Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 227 i National Geographic Kids (UK)

Hello, lovely readers! This issue, we explore some of the sensational wildlife found right here in the UK and Ireland, with fun features about colourful puffins and adorable hedgehogs! Our roving reporter Annabel even visits Scotland to see the benefits of beavers with her own eyes! Plus, to celebrate World Book Day, six authors tell as about their brand-new books - turn to page 37 to find a World Book Day voucher, which you can exchange for one of their books. Yay! Also this month, we discover 30 cool facts about creepy-crawlies. There are tons of puzzles, too - can you master the mega maze?! See you next month!…

We arrive at farmer Tom Bowser’s farm in Perthshire, Scotland, at dusk, hoping to catch a glimpse of a beaver! A family of the mammals was relocated here to Agarty Farm two years ago, after they caused problems for a farmer 10km down the road. It was the first relocation in Scotland since an official trial. So why did Tom want to rehome the beavers? “I visited the official beaver trial and it was absolutely mind-blowing!” he explains. ”I saw how they'd created this sprawling wetland there, full of life.” He takes us on a walk through a soggy woodland, pointing out small ponds that have formed, connected by a network of deep, narrow channels. They're called 'beaver canals', pathways made by the rodents' movements. We spot a felled tree,…

1 Shuffle your feet in shallow water to avoid stepping on this Australian animal’s venomous, jagged stinger. 2 Eighteen of this animal’s long, thin spines are venomous. If you’re stung, you’ll be in pain for days. 3 This garden critter’s spines are attached to its muscles, so it can move its spikes around. 4 Tiny clawlike pincers that release venom are on the tips of this sea creature’s many spines. 5 This animal’s 30,000 barbed quills easily fall out of its skin-sticking into whatever touches it.…

What you'll need • Coffee filter papers • Felt-tip pens • Water in a spray bottle • Scissors • Sticks • Wool • Ribbon Start here! 1 First, tear or cut down the side of the filter paper and then spread it out fiat. 2 Make some swirly patterns using the felt-tip pens try colours that go well together. Then spray the paper with water for an interesting effect. Leave to dry. 3 Once it’s dry, cut petal shapes along the top edges of the paper. 4 Shape the petals around the top of a stick to make a flower shape. We used two filters for each stick. 5 Secure the paper flower to the stick with the wool. Then wind it around to the bottom to make the stem.…

Monkey on the run! A Japanese macaque named Honshu escaped from his enclosure at Highland Wildlife Park in Scotland on 28 January and spent five days on the run! The ensuing monkeyhunt involved drones, thermal heat cameras and a special hotline for people to call with their sightings. Honshu travelled through undergrowth for almost 7km before turning around and eventually ending up in a backyard 2.2km from the park, munching food from a bird feeder. While the monkey was distracted by the grub on offer - including stale Yorkshire pudding - wildlife experts were able to tranquillise Honshu with a dart and take him safely home again. What a tail to tell the troop! Granny goes to school! Meet Salima Khan, a 92-year-old greatgrandma from Bulandshahr in India who goes…

FRESHWATER PEARL MUSSELS These native molluscs are in decline due to drought, but beaver-managed rivers and pools could stop them drying out. ASPEN HOVERFLY A unique Scottish species, this red bug only lays its eggs on rotting aspen branches that are over a year old - something beavers are great at producing! CURLEW Beavers create the shallow muddy habitats where curlews and other wading birds forage for worms and shrimp. NORTHERN DAMSELFLY This jazzy Highland species likes habitats with a constant water level, so it thrives in beaver ponds.…

Over the past few decades, hedgehog habitat in the UK and Ireland has been carved up. Hedgerows have been removed to make way for giant farms, and people have fenced-off their gardens. But YOU can help! 1 BUILD A HEDGEHOG HIGHWAY By creating a 13cm x 13cm square gap in or under your garden fence or wall, you can make sure ‘hogs have plenty of room to roam. “Although it can take time, people who install Hedgehog Highways often report more hedgehog activity,” says Grace Johnson from Hedgehog Street, a campaign run by People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) and the British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS). Great! Thanks to these Hedgehog Highways, more than 40,000 gardens in the UK are now connected! 2 BECOME AN ANIMAL SPOTTER The PTES and BHPS are…

PRICKLY PICK (page 21) 1-E; 2-A; 3-B; 4-C; 5-D. SOUNDS LIKE FUN (page 40-41) 1-CRUNCH; 2-SWOOSH; 3-CACKLE; 4-SNAP; 5-HISS; 6-CLAP; 7-SQUISH; 8-CREAK; 9-SNIFF; 10-BUZZ; 11-BOING; 12-SPLASH; 13-DRIP; 14-THUD; 15-SCRATCH. BEAVER MAZE (page 42) CROSSWORD (page 43) TRAIN YOUR BRAIN! (paqe 44-45) MONKEY MATCH-UP 1-D; 2-E; 3-A. GET SPORTY! TWO SUDOKUS SUPER SUMS A-50; B-13; C-27; D-45; E-28; F-26. PICTURE CLUES POPCORN. HIDDEN HOUNDS DOGS CAN LEARN OVER ONE HUNDRED WORDS AND GESTURES. STRIPY SEARCH The word ZEBRA is hidden 8 times. FEATHERED FUN 1-SPARROW; 2-ROBIN; 3-OWL; 4-PARROT; 5-EAGLE; 6-FLAMINGO; 7-CROW; 8-PENGUIN. SPOT THE SPECS 6 and 12 are only shown once. WHAT IN THE WORLD (page 47) TOP ROW: FROG, POLAR BEAR, WALLABY. MIDDLE ROW: GECKO, PENGUIN, GIANT TORTOISE. BOTTOM ROW: CHIMPANZEE, SUN BEAR, IGUANA. BONUS: UNHOPPY! APRIL FOOL! (page…

Train living Er, yep, that train really is travelling through a block of flats! Liziba light rail station in Chongqing, China, is built on the sixth to eighth floors of a 19-storey residential building. The sound-proofing is said to be so good that residents don’t notice the rumbling of the monorail trains as they travel through the block. People living there definitely don’t have an excuse for missing a train, though! Waste race This quirky racing car has been made out of old iPhones, broken computers and Wii controllers! The recycled ride, named Recover-E, was commissioned by Formula E team Envision Racing to promote sustainability and highlight the growing problem of electronic waste. Clever! Chalk it up Artist David Zinn’s cute chalk drawings are brightening up pavements and walls all…

1 POWER DOWN Prey such as insects, worms and other creepy-crawlies are scarce in winter, which is why European hedgehogs hibernate during this time! In October or November, the 30cm-long ‘hogs find a dry, warm spot that’s protected from harsh weather, like a pile of sticks or leaves (which is why it’s so important to move bonfires on the day they’re lit). Once nestled in, the ’hogs stop moving, slow their breathing down to just a few breaths every hour, and reduce their heart rate to 20 beats a minute. (Their normal heart rate is about 190 beats a minute.) “It’s the ultimate power-saving mode,” says hedgehog researcher Sophie Lund Rasmussen, from the University of Oxford. Every so often, the hibernating ’hogs will wake up. If they’re really hungry, they might root…

weird but true! Check out these outrageous facts... Just a little off the sides, please. A SPECIES OF SPIDER PLAYS ‘PEEKABOO’ TO ATTRACT MATES. Arica, a city in Chile, South America, once went 14 years without rainfall. SOME SEA TURTLES GLOW IN THE DARK. The world’s narrowest street is in Reutlingen, Germany. It’s just 31cm wide. YOU BECOME TEMPORARILY PARALYSED WHILE YOU DREAM. CHECK OUT THE BOOK!…

FANCY FOOTWORK These photographs show close-up views of animal feet. Unscramble the letters to identify the creature in each picture. Bonus: Use the yellow letters to help you answer the joke below. Answers on page 49…

Q. Why was the beaver so chilled? A. It was just going with the flow! Q. What did the beaver say to the tree? A. “It’s been nice gnawing you!” Q. What bird is always out of breath? A. A puffin! Q. What do you call a famous hedgehog? A. Hedgendary! Q. What do you get if you cross a hedgehog with a giraffe? A. A really long toothbrush! Q. Why did the librarian keep slipping over? A. They were in the non-friction section! Q. What did the frog say when it went to the library? A. Read it, read it!…