Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2025, Issue 126 i Eco Kids Planet Magazine

We nautiluses have been cruising the oceans for 500 million years! Our species has barely changed in all that time. While trilobites ruled the seas and long before dinosaurs stomped the Earth, my ancestors looked just like me. We are true time travellers – living fossils from a lost world! Unlike our cousins – those fleeting, fast-changing squid and octopuses – we nautiluses have remained steadfast, timeless and unchanged. I might only live for 15-20 years, but our species has survived mass extinctions, shifting continents and ancient sea monsters. Take that, evolution! Our elegant, spiralled shells have carried us through the ages. Each new chamber in our shell marks a stage of our lives, like a natural timeline. And when danger lurks, I use my tough hood like a trap…

Long before dinosaurs, mammals and even trees, there was the horseshoe crab. These incredible creatures have been thriving in shallow coastal waters for over 450 million years! Despite their name, they aren’t crabs at all but are more closely related to spiders and scorpions. Built to last With their hard, horseshoe-shaped shells, these creatures are built to endure. If they get flipped upside down, they use their long, pointed tail to push themselves back over! Beneath their protective shells, 10 nimble legs help them scuttle across the seabed, hunting for seaworms and clams. But their most fascinating feature? Their blue blood. Unlike our iron-based, red blood, theirs is copper-based, giving it a striking blue colour. Even more remarkable, their blood acts as a natural defence system. It instantly detects harmful bacteria…

Eco Kids, it’s not every day you get to hop on a timetravelling machine and explore Earth’s incredible past! Get in, we’ve got a long way to go – MILLIONS OF YEARS! Here’s the deal. According to my ingenious – that means clever – investigations, the world has changed A LOT over time. Places you’d visit in a snowsuit today used to be warm enough for SWIMWEAR. And speaking of swimsuits, in dino times, dusty deserts were once gigantic seas… Everyone knows the most important part of an investigation is corroborating your research, so let’s take a look for ourselves! We’ve got the perfect timetravelling machine for our trip. And I brought a camera with me, so we can take some quick snaps along the way, too. Let’s travel back…

We check the time all the time – on clocks, watches, computers and phones. Our days run on strict schedules: breakfast, schooling, bedtime. There’s always something we can’t be late for. Annoying, isn’t it? But have you ever noticed how animals seem to have a strong sense of time, too? Dogs never check the clock on the wall, yet they’re waiting by the door exactly when their owner gets home. Or how about a cat throwing a tantrum because lunch is precisely 36 seconds late? Meanwhile, birds wake up at dawn every morning as if they have tiny alarm clocks in their nests. (They don’t – we checked.) How do they all do it? It’s as if they have built-in clocks. Well, they do! And so do we. Almost every…

Timeless Crossword Evolution Match-Up Game Elephant ↔ Woolly mammoth Crocodile ↔ Deinosuchus Penguin ↔ Waimanu Bird ↔ Archaeopteryx Dolphin ↔ Pakicetu Spot 10 Differences Tick-Tock Trivia 1. a 2. c 3. b 4. b 5. d Odd One Out The dolphin is the odd one out. Why? The other four creatures are all known as living fossils. That means they’ve changed very little for millions of years and closely resemble their ancient ancestors. Dolphins, on the other hand, are modern mammals that have evolved more recently and continue to change over time.…

It’s me, Charlie, the Eco Kid who can chat with animals. This time, I’m in Ecuador meeting an animal who’s been alive for well over a century! Charlie: I’m on Santa Cruz. It’s the second largest of the Galápagos chain of islands, which are named after the local giant tortoises. ‘Galápagos’ comes from an old Spanish word for ‘saddle’, and early Spanish travellers thought their shells were saddle-shaped! They can live up to about 175 years old, so I’m hoping to meet an old one with lots of memories. Funny thing is, I was told to climb up here to the highlands to find one. It was such a steep walk that I’m puffed out. How can a huge, lumbering, old tortoise possibly climb this high? Wait, I do see…

TIMELESS CROSSWORD Across: 2. What clocks measure 3. A shark from icy waters that can live for centuries 4. When a species disappears for ever 7. Insect that emerges from the ground after 17 years 8. Insect that only lives for a day as an adult 9. An animal that hunts others for food 10. Preserved remains of an ancient creature Down: 1. Your natural sleep style 2. Very slow-moving reptile that can live for over 100 years 5. Reptile with a ‘third eye’ that helps track time 6. Ancient sea creature with a spiral shell Spot 10 Differences TICK-TOCK TRIVIA Test your time smarts with these wacky, time-twisting questions! 1. Which animal has been around since before the dinosaurs? a. Horseshoe crab b. Komodo dragon c. Blue whale d.…

On the night of 30th April – May Day Eve – fairies are said to roam the world, sprinkling magic wherever they go. Why not invite them into your garden or local park with a beautiful handmade fairy door? Using recycled materials and natural treasures, you can craft a tiny doorway that glimmers in the spring sunshine, ready for fairy visitors to step through! Let your imagination run wild and bring a little woodland wonder to life. You will need • Lolly sticks • Twigs • String • Scraps of coloured felt • A wooden coffee stirrer • Small cones or • Glue other natural items to decorate • A pencil • Brown paint • A paintbrush • A black pen • Ruler • Scissors Step-by-step instructions 1. Line up…