Crocodiles

Chickering Student Radio

Hello and welcome to Chickering Reports. This is Bella and Barrett. Have you ever wondered about crocodiles?

Well, you’re in luck. This blog is all about crocodiles.  Did you know that crocodiles can be over 18 feet. That’s as big as the length of a swimming pool! Wanna learn more about these enormous reptiles? Read on!

Crocodiles live on land and in water. You can find a croc swimming in freshwater, lakes, rivers, and brackish water. Saltwater crocodiles, as the name suggests, live in saltwater. Crocodiles are native to Asia, Australia, Africa, and parts of North and South America.

Crocodiles are carnivores. This means they eat meat. When they eat, they don’t chew. They rip apart large chunks of flesh and swallow them whole. While they eat, they make tears. No one knows why. Crocodiles have one of the strongest bites in the animal kingdom. They have a bite strength of 16,460 newtons and you can tear into a steak with 890 newtons.

Crocodiles have tough green skin that can help them to blend into their environment. Their eyes are on the sides of their head. They have 24 sharp teeth. The biggest crocodile species is a saltwater. They can be 13-18 ft and weigh up to 2200 pounds. The smallest is a dwarf crocodile and is 5ft and can weigh 70 pounds.

Crocodiles are cold-blooded. They have been around for 240,000,000 years and are the closest relatives to birds and dinosaurs. They are very fast and can run 13 miles on land. They live for 50-60 years.

I hope you learned something new about crocodiles. I still can’t believe they can be 18 feet long. Maybe you’ve developed a new fear of crocodiles. Thank you for reading Chickering Reports.

Bibliography

Handwerk, Brian. “Crocodiles Have the Strongest bite ever.” National geographic. Web. 29 May 2019

“Crocodile facts.” Soft schools. Web. 29 May 2019.

 

Reported by Bella and Barrett

 

Under the Sea

Image of a bottlenose dolphinWhat has fifty football field-long tentacles, pink, glows, and lives in the ocean? It’s a . . . siphonophore! One of the largest, unique, interesting creatures in the sea. One of many extraordinary animals we will be learning about in our Oceanography science unit.

We wondered why we study Oceanography so we had a conversation with Mr. Keohane, our science teacher. He explained that oceans are important to all life on Earth. Oceans need to be protected because they are a valuable resource for life.Image of harp seals

“Ooh! It’s so scary!” and “Look at this … it’s the craziest creature you have ever seen!” Are exclamations Mr. Keohane hears while his students begin researching their sea creature science project. Students are amazed by the adaptations made by the creatures from the deepest and darkest parts of the ocean.

Image of a sea otterWe were curious  to know how long Mr. Keohane has been teaching Oceanography and if the unit was assigned. He shared with us that he has been teaching Oceanography for 5 years and that he inherited the unit from the teacher for whom he took over. When he taught 3rd grade, the science topic was the Solar System. We were interested to know, if he could pick any science unit, what would it be. He stated he would like to teach engineering because he loves to build things. But he also loves Oceanography, too.

Do you have a favorite creature which relies on the ocean for its survival?Image of a hammerhead shark We got to choose and research our favorite creature that depends on the ocean. From Clownfish to Manatees, Mr. Keohane let each student use a number-assigned laptop and let us research our wonderful animals along with their habitats, adaptations, and other fun facts. Then the students would go and type their reports using the information they gathered from various websites about predators, how humans impact the creatures life, diet, and the effects of climate change. It was a blast to learn all about the incredible creatures which do live in and/or rely on the sea!

Reported by:  Katana, Olivia, Cyrus, and Zach

Images:

harp seal
Apter, Elaine. seal070.jpg. 12/25/1995. Pics4Learning. 25 Feb 2014 <http://pics.tech4learning.com>.
bottlenose dolphin
Folks, Tami. dolphin5.jpg. March 2004. Pics4Learning. 25 Feb 2014 <http://pics.tech4learning.com>
sea otter
Smith, Lucine. otter12.jpg. June 2007. Pics4Learning. 25 Feb 2014 <http://pics.tech4learning.com>
hammerhead shark
“Hammerhead Sharks.” PowerKnowledge Life Science. The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc., 2014. Web. 4 Mar. 2014 <http://www.pklifescience.com/article/213/hammerhead-sharks>