Innholdsfortegnelse for June 2024, issue 116 i Eco Kids Planet Magazine

Hello, Eco Kids! So, you think I look oh-so-cute with my long whiskers, round little face and furry paws? Sure, I look adorable twirling in the waves and cuddling up close to my otter buddies as I sleep… But my job is more than just looking cute, OK? Because I am the king of kelp forests! You heard me. The KING! Without me, there’d be no kelp forests to begin with. They’d all be eaten up by red sea urchins. So, what do I do to stop them? Well, I eat them up – about 25% of my body weight daily. By doing so, I keep my home – and that of many small fish, snails, prawns and sea stars – in check. Oh, and I help you, too, because…

Charlie: I’m looking for a Bornean bearded pig. Bornean? That means from Borneo in Asia. And that’s where I am: Borneo, the world’s third-largest island! I’ve dodged the nearby muddy mangrove swamp to explore the coastal rainforest that begins at its edge. Dense rainforests used to cover the whole island, until humans started hacking them down at a record-breaking rate. But some are still standing, and bearded pigs like roaming through them. Hold on, I see movement. No, lots of movements – a whole troop of piglets zipping through the undergrowth towards me! Hey, I can’t tell if you’re bearded piglets. You’re still too young to grow beards. Bearded Pig: Scatter, kids! I knew I’d caught a whiff of a hunter. Charlie: Oh, it’s their dad! Bearded Pig: Hunter alert.…

Eek, look at the photo above. A forest of walking trees with their roots strutting above the ground is heading our way! Not really, but you can see why some folk call mangrove forests ‘walking forests’. Mangroves look like they’re having a wander because you can see their tangled roots growing above the water or ground. These tough trees often seem perched on stilts, defying the water’s reach! Why? Raised roots make it easier to take in oxygen on flooded land. OK, so mangroves can’t walk, but they boast some serious superpowers. Salty water? Pfft, no sweat! Unlike other trees, they thrive in it, thanks to their knack for filtering out the salt as it enters those twisted roots. Soft, wet soil? No biggie! Their robust roots anchor them firmly…

Kelp looks like plants – but don’t be fooled! Lacking roots and leaves, it’s a type of giant algae (say “al-gee”). When it groups together, it looks like underwater versions of dense land forests. These underwater wonderlands grow in cool waters by shores worldwide – including the UK’s coasts. They depend on sunlight to survive, so there’s one golden rule: the water must be shallow enough for those sunbeams to reach the seabed. You can’t hide from sharks in there! Kelp forests are packed with wildlife. Of course, plenty of fish, small and large, call them home – which attracts their predators, including seals and sea lions. In turn, these attract great white sharks looking for mammal meals. Many adult shark species patrol kelp forests, often swimming through the kelp rather…

Pick which description below you most identify with, then head to page 34. You’ll discover which coastal creature you are most like. Will you live in a mucky mangrove forest swamp, an underwater wonderland, or somewhere else on the shore? But don’t look ahead before you pick, or you’ll spoil the surprise! Then give someone else the test to see if you’ll share the same habitat – or if one of you might eat the other! WHICH OF THESE BEST DESCRIBES YOU? A I’m a great climber – and would happily stay up a tree all day until I need to come down! What else? I’m small, good at hiding and mostly munch plantbased food. B Knives? Forks? Pfft! I prefer to eat everything with a spoon, just scoopin’ it…

Save the Mangroves Poster For this month’s competition, we invite you to design a dynamic ‘Save the Mangroves’ poster. Showcase the importance of these coastal forests and ways to safeguard them. Use your imagination to draw the amazing animals that live there, the lush trees, or the issues facing mangroves. Keep your captions crisp and snappy. Your poster will help raise awareness and remind everyone why we need to protect these precious ecosystems. FOUR lucky readers will win this exciting new book from Nosy Crow and the University of Cambridge. 4 TO WIN! Beasts From the Deep Written by Matt Ralphs Illustrated by Kaley McKean Descend to the deep – if you dare – and discover the world’s strangest, scariest and most spectacular sea creatures! The deep ocean might be a…