Animals Winged and Wet

Birds of prey are pretty interesting to learn about and see up close as Museum visitors had the chance to do this Past Friday, August 2.  New England Reptile and Raptor was here showing different birds of prey like the Barn Owl and Turkey Vulture while sharing some really interesting facts.  

Did you know:

• The Great Horned Owl is called the tiger of the woodlands because of its strength.  
• The gut of a vulture is so vile that most bacteria and disease can’t survive!
• The ear openings on an owl aren't symmetrical.
• Owls have 7 more vertebrae in their necks allowing them to be able to turn their heads around further than us.
• Turkey vultures can smell something dead from 12 miles away and are the only American bird with a sense of smell.
• The Paragon Falcon is the fastest diving bird and can reach speeds over 200 miles an hour!

These were some of the many interesting facts that we learned Friday.

Touch Tanks was also at the Museum on Friday providing a chance for kids to interact with different types of water creatures.  There were snails, crabs, oysters and hermit crabs for them to touch and hold and have fun learning about.   

Some cool information that we learned:

• 1 oyster can filter 50 gallons of water a day (that’s a lot of water!)
• When a crab outgrows its shell is sheds its old shell which is called molting 
• Green crabs are actually an invasive species.   
• There is seaweed in toothpaste.
• Crabs are plankton in their larvae stage.
• Hermit crabs use their antennae to feel and also to smell a little.

Everything that the kids interacted with was gathered from the Cape and will be returned to the Cape.

Did you miss these events or maybe your kid enjoyed them so much that they wanted to learn more?  If so, take them to the library where they’ll be able find books to teach them more or you can take them outside for some hands on exploration.  You can take them to a local conservation for the chance to see some birds of prey or join a group such as the Junior Bird Club or participate in programs like Birding by Van.  To discover more about the ocean and its inhabitants you can take them to the beach to see what they can find. 

Animals Winged and Wet wasn't the Museums last summer drop-in!  There are still drop-in days every Thursday and Friday up to the end of August.  For more information on Museum drop-in days you can click here.