Joey’s Blog

I have turned in two reports recently. One a science report on the Bengal Tiger and the other was a writing report (a true story) on a day I went fishing. I will soon turn in another writing report. I will not tell what it is about yet. Here is the writing report:  

A Day Out Fishing

I was sitting in my 2ndcousin Greg’s motor boat, feeling the smooth finish on the white leather seats. We were getting ready to fish deep at sea, to catch the big one. I gripped my hat and pulled it over my head, trying to avoid the brisk wind. Then we set off: my dad, Greg, and I, speeding away, ready to fish.

I guess we were going a little toofast-my hat fell off into the water! The boat slowed to a stop as my dad reached into to the water to grab my hat, just before it sank. A little wet now, I put it back on my head. Then we sped up but not too fast this time.

Once we reached a nice spot in the ocean, we stopped the boat and cast off our lines. Fishing was slow, just waiting and holding the fishing pole, staring into the water. It was too slow, so we moved to a different spot in the water and then, it happened. I felt a tug on my line. My dad gave it a jerk and let me reel it in. I was surprised at what I saw.

I had reeled in a big, red, spiky fish! A Rockcod! 

“Nice job!” I heard my dad say.

“It looks good but it isn’t the best kind for eating,” Greg said.

The spikes were about one centimeter long, sticking out of its shell-like body. It had a bumpy face. The red color I had never seen before, reddish orange with some pink and maroon too. Its tail and other half of its body was a darkened white color with a big gill on the side. I thought it would be flopping around more though. It was pretty still but then it got mad. With its long body and huge tail, it began thrashing about. It really wanted to be back in the water. After taking pictures and touching it, we threw it back. It squirmed in the air, and then “plunk”! it hit and dove into the water.

We stayed out for about another thirty minutes and I was still the only one to catch a fish. We got a few more bites but no more fish. We started reeling our lines in. As my dad was reeling his in he felt a verybig tug on his line.

“I think I’ve got something!” he called.

My dad furiously reeled in his line. There was so much pressure on it. The fish and he were both pulling on opposite ends. The fish was close to the top of the surface when “snap”! the line broke. The fish got away. We were left with a fishing pole with half a line. Then we sped away, anxious to tell the rest of our family about the adventure we had.

Here is the science report:   

The Bengal Tiger

Did you know the Bengal tiger’s scientific name is Panthera Tigris? It has 2-4 babies a year and lives up to 25 years in protected areas such as reserves. In zoos, they have been known to live from 10-12 years and in the wild they live from 15-18 years. Close relatives to the Bengal tiger are: the leopard, the jaguar, the lion, and the Snow leopard. The leopard is lives in more places than any of the other big cats. The jaguar is the most powerful. The lion is the only cat with a mane and the only big cat that lives in groups. The Snow leopard is the only cat living in high mountains, above the tree line. The tiger is the fastest big cat.

Bengal tigers have some unique markings and other cool attributes. They have 2 white spots on the back of their ears. The spots may be to help see each other at night or to warn other animals to stay away. All Bengal tigers have white stomachs. The male is always larger and has longer whiskers. Each tiger has its own unique stripe pattern. Its full grown weight is about 396-583 ponds. Its full grown shoulder height is 36-38 inches. Its tail length is around 3 feet. Its whole length is 9-10 feet. Like most cats, it has 5 toes on its front paws, and 4 toes on its rear paws.

The Bengal tiger loves . don’t like to get too hot. They are the most water-loving of the big cats. Their cubs love to splash and play in the water. They also clean themselves by licking their fur. They clean wounds by licking them too. When a tiger is relaxed, its tail curves up in the middle and down at the tip. If a tiger is curious or alert, its tail raises and curves. If a tiger is about to attack, its tail swishes from side to side. Older tigers move stiffly and slowly. Tigers don’t like to stay in groups. They find their own territory.

Bengal Tigers are spread across India. They live in tropical rainforests. Their dens can be in caves, thick grass or bushes. They are known to fight for territory. The fights can get vicious. The winner takes the better land. It is hard for tiger to find good territory. People keep ruining their land. They put buildings up at the edge of the rainforest, closing in on the tigers.

Bengal tigers are at the top of the food chain. They can eat almost anything in their path. Things they are known to eat are: antelope, deer, wild pig, fish, and snakes. Larger prey for the Bengal tiger is: Rhino calves, leopards, sloth bears and it can even take down a 1980 pound buffalo. After it has captured some prey, it will drag it to a safe hiding place. Once the tiger thinks it is safe, it will go and fetch it, bring it to its den, and eat it. After eating a large animal, the Bengal tiger can go without eating for days. It will also eat some plants and grasses. Most tigers target old, sick, or young prey. They barely have any predators.

The Bengal tiger has many neat special abilities. It uses its tail for balance when it chases prey, turns sharply or jumps. Its whiskers sense changes in the air such as a predator approaching. The whiskers are usually the same length as the width of the tiger, so if its whiskers won’t fit into a small opening, the tiger knows the rest of its body won’t. The Bengal tiger’s purr is 100 times louder than a house cat’s. It can jump up to 10 feet far and sprint up to 43 M.P.H. Its amazing night vision is 6 times better than a human’s. Humans can’t hear the low frequency roar of a tiger but the high frequency roar can be heard up to 2 miles away by humans.

The Bengal tiger is an amazing animal. It loveswater, it cleans itself by licking its fur and it tells other animals how it feels by what position its tail is in. They live in rainforests in India, makes dens in bushes, grass, or caves and fights for its own territory. It’s at the top of the food chain and they can eat almost any animal. The tail helps for balance, it purrs over 100 times louder than a house cat and runs up to 45 M.P.H. The Bengal tiger is truly an awesome animal.