Hey there! Squeaks and I are getting ready for a fun day at the beach. We have our sunscreen to protect us from the sun and plenty of water to stay hydrated. Staying hydrated means making sure our bodies have enough water. We’re lucky because we can just grab these things and go, but did you know that some animals have their own special ways to protect themselves?
Let’s talk about hippos! They have a really cool way to protect themselves. Hippos make red mucus that covers their whole body. Mucus is something we have too, like the stuff in our noses that keeps out germs. But hippos’ mucus is different. It covers their whole body and looks red in the sunlight. Some people call it “blood sweat,” but it’s not really blood or sweat.
This red mucus acts like sunscreen to protect hippos from sunburn. It also repels water, which is important because hippos spend a lot of time in water. Plus, it’s a natural antibiotic, which means it helps keep hippos from getting sick. Isn’t that amazing?
Now, let’s learn about the Australian water-holding frog. These frogs live in dry places and have to go without water for a long time. So, what do they do? They bury themselves underground, sometimes over a meter deep! That’s longer than my arm!
Once underground, the frog sheds a few layers of its skin and mixes it with mucus to create a hard cocoon. This cocoon keeps the frog’s water from escaping, so it doesn’t run out of water. Some people call this a “skin bag.” The frog can stay underground for a whole year! When it rains again, the frog comes back up to get more water. If it gets really hungry, it can even eat its skin bag. That’s something we definitely can’t do!
Finally, let’s talk about something rare called ambergris. It’s made by sperm whales, which are huge ocean animals. Sperm whales eat a lot of squid and cuttlefish, but their stomachs can’t break down the hard beaks of these creatures. Usually, they vomit up the beaks, but sometimes they make a special substance to protect their stomachs.
This substance, combined with the beaks, becomes ambergris. Over time, ambergris changes from a nasty smell to a really nice one, so nice that people used to use it in perfumes! But now, we use a chemical that smells like ambergris instead because it’s hard to find and we don’t want to harm the whales.
Now that we know all these cool things, Squeaks and I are ready for our beach day! We’ve got our sunscreen like hippos, and our water bottle to stay hydrated like the water-holding frog. We probably won’t find any ambergris, but it’s fun to imagine!
Maybe we’ll even make a sand sperm whale! Thanks for joining us on this adventure. If you want to keep learning and having fun with Squeaks and me, subscribe to our channel and check us out on the YouTube Kids app. See you next time!
Hippo Mucus Experiment: Let’s pretend to be hippos! Use a small amount of sunscreen or lotion to cover your arm. This will be like the hippo’s red mucus. Go outside and see how it feels in the sun. Does it protect your skin from feeling too hot? Talk about why hippos need their special mucus and how it helps them. Remember, never put anything on your skin without asking an adult first!
Frog Cocoon Craft: Create your own frog cocoon using paper and glue. Draw a frog and cut it out. Then, wrap it in layers of tissue paper and glue, just like the frog’s skin bag. Once it’s dry, pretend it’s underground. Discuss why the frog makes a cocoon and how it helps the frog survive without water. What would you do if you had to wait a long time for water?
Ambergris Treasure Hunt: Go on a treasure hunt in your backyard or a park to find natural items like rocks, leaves, or sticks. Imagine these are like the beaks that whales can’t digest. Talk about how whales make ambergris and why it’s special. What other treasures can you find in nature that might have a special use or story?
