Let me check your head

It’s not quite as good as a fingerprint, but individual seahorses can usually be told apart by their coronets (the top of their head that almost looks like a crown).

You may know that it’s the male seahorse who becomes pregnant. But did you know their eyes move independently? There are times I think that would be an advantage, but it’d probably just confuse me.

There are about 35 species of seahorses. In size they range from ¼ inch to a foot. Seahorse are at threatened status.

Jungle Jane

Look at ‘em go!

Sea Turtles come in a variety of sizes and colors. The largest is the leatherback which can be 4-6 feet long and weigh 440-1115 pounds! Whoa! The smallest sea turtle species is the Olive Ridley—they’re only 22-30 inches long, but still a respectable 65 to 110 pounds.

I think Crush and his family in the movie Finding Nemo are green sea turtles.

Unfortunately, all species of sea turtles are threatened or endangered. The following is a video of baby Kemp’s ridley sea turtles being released by Sea Turtle Inc., a sea turtle rescue organization.

Wish I’d been there. Looks fun to watch.


JJ

Not related to the zebra, despite those stripes

Okapi (pronounced o-COP-e), a relation of the giraffe family, has a short neck and coloration definitely different from a giraffe. Okapis are reddish brown, but their legs have black and white zebra stripes!

Like giraffes, their tongues are blue. Okapi tongues are long enough that they can wash their own eyelids and ears. (Not many mammals can do that, and frankly, I don’t want to!)

Okapis are about 6 ft long and 5 to 5.5 ft high at the shoulder. This picture is of a mom and baby from the Brookfield Zoo in Illinois. Only the males have horns.

From the Ituri Rainforest in central Africa, okapis are not classified as endangered. But they are threatened by habitat destruction and poaching.

Jungle Jane