MEET THE ANIMALS
Take a dive on the wildside and get to know Duck Duck What’s aquatic friends! Water is more than just something to drink, it's a way of life for them. From a cooling swim to a biological ecosystem each animal has a unique connection to their own watery world.
Capybara
Greater Capybaras, or capys, are known as the water pigs of the Americas! These large rodents reside by rivers and marshes and are semi-aquatic. Water is a vital life source for these animals, helping them cool off, hide from predators, and providing lush vegetation to nibble on. These animals spend the majority of their time in or around water and can hold their breath for up to 5 minutes at a time. Similar to a hippopotamus, their nose and eyes are on the top of their head, allowing them to lounge in the water almost fully submerged to cool off from the intense heat of the Amazonian rainforests. While capys are vegetarians, they have an unusual diet that includes eating their own poop in the mornings! Their feces are nutrient-dense, and due to the hard-to-digest grasses they consume, eating their own waste allows them to digest it twice. Capybaras are highly social animals, residing in populations varying in size from 6 to 16 capys, with a higher percentage of them being females.
Flamingo
Caribbean Flamingos are incredibly social birds that live in groups, or flamboyance, of up to 1,000 individuals! They spend most of their time in brackish waters, where there is an abundance of crustaceans and algae that give the birds their famously pink color. Water is an essential part of a flamingo’s life, as it is where they socialize, eat, cool off, and rest. These birds are filter feeders, meaning they essentially turn their heads upside down underwater and filter through the mud with their ridged beaks to collect their food. These shrimp-loving avians lay one egg per year in muddy nests in shallow water. Both males and females spend time warming the eggs and, once hatched, feed the chicks with what’s known as ‘crop milk.’ Crop milk is a secretion of nutrient-rich, partially digested food from their throats that is regurgitated into their chicks' beaks!
Hippopotamus
The Common Hippopotamus is one of the deadliest creatures in the world and has the strongest bite of any land animal, with a force of 1,820 pound-force per square inch (PSI). Despite their lethal capabilities, hippos spend most of their time soaking up the sub-Saharan sun. These massive beasts lack sweat glands and protect themselves from the harmful effects of the sun and heat with a thick reddish-brown secretion known as blood sweat, their own natural suntan lotion! To stay cool, they bathe in pools with their herd for up to 16 hours a day. Highly social animals, hippos sometimes form rafts during the daytime, resting their heads on each other’s backs. These aquatic land mammals spend so much time in the water that their toes have adapted to become webbed, and their nostrils are positioned on top of their heads, allowing them to remain almost fully submerged in the cool pools.
Moray Eel
Moray Eels are commonly found in the West Indian Ocean but are also found in coral reefs in the oceans around East Africa. They are quite strong and can be over 6 feet long and their bodies can be as thick as an adults thigh. With their snake like appearance, long fin on their back, sharp teeth, and the way they quickly lunge at any prey or threat it’s easy to see why they sometimes frighten divers or swimmers. As cool as this eel is, don’t touch one because their skin is toxic! No wonder they don’t have many predators, in fact, a lot of predator fish and sharks work with moray eels so they can all get a good meal, which is very helpful because the Moray do not see very well. No wonder they can live up to 40 years. It pays off to work as a team, especially in the wild.
Penguin
Known as the birds of the ocean, King Penguins have torpedo-shaped bodies that allow them to dive up to 350 meters deep, equivalent to the height of the Eiffel Tower! Spending nearly 75% of their time in the water, the penguins' large flippers help propel them through the ocean at speeds of up to six miles per hour, faster than an Olympic swimmer. King Penguins, with an impressive size of 94 cm, stay warm while swimming in freezing waters due to both their size and a subcutaneous layer of fat acting as a natural coat. In early autumn, the penguins spend a short time at sea to replenish their fat supplies by consuming as much as 2,000 lbs of fish per day before the mating season begins. King Penguins have unique breeding habits, laying eggs in winter and spring, and incubating them for 10 to 13 months, resulting in only one chick every two to three years.
Pink Dolphin
Known as both the Amazon River Dolphin and the Pink River Dolphin, this mammal lives fresh water rivers and lakes, staying in muddy water, in South America. They can grow to be over 9 feet long and weigh over 300 pounds. As babies they are grey and as they get older they turn a lovely light pink. These dolphins don’t really have natural predators, besides humans, so they prefer to live and hunt alone or in small groups but they will sometimes get together in larger groups for short periods to make it easier to gather up their food. Our dolphin friends mainly eat crustaceans (like crabs and shrimp) as well as small fish. When hunting they use clicks like common dolphins (echolocation) and they also have great eyesight so when they are in their murky hunting grounds they can see well enough to get their food.
Platypus
The platypus is usually recognized most by their duck bill, beaver tail, and webbed feet. They live in Eastern Australia and Tazmania. WhenThese critters love to swim in fresh water rivers, lakes, and streams. When they are not looking food or finding a mate they spend their time in burrows just big enough for them to fit in, for safety. The males are usually bigger and can get up to 5 pounds in weight and 20 inches from head to toe. Even though they are mammals, they lay eggs. This means they are one of the few members of a group of animals called “monotremes.” These cute but odd looking creatures have sharp pieces sticking out of their ankles (called “spurs”) and only the males produce a venom for extra protection. The platypus uses echolocation much like dolphins to find their food and travel. They eat shrimp, crawfish, frogs, small fish, and various insects. It’s not hard to believe that a lot of the world thought these animals couldn’t possible be real after their initial discovery.
Polar Bear
Considered the best swimmers among all bear species, polar bears have slightly webbed paws that help propel them through icy waters. Their subcutaneous layer of fat provides natural internal insulation, allowing them to swim in temperatures as low as -40°F. While polar bears spend most of their time on the icy landscape of the Arctic, their need to swim increases as Earth’s temperature rises. During the warmer months of the year, especially in July, polar bears have been observed swimming for at least two hours a day and covering more than 100 kilometers, about the width of the Amazon River! Baby polar bears weigh only 16 to 24 ounces and measuring one foot in length at birth, young cubs are born small and helpless with their eyes closed. Their fur is so fine it looks nearly translucent, a shocking discovery when you’re born into temperatures as cold as -30°F! These ivory-coated hunters have developed what’s known as the “aquatic stalk,” where they dive for up to three minutes underwater to sneak up on their prey.
Tiger
Bengal tigers are the world’s largest member of the cat family, renowned for their power and stealth. These impressive cats can weigh over 500 pounds and can eat up to 60 pounds of meat in one sitting! While cats are known for disliking water, Bengal tigers will spend up to an hour at a time in the cool pools of India, but they enter backwards because they don’t like water in their eyes. Residing mainly in humid and hot weather, Bengal tigers have adapted to have webbed paws, making it easier to swim to cool off and catch prey. During the warmest months of the year, these mighty cats spend several hours a day cooling off in ponds, rivers, and lakes. Known as nocturnal animals, their stripes help them blend into the setting sun and the shadows of tall grass and water reeds, rendering them invisible to their unsuspecting prey. Their nocturnal habits are enhanced by their incredible night vision, which is six times better than humans!
Turtle
The Northeastern United States and Canada are peppered with populations of Wood Turtles that reside in lakes, ponds, and rivers. These incredible creatures spend the winter hibernating underwater in old logs or small pools, meaning they can spend up to 130 days holding their breath! They rely heavily on excellent quality water with a high oxygen content to stay alive through the frigid winters. Once spring hits, females lay one clutch of about 6 to 11 eggs per year in the soft sandy banks of their homes, packing them into the earth with the bottom of their shells called plastron. Once hatched, wood turtles become proficient ‘worm stompers,’ an act where they stomp their feet on the ground to get earthworms to poke out, making a hearty meal!