Cats

Cats are small, furry mammals and are very popular house pets.


Feeding

House cats now eat just cat food, but there are also wild cats. They eat small animals such as rabbits, squirrels, mice, and birds.

Habitat

Cats used to live in the wild in forests, alleys, woods, and sometimes were found sneaking around in parks after dark. Most cats live in houses, though some have escaped humans and still live freely. 

Breeding

Once the male and female have mated, the female finds a safe, dark, and quiet spot to have her kittens, so their ears and eyes won’t be hurt by bright light or loud noise. The mother usually takes care of her kittens alone, while the father brings her food. 

Looks

Cats have agile bodies and retractible claws. They have sharp teeth that they use to trap, kill and eat prey. They can see in the dark. This is because while they are in the light, cats store it in their irises so their eyes shine in the dark. 

They can have long or short fur, and there are millions of different breeds, such as the curly-coated Rex cat, the Tortoiseshell, the haughty-looking Persian, and so on. They have large, pointed ears for pin-pointing prey in the wild. Cats can even be thought to be sleeping, when they’re actually listening to everything you say!

Cats can smell extraordinarily well. They have long, silky tails, except for the stumpy-tailed Minx.

Lifespan

Cats can live about 12 or 15 years.


Here is a link to an awesome movie about wildcats! 

Blue-footed boobies

Blue-footed boobies are called "boobies" because they are clumsy. They are clumsy on land, but not in the sky.

Feeding

Blue-footed boobies eat fish, hunting them by diving down from the sky or sitting on the water waiting for a school of fish to swim by.

Habitat

Blue-footed boobies are marine birds. They nest on rocky ledges, and spend their days flying above the ocean and resting on islands. 

Breeding

To attract a female, the male will spread his wings and stamp his feet to try and impress her. Once they have mated and built a nest, the pair take turns sitting on the eggs. When they are two months old, baby Boobies can take care of themselves.

Looks

Blue-footed boobies are white with brown and black streaks on their heads. They have long dark grey beaks and their yellow eyes are on either side of their head.

They have long, skinny wings and startling blue feet. Their feet darken in colour as they age. They breath through the edges of their mouths because their nostrils are closed permanently for diving.

Female Blue-footed boobies are a bit bigger than the male birds. 

There are different types of boobies, like Red-footed boobies and Brown boobies.

Lifespan

Wild Blue-footed boobies live an average of 17 years.

Squirrels

Feeding

Squirrels eat nuts and berries, though some species eat small birds, snakes, or mammals. In the early spring, squirrels are hungrier than usual, so they eat a lot of buds. Squirrels have four long teeth that never stop growing, to make sure they don’t wear down too much when they gnaw hard nuts. 

Tree-dwelling squirrels are more solitary than ground-dwelling squirrels.

Breeding

Squirrels breed normally once or twice a year after three or six weeks, differing between the species. Baby squirrels are born blind, toothless and helpless. Squirrels are mature at one year old.

Nocturnalism

Ground and tree squirrels are normally most active during the day. Flying squirrels are usually nocturnal. But sometimes flying squirrels go through a period of also being awake and about in daytime. 

Habitat

Squirrels live in deserts and rainforests, but they don’t much like really dry deserts or very cold areas. They do not like the high mountainous areas, but are happy with scampering about in the trees of a forest, park, or wilderness. Squirrels are very common. They have soft pads on their paws, and their front legs are smaller and shorter than their strong back legs, which are used to jump from branch to branch.

Looks

Squirrels are usually just bigger than mice or rats. Some are really small, and some are named after their gigantic size: giant squirrels!

Squirrels have short, soft fur and a long, bushy tail. They sometimes have stripes down their sides, and they can be lots of different colours, like gray or brown. 

Squirrels are closely related to marmots.