Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Chat Critter: How Dolphins, Wild Dogs, and Other Animals Talk' in The Wild
Chat Critter: How Dolphins, Wild Dogs, and Other Animals Talk' in The Wild
Chat Critter: How Dolphins, Wild Dogs, and Other Animals Talk' in The Wild
COOL
BOOK
GIVEAWAY
CRITTER
CHAT
How
dolphins,
wild dogs,
NEW
MOVIES
and other
animals
‘talk’ in
ROCKS the wild
AND
MINERALS
CUTE
HAMSTERS
ADVERTISEMENT
Discover the numbers behind the perfect pitch, the three-pointer, the corner kick,
and more. It’s a Numbers Game books are packed with facts, stats, and calculations
that help you understand the math behind your favorite sports. You’ll also discover
rules, records, and game play tips, plus amazing pics of the greatest stars to ever play.
“Success is in the “Whether you play “Every time I get the “My teammates, coaches,
detail— and the detail at the professional, ball …, I use math to and I use time, numbers,
is in the math.” college, or Little decide if I’m going to and math to help us win
League level, shoot immediately, take football games.”
—Kobe Bryant,
numbers track just a touch to prep the shot, —Patrick Mahomes,
It’s a Numbers Game: about everything you or control the ball first.”
Basketball It’s a Numbers Game:
do on the field.” —Alex Morgan, Football
—Sean Doolittle, It’s a Numbers Game:
It’s a Numbers Game: Soccer
Baseball
12 How to
Speak
Editor in Chief,
Kids and Family, Magazines and Digital
Rachel Buchholz
Animal
Get your guide
Senior Design Editor, Magazines Eileen O’Tousa-Crowson
to the secret
Editorial Kay Boatner, Senior Editor / Digital Producer; language of
Allyson Shaw, Editor / Digital Producer
eight creatures.
Photo Shannon Hibberd, Senior Photo Editor
Production Sean Philpotts, Manager
Digital Laura Goertzel, Senior Manager
Ontario L3P 9Z9. Hamsters (CAT FROM LIGHTYEAR); KENNEDY NEWS &
MEDIA (COOKIE MONSTER ROCK); ERIC BAC-
CEGA / NATURE PICTURE LIBRARY (HAMSTER).
The submission of photographs and other material to NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC Farmers try to PAGE 3: NICK UPTON / NPL / MINDEN PICTURES
KIDS is done at the risk of the sender; NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS cannot (OTTERS); © WARNER BROS. PICTURES (DC
accept liability for loss or damage. make peace with LEAGUE OF SUPER-PETS); COURTESY OF
these pesky critters. BLUE RIDGE WILDLIFE CENTER (PORCUPINE);
SUNCHAN / GETTY IMAGES (WATERMELON
STONE); ERIC BACCEGA / NATURE PICTURE
LIBRARY (HAMSTER)
SUBSCRIBE TO NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS!
CALL TOLL FREE 1–800–647–5463
MON.–FRI., 8 A.M.–9 P.M. EST, SAT., 9 A.M.–7 P.M. EST
For a subscription to NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS, send written requests—
including name, address, zip code, and payment in U.S. funds or equivalent—to JUST FOR PARENTS E X P L O R AT I O N H A P P E N S
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS, P.O. BOX 37545, BOONE, IA 50037
For gift subscriptions, send giver’s name and address as well as recipient’s.
because of you.
For corrections and clarifications,
Copyright © 2022 National Geographic Partners, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction of the
go online. natgeo.com/corrections When you read with us, you help further
whole or any part of the contents of NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS without written permission the work of our scientists, explorers, and
is prohibited. NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS and Yellow Border: Registered Trademarks ® Marcas educators around the world.
Registradas. Printed in the U.S.A. ISSUE 522
Follow us on Twitter @NGKids
PRINTED ON 100% PEFC-CERTIFIED PAPER—PEFC/29-31-58—
and like us on Facebook. Parents, to learn more, visit natgeo.com/info
Please recycle.
Check out these CHECK OUT
THE BOOK!
outrageous facts.
BY JULIE BEER AND MICHELLE HARRIS
A SEED
CAN BLOW
ACROSS
THE OCEAN
Some cows make
AND SPROUT best friends with other
cattle in their herd.
ON ANOTHER
CONTINENT.
A NEW
SKYSCRAPER
Swiftlet birds’ goes up
nests are made EVERY
entirely from month in
CHINA.
saliva.
A TOY CAR
dipped in GOLD
and covered in
WALKING JEWELS sold for
MOONDUST
ANIMALS ANIMALS / SUPERSTOCK (COWS); PAUL
USES
HAWTHORNE / STARPIX / SHUTTERSTOCK (CAR)
$60,000.
STICKS TO
ASTRONAUTS’
SPACE SUITS. 200
MUSCLES.
SUPER-TALL
SANDCASTLE
You’d need a really big wave to wash away this
beachy build. The world’s tallest sandcastle
stood a staggering 69.5 feet—that’s about as
high as four adult giraffes stacked on top of
each other. Entirely handmade in Denmark,
the castle needed more than 30 sculp-
tors to create it. Wonder how long it
took the builders to get the sand
out of their clothes?
GOAT BABY
BOOM!
There’s no such thing as
too many baby goats.
Angelica the goat holds
the record for largest litter of goats, giving birth
to seven babies, or kids. Births of more than three
or four kids are rare, so experts were surprised
that all seven of Angelica’s babies were born healthy.
You go, mama goat!
ANGELICA I NEED
SPEEDY ICE-CREAM THE GOAT
(CENTER) IS
SURROUNDED
BY HER
SEVEN KIDS.
A NAP.
TRUCK
fast if you’re trying to catch
this vehicle. The world’s fastest
electric ice-cream truck can
travel up to 80 miles an hour. Owner Paddy McGuinness
converted a gas-powered van to electric and added
monster-truck tires. In the summer, McGuinness serves
ice cream from the truck. Hope he doesn’t spill any
scoops when he speeds up!
GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS LTD. (SANDCASTLE, GOATS); LEE BRIMBLE / BBC (ICE-CREAM
TRUCK). INFORMATION PROVIDED BY © 2022 GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS LIMITED. AUGUST 2022 • NAT GEO KIDS 5
ALL
ABOUT
MONEY BY KRISTIN BAIRD RATTINI
In 1917, ROMANIA
issued a banknote
UZBEKISTAN’S that was about the SIZE
of a POSTAGE STAMP.
tiyin coin is worth a
THOUSANDTH
as much as a
PENNY.
© COLIN HAMPDEN WHITE (BANKNOTE DRESS); BNR / WORLD RECORD ACADEMY (ROMANIAN BANKNOTE); JACK GUEZ / AFP /
GETTY IMAGES (GOLD COINS); MAOGG / GETTY IMAGES (CANADIAN BANKNOTES); ALBLEC / GETTY IMAGES (MAPLE SYRUP)
UNITED STATES COIN IMAGES FROM THE UNITED STATES MINT (QUARTERS, ALL); PHOTOMASTER / SHUTTERSTOCK (PIGLET);
IVAN VDOVIN / ALAMY (TIYIN COINS); SUSAN STOCKWELL 2010, PAPER CURRENCY, COTTON THREAD & STAND, LIFE SIZE.
In February 2015, SCUBA DIVERS
OFF ISRAEL FOUND OVER
A British artist
2,600 GOLD COINS made a dress
out of used
dating back as far as the
banknotes
9TH CENTURY. from around
the world.
Some people
think that
Canada’s $100
banknote gives off the
scent of maple syrup.
occur on the
2 Earth’s moon.
More than
200 moons 3
are in our
solar system. NASA scientists
hope to send
astronauts to
the moon in 2025
to explore its
4 surface.
Scientists
think that gravity
might one day break
apart Mars’s 2
moons and form 5
Saturn-like rings
Neither
around the planet.
Venus nor
Mercury has
any moons.
6
The solar system’s 7
ALEXANDER RIEBER / EYEEM / GETTY IMAGES
One of
largest moon, Saturn’s moons,
Jupiter’s Ganymede, is one Enceladus, has 2
and a half times larger large geysers that spew
than Earth’s moon. water vapor and ice.
AUGUST 2022 • NAT GEO KIDS 7
M. UNAL OZMEN / SHUTTERSTOCK, IMAGE DIGITALLY COMPOSED (ICE-CREAM CONE); TOM WANG /
GETTY IMAGES (CHILD EATING ICE CREAM); SOMPOCH TANGTHAI / SHUTTERSTOCK (SCOOPS)
8
F
WE
O
A
R
A
M
M .
CHECK
OUT
THE
BOOK!
OVER 1,000
YEARS AGO,
CHINESE EMPERORS
MADE WHAT MIGHT
HAVE BEEN THE FIRST
DAIRY ICE CREAM
FROM COW,
GOAT, AND
BUFFALO
MILK.
THE KITTY
TAKES IN THE
VIEW OF THE
WASHINGTON
MONUMENT
FROM THE
WHITE HOUSE.
THIS CALF
IS ABOUT
THREE
OR FOUR
DAYS OLD.
Comeback Critter:
Saiga Babies
Potty-Trained Cows Ustyurt Plateau, Kazakhstan
After giving birth to twin calves, the
mama saiga steps back, allowing her
Dummerstorf, Germany babies to stand on their own. In just a
Moo-ve over, human toddlers—cows can Most of these clever cows only needed few hours, the youngsters will try to
be potty-trained, too. A team of scientists between 10 and 30 rewards before they take their first baby steps. These new-
taught 16 calves how to use the “moo loo,” were totally potty-trained. borns were among thousands of other
a bathroom just for them. Cow urine contains nitrogen, which saiga born last year. That’s important
“Cows don’t normally pay attention to becomes a heat-trapping gas when it because in 2019, scientists found only
the bladder signal,” says behavioral scien- breaks down in the soil. So by teaching four newborns on this plateau.
tist Lindsay Matthews, who helped train cows to tinkle in a special spot, scientists About 40 years ago, millions of
the cows. “But we taught them to attend can capture and process the waste before saiga—a type of antelope—roamed
to that feeling and go to the bathroom.” it enters the atmosphere and contributes across Europe and Asia. But after
When the cows were ready to go, they to climate change. decades of being hunted for their fur,
pushed open a door to a small room, then “The cows are willing participants in meat, and horns, the population
let loose inside. After finishing their busi- the solution,” Matthews says. Who knew crashed. Then in 2015, a disease killed
ness, they’d receive a treat, often made of cows could save the world? more than 200,000 animals.
molasses or barley. —Cheryl Maguire Conservationists pushed through
laws to prevent poaching and create
protected areas. The work paid off: Last
summer, scientists counted 842,000
COWS saiga. That’s compared with just
Dummerstorf, 334,000 animals three years ago.
Germany “It was a record year,” saiga conser-
vationist Albert Salemgareyev says.
Good luck, baby saiga! —Cheryl Maguire
CAT
Washington, D.C.
SAIGA
Ustyurt Plateau,
Check out more stories, tips, and
Kazakhstan crafts to help the planet!
natgeokids.com/planet
ERIN SCOTT / THE WHITE HOUSE VIA AP (WILLOW, BOTH); ORHAN CAM / SHUTTERSTOCK
(WHITE HOUSE); @ NORDLICHT / FBN (COW); ALBERT R. SALEMGAREYEV / ACBK (SAIGA)
AUGUST 2022 • NAT GEO KIDS 11
OW TO
H
SPEAK Name-
Droppers
ANIMAL
Humans can’t carry on a
conversation underwater,
but bottlenose dolphins
definitely can. Typically
living in groups of up to
15 dolphins, they squeak,
Your guide to the secret language of eight critters whistle, click, and squawk.
“Dolphins need to com-
municate about many
BY JASON BITTEL
things,” says Kel Melillo
You might think a walk in nature is peaceful: no chatty TV Sweeting, a scientist
screens or pinging text messages! But if you know how to listen, studying animal behavior
you’ll discover that the animal kingdom is anything but quiet. with the Dolphin Commun-
Animals squeak, squawk, chatter, and hum. Some send sig- ication Project. “They
nals with smells or communicate with color. And they’ve got a ‘talk’ to keep track of
surprising amount to say. Read on to uncover eight secret codes individuals in the group,
of the animal kingdom. find food, discuss preda-
tors, establish and main-
tain relationships, and even
sort out disagreements.”
Even more amazing:
Some dolphins have signa-
ture whistles that these
animals might use like a
name. Researchers have
found that the dolphins
will often make up their
WHAT’S own whistle, and they’ll
YOUR mimic the special whistles
WHISTLE, of other dolphins. Perhaps
AGAIN? they’re calling out to a pal.
AMANDA COTTON / ALAMY (DOLPHINS); ONDREJ CHVATAL / SHUTTERSTOCK (GOLDEN-HANDED TAMARIN); ELVIS01 / SHUTTERSTOCK (PIED
TAMARIN); BONNIE OTT (MASKED BIRCH CATERPILLAR); SERGIO PITAMITZ / NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC IMAGE COLLECTION (RHINOS)
Butt-Dialers RUMP
A human butt-dial is an
accidental phone call. But for
masked birch caterpillars,
butt-dials are the best way to PIED TAMARIN
reach out.
When the youngsters need to
build a safe hiding place, they make
little thumps to call others to come
help.(It takes many caterpillars to
spin enough silk for the shelter.)They
create these vibrations by rubbing
tiny hairs on their rumps against
Dung Decoders
birch leaves. If text messages were just smells, maybe the scent of buttery popcorn would mean
But you can’t eavesdrop on the “I’m at the movies!” Well, white rhinoceroses do add smelly messages on their group
hubbub: Scientists can only hear the chat: the dung pile. When a white rhino wants to know what’s going on in its neighbor-
drumming by using a special device hood, it walks over to the shared dung heap, which is called a midden, and takes a whiff.
called a laser vibrometer. “It’s neat to Different types of bacteria in rhinos’ poo give off different smells; the odors can tell
know that sometimes caterpillars are the sniffer about the age of the rhino that left it, and whether the animal is male or
‘chatting’ to each other on leaves, female. They can even learn which rhino is in charge.
even though you can’t hear them,” “White rhinos’ eyesight is poor, and their hearing is just fair,” ecolo-
zoologist Jayne Yack says. gist Courtney Marneweck says. “So their sense of smell is how they
Once the caterpillars have called ‘see’ their world.” Young rhinos might use that information to steer I just
over enough friends to build the for- clear of danger, and the dominant animals can learn the location got a
tress, scientists think they continue of potential mates. That’s nothing to sniff at! text.
drumming to communicate who’s
doing what to keep the shelter
strong. “It gets really noisy,” Yack says.
OK, OK—
You wIn! And
don’t you
forget It! I FEEL
WHILE SCIENTISTS
STUDY THEM, A SNEEZE
THESE TWO MALE COMING
CHAMELEONS USE ON.
COLOR TO SIGNAL
WHO’S BOSS.
Social Sneezers
How do you say “Let’s hunt!” in African wild dog? Achoo!
These animals are some of the most successful preda-
tors in Africa, thanks to their ability to work together.
But with up to 32 canines in a pack, the group members
need a way to get every dog to agree on what to do.
Color Changers
Some people blush when they’re embarrassed, but
human color changes can’t keep up with the skin displays
of chameleons. And though you might have heard the
color-changing ability is mainly for camouflage, reptile
expert Daniel Hughes says that’s a myth. Instead, it’s all
about chameleon-to-chameleon communication.
For example, male veiled chameleons switch from lime
green to a combo of tangerine and banana yellow when
they want to show another male who’s in charge. And when
a chameleon knows he’s lost, he’ll “turn off” his colors,
changing to a muted gray to call off the fight.
The cool color patterns come from tiny crystals in the In a behavior called a rally, a hungry dog will A WILD DOG
(RIGHT) BEGS
reptiles’ skin that allow them to adjust what kind of light is try to get the other dogs excited for a hunt by FOR FOOD FROM
reflected. “It’s a really complicated way of communicating,” running around, wagging its tail, and touching AN OLDER
PACKMATE.
Hughes says. and sniffing the other animals’ bodies. Then
the dog will blow air out of its nostrils as if it’s
sneezing!
The more dogs that sneeze in agreement, the more
likely the group will go hunting. And if the dogs in
charge are sneezing, the pack will probably head off
sooner.(If they can’t agree, they might take a snooze in
the shade instead.) “It’s like if you see someone who
looks like they’re in charge doing something, you might
think, ‘Hey, maybe I should do what they’re doing,’” says
Dani Rabaiotti, an African wild dog researcher. Do you
agree—or is it just dusty in here?
Y’all
Walky Talkers sure that’s
the rIght
European bison let their big bodies do the talking. Standing taller than six way?
feet and weighing more than 2,000 pounds, they live in herds of up to 200
individuals. So how do the bison make group decisions on what to do next,
like whether to find a creek or head to a meadow?
According to scientists, bison decision-making is like a game of follow-
the-leader. First, one animal stands up and points its body in the
direction it wants to go, says animal behavior expert Cédric Sueur.
If other bison agree, they do the same. Eventually, one bison
takes a few steps—if it moves in the direction most are pointed
in, the group will follow. Although any bison can lead the charge,
the scientists found that older females usually set the course
for the group.
MOm says
Chatty you have
Squeakers to share!
When Kevin the Asian small-
clawed otter wants to share a
fish with his sister Rutabaga,
he makes a throaty, low-
pitched eeeeeee sound.
It’s one of at least 12 dif-
ferent vocalizations that
Asian small-clawed otters
make to communicate with
each other, says Olivia
Twyman, an animal keeper at
the Smithsonian Institution’s
National Zoo in Washington,
D.C. “The otters chirp, snort,
growl, cough, screech, and
scream,” Twyman says.
For instance, when an
otter gets separated and
wants to rejoin its family
group, it will make a rapid
wheeuk squeak. Sometimes
one group at the D.C. zoo
catches the scents or calls
from another group.(They’re
housed separately because
the species is super territo- ASIAN SMALL-
CLAWED OTTERS
rial.) When that happens, PLAY-FIGHT AT
both groups make a noisy A SANCTUARY
IN ENGLAND.
chatter that basically means
“Stay away from my yard!”
1 4 5
PLAY! Animals use body language to tell each other what they’re thinking. Match the thought above to each animal below.
RUSSEL LIGON (CHAMELEON CONTEST); CATHY KEIFER / GETTY IMAGES (CHAMELEON); ONDREJ PROSICKY / SHUTTERSTOCK (AFRICAN WILD
DOG); SAM DCRUZ / SHUTTERSTOCK (AFRICAN WILD DOG PAIR); GRZEGORZ LESNIEWSKI / NPL / MINDEN PICTURES (BISON); NICK UPTON / NPL /
15
MINDEN PICTURES (OTTERS); ANDY ROUSE / NPL / MINDEN PICTURES (CHIMP); WILD SPIRIT WOLF SANCTUARY (WOLF); YVA MOMATIUK AND JOHN
EASTCOTT / MINDEN PICTURES (ELEPHANT); BUFFY1982 / ADOBE STOCK (HORSE); MICHIO HOSHINO / MINDEN PICTURES (POLAR BEAR) AUGUST 2022 • NAT GEO KIDS
C RITTER +
< <
the tree from harm. But I
don’t like it when my meal
bites back!
clouded_leopard
CHRISTINE SOHNS / MINDEN PICTURES (KOALA); LUCA SANTILLI / SHUTTERSTOCK (FLOWERS). © ANUP SHAH / NPL / MINDEN PICTURES (LION, PAGES 18-19)
BEHIND TREE); PRAPASS / SHUTTERSTOCK (GIRAFFE, PROFILE); ROBERT WINSLOW / AGE FOTOSTOCK (TREE, CLOSEUP); JÜRGEN OTTO / SHUTTERSTOCK
CIGDEM COOPER / SHUTTERSTOCK (SHARKSUCKER); FRHOJDYSZ / DREAMSTIME (LEMON SHARK); PRZEMYSLAW SKIBINSKI / SHUTTERSTOCK (GIRAFFE
Southeast Asia
(PEACOCK SPIDER, BOTH); SELYUTINA OLGA / SHUTTERSTOCK (DISCO BALL); SYLVAIN CORDIER / GETTY IMAGES (CLOUDED LEOPARD); JUERGEN &
o n n ect
C me!
with
SparkleButt
ANIMAL Peacock spider
LIKES Crickets, hanging
out on the forest floor
DISLIKES Dance clubs
that won’t let spiders in
Bouquet of flowers
CUSTOMER REVIEWS
,,,,
Decidedly not yummy
Koala Verified Customer
A lion cub can’t roar until it’s about two years old.
3
2 DC LEAGUE OF SUPER-PETS
See how these new flicks stack
R
up to reality.
BY STEPHANIE WARREN DR
IMME
»
»
When a team of human superheroes is kidnapped, PB the potbellied pig has the In the movie, Merton the
Superman’s dog, Krypto, assembles a group of shelter power to change size. She can turtle can move at super
pets with superpowers to rescue them. “Like his owner, make herself as small as an ant speeds. Real-life turtles are
Krypto’s got some cool powers: He can fly, he’s got super- or as big as an elephant. Real-life pretty slow on land, but
strength, and he’s as fast as a speeding train,” director potbellied pigs change sizes many species move quickly
Jared Stern says. A real dog breed called the Rhodesian pretty quickly, too. At birth, they in water. The leatherback
ridgeback helped inspire Krypto’s look and behavior. can weigh less than a pound. But sea turtle can swim up
These dogs don’t have superpowers, but they’re known two years later, they can weigh to 22 miles an hour, a bit
for their speed and endurance: They could keep up with more than 200 pounds. That’s as slower than a car driving
a running horse! much as some refrigerators! on neighborhood streets.
BUZZ AND
HIS ROBOT
SIDEKICK, SOX,
PREPARE FOR
» “Buzz travels with a cute cat robot called Sox,”
MacLane says. Real-life astronauts have robotic
companions in space, too: On the International
TAKEOFF.
BUZZ TRAVELS
Space Station, flying bots called Astrobees help
AT HYPERSPEED. document experiments and move cargo.
A T. REX SURPRISES
THE AUDIENCE AT
JURASSIC
A DRIVE-IN MOVIE
3 THEATER.
WORLD:
DOMINION
»
In the movie, T. rex goes head-to- The massive Therizinosaurus—which In one scene, an Oviraptor steals eggs from
head with another enormous could weigh 11,000 pounds—stalks another species’ nest. In real life, Oviraptor
predator named Giganotosaurus. movie character Claire through a dark did have a reputation for stealing eggs: When
These dinosaurs never would’ve forest. In real life, Therizinosaurus was scientists found the first fossil in the 1920s, it
met in real life, though: “They lived indeed a scary-looking dinosaur, with was atop a nest of what they thought were
on separate continents, about 30 claws as long as baseball bats and a Protoceratops eggs. Scientists therefore
million years apart,” says pale- huge belly. But it probably wasn’t figured Oviraptor was robbing the nest. Later,
ontologist Steve Brusatte, who a predator—it was likely a peaceful they discovered those eggs actually belonged
served as the movie’s scientific plant-eater that used its knifelike to Oviraptor; now experts say these dinosaurs
adviser. claws to pull down leaves from trees. probably were caring parents—not thieves.
THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY IS MAJORITY OWNER OF NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC PARTNERS. © 2022 DISNEY / PIXAR. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. (LIGHTYEAR,
BOTH); © WARNER BROS. PICTURES (DC LEAGUE OF SUPER-PETS); © 2022 UNIVERSAL STUDIOS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. (JURASSIC WORLD: DOMINION) AUGUST 2022 • NAT GEO KIDS 21
How kind humans nursed this
prickly creature back to health
BY ALLYSON SHAW
A North American porcupine huddles in the stairwell of a parking garage in
Winchester, Virginia. The youngster is sick, exhausted, and missing a patch of
quills on his back. Far from his forest home, the confused porcupine must have
crawled into the building in search of shelter. Eventually, a surprised maintenance
worker stumbles on the critter and quickly calls the local police.
22 NAT GEO KIDS • AUGUST 2022 COURTESY OF BLUE RIDGE WILDLIFE CENTER (ALL)
The
scientific name
for porcupine
means
“quill pig.”
A porcupine
has about
30,000 quills.
During
the day, baby
porcupines stay
hidden on the ground
while Mom sleeps
in the trees.
THE HEALTHY
PORCUPINE IS
RELEASED IN A
WOODED AREA
OF FREDERICK
COUNTY,
VIRGINIA.
care, this little porcupine might twigs, and branches that the rescue
not survive. workers clip from oak and maple trees
behind the center. “Each evening we’d
BEDDING AND fill his whole cage with twigs and
BREAKFAST branches—you could barely see him!”
The team places the porcupine in Riley says. “Then the next morning, it’d
his own room at the wildlife center: all be picked apart and we’d have to go
Porcupines are nocturnal, so they don’t out and do it again.”
want to disturb his rest during the day. After 10 days, the caretakers can
His cage is filled with soft towels, comfy see that the porcupine is breathing
blankets, and lots of twigs and leaves. easier and moving around his cage. His
Each day, the workers mix a little cherry- eyes are bright and alert. It’s time to
flavored medicine into a few teaspoons release him back into the wild.
of baby food made of pumpkin, apples, or The team carries the porcupine in
squash.(The medicine is meant for kids, a pet carrier to a patch of woods. As
but the veterinarian approves it for the soon as they open the door, the animal
porcupine, too.) scurries straight up a tree.
At first, the porcupine sits hunched “They feel safe up in the
in the corner, and he wants to eat only trees—they can get a good THE PORCUPINE
the supersweet baby food. But as the look around,” Riley says. “It’s SCAMPERS UP
medicine starts to work, he begins like he went up there to A TREE SOON
AFTER HIS
eating normal porcupine chow: leaves, check out his new home.” RELEASE.
1 Rocks are made up of a 2 Scientists study how lava flows 3
The moon is made
mix of minerals. by melting billion-year-old mostly ofrock.
basalt rock.
5 VON DER
DECKEN’S
Tall, skinny SIFAKAS
limestone
structures in
Madagascar’s
4
Found in South Africa, Tsingy de
the oldest known Bemaraha
30COOL RO 6
Crystals can be
7 Natural ice formations, such as
icebergs and icicles,
THINGS
ABOUT
8
Some 13th-century eyeglasses
as large as a are minerals. used tiny
tree trunk or so bits of
WORLD / ADOBE STOCK (4); STEPHEN ALVAREZ / NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC IMAGE COLLECTION (5); CARSTEN PETER / SPELEO-
RESEARCH & FILMS / NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC IMAGE COLLECTION (6); ROBERT / ADOBE STOCK (7); PI-LENS / SHUTTERSTOCK
D GUEST SMITH / SHUTTERSTOCK (1); RALF LEHMANN / SHUTTERSTOCK (2); JACKSON PEARSON / ADOBE STOCK (3); PHOTO-
9 10 11 12
Obsidian can be so sharp
Our planet A professional
Called fool’s gold, that doctors have used the
rocks as blades during
contains over rock
a mineral called pyrite is surgery. 5,000 expert
often mistaken for gold. known is called a
minerals. petrologist.
13 14 Alexandrite, one of
Tourmaline
the rarest gems in
minerals with
the world, changes
green edges
color depending on
and pink centers
whether the mineral is
are called
viewed in sunlight or
watermelons.
indoor light.
SUNLIGHT INDOOR LIGHT
19 20
The mummified The inside of a
18 remains of a 5,300- geode rock discovered
year-old man— in Brazil looks just like
and his rock tools—
In the 5th century, Mongolian warriors were found preserved
Cookie Monster.
Some stalactite
created flaming arrows by in ice on the border mineral
formations
ADOBE STOCK (26); EYEEM / ALAMY (27); SURONIN / SHUTTERSTOCK (28); MACKENZIE BROCKMAN / CENTRAL MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY (29); PHOTASTIC / SHUTTERSTOCK (30)
dipping them in oil from shale rocks, between Austria
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC IMAGE COLLECTION (19); KENNEDY NEWS & MEDIA (20); MAYBEIII / ADOBE STOCK (21); PHOTOROMAN / SHUTTERSTOCK (22); BJÖRN WYLEZICH /
then lighting them on fire. and Italy. have been
growing in
DINODIA PHOTOS / ALAMY (15); BORIS PAMIKOV / SHUTTERSTOCK (16); SERGEY CHERNYAEV / ADOBE STOCK (17); PDQ1000 / GETTY IMAGES (18); ROBERT CLARK /
caves for nearly
200,000
BY MICHAEL BURGAN
21 22 According to 23
Chalk used legend, the giant In Bolivia, some
to come from a rock called, rock formations people make a
uh, chalk, but today most of it of Ha Long Bay in soup called
comes from the mineral gypsum. Vietnam were kalapurka
created by on hot
24 25 dragons to volcanic
About 10,000 The softest keep out invaders. rock.
years ago, some mineral in the
55 billion tons of world is talc. 26 27
rock created a You can If you heat a
9-mile landslide crumble it diamond to A rock formation in North America
in what is now Iran. with your fingers! 1405°F, called the Canadian Shield has
the mineral will granite that’s believed to be part of
vaporize. Earth’s original crust.
28 Different layers of sandstone
mountains in China’s Zhangye
Danxia Geological Park show off
29 A man in Michigan 30 One pencil has
rainbow-like colors. used a rock as a CHECK
enough of the
doorstop—until he OUT
mineral graphite THE
learned it was a to draw a line BOOK!
meteorite rock
35 miles
worth $100,000!
long.
Hamsters
Farmers try to
make peace with
these pesky critters.
BY KATE JAIMET
PHOTOGRAPHS BY ERIC BACCEGA
In a sun-dappled wheat field in France, a
prowling barn cat meets a black-bellied
hamster. Too far from her burrow to run
for shelter, the wild hamster rises on her
hind legs to face her enemy.
She puffs out her cheeks, flashes her
black underbelly, growls, and bares her
teeth. The cat backs away. This black-
bellied hamster is one tough rodent.
“They’re afraid of nothing,” says
Alexandre Lehmann, a biologist who has
worked with these wild hamsters for
over a decade. “They fight against cars,
dogs, and even farmers. They try to fight
against tractors. The Germans call them
small bears.”
Good thing the black-bellied hamster
won’t go down without a fight. Because
in France, where fewer than a thousand
remain in the wild, these critters are in
a fight for their lives.
During
hibernation, a
hamster’s heart
The earliest beats only about
hamsters lived six times a
more than 2.5 minute.
million years
ago.
GROWING HABITAT
Black-bellied hamsters might think of
themselves as tough. But to a fox or an
eagle, they’re just a four-legged snack. To RESEARCHERS
USE RADIO-
survive, hamsters need to be released into TRACKING
FUN PETS
DEVICES TO
MONITOR
DWA HAMSTERS’
RF H
AMS SUCCESS IN
TER THE WILD.
Black-bellied hamsters are wild animals,
but golden and dwarf hamsters can make CAPTIVE-BRED
HAMSTERS
great pets for families with older kids. ARE READY FOR
RELEASE INTO
Here are some handy tips. THE WILD.
1 2 3
Hamsters are Golden hamsters Hamsters’ teeth
active at night and attack each other never stop growing.
sleep during the if they’re kept Let your pet hamster
day. If you wake a together. Always chew on a twig or dog
napping hamster, keep them in biscuit to grind its
it might bite. separate cages. teeth down.
STUFF
PLAY!
CAMPGROUND CHAOS
Raccoons have overrun the Summertime Sleepaway Campsite at
sunset for some lighthearted playtime. Look past the sidesplitting fun
to find 20 compound words—a word made of two words put together.
Read a word on the list below, then find a picture in the scene that
completes the compound word.(The first one has been done for you.)
1 __________stand
band 8 scare__________ 15 egg____________
2 pop___________ 9 leap___________ 16 wind___________
3 cart___________ 10 ___________site 17 ____________tub
4 __________worm 11 rattle__________ 18 honey__________
5 sun___________ 12 sweet__________ 19 space__________
6 finger_________ 13 ___________gaze 20 ___________cake
7 __________wood 14 sand ___________ ANSWERS ON PAGE 31
28 NAT GEO KIDS • AUGUST 2022 JAMES YAMASAKI (ART); RUTH A. MUSGRAVE (CONCEPT)
AUGUST 2022 • NAT GEO KIDS 29
FIND THE
HIDDEN
Animals often blend in with
ANIMALS
their environment to hide.
Find each animal listed below
A
in the pictures, then write the
letter of the correct photo
next to each animal’s name.
ANSWERS ON PAGE 31
1. snowshoe hare __
2. gray seal __
3. modest forest dragon __
4. emperor shrimp __
5. northern leaf-tailed gecko __
6. eastern screech owl __
7. Vietnamese mossy frog __
D E
GETTLE / MINDEN PICTURES (D); PIOTR NASKRECKI / MINDEN PICTURES (E); CHRIS NEWBERT / MINDEN PICTURES (F); MARTIN WILLIS / MINDEN PICTURES (G)
NIALL BENVIE / NPL / MINDEN PICTURES (A); DONALD M. JONES / MINDEN PICTURES (B); © EMANUELE BIGGI / FLPA / MINDEN PICTURES (C); STEVE
2 3
5
4
9
8 10
11
14%
TENNIS
23% Which
BASEBALL L
OR SOFTBAL
sport do you
most like to
play?
29%
SOCCER
GETTY IMAGES (TENNIS); MUZSY / SHUTTERSTOCK (SOCCER); 2DESIGN / ADOBE
YOSHIYOSHI HIROKAWA / GETTY IMAGES (BASEBALL); VISUAL ART AGENCY /
24% 10%
KICKBALL
BASKETBALL
34
PLAY MORE FUNNY FILL-IN!
natgeokids.com/ffi
DINING WITH
DINOSAURS
BY EMILY KRIEGER
Ask a friend to give
you words to fill in the
blanks in this story
without showing it to
him or her. Then read
out loud for a laugh.
Having dinner with dinosaurs is a really big deal. and I were invited to eat at the home of a(n)
friend’s name
named with her two dinosaur friends. She’s much bigger than
type of dinosaur female celebrity
a(n) and a better cook, too. Dinner was a heaping portion of barbecued
mythical creature something gross, plural
with a side of steamed . We sat atop the chef’s pet, a(n) . I started to
type of seafood, plural animal
take a bite of my meal, but a(n) suddenly
color same type of seafood past-tense verb
across the table! Surprised, I jumped back from the food, everywhere.
verb ending in -ing liquid
“ !” roared the chef as she dropped the she was holding. Barbecue
silly expression noun
sauce splashed everywhere—including on the pet. I think I’ll skip dessert.
DAN SIPPLE
35
Swim straight for these amazing books! Everyone knows that sharks are
soooo cool, and we’ve got everything you need for a super summer binge-
read all about these sleek and stealthy powerhouse predators!