“We spoke to Dr. Barret about his animal friends, and here is everything you need to know about these new arrivals! First we found out, in our science lesson that he was keeping four Axolotls (aquatic amphibians) in a tank in the classroom. We inquired, and discovered that they like eating earthworms, and/or fish pellets. We also found out that sir has had these amphibians for ten years and they normally live for 15 years. It takes about 14 – 20 days for their eggs to hatch. We also learned about Sir’s Rose Tarantula, Rosie, who’s 14 years old and has an expected life span of 20 years. She doesn’t need to eat very frequently because she stands around most of the time. Rosie sheds only once a year – but when she does, her fangs come off in the moult, and they’re a centimetre long! Speaking of fangs, this species of tarantula’s bite is only as severe as a bee sting, and they mostly eat live crickets, and bees. One word of advice though – don’t stroke Rosie, because tarantulas often confuse being stroked with being squashed!”
Sophie Ferrer and Olivia Archer (Year 8)
