Olympic Opening Ceremonies

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - In time-honored tradition, the show went on. Despite the training-run death earlier in the day of a luger from the country of Georgia, the Olympics' opening ceremonies were launched Friday night with a jubilant countdown by the crowd filling BC Place Stadium. More

Marathon for kids

Running a marathon is tough, but rewarding and now kids in the Roanoke Valley now have a chance to try it. On Friday, the Roanoke Valley YMCA announced a marathon for young people. It works like this -- Kids have from now until race day to complete 25.2 miles on their own or with family and friends. More

Turkey facts

Wild turkeys are covered with dark feathers that help them blend in with their woodland homes. The bare skin on the throat and head of a turkey can change color from flat gray to striking shades of red, white, and blue when the bird becomes distressed or excited.Wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) live in woods in parts of North America and are the largest game birds found in this part of the world. They spend their days foraging for food like acorns, seeds, small insects and wild berries. They spend their nights in low branches of trees (yes, wild turkeys can fly!).

Walrus facts

The mustached and long-tusked walrus is most often found near the Arctic Circle, lying on the ice with hundreds of companions. These marine mammals are extremely sociable, prone to loudly bellowing and snorting at one another, but are aggressive during mating season. With wrinkled brown and pink hides, walruses are distinguished by their long white tusks, grizzly whiskers, flat flipper, and bodies full of blubber.

Student runs with wolves!

ALBION, Mich. - The elbows that can fly under the hoop during a college game are nothing like the thrill of racing a wolf pack in your car, according to Albion College basketball center Wayne Bond. Bond, who spent his summer working at an Indiana animal park, says he has more in common with wolves than might be obvious. More

Ostrich facts

The flightless ostrich is the world's largest bird. They roam African savanna and desert lands and get most of their water from the plants they eat.Though they cannot fly, ostriches are fleet, strong runners. They can sprint up to 43 miles (70 kilometers) an hour and run over distance at 31 miles (50 kilometers) an hour. They may use their wings as "rudders" to help them change direction while running. An ostrich's powerful, long legs can cover 10 to 16 feet (3 to 5 meters) in a single stride. These legs can also be formidable weapons. Ostrich kicks can kill a human or a potential predator like a lion. Each two-toed foot has a long, sharp claw.

HUMPBACK WHALE FACTS

Average Length: (Adult) 35-50 ft (Newborn) 13-16 ft
Average Weight: (Adult) 23-30 tons (Birth) 1-2 tons
Population: 18,000-20,000 (2002 figure)
Lifespan: estimated to be around 40 years (1998 figure)
Threats: Caught in fishing nets, human disturbance, and being tangled in marine pollution
The flukes (tails) have a distinct pattern on the underside, much like our fingerprints
The humpback whale breaches more frequently than other baleen whales
The Pacific humpback's pectoral fins are white underneath & black on top..
The Atlantic humpback's pectoral fins are white on both sides- which makes it easier for us to see them
While in their breeding grounds- the whales do NOT eat!
Some humpbacks feed in the Southern Ocean and go north to their reproductive areas!
Can stay underwater for 30 minutes but often dives for much shorter periods of time, usually 5 to 10 minutes
Humpbacks emit high frequency "clicks" reaching 30,000 Hz
The males produce, in frequencies between 20 and 9,000 Hz, songs that are the longest and the most varied in all the animal kingdom, with repeated sequences about 15 minutes long
When they are in cold waters, the humpback whale eats 2 tons of fish and planktonic crustaceans a day, in 2 to 4 meals.

Kangaroo facts

Kangaroos are the largest marsupial mammals. They belong to the Macropodidae family.
Kangaroo moves by hopping on its hind legs using its tail for steering and balancing while hopping at speed up to 40mph/60kmh. When kangaroo is moving slowly the tail is used as an extra leg and supports the kangaroo when it is standing on its hind legs. Most kangaroos can only move both back legs together and not one at a time.
Kangaroos are found in Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea. They are grazing animals that eat grass, young shoots and leaves of heath plants and grass trees. Kangaroos need very little water to survive and are capable of going for months without drinking at all.

Turtle facts

The first known turtles existed 200 million years ago.
* There are approximately 300 species of turtles.
* Turtles live on every continent except Antarctica.
* Turtles are cold-blooded. One way they regulate their temperature is by basking.
* Some turtles, such as the Musk turtle, emit an odor when startled.
* Not all turtles and tortoises hibernate.
* The blood of hibernating turtles acts somewhat like antifreeze, allowing it to tolerate cold temperatures.
* Some female turtles produce eggs four years after mating.
* Many species make sound, especially while mating.
* Incubation temperature determines the sex of the hatchling.
* All turtles lay their eggs on land.
* Hatching turtles have an egg tooth at the end of their beak to help open the egg.
* Some land turtles can out run a human.
* The smallest turtle, the Speckled Padloper is 4". The largest is the Leatherback sea turtle, that can
reach up to 10' in length.
* Turtle shells DO break.

fact about lobsters!

A male lobster is called a cock and a female a hen or chicken (when she weighs about 1 pound).
There are two kinds of lobsters, the "true" lobster (also called American lobster) and the spiny lobster. The true lobster has claws on the first four legs, lacking in the spiny lobster. The spiny lobster has a pair of horns above the eyes, lacking in the true lobster. Spiny lobsters also have two large cream-colored spots on the top of the second segment of the tail.
Small lobsters, less than 1.5 inches carapace (carapace length is measured from the rear of the eye socket to the rear of the main body shell), hide in and about sea weeds and rocky habitat that provide enough food and shelter from predators. Adolescent lobsters, 1.5 to 3.5 inches carapace, are found in coastal habitats and offshore areas. Adult lobsters inhabit deeper waters, but return seasonally to shallow warmer waters. Spiny lobsters inhabit tropical and subtropical waters of the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico.
Lobster can have many different colors, including blue-green, blue, red, yellow, red-orange and white. Some lobsters come in two colors, having half of their shell one color and the other half another.

People scared of cougar in park

Even under ideal circumstances, capturing a cougar is difficult. And the situation that closed Discovery Park in Magnolia Thursday afternoon "is not an ideal circumstance," Department of Fish and Wildlife Capt. Bill Hebner said.
The park closure is scheduled through Monday -- altering plans for at least one wedding --and is only the third time since 1972 that it's been closed. More

Man arrested for barking at police dog

Michigan - A man was arrested in Michigan for barking and shouting at a police dog inside a patrol car, causing the dog to become agitated and aggressive. According to the authorities, police were responding to a call at an apartment complex when a 26-year-old man approached their patrol car and “began to torment” their police dog. The barking man was arrested for disorderly conduct and later released on bond. More…

Koala Facts

Koalas live about 10-15 years. Koalas don’t normally have to drink water. They usually get enough moisture from leaves. A baby koala is known as a “joey.” Koalas are mostly active at night.Some people refer to koalas as “koala bears,” but they are not bears at all. They are marsupials. Koalas also sleep between 18 and 22 hours each day. The word “koala” is thought to mean 'no drink' in the Aboriginal language. A newborn koala is only the size of a jelly bean. Koalas eat 1 to 1.5 pounds of leaves per day. Soon after the joey is born, it crawls into its mother's pouch, where it remains for about 6 months. Koalas can not be a pet.

Dog Facts

Dogs were first domesticated from wolves at least 17,000 years ago.
No one knows for sure when the dog became man's best friend. It most likely began tens of thousands of years ago, when hunters began making partnerships with wolves.Dogs are colorblind.
Dogs do not sweat they pant.A dog's sense of smell is 1 million times greater than humans. A dog's sense of smell is 1 million times greater than humans.A dog can pick up movement very well.

Facts about ducks

Ducks are birds. They are also called waterfowls because they are normally found in places with water like pounds, stream and river. They are related to geese and swans. The ducks the smallest of them all. Ducks also have shorter neck and wings and a stout body.They can live from 2-12 years,depending on species.

Butterfly facts

Female butterflies usually are bigger and live longer than male butterflies.
A butterfly has compound eyes: each eye is made up of about 6,000 tiny parts called lenses, which let in light.
The Queen Alexandra’s birdwing from the island of New Guinea is the largest butterfly; it can have a wingspan of 11 inches!
Most butterflies make no sound, but some in Florida and Texas make a loud clicking sound with their wings.
Butterflies do not get bigger as they age - a young butterfly is a caterpillar! Butterflies are related to crabs and lobsters! Why? Because like those sea creatures, butterflies have skeletons on the outside of their bodiesButterflies weigh only as much as two rose petals, but can fly thousands of miles

solar system

Sun
Over one million Earths can fit on the sun.It is too Hot to get close to.It is a Star.

Mercury
It is the closest planet to the sun. It is too hot and dry to live on. There is no air.

Venus
It is the second planet from the sun.Almost the same size as Earth.It has the same gravity as Earth.And has deadly poisonous clouds (acid)

Earth
The third planet from the sun. The Only planet that we know of that supports life. It has gravity, air, water, etc.

Mars
It is the forth planet from the sun. Its called the red planet. It has red dust and ice.

Jupiter
The fifth planet from the sun. The Only planet with a big red spot (a storm that is very wide) It is the Largest planet in the Solar System.

Saturn
The sixth planet from the sun.Very cold It has an outer ring around the planet.

Uranus
The seventh planet from the sun.It is very cold.It has an outer ring around the planet.Unable to see stars because of storms of clouds.

Neptune
The eight planet from the sun. It is very cold. The planet is blue in color.

Pluto
The farthest planet from the sun. It is the coldest planet. It is very dark. The sun looks very small from this planet. You can see many stars from here.

Facts about hippos!

Hippos are the third largest animal on land. Only elephants and some rhinos are bigger. An adult male hippopotamus can weigh as much as 3200 kg (7000 lbs), but are usually around 2300 kg (5000 lbs). Adult females only weigh about 1800 kg (4000 lbs).
Even though hippos are so big, they only eat plants. In a single night, a hippo may eat as much as 45.5 kg (100 lbs) of grass.
Hippos are the closest living land mammals to whales and dolphins. Perhaps this is why a hippo can hold it's breath for about 5 minutes. They spend much of their day in the water or snoozing on the beach.