Blog

Click on the image in each blog post to see photo galleries from some of my fun research trips and vacations featuring lots of cool animals.

A Trip to the Zoo

Posted by on Jun 1, 2010 in Blog | 1 comment

A Trip to the Zoo

I went to visit some of my favorite animals at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. last week, and I wanted to share some of my pictures with you. See how many of these animals you can find in my books, and tell me about your favorite animals! American alligator Cheetah Asian elephant Flamingo Basilisk Land iguana Meerkats Naked Mole Rat Giant...

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See Fainting Goats Faint

Posted by on Apr 23, 2010 in Blog | 1 comment

I also got a request from someone asking to see fainting goats, which are included in my book FAKE OUT! Animals That Play Tricks. Here’s a video that shows you just how silly they are.

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See Lipizzaner stallions dance!

Posted by on Apr 23, 2010 in Blog | 0 comments

A student recently asked me during a school visit where she could see Lipizzaner stallions (which are featured in my book FAR OUT! Animals That Do Amazing Things) dance. These beautiful horses tour around the world, but you can watch this video to get an idea of the tricks they can do. Lipizzan stallions dancing

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Video of a Kangaroo Joey in a Pouch

Posted by on Mar 11, 2010 in Blog | 0 comments

Here is a video of a young kangaroo joey coming out to check out the world and then quickly jumping back in.  It’s amazing to see how much kangaroo can fit into what looks like a pretty small pouch. There will be lots more interesting updates on marsupials, as that’s the next book I’m working on now: Pouch Babies and Their Marsupial Moms.

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Vampire Squid Video

Posted by on Feb 17, 2010 in Blog | 0 comments

Check out this cool video of the vampire squid and how it can turn itself inside out! Vampire Squid Video

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National Zoo Animal Webcams

Posted by on Feb 10, 2010 in Blog | 4 comments

National Zoo Animal Webcams

One of my favorite places to visit is the National Zoo in Washington, D.C.  But if you can’t get there, you can still check out the animals on these live webcams.  Many of these animals are featured in my books, including cheetahs, kiwi birds, golden lion tamarin monkeys, otters, and my favorite gross animals, naked mole rats.  See what the animals are up to day and night, but be patient because they might be somewhere else in their enclosure sleeping or eating but will eventually come back to the cams.  Have fun spying on the animals!...

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Marsupial Mole

Posted by on Feb 10, 2010 in Blog | 0 comments

Marsupial Mole

This is my new favorite animal, discovered while researching my next book, Pouch Babies, about marsupial mammals. It is blind and uses its shovel hands and hard nose to swim through the Australian desert, looking for food.

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Weird Science

Posted by on Jan 3, 2010 in Blog | 0 comments

I love that scientists are always discovering new, weird animal behaviors and abilities. The octopus is one of my favorite animals, and recent research has uncovered some amazing things they can do. Check out this article and video from National Geographic: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/12/091214-octopus-carries-coconuts-coconut-carrying.html I’ll be sharing lots of animal news in my blog, as well as news about my new books as they come out and interesting experiences at school visits. Join me for some animal...

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Owl Barf Balls

Posted by on Dec 20, 2009 in Blog | 2 comments

Would you like to fool your friends and tell them you’re eating owl puke? Its easy and fun to make this recipe for yummy, pretend owl barf balls. Don’t worry they taste much better than they look! And always remember to get an adult to help you when you are cooking in the kitchen. Ingredients: 1/4 cup butter (half a stick) 1 cup granulated sugar 1/4 cup milk 1 teaspoon cocoa 1/4 cup chunky peanut butter 1 1/2 cups oats (not instant oatmeal) 1/2 cup pretzel sticks (broken into small pieces to look like bones) (optional) 1/4 cup...

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