North American River Otter Facts

The North American river otter (Lontra canadensis) is a semiaquatic mammal in the weasel family. While it may simply be called the river otter in North America (to distinguish it from the sea otter) there are other river otter species throughout the world. Despite its common name, the North American river otter is equally comfortable in either coastal marine or freshwater habitats. Fast Facts: North American River Otter Scientific Name: Lontra canadensisCommon Names: North American river otter, northern river otter, common otterBasic Animal Group: MammalSize: 26-42 inches plus a 12-20 inch tailWeight: 11-31 poundsLifespan: 8-9 yearsDiet: CarnivoreHabitat: Watersheds of North AmericaPopulation: AbundantConservation Status: Least Concern Description The North American river otters body is built for streamlined swimming. It has a stocky body, short legs, webbed feet, and a long tail. In contrast to the European otter, the North American river otter has a longer neck and narrower face. The otter closes its nostrils and small ears when submerged. It uses its long vibrissae (whiskers) to find prey in murky water. North American river otters weigh 11 to 31 pounds and range from 26 to 42 inches long plus a 12 to 20 inch tail. Otters are sexually dimorphic, with males about 5% larger than females. Otter fur is short and ranges in color from light brown to black. White-tipped hairs are common in older otters. River otters use their tails as rudder while swimming. Hailshadow / Getty Images Habitat and Distribution North American river otters live near permanent watersheds throughout North America, from Alaska and northern Canada south to the Gulf of Mexico. Typical habitats include lakes, rivers, marshes, and coastal shorelines. Although largely exterminated in the Midwest, reintroduction programs are helping river otters reclaim part of their original range. Diet River otters are carnivores that hunt fish, crustaceans, frogs, salamanders, waterfowl and their eggs, aquatic insects, reptiles, mollusks, and small mammals. They sometimes eat fruit, but avoid carrion. During winter, otters are active during the daytime. In warmer months, they are most active between dusk and dawn. Behavior North American river otters are social animals. Their basic social unit consists of an adult female and her offspring. Males also group together. Otters communicate by vocalization and scent marking. Young otters play to learn survival skills. River otters are excellent swimmers. On land they walk, run, or slide across surfaces. They may travel as much as 26 miles in a single day. Reproduction and Offspring North American river otters breed between December and April. Embryo implantation is delayed. Gestation lasts 61 to 63 days, but young are born 10 to 12 months after mating, between February and April. Females seek dens made by other animals for giving birth and raising young. Females give birth and raise their pups without aid from their mates. A typical litter ranges from one to three pups, but as many as five pups may be born. Otter pups are born with fur, but are blind and toothless. Each pup weighs about 5 ounces. Weaning occurs at 12 weeks. Offspring venture out on their own before their mother gives birth to her next litter. North American river otters reach sexual maturity at two years of age. Wild otters typically live 8 or 9 years, but may live 13 years. River otters live 21 to 25 years in captivity. Baby river otter. ArendTrent / Getty Images Conservation Status The IUCN classifies North American river otter conservation status as least concern. For the most part, the species population is stable and otters are being reintroduced into areas from which they vanished. However, river otters are listed on Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) because the species may become endangered if trade is not closely regulated. Threats River otters are subject to predators and disease, but human activities are their greatest threat. Otters are highly susceptible to water pollution, including oil spills. Other important threats include habitat loss and degradation, illegal hunting, vehicle accidents, trapping, and entanglement in fishnets and lines. River Otters and Humans River otters are hunted and trapped for their fur. Otters pose no threat to humans, but in rare cases they have been known to attack dogs. Sources Kruuk, Hans. Otters: ecology, behaviour and conservation. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006. ISBN 0-19-856586-0.Reid, D.G.; T.E. Code; A.C.H. Reid; S.M. Herrero  Food habits of the river otter in a boreal ecosystem. Canadian Journal of Zoology. 72 (7): 1306–1313, 1994. doi:10.1139/z94-174Serfass, T., Evans, S.S. Polechla, P. Lontra canadensis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015: e.T12302A21936349. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-2.RLTS.T12302A21936349.enToweill, D.E. and J.E. Tabor. The Northern River Otter Lutra canadensis (Schreber). Wild mammals of North America (J.A. Chapman and G.A. Feldhamer ed.). Baltimore, Maryland: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1982.Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M., eds. Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press, 2005. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0.

Multicultural Education in the Classroom - 2176 Words

The Benefits of Multicultural Education in the Classroom I have grown up with Education being my catapult through life; I love it. I love to study children and figure out how they learn and how our educational experiences shape us as adults. Five years ago, I found myself accepting a position as a Toddler teacher in a government facility. To describe it simply, I was a fish out of water. I had experience with children, but not with children so small. This experience taught me a great deal about learning in our great world. I was amazed to witness the pure relationships between children of all races in that little toddler room. All color aside, the children seemed to embrace each others differences and celebrate in their dedicated†¦show more content†¦The substantial task of desegregation did not come without its struggles. Parents were faced with issues of involvement in their childs education due to distance between their childs school and home. Some schools reported vanda lism and student frustration in regards to the change of scenery. In 2001, busing for Charlotte students ended, but not without leaving a legacy. Since the termination of busing, student test scores continue to rise, even surpassing those of other urban school districts such as Los Angeles, Chicago, and Houston (NPR, 2004). Though mandatory busing ended, school districts continue to encourage the multicultural movement by providing magnet programs for families who would like their child to attend another school. The concept is the same as busing; however, participation is voluntary. Economically, the gap is narrowing, balancing our communities. Forty percent of African Americans consider themselves to be middle class, seventy five percent own their own homes, and two parent households earn just thirteen percent less than Caucasian parents (Thernstrom, 1998). There are improvements to be made as the economy continues to control and group together families within the same income bracket. Many times, this binds families to certain schools with no other options available. Statistics show that from 1993 to 2003, there was a similar outcome regarding the schools middle class families attended. Out of a study of oneShow MoreRelatedMulticultural Education : A Multicultural Classroom960 Words   |  4 PagesAn additional aspect to a perfect education system would be the use of multicultural education in schools. Multicultural education creates a comfortable environment for students of all races and ethnicities to learn in by combining a variety of ideals about teaching. According to Geneva Gay, the creator of multicultural education, one of these ideals is understanding the cultural characteristics and cultural contributions of different ethnic groups, such as the values of different ethnic groups,Read MoreEssay on Diversity and Multicultural Education in the Classroom1561 Words   |  7 Pagesin which we learn. Educators must take special measures in the delivery of classroom instruction to celebrate the learning and cultural differences of each of their students. As communities and schools continue to grow in diversity, teachers are searching for effective educational programs to accommodate the various learning styles of each student while promoting acceptance of cultural differences throughout the classroom. It no longer suffices to plan educational experiences only for middle-or upperRead MoreMulticultural Education : An Effective Classroom Management Plan Essay967 Words   |  4 Pagesstudents have had to be bilingual and sometimes bicultural to be successful in mainstream American education. This paper deals with the increasing trend of culturally responsive teaching. The demands of a culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) student are progressively being placed on the teacher. Presented in this paper, five articles, books, and journals have researched multicultural education and explain that students learn in different ways and teachers must respond adequately to understandRead MoreStudents Are Not Entering The Classroom With The Knowledge And Understanding Of Multicultural Education762 Words   |  4 PagesTeachers are not entering the classroom with the knowledge and understanding of the importance of multicultural literature. The students are suf fering due to the lack of diverse reading literature incorporated into units of reading study. There is a need for staff developments and in-services to help educate teachers on ways to provide multicultural literacy awareness in primary schools. Objectives †¢ To heightening the awareness of the importance of multicultural literature in early grades. †¢Read MoreMulticultural Education Is A Method For Instruction That Values Diversity Within The Classroom1227 Words   |  5 Pageswithin a classroom setting incorporate teaching. More importantly, it is important that within schools teachers as well as students need to understand one another’s background; such as their culture, race, and ethnicity. For students it prepares them for life in an culturally diverse society. Throughout this paper it is focused on multicultural education in our society. Multicultural education is a method to instruction that values diversity within the classroom. 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It means differentRead MoreIssues in Mu lticultural Education900 Words   |  4 PagesIssues in Multicultural Education Effective instructors must understand the issues that impact multicultural education in the United States. The significance of providing an eminence instruction in an unbiased approach to all of their students is essential. The tide of demographic changes in the United States has affected most classrooms in our schools. As a result, some classroom teachers realize they must quickly acquire a comprehensive understanding of ethnic, cultural, and social-class diversityRead MoreA Learning Diverse Environment : A Multicultural Education1383 Words   |  6 PagesA Learning Diverse Environment A multicultural education is a form of education that incorporates a diverse cultural background into learning. Having a multicultural education is beneficial in an abundance of ways especially for the younger generation. American schools should implement multicultural education in classrooms to promote positive attitudes toward one own’s culture and others. The US Census Bureau claimed that America consists of six different races (excluding Whites or Americans): American

Watergate Scandal free essay sample

Political legal analysis of 1972 break-in, Senate hearings, major players, role of Nixon, public views and historical effects. In the immediate wake of Watergate, political analysts and commentators were convinced that political life would never be the same. No president had ever resigned under threat of impeachment before. Surely, public trust would be irrevocably broached. Legal reforms were expected to shortcircuit future political scandal or at least make them easier to regulate. In July, 1995, more than 20 years later, one of many hearings based on those reforms was in full swing. A special Senate Whitewater Committee was making modest headlines with efforts to connect the suicide of President Bill Clintons childhood friend and legal counsel, Vince Foster, with irregularities in the president and First Ladys business dealings back in Arkansas. Vince Fosters death was undoubtedly a.. Watergate Scandal free essay sample Their arrest uncovered a White House sponsored plan of espionage against the political opponents and a trail of intrigue that led to some of the highest officials in the land. The officials involved in the Watergate scandal were former U. S. Attorney General John Mitchell, White House Counsel John Dean, White House Chief of Staff H. R. Hellman, White House Special Assistant on Domestic Affairs John Reelection, and President Nixon. On April 30, 1973, nearly one year after a grand Jury Investigation of the burglary and arrest of the people Involved, President Nixon accepted the resignation of Hellman and Reelection and announced the dismissal of John Dean. Furthermore, U. S. Attorney General Richard Slinkiest resigned as well shifting the position to the new attorney general, Elliot Richardson. However, Elliot Richardson decided to put Harvard Law School professor Archibald Cox in charge of conducting a full-scale investigation of the Watergate break-in.Hearings were opened in May of 1973 by the Senate Select Committee on Presidential Activities with Senator Sam Ervin of North Carolina as the chairman. Suddenly. A series of startling revelations began as Dean testified that Mitchell had ordered the break-in and that a major attempt was under way to hide White House involvement. Dean also claimed that President Nixon had authorized payments to the burglars to keep them quiet. The Nixon administration denied any involvement in the scandal, but the testimony of White House aide Alexander Butterflies exposed Nixon and unlocked the entire investigation.On July 16, 1973, Butterflies told the committee, on nationwide television, that President Nixon had ordered a taping system to be Installed In the White House to automatically record all conversations. With this what Nixon had said and when he had said it was on the tapes and these tapes could verify everything. Cox immediately exposed eight relevant tapes to the court to confirm Deans estimation. Nixon refused to release the tapes, claiming that they were vital to the national security. Therefore, U. S. District Court Judge John Slack ruled that President Nixon must give the tapes to Cox, and an appeals court upheld the decision.Nixon still refused to turn over the tapes and on Saturday, October 20, 1973, ordered Richardson to dismiss Cox. Richardson refused and resigned instead, as did Deputy Attorney General William Ruckuses. Finally, the solicitor general discharged Cox. Suddenly, a storm of public protest occurred, thus leading to the Saturday Night Massacre. Nixon, in his defense, appointed another special prosecutor, Leon Gasworks, a Texas lawyer, and gave the tapes to Slack. Unfortunately, some of the eighteen and a half minutes. Experts determined that the gap was the result of five separate erasures.Nevertheless, on March 1974, a grand Jury indicated Mitchell, Hellman, Reelection, and four other White House officials for their part in the Watergate cover-up and named President Nixon as an undedicated co-conspirator. In the following month Gasworks requested and Nixon released written transcripts of forty-two more tapes. The conversations revealed an overwhelming concern with misusing political opponents and denied the Watergate investigation. On May 1974, Gasworks requested sixty-four more tapes as evidence in the criminal cases against the indicted officials. Nixon refused to turn over the tapes and on July 24, 1974, the Supreme Court voted 8-0 that Nixon must turn over the tapes. Thus, on July 29 and 30, 1974, the House Judiciary Committee approved three articles of impeachment, charging Nixon with misusing power in order to violate the constitutional rights of U. S. Citizens, obstructing Justice in the Watergate affair, and defying Judiciary Committee orders. Then on August 5, 1974, three tapes revealed that Nixon had, on June 23, 1972, ordered the Federal Bureau in Investigation to stop investigating the Watergate break-in.The tapes also showed that Nixon helped to direct the cover-up of the administrations involvement in the affair. Nixon resigned on August 9, 1974 from presidency of the United States of America, instead of facing impeachment; Nixon was the first president in history to resign, and a month later, Gerald Ford, Onions successor pardoned him for all crimes that he might have committed while in office. Nixon was then immune from federal prosecution. Since the Watergate scandal began investigators have also uncovered other illegal activities.For instance, in 1971 a White House group called the plumbers had been doing whatever was necessary to stop leaks to the press. Also, a grand Jury indicated Reelection, White House Special Counsel Charles Colon, and others for organizing a break-in and burglary in 1971 off psychiatrists office to obtain damaging material against Daniel Algebra, who had publicized classified documents. Furthermore, investigators discovered that the Nixon administration had solicited large sums of money in illegal naming contributions.They used the money to finance political espionage and to pay more than $500,000 to the Watergate burglars. In addition, White House aides testified that in 1972 they had falsified documents to make it appear that President John F. Kennedy had been involved in the 1963 assassination of President Mongo Dinah Diem of South Vietnam. Plus, they had written false and slanderous documents accusing Senator Hubert H. Humphrey of moral improprieties. In the end, the Watergate scandal shook the faith of the American people in the presidency and urine out to be a supreme test for the United States Constitution.

Relaxer Alt-J free essay sample

Alt-J, an English band whose genre seeps into almost everything, from electro-pop, to rock, to folk, and everything in between, released their third album, â€Å"Relaxer,† this summer. Three tracks were released as singles before the album: â€Å"3WW,† â€Å"In Cold Blood,† and â€Å"Adeline.† These were pretty good and generated hype for the release of the album. Unfortunately, that’s when we learned that the singles are the best songs on â€Å"Relaxer.†Ã¢â‚¬Å"Pleader† takes half of its allotted length to get to the singing, which I normally wouldn’t mind if the first half of the song was interesting. Instead the song is boring and tedious. If I have to sit through two-and-a-half minutes to get to the good part of a song, I’m not going to listen to it often.â€Å"Hit Me Like That Snare† isn’t boring, but it’s also not good. It’s the most different on this album, but that’s not always a good thing. We will write a custom essay sample on Relaxer Alt-J or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The fact that â€Å"Relaxer† is only eight tracks doesn’t leave much room for mistakes. Although six of the songs feature strings performed by the London Metropolitan Orchestra, there isn’t a real cohesive sound to the collection; I would have liked at least two more songs in order to tie in some sort of creative theme.This album wasn’t more of the same Alt-J that we knew, but it’s not completely new either. â€Å"In Cold Blood† is similar to â€Å"Left Hand Free† (from the group’s second album) in structure and sound, and â€Å"Adeline† is very similar to some of the slower songs on their first album, â€Å"An Awesome Wave.†Overall, â€Å"Relaxer† is a solid 6 out of 10, in my opinion. It’s some good music, but I don’t think it’s a landmark album in Alt-J’s career. I see it as a stepping stone to a new sound for the band, and I’m already anticipating their next album.