  Recticulum:  "The honeycomb" It sorts particles by size, this allows for better breakdown of food.  Omasum:  "The folded structure"  It traps particles within the folds, where the particles are squeezed to remove water prior to delivery to the abomasum.  Abomasum:  "The true stomach"  This is where the final breakdown of digestion takes place.

Ruminant digestion.

Cows and other ruminants have a very different digestive system than humans do which work very differently in order to digest the foods they eat. The stomachs that they have all serve different purposes in order to break down these foods properly. Humans eat so many types of foods that our bodies cannot always break down them correctly. This can lead to fatty build ups amongst other issues. This is why we often turn to things like Medifast diets in order to stay in shape. The ruminants use their different stomachs in a series events so that different protozoans and bacteria can properly breakdown the hard to digest foods. Some of us could use four stomachs to help do this but we have different options like a Medifast coupon out there that can help us to produce the proper bacteria we need to maintain our diets. Each phase of the ruminants' digestion helps to provide them with valuable nutritional substances like protein.
The first chamber is the large rumen (or paunch). The next two are the reticulum and the omasum (psalterium or manyplies). These first three chambers are believed to be derived from the esophagus. The last chamber is the abomasum (or reed), which corresponds to the stomach of other mammals.
The combined four-chambered stomach is big. In the domestic ox (Bos taurus) the whole stomach occupies nearly three-quarters of the abdominal cavity. In medium sized cattle, the rumen by itself can hold between 25 to 75 gallons. The rumen grows large in early life after the changeover from a milk diet.
Ruminants eat fast and store large quantities of grass or foliage in the rumen, where it softens. Many species of minute protozoans and bacteria live without free oxygen in the rumen. These little animals and bacteria digest the cellulose in the plant material, thereby releasing the contents of the plant cells for digestion by the cow. Large amounts of saliva get secreted into the rumen to further the digestion.
The action of the various microbes produces various substances, including fatty acids which are absorbed through the rumen wall. In addition, any protein is converted into fatty acids and ammonia; the ammonia and other simple nitrogen-containing substances are used by the micro-organisms for their own cell-protein synthesis.
After the plant material is processed in the rumen, it is later regurgitated. This material is now called cud, and the ruminant chews it again. The additional chewing breaks down the cellulose content, which is difficult to digest, even more. The regurgitation and chewing of the cud is called rumination.
The chewed cud goes directly to the other chambers of the stomach (the reticulum, omasum, and abomasum, in that order). Additional digestion, with the aid of various essential microorganisms, continues in these other chambers. For example, in the omasum, some fatty acids and 60-70 percent of the water are absorbed. In the abomasum gastric juice containing hydrochloric acid is secreted, as in an ordinary mammalian stomach, futher digesting the food. Also, those micro-organisms that used the ammonia and other nitrogen substances from protein in the rumen, actually get digested by the ruminant in the abomasum and small intestine, thereby providing the cow with protein.  via Crazy for Cows

Sites and Notes:

SmithLife Science has an incredible collection of links and YouTubes for mammals of all kinds. Definitely a bookmark worthy site!

Goat lapbook at HomeschoolShare

The Yearling book lapbook, HomeschoolShare

Deer lapbook, from The Adventure Life blog

Fact Sheets from God Did Creations

Science Week 12: Wonderful Ears

Remember the 3 days in Egypt when there was no light whatsoever?

Exodus 10:21-23
King James Version (KJV)
²¹ And the Lord said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt.²² And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven; and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days:²³ They saw not one another, neither rose any from his place for three days: but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.

Even now, on a moonless night, there are still often stars to cast a faint glow. Rarely, since Moses shared the plague of Darkness The Lord sent over the land of Egypt, have we had nights of total darkness. They eyes are all but useless in these situations, but there are other ways to 'see' your way. 

Some animals find their way through their dark burrows by their sense of touch. Some others are able to whiz at top speed between invisible walls without even brushing them lightly. Tiny mammals with wings of thin, crepe-like skin live in the inky regions of large natural caverns. They come to the surface to find food, dashing along without touching walls or bumping into each other. 

G.W. Pierce of Harvard developed a device that could pick up sounds higher in pitch than the human ear can hear. It was discovered that bats raised loud, shrill cries, as often as 30 or more times every second. These sounds bounced from everything near them, 'showing' them the location of each object. The bats' ears were able to pick up these echoes and measure the distances accordingly, avoiding the objects. This is known as echolocation.

Echolocation: Echolocation, the process of determining the distance and direction of objects by using sound. This article is concerned with echolocation as used by animals

Listen to the sound of a bat here, and the WERC site on Bat Vocalization here, with more sound files.

Bats in North America are insect eaters, while those in the tropics are mostly fruit eaters. The fruit-eating species are often larger, and may be called flying foxes because of their size.

The flying mammals in North America are divided into 2 groups, cave bats and tree bats. The cave bats hibernate through winter, while the tree bats usually migrate.

Bat Conservation International site

Bat wing anatomy

The Anatomy of Bats

The bones at the tips of the front limbs are the toe bones in most mammals, but in bats, these are very fine and light. They are longer than most of their other bones. The wings extend between these long, fine bones and long the body to the hind legs. The soft skin stretches between the hind legs and is joined to the tail, as well. There is one claw on the outer bend of each wing. The hind feet have 5 claws each. 

A bat does not prepare a nest as other mammals do. She hangs by her wings, the tail membrane preventing the newborn from falling. The newborn batling climbs upward and nurses contently for several days. When the mother flies off in search of food, the young batling stays with her.

Next to rodents, bats are the mammal order with the largest number of species., with 180 species in North America alone.

image via National Park Service website

image via Interstate Termite website

Six species of bats belong to the free-tailed group living in the U.S. Bats in this group have tail membranes that extend only partway along the tail. The naked tip of the tail is free for perhaps a full inch. The southwestern U.S. has more free-tailed species than any other kind. Carlsbad Caverns in southeast New Mexico is the home to millions of free-tailed bats. During the day, a huge natural room in the Caverns, 1/2 mile long and over 100 ft high is hung full of myriads of these tiny creatures. At dusk, they awaken and fly off in a low roaring rush, to search out food. It is estimated that they exit the Caverns at the rate of 300 bats per second!

In the caves where the bats live their droppings form a rich fertilizer known as guano. The Carlsbad Caverns yielded 50-100 tons of guano per day, 6 months out of the year for 15 years.  When the fertilizer companies had dug up and hauled away all the deposits, it was discovered that the guano was littered with the remains of billions upon billions of insects. The Carlsbad Caverns is only one bat roost in thousands. Imagine all the insects we'd still have if bats didn't exist?

Some Links:

How Stuff Works...Bats and Echolocation

Bats from Hands of a Child

Nocturnal Animals lapbook from Homeschool Share

Bat coloring pages

Bat crafts

Illinois Dept. of Education Bat unit lesson plans

nice Squidoo page on Little Brown Bats

Different Species of Bats, via AllPosters.com

Science Week 11: Mammals with Extra Teeth

Proverbs 30:26
The conies are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks;
Are you as smart as a coney? Wise Agur used four small creatures to teach his students great wisdom (Pr 30:1,24). The ants prudently save for the future (Pr 30:25). The locusts know the power of numbers (Pr 30:27). The spider by diligence goes where most cannot (Pr 30:28). The conies wisely avoid risk and loss by choosing the safest and strongest protection. 

Barnes' Notes on the BibleThe coney - The Old English name for a rabbit. The animal meant is the Hyrax Syriacus. It bears some resemblance to the guinea-pig or the marmot, and in its general appearance and habits Proverbs 30:26; Psalm 104:18, it might easily be taken for a rodent. But Cuvier discovered that it is, in its anatomy, a true pachyderm, allied to the rhinoceros and the tapir, inferior to them as it is in size.
He cheweth the cud - The Hyrax has the same habit as the hare, the rabbit, the guinea-pig, and some other rodents, of moving its jaws when it is at rest as if it were masticating. The rodents were familiarly spoken of as ruminating animals, just as the bat was reckoned among birds because it flies (see Leviticus 11:19), and as whales and their congeners are spoken of as fish, when there is no occasion for scientific accuracy.

The cony of Israel, Lebanon, and Sinai has a small round hoof, but in size and shape it is much like the American cony, also known as a pika. Pikas live near other pikas, at the rate of about 6 per acre. They are cheerful little fellows, whistling, calling, and bleating all day. Each animal has look-outs near where his food pile is located. They have their first litter of 3 or 4 in May or June, and continues until September. Pikas do not hibernate, yet they live where winters can be harsh. During these times of no fresh food, the pika continues to eat. During the summer, the pikas have cut grasses, clover, and other favorites, spreading them out to dry. If rain comes, the entire group will rush out, bundle the hay, and carry it below to their burrows. Day after day the plants are cut and dried, then packed away.
Three species of pika live in North America, from the high mountains of Alaska and the Yukon, to the upper altitudes of California and Arizona.
Cottontails are of the same mammal order of the pika:

There are several species of cottontail rabbit, but the eastern cottontail is the most common. This ubiquitous animal can be found from Canada to South America and, in the United States, from the East Coast to the Great Plains. Cottontails range from reddish brown to gray, but all feature the distinctive "cotton ball" tail for which they are named.
These rabbits seek out habitat on the fringes of open spaces, such as fields, meadows, and farms, but can adapt to other habitats—including those of humans.
They browse at night on grasses and herbs and are fond of garden fare such as peas and, of course, lettuce. In winter, their diet becomes a bit coarse and consists of bark, twigs, and buds. During the day, cottontails often remain hidden in vegetation. If spotted, they flee from prey with a zigzag pattern, sometimes reaching speeds of up to 18 miles (29 kilometers) an hour.
Females give birth in shallow ground nests, to young so helpless that perhaps only 15 percent survive their first year. Fortunately, rabbits breed three or four times every year and produce three to eight young each time. Young rabbits mature quickly and are self-sufficient after only four or five weeks. They are sexually mature after only two or three months, so populations are able to grow with staggering speed.
Cottontails are plentiful and can be problematic for farmers; they are also a popular game animal. via National Geographic

More information to be found here at Connecticut Dept of Energy & Environmental Protection
Some great pages and sharings from HomeschoolShare on rabbits
Barb always shares great studies at The Handbook of Nature Study and Outdoor Hour Challenge

The Burgess Animal Book for Children, and a companion guide full of links, found here at the Teach Beside Me blog.

Tracks: Hare and rabbit tracks are generally oval in shape, with 5 toes on each foot, although only 4 toes show in the tracks of each foot. Both have very furry feet and no exposed pads on their toes, often leaving blurred details in the tracks. The fine, sharp claws on the feet may or may not register. Under some conditions, only the pattern left by the claws will be visible. You can often tell the difference between hare and cottontail tracks by looking at the size relationship between front and hind tracks. In hares, the rear tracks are typically larger than the front tracks (see the photo on the right). In cottontails and other rabbits the size of the fronts and hinds is quite similar (see the photo below).

The front and rear tracks of rabbits can appear very similar, though under certain conditions and in certain substrates, the rear feet can splay outward much further. The tracks appear very asymmetrical in shape, with one toe leading ahead of the others. They have been described as “iron shaped,” though

The front tracks of the Eastern cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus) measure 1-1 & 7/8” long by ¾ - 1 & 3/8” wide. Meanwhile, the rear tracks are 1 & ¼- 3 & ¼” long by 7/8 – 1 & 13/17” wide.  

The front tracks of the snowshoe hare(Lepus americanus) measure 1 & 7/8" - 3" long by 1 & 1/8" - 2 & 1/4" wide. While, the rear tracks are 3 & 1/4" - 6" long by 1 & 5/8" - 5" wide.  Similar Tracks: The tracks of squirrels can be confused with rabbits as squirrels also travel with a bounding gait. Squirrels, however, tend to show five toes on the rear feet and four toes on the front feet.

 

References: Elbroch 2003, Halfpenny 1999, Murie 1954, Rezendes 1999 

Tkaczyk, Filip A. 2009. Rabbit Tracks and Sign. Alderleaf Wilderness College. www.wildernesscollege.com/rabbit-tracks.html 

Science Weeks 9 & 10: Mice,Voles,Lemmings, Pikas and Cottontails

I admit I am not exactly fully behind my current studies here in our mammals trek.  I hate rates, mice, etc.  I am skimming along as quickly as I can, hitting the basics, and keeping a tightly crossed set of fingers that no one develops a sincere interest that we have to tarry in.
I know, I know. Mean momma. I am combining Weeks 9 and 10 together in this one post.

Nice images and information can be found at the Montana State government pages of field guides here.

Lemmings and voles have short tails and legs, small ears, and beady eyes. These little mice eat vegetation, especially grasses. You may never see them, but you might happen upon their trails. These tiny creatures spend the winter on the ground surface in the layer of vegetation compressed by the snow. With adequate snow for insulation, they live in 32 degree F temperature. Without the cushion of deep snow, they may perish.
In spring, after the snow melts, their trails resemble narrow tunnels along the surface where mice have eaten through grain or grass stubble. You may also see little round grass nests, evidence that voles were active just below the snow blanket.
The southern bog lemming of our evergreen forest region and the northern bog lemming, found in the northwest, live in damp, boggy places. The red-backed vole, of wet forested areas in much of our state, will climb trees, unlike any other vole. The heather vole (pictured), typically a Canadian species, has recently been recorded in northern St. Louis County.
The meadow vole is the most widespread and is common all over Minnesota. The rock vole, which has a yellow nose, is found only in the far northeast, and the woodland vole only in the far southeast, where it spends most of its time underneath leaf litter. The prairie vole is found in rather dry situations in the southern half of the state.
Lemmings and voles seldom weigh more than one to one and one-half ounces. All nest in the ground, or under rocks or logs. These tiny little creatures may seem insignificant in nature's scheme of things, but are the key to survival of many wild predators including weasel, foxes, and birds-of-prey.
Old world rats and mice are represented in Minnesota by the Norway rat and the house mouse, two of the least desirable of our mammals. Both species are capable of producing several litters a year and are notorious for damaging property. The rat is also dreaded because it so often carries disease.Unlike most other mice, the meadow jumping mouse and the woodland jumping mouse are hibernators. Small (one-half to one ounce), with extremely long tails and hind legs, both species eat insects, seeds, and fruit. Both have internal cheek pouches to carry food in. They are rather brightly colored, yellowish above, white below, but the woodland species has a white-tipped tail. A rare mouse in Minnesota is the plains pocket mouse(pictured).
The tiny western harvest mouse looks like a house mouse. It lives in grassy and brushy areas of southern Minnesota. Here it usually makes a little round nest on the ground. Occasionally, it may attach its nest to vegetation several inches above the ground. The harvest mouse eats seeds and insects.
The deer mouse and white-footed mouse are very similar. Both have large eyes and ears and rather long tails. They nest almost anywhere, in ground burrows, tree holes, old bird nests, and buildings. Deer mice occur throughout Minnesota, while the white-foot is absent in the northeast. Their foods are seeds, nuts, and insects. They can be a nuisance to campers and cottage owners, though they are interesting to watch. Individuals of both species may weigh up to one and one-fourth ounces.
Like a husky deer mouse with a short tail, the northern grasshopper mouse is a lion among mice, eating insects, other mice, lizards, and even small birds. It thrives on western prairies, usually living in burrows of other animals.  via Minnesota DNR

The Harvard Press has a nice article full of information in their It's Only Natural section, found here. I have found several posts in this section well worth keeping handy for reference as needed.

image via It's Only Natural, The Harvard Press

Week 10 Studies: Pikas and Cottontails

Proverbs 30:26
The conies are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks;
Are you as smart as a coney? Wise Agur used four small creatures to teach his students great wisdom (Pr 30:1,24). The ants prudently save for the future (Pr 30:25). The locusts know the power of numbers (Pr 30:27). The spider by diligence goes where most cannot (Pr 30:28). The conies wisely avoid risk and loss by choosing the safest and strongest protection. 

Barnes' Notes on the BibleThe coney - The Old English name for a rabbit. The animal meant is the Hyrax Syriacus. It bears some resemblance to the guinea-pig or the marmot, and in its general appearance and habits Proverbs 30:26; Psalm 104:18, it might easily be taken for a rodent. But Cuvier discovered that it is, in its anatomy, a true pachyderm, allied to the rhinoceros and the tapir, inferior to them as it is in size.
He cheweth the cud - The Hyrax has the same habit as the hare, the rabbit, the guinea-pig, and some other rodents, of moving its jaws when it is at rest as if it were masticating. The rodents were familiarly spoken of as ruminating animals, just as the bat was reckoned among birds because it flies (see Leviticus 11:19), and as whales and their congeners are spoken of as fish, when there is no occasion for scientific accuracy.

The cony of Israel, Lebanon, and Sinai has a small round hoof, but in size and shape it is much like the American cony, also known as a pika. Pikas live near other pikas, at the rate of about 6 per acre. They are cheerful little fellows, whistling, calling, and bleating all day. Each animal has look-outs near where his food pile is located. They have their first litter of 3 or 4 in May or June, and continues until September. Pikas do not hibernate, yet they live where winters can be harsh. During these times of no fresh food, the pika continues to eat. During the summer, the pikas have cut grasses, clover, and other favorites, spreading them out to dry. If rain comes, the entire group will rush out, bundle the hay, and carry it below to their burrows. Day after day the plants are cut and dried, then packed away.
Three species of pika live in North America, from the high mountains of Alaska and the Yukon, to the upper altitudes of California and Arizona.
Cottontails are of the same mammal order of the pika:

There are several species of cottontail rabbit, but the eastern cottontail is the most common. This ubiquitous animal can be found from Canada to South America and, in the United States, from the East Coast to the Great Plains. Cottontails range from reddish brown to gray, but all feature the distinctive "cotton ball" tail for which they are named.
These rabbits seek out habitat on the fringes of open spaces, such as fields, meadows, and farms, but can adapt to other habitats—including those of humans.
They browse at night on grasses and herbs and are fond of garden fare such as peas and, of course, lettuce. In winter, their diet becomes a bit coarse and consists of bark, twigs, and buds. During the day, cottontails often remain hidden in vegetation. If spotted, they flee from prey with a zigzag pattern, sometimes reaching speeds of up to 18 miles (29 kilometers) an hour.
Females give birth in shallow ground nests, to young so helpless that perhaps only 15 percent survive their first year. Fortunately, rabbits breed three or four times every year and produce three to eight young each time. Young rabbits mature quickly and are self-sufficient after only four or five weeks. They are sexually mature after only two or three months, so populations are able to grow with staggering speed.
Cottontails are plentiful and can be problematic for farmers; they are also a popular game animal. via National Geographic

More information to be found here at Connecticut Dept of Energy & Environmental Protection
Some great pages and sharings from HomeschoolShare on rabbits
Barb always shares great studies at The Handbook of Nature Study and Outdoor Hour Challenge

The Burgess Animal Book for Children, and a companion guide full of links, found here at the Teach Beside Me blog.

Tracks: Hare and rabbit tracks are generally oval in shape, with 5 toes on each foot, although only 4 toes show in the tracks of each foot. Both have very furry feet and no exposed pads on their toes, often leaving blurred details in the tracks. The fine, sharp claws on the feet may or may not register. Under some conditions, only the pattern left by the claws will be visible. You can often tell the difference between hare and cottontail tracks by looking at the size relationship between front and hind tracks. In hares, the rear tracks are typically larger than the front tracks (see the photo on the right). In cottontails and other rabbits the size of the fronts and hinds is quite similar (see the photo below).

The front and rear tracks of rabbits can appear very similar, though under certain conditions and in certain substrates, the rear feet can splay outward much further. The tracks appear very asymmetrical in shape, with one toe leading ahead of the others. They have been described as “iron shaped,” though

The front tracks of the Eastern cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus) measure 1-1 & 7/8” long by ¾ - 1 & 3/8” wide. Meanwhile, the rear tracks are 1 & ¼- 3 & ¼” long by 7/8 – 1 & 13/17” wide.  

The front tracks of the snowshoe hare(Lepus americanus) measure 1 & 7/8" - 3" long by 1 & 1/8" - 2 & 1/4" wide. While, the rear tracks are 3 & 1/4" - 6" long by 1 & 5/8" - 5" wide.  Similar Tracks: The tracks of squirrels can be confused with rabbits as squirrels also travel with a bounding gait. Squirrels, however, tend to show five toes on the rear feet and four toes on the front feet.

 

References: Elbroch 2003, Halfpenny 1999, Murie 1954, Rezendes 1999 

Tkaczyk, Filip A. 2009. Rabbit Tracks and Sign. Alderleaf Wilderness College. www.wildernesscollege.com/rabbit-tracks.html