Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2021, issue 79, Creatures with Tentacles i Eco Kids Planet Magazine

It’s me, Charlie, the Eco Kid who can talk to animals. Today I’m meeting a moth – with tentacles! Charlie: I’ve come to northern Australia to find a Creatonotos gangis moth. That’s a bit of a mouthful, but you can call it a C. gangis moth for short. I’m approaching a pomegranate tree, which these moths are very fond of. There’s one, with a tiny red body. Hey, Mr Moth, I’m Charlie. C. gangis moth: Hi, Charlie. Charlie: I hear you moths do lots of damage to these pomegranate trees. C. gangis moth: Well, our females lay eggs under their leaves. When our caterpillars hatch, they feed on them – but everyone has to eat! Charlie: But these plants produce really bitter-tasting substances called alkaloids. The whole point is to…

MYSTERY BLOBS! Hi, Rusty fans! Weird, underwater, giant jelly blobs! Divers have been finding them in the ocean for decades now. They float midway between the ocean floor and the surface off Norway’s coast. They’re about a metre wide and see-through. They usually have a freaky black streak through the middle. But what are they? A weird alien race of balloons waiting to invade? Nobody knew! Well, scientists have done DNA tests and now they do know. The blobs are alive. In fact, they’re packed with hundreds of thousands of living things – tiny squid eggs! Mother squids make these big blobs out of their own mucus (yes, slimy stuff like snot). The dark streak inside them may be ink that the squid mum squirted out. (Squids can shoot ink…

Hi, Eco Kids! Atomic Aimee from Mad Science here! I usually spend my time visiting schools and events doing cool experiments with kids that help us learn more about our world. Marine biology is one of my favourite sciences to teach. There are so many mysteries hiding within the ocean’s depths! Most octopuses live in the dark zone of the ocean… Do you know where that is? Why not give this experiment a try to learn more about the different ocean zones? What you need: Tall, clear cup or glass 3 tablespoons vegetable oil Blue food colouring 4 tablespoons water 2 tablespoons honey or golden syrup Stones to cover the bottom of the glass Kitchen roll What you do: Step 1: Place the stones in the bottom of the cup.…

This time, I investigated some of the most unusual tentacled creatures, starting with… The weird world of jellyfish! What have pink meanies, blue blubbers, bushy bottoms and purple people eaters got in common? They’re all species of jellyfish! Jellyfish have roamed our oceans for at least 500 million years. That means they were around millions of years before dinosaurs! jellyfish! Jellyfish have roamed our oceans for at least 500 million years. That means they were around millions of years before dinosaurs! Did you realise how super-strange they are? They have no head, no brain, no blood, no heart and no bones. Also, they’re not fish and they’re not made of jelly (at least, not the kind you eat with ice cream). Their bodies are about 95% water. They do have…

I should have got our cat Luke Skywhisker to guest-edit this month’s newsletter with my wildcat lead story. Except that he’s, erm, a cat. Mind you, I bet he’d be more reliable than my little brother Rusty! SAVING ‘HIGHLAND TIGERS’ Wildcats are our rarest, most threatened mammal. Without urgent action, Britain will lose them for ever! Once, there were lots of them in my wonderful country of Scotland. We call them ‘highland tigers’ because of their stripes! Sadly, they’re on the brink of extinction in the wild here. So, I was thrilled to hear about a project called Saving Wildcats and its wildcat recovery work! The first of 16 Scottish wildcats was introduced to a new breed-and-release wildcat centre created in the Highlands. It was a young female called Nell…

CROSSWORD WITH TENTACLES ACROSS 4. A marine mollusc such as a squid, octopus or cuttlefish 5. An animal with eyes on top of its tentacles 6. The cuttlefish’s internal shell 7. A brightly coloured sea creature that looks like a plant 9. A marine worm with long, sticky tentacles attached to its head DOWN 1. An animal that is developing in an egg 2. A huge mythical sea monster 3. A cuttlefish that prefers walking to swimming 5. Meat-eating plants with tentacles 6. Cuttlefish’s favourite food WILD QUESTIONS Test your knowledge with these multiple-choice questions. No wild guesses! 1. How many tentacles does a cuttlefish have? 2. Which of these creatures is the most venomous? 3. Cuttlefish have many amazing skills. Which one is NOT real? 4. Which of the…

Did you know that 12th May is National Limerick Day? Limericks are short five-line poems that are usually funny. Here is an example: A creature of charm is the gerbilIts diet’s exclusively herbal;It grazes all dayOn bunches of hayPassing gas with an elegant burble. Like all traditional limericks, it follows these rules: Consists of exactly five lines Uses one rhyme on the first, second and fifth lines (gerbil – herbal – burble) Uses a second rhyme on the third and fourth lines (day – hay) For this month’s competition, we’d like you to have a go at writing your own limerick about one of the creatures featured in this issue.…

My Summer Journal is a fun guided1 journal for children. It contains 90 lined pages, allowing children to record three months’ worth of daily adventures. A page per day lets kids keep track of their mood, the weather, list top things of the day, and write a few sentences about what they did that day. Plus, there are some fun creative activities sprinkled throughout the journal. RRP: £8 How to submit your entries: Email your entry to win@ecokidsplanet.co.uk before 10th June 2021. Please make sure you include your full name, age and address, so we know how to reach you.…

WHAT YOU NEED: An egg box Coloured tissue paper Fabric scraps Ribbon, sequin string, lace, cord, etc Yarn Beads Glue Scissors WHAT TO DO: Step 1: Cut the egg box up into sections. Carefully make a hole in the top of one section with a sharp pencil point. This will be your jellyfish’s bell. Step 2: Cover your model with tissue paper or fabric. Glue it down and trim it to length. Make sure you can still see the hole at the top. Stick on lace, beads and other decorations if you wish. Set aside to dry. Step 3: To make your jellyfish’s tentacles, cut some lengths (measuring roughly 30cm) of ribbon, cord, sequins and lace, or strips of fabric. Lay them on the table next to each other. Step…