Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2022, issue 88, Nature's Longest Necks! i Eco Kids Planet Magazine

And what’s the animal with the longest neck you can thing of? A giraffe, right? Well, I’m a bit smaller than a giraffe… In fact. I’m a tiny 2-5cm giraffe (necked) weevil! My magnificent neck is almost three times as long as my body. And between two and three times the length of a female giraffe weevil’s (sadly short) neck. But my articulated (yes, it can bend) extension isn’t for reaching fruit and shrubs from treetops. Oh no! We use our impressive necks for fighting other males. We rarely kill opponents, just push each other around a bit to show off. Whoever wins gets the lovely female giraffe weevil. She, meanwhile, begins constructing a very special crib out of a leaf, only pausing to referee our mini-beast battle. Once the…

The giraffe with two names The Nubian (pronounced “new-bee-un”) giraffe is one of the rarest subspecies of giraffe in Africa. It’s sometimes also called Rothschild’s giraffe. Once, these towering animals roamed all over the north of this great continent. Now, fewer than 3,000 of them live in small patches of savanna grassland and woodland in Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia and South Sudan. Disappearing giraffes The number of Nubian giraffes in Africa has decreased by a shocking 95% in the last 30 years or so! They were classified as Critically Endangered in 2018, which means they are now in great danger of becoming extinct. Like many other African animals, the main reasons for their disappearance are: Loss of habitat Illegal hunting (poaching) Giraffes on the move When it comes to saving giraffes…

The RSPCA has also released its top rescues of 2021, and there are some fascinating ones. On 22nd December, a fox fell through a café ceiling and triggered the alarm, which alerted the police! They rang the café owner, who found the confused fox standing on the kitchen worktop. The RSPCA released him back into the wild. Weirdly, it’s the second time a fox has fallen through that café’s ceiling! And look at this badger, who got stuck in a compost bin while searching for food. It was narrower at the top, so he could poke his head out but couldn’t squeeze himself up and out. An RSPCA rescuer used power tools to carefully cut the top of the plastic away to lift him free. He was released two days…

Swans look so beautiful as they glide past with their cygnets in tow. It’s amazing to think that these little grey balls of fluff will one day be as large and graceful as their parents. Once you’ve mastered the paper pom-pom technique, why not try making some other long-necked birds, such as ostriches and flamingoes? What you need: Tissue paper in white for the adult swan and silver or grey for the cygnets Pipe cleaners (one white, one silver or grey) Beads Scissors A pencil What to do: 1. To make the adult swan, cut four rectangles of white tissue paper measuring approximately 30cm x 10cm. 2. Place the rectangles on top of each other and fold to make a concertina. 3. Twist one end of a pipe cleaner around…

Giraffes are the world’s tallest land animals. They stand up to five and half metres tall – and almost half of that is neck! But why are their necks so long? The joke answer is: to reach their heads. But what’s the real reason? Many people think they evolved such long necks to snack on the highest tree leaves – ones their smaller rivals can’t reach. But why didn’t the necks of other plant-eaters become just as long? The winner by a neck Some experts think those necks grew to be weapons! Sometimes – although not often – male giraffes fight for a partner to mate with. Two males stand side by side, swinging their heads at each other like battering rams. Those hairy-horned heads can do plenty of damage…

Over 50 expeditions have searched Africa’s Congo for living dinosaurs! The explorers believed that long-necked sauropod dinosaurs still lived there, lurking in its deep swamps and lakes. They’d heard local legends of a creature called Mokele-mbembe, a huge, terrifying, long-necked reptile. The searches began in the early 20th century, with the most recent trek in 2012. Some expedition leaders swore they saw the monster, rising from or sinking into water! Simon's verdict Huge dinosaurs would leave plenty of evidence, but nobody ever found any. No bones, teeth, poo – nothing. And we now know that sauropods couldn’t hide or walk underwater. Water pressure would make it impossible for them to expand their lungs and breathe. So, why do some people believe dinosaurs still live in the Congo? Maybe it’s based…

Charlie: I’m in Australia, where emus have lived for about 80 million years! I’m hoping to find one in this grassland. Whistle! Charlie: Can you hear the wind whistling through the grass? Hang on, there is no wind… Baby emus: Whistle! Whistle! Charlie: Wow, it’s little emu kids making the noise. Charlie: Now they sound scared. HISSSSSSS! Charlie: No wonder. I can hear a big snake coming after them! Emu: HISSSSSSSSSSS! They’re scared of you, you rotten dingo – and now you’d better be scared of me! Charlie: Wow, it’s an adult emu hissing at ME. But look, I’m a friendly human boy. Dingoes are four-legged canines. Emu: Well, you can’t be too careful around here. Charlie: Why do your chicks whistle? Emu: To communicate with each other. They even whistled…

LONG NECKS CROSSWORD Down: 1. Change slowly over time 3. Young swans 4. The wild ancestor of llamas 6. Emu’s predator 7. Giraffe’s only relative 9. A llama, alpaca, vicuña or guanaco 11. The world’s most endangered giraffe Across: 2. The only wild camel 5. A tall wading bird 8. The tallest mammal 10. The emu is found on which continent? 12. Which animal is on the Peruvian flag? MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUIZ Test your knowledge with these multiple-choice questions. 1. Which of these camelids lives in the wild? A. Alpaca B. Llama C. Guanaco D. The Arabian camel 2. Which of these is an alpaca's habitat? A. The Amazon rainforest B. Andes Mountains C. African savanna D. Pantanal 3. Which of these animals won’t you find in Africa? A. Gerenuk B.…