Thursday, January 18, 2007
"What Animal Is That?"
What Animal Is That? puzzle"A fun test of puzzle skill and knowledge!" (So says the box)
An interesting way to spend hours of time resulting in the questioning of your personal animal knowledge. (So says the Martha Castle)
This puzzle looks quite simple - now that it is together. I thought it would be a great way to add some spice to our homeschool schedule. Added to the fact I love jigsaw puzzles, I also thought it would be a great way to learn "100 fascinating animal facts." I am usually quick with puzzles, but since we had no picture as a guide, it was slow. Now, most of us think we have a grip on the animal kingdom, correct? Well, when you are staring at 100 "out of this world" facts, you will begin to question yourself. Out of 100, I think I safely knew 10-15 and made educated guesses on a few others. Let me give you a sample:
Fact - Can sometimes be seen in a group called a "Parliament." Um. . .not sure, but I do have 100 choices in front of me!
Fact - Has eyes at the end of its arms. Hmmm. . .I think we can safely eliminate the whales, sharks, snakes. . .
Fact - Was sacred to the ancient Egyptians. Let's see, it's definitely not the polar bear!
In search of some answers, I found a picture of this puzzle on the internet, and we excitedly finished the project. Whew! Once completed, it was thrilling to read all the answers. So, as a service to all of you, here is some enlightenment:
1. The earthworm of Africa can grow up to 22 feet. (Creepy! I guess you use those when you are fishing for sharks.)
2. An octopus has three hearts.
3. The mosquito has been responsible for more human deaths than any other animal after man.
4. The archer fish shoots prey with a squirt of water.
5. The peregrine falcon is one of the world's fastest animals and can swoop at up to 217 MPH.
Could you imagine seeing one of these:
1. A 10 ft komodo dragon?
2. A giant salamander which can grow up to 5 ft 11 in long?
3. The world's longest snake, reticulated python, with one specimen growing up to 32 ft?
One last fact for all of my SD friends - The prairie dog builds the largest colonies of any animal, with one estimated to have covered 24,000 sq miles. (24,000 is not a typo! :-)
Above answers:
~the owl
~ the starfish
~ the scarab beetle
Name:
5 Comments:
Very interesting facts. I love some of the names they come up with for a group of animals!
Geography tip: go to http://www.google.earth.com and download the free program. It's an aerial view of the world that's pretty incredible (let's just say I can see Robert's parent's van parked in their driveway!)
is there a "grinch" on your puzzle? if not its completly unscientific and worthless!!!
I hate puzzles! I have a difficult time with preschool puzzles. We still laugh about being in SD and a prairie dog chased Joshua for his peanuts. It was so funny! I'm just glad that the salamander that I showered with at Granny's wasn't nearly as long as it could get. That one scarred me for life, I would be in an institution had it been any bigger!
Grinch, yes you were on the puzzle. It said something about being the most annoying creature known to man. ;-)
Carrie, I think Troy showed that to me, and I thought it was a little unnerving!
Les, I did not know that story about the praire dog! When you were in SD, I think I was more concerned about a honeymoon. :-)
Les, I forgot to mention that after your salamander incident, I avoided that basement shower like the plague!!!!! The one time I had to use it, I showered while wearing glasses which is a bit of a problem, but since I am almost blind without them, it was a must. I was terrified a salamander would be in there, I would feel it and not be able to see it! (Shiver!)
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