Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2024, issue 112 i Eco Kids Planet Magazine

Hey there, Eco Kids! Straight from the lush, leafy treetops of the Philippine rainforest, it’s me, Tari the Tarsier, your pint-sized correspondent from the jungle! We tarsiers are kind of the cool cousin between lemurs and monkeys, except we’re pocket-sized. I’m only around 12cm long, so small I could fit right in your palm. Cute, right? But don’t be fooled – I am also a night-time ninja, well adapted to hunting in moonlight. Let’s talk about my most glaring feature – my eyes! Did you know us tarsiers have the largest eyes relative to the body size of any mammal? Our eyes are bigger than our brains, making us tiny creatures with a big vision. These oversized goggles are my night-time superpower, helping me spot insects even in the faintest…

EYE-POPPING CROSSWORD Down: 1. This ocean creature has eyes that look like the letter W. 4. Who has a blind spot right in front of their nose? 6. Which fish have both eyes located on one side of their head? 9. Who has eyes with no eyelids? Across: 2. The land animal with the largest eyes. 3. A little primate known for its super-sized eyes. 5. Whose eyes can move a full 360 degrees? 7. Mythical creatures with one big eye on their forehead. 8. This little bird can see lots of extra colours! 10. Light that is invisible to humans and gives out heat. 11. What kind of eyes do dragonflies have? 12. Sea creature with up to 200 eyes. WILD QUESTIONS Test your knowledge with these multiple-choice questions No…

Imagine having an extra pair or set of eyes. Whose eyes would you borrow? And just where would you stick them? Back of your head to catch sneaky pranksters, perhaps? What new sights would you unlock that are currently hidden from view? Share your vision with us! Send us an image of your multi-eyed self and describe the new-found superpowers these extra eyeballs grant you. We can’t wait to see what you come up with! FOUR lucky readers will win this beautiful toy from our friends at Build Your Own. Explore a tropical underwater world with Build Your Own’s new Mini-Builds Hawksbill Turtle. Sleek and playful, this 23-piece, colourful model features pull-tab flipper action and can be assembled in just 20 minutes. Forget about glue, mess or fuss. The kit…

Some animal eyes may not seem so great at first sight. Imagine having your eyelids join around your eye in a circle, like a chameleon’s. And then only having a tiny peephole to peer out through. That hardly seems ‘eye’-deal. Yet each eye can move independently of the other, and both can move a full 360 degrees. That’s a complete trip around the edge of a circle. It means chameleons can see two different places at the same time! It’s a handy skill when looking out for predators – and not something we can do. Now imagine not being able to blink or close your eyes – ever! Well, the leaf-tailed gecko has no eyelids. We have circular pupils – those black bits in the centre of our eyes through…

RHONA REPORTS! N0. 50 And don’t forget about me – Rusty! Rhona’s helper: JD Savage TURKEY TAKES TOP SPOT! Every year, the RSPCA Young Photographer Awards invite people aged 18 years and under to capture the animal kingdom on a camera or mobile device. The competition has been running for over 30 years now. There were over 6,000 entries in 2023’s clickfest, and the year’s overall winner is the youngest yet! Eight-year-old Jamie Smart from Powys in Wales nailed it with this striking close-up of her turkey, Frederick. She wanted folks to see the beauty of his shining feathers, saying, “People don’t often get to see the amazing plumage of turkeys.” She also bagged the Portfolio category with ‘A Year In the Life of a Turkey’, which featured awesome close-ups…

The cyclops had just one big eye smack in the centre of its forehead. In Greek mythology, these human-eating monsters dwelled in caves on the islands of Sicily. What inspired the Cyclops legend? Did people really believe a race of one-eyed giants once stalked the Earth? If so, some scientists think elephants may hold the answer. They say that ancient Greeks laid eyes on elephant skulls. Yes, I know, elephants and their kin always had two eyes – but have you ever seen their skulls? With no trunk attached to that large hole, an elephant skull looks like it may have one single large eye socket. Could the Greeks have seen these and used them to cook up or support the Cyclops myth? SIMON’S VERDICT: MAYBE! If looks could kill…

Charlie: I’m visiting my local wetlands. The creature I’m looking for is a dragonfly– which isn’t really a dragon or a fly! I want to ask what it’s like to see through their huge eyes. There’s one. It looks like a female common darter. Hi, are you a darter? Dragonfly: Well, I certainly dart about. Watch. Zip! Zip! Zoom! Charlie: Wow, you’re superfast. I heard you can fly at speeds of 38 kilometres per hour or more. Dragonfly: And change direction instantly. I can hover, too. Watch. Charlie: Yes, now you’re like a little helicopter – er, made of insect. Dragonfly: Impressive, eh? Charlie: Yes, but I really wanted to ask you about your peepers. Nearly all of your head is eyes. It’s like me having eyes the size of…

Amy: Let’s debate which animal has the best eyes. Which one would you swap eyes with – or do human peepers top the eye charts? Rusty: Well, I’d rock fly eyes! Simon: A fly’s eyes – why? Rusty: Because nobody could ever catch me again! Ever tried catching a fly – or seen Dad trying to swat one, Rhona? Amy: Impossible. They zip off faster than you can say “Zoom!” Rusty: Exactly. They have those huge compost eyes. Their eyesight must be geared for ninja-level reactions. Rhona: They’re compound eyes, not compost, Rusty! Amy: Yes, a fly has two big eyes made up of thousands of lenses – and a triangle of three simple eyes above and between them. Charlie: But their vision is very blurry. A fly told me…