Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2025, issue 125 i Eco Kids Planet Magazine

Boing! Boing! Oops – sorry, I got a bit too excited. It’s me, Jeri the Jerboa, bouncing in from my sandy home in the Gobi Desert. You might not have heard of me before, but I’m one of the coolest (and cutest, if I do say so myself) creatures in the desert. Welcome to my humble abode. It’s sandy. It’s quiet. It’s blazing HOT (but freezing at night!). Some people think nothing much happens here, but don’t believe it! The desert is full of life and far from boring – you just have to know where to look! And this month’s Eco Kids Planet is here to help. Now, I know what you’re thinking – am I a mouse? A rabbit? A tiny kangaroo? Nope! I’m my own thing –…

SANDY SECRETS CROSSWORD Across: 2. A humped desert animal. 3. The world’s largest hot desert, stretching across North Africa. 6. A rattlesnake that slithers sideways across the sand. 7. A rare, life-saving water source in the middle of a desert. 9. A powerful wind that lifts and swirls grains into a dusty cloud. 10. Towering hills of windblown sand found in deserts and beaches. 11. The only bear that lives in a desert full-time. Down: 1. A tropical fish that munches on coral and creates sand. 3. A lizard that ‘swims’ through the sand to escape danger. 4. A dangerous mix of sand and water that can trap. 5. A long-eared, hopping desert rodent known for its amazing jumps. 8. A desert toad with built-in ‘shovels’ on its feet for…

Ah, sand. That weirdly satisfying, between-the-toes, stick-to-everything substance you’ll be trying to shake out of your shoes forever. But what actually is it? We know it by its size – tiny. It’s mostly grains of rock that have been bashed, battered and worn down by weather and water over thousands (sometimes millions) of years. You know where to find it. Beaches? Yep! Deserts? Obviously! But it also sneaks into rivers, lakes and the seabed. Some of that sand might be crumbled corals, clams and other creatures. And the dazzling white sand on certain tropical beaches? (Whisper it so you don’t freak out the holidaymakers.) It’s mostly the poo of rock-munching parrotfish. Enjoy! But how does it get to those places? Because its grains are so tiny and light, they easily…

You’re looking at the only bear in the world that spends its whole life in a desert. The Gobi bear is found in the Mongolian part of the Gobi desert – and nowhere else. It was first discovered over 75 years ago, but scientists still don’t know much about it. It’s thought there may be fewer than 40 bears living in the Gobi. Can these incredibly rare bears continue to exist in this extreme environment? What is the Gobi bear? The Gobi bear (or mazaalai, as it’s called in Mongolian) is a subspecies of the brown bear. Brown bears are found across North America, Central Asia and Europe (but not the UK). The Gobi bear is different from other subspecies of brown bear in several ways: Size – the Gobi…

January’s JAWsome Creatures competition brought some of the most imaginative and fearsome designs we’ve ever seen! From predators with sabre-like teeth to extraordinary beaks with unique feeding tricks, your entries were truly jaw-dropping. A huge thank you to everyone who took part – we loved seeing your wild and wonderful creations! Congrats to our four winners! To see more jawsome drawings designs, go to www.ecokidsplanet.co.uk/jawsome-creature-competition Answers Sandy Secrets Crossword Spot 12 Differences True or False Quiz 1 d 2 c 3 a 4 c Gecko Maze Find the Correct Shadow…

Charlie: I’m in the Monte Desert in Argentina, South America. I’m hoping to meet an armadillo, a mammal that comes with a suit of armour! I made sure to visit in February, because armadillos often only come out at night in summer, when the daytime desert gets too hot. But I forgot – February is one of the hottest months in this part of the world! I’ll have to hope I get lucky. Rwaaa! Charlie: Someone’s sobbing. It sounded like a baby or a toddler – are they lost here? Rwaaa! Charlie: Don’t worry, I’ll find you. Armadillo: WAAAAAH! Charlie: Hey, an armadillo. It was you making that noise – and now you’re screaming. Armadillo: But why isn’t it scaring you off? Charlie: You have lots of hair sticking out between…

And don’t forget about me – Rusty! Rhona’s helper: JD Savage NO ACCESS The Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Award has broken records. Over 76,000 wildlife fans worldwide voted for their favourite snap. This badger stole the spotlight and won! Well, actually British photographer Ian Wood bagged the top prize with his brilliantly timed photo, No Access. It shows the badger peeking at badger graffiti in St Leonards-on-Sea, England. So, how did he get the shot? Well, locals were leaving snacks out for foxes, but Ian noticed badgers from a nearby sett sneaking in for a latenight feast, too. One night, he spotted one casually strolling past that wall and got inspired. He set up a secret hide near the pavement, waited… And snap! Wildlife photography gold, don’t…

Simon’s helper: JD Savage Most people hear the word “desert” and think of endless dunes of golden sand, like the sun-soaked Sahara. Yet some of Egypt’s deserts are very different – and off-the-charts weird! It looks like someone roasted its Black Desert! Charred hills, sooty dust – did a giant go wild with a blowtorch? Time to crack the case. VERDICT: No, the culprits are ancient volcanoes. The Black Desert is full of dead ones! Millions of years ago, they blew their tops, leaving behind those eerie blackened hills and dark, volcanic dust. Now on to Egypt’s White Desert. Not only does it look like it’s been hit with a snow machine (spoiler: it’s sand!) but it’s full of ghostly white chalk rocks shaped like giant humans, turtles and other…