Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 239 i National Geographic Kids (UK)

Greetings readers! Did you know that 29 January saw the start of a new year in many Asian countries, welcoming in the Year of the Snake? To celebrate, we check out a sss-election of the world's most dangerous and dazzling serpents! Also this issue, we go on the prowl with a gorgeous red fox. You might think of these animals as urban bin raiders – but they're also incredible hunters! Plus, ever wondered why a narwhal has a weird long tusk? Turn to page 30 to find out what scientists think! We visit some real-life locations from the new Lion King movie on page 34, and tuck into loads of wacky facts, puzzles and jokes! See you next month! Editor Tim and the Nat Geo Kids team…

Also known as Pancake Day, this Christian festival marks the last day before Lent – a time when many Christians give up certain foods (or bad habits!) until Easter. Traditionally, making pancakes was a way to use up rich foods before the fast! PERFECT PANCAKE RECIPE 1 Mix 300ml milk with 1 tbsp of vegetable oil in a bowl, then break in two eggs and whisk it all together. 2 In another bowl, mix 100g plain flour with a pinch of salt. Slowly pour the liquids into the flour mixture, whisking all the time. 3 With an adult’s help, heat up a frying pan to medium and add a little butter. Ladle in some of the batter you’ve made in a thin layer, then tilt to spread it around the…

Answers: Arctic: Walrus; Snowy owl; Reindeer; Polar bear; Beluga. Antarctic: Wandering albatross; Crabeater seal; Emperor penguin; Adélie penguin; Leopard seal.…

Conservation biologist and National Geographic Explorer Christine Wilkinson is on a mission to protect ‘unpopular’ animals, ones that many people don’t like. She’s researching herring gull chicks on Appledore Island, off the east coast of the USA. Unfortunately, the adult gulls – sometimes nicknamed ‘rats of the sky’ – don’t make her work easy……

Mountain gorilla RANGE Mountains of Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Africa SLIP-UP SPOT Virunga National Park, the Democratic Republic of the Congo PHOTO FAIL Scientists aren’t sure why some primates – including gorillas, chimps, aye-ayes and humans – pick their noses. But it looks like it’s only humans who are embarrassed about it! Cheetahs RANGE Parts of Africa and Asia SLIP-UP SPOT Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya PHOTO FAIL Eight-week-old cheetah cubs are too young to hunt on their own – but not too young to practise on Mum! Antarctic fur seal and king penguins RANGE Southern Ocean SLIP-UP SPOT Right Whale Bay, South Georgia Island PHOTO FAIL Each year, king penguins shed their feathers to grow a fresh, waterproof coat. Maybe this Antarctic fur…

MOVIE MADNESS (page 40) CABIN, CAKE, CAMERA, CANARY, CANDLE, CAR, CHAIR, CLOCK, COAT, CUP. CROSSWORD (page 41) WHAT IN THE WORLD? (page 42) Top row: WAVES, MOSS, BUBBLING MUD. Middle row: TREE BARK, LAVA, ICEBERG. Bottom row: SEAWEED, SAND DUNE, FLOWER FIELD. Bonus: A PALM TREE. STUMP YOUR PARENTS (page 43) 1-C; 2-A; 3-C; 4-A; 5-C; 6-B; 7-B; 8-C; 9-A; 10-D. BOOST YOUR BRAIN! (page 44–45) LIFT OFF! 3 and 6 are only shown once. WHAT COMES NEXT? A-FLAMINGO; B?PIGEON; C?PEACOCK; D?RAVEN; E?DUCKLING. BEETLE SEARCH SUDOKU TIME WHICH WORDS? 1, 3, 4 and 6 can be made. DIGITS DILEMMA B, D, E, H, J, L, N and O all have the same answer – 42. COLOUR PICK 1-D; 2-C. AROUND THE WORLD 1-CANADA; 2-AUSTRALIA; 3-CHINA; 4-INDIA; 5-FRANCE; 6-GERMANY; 7-ITALY; 7-BRAZIL.…

FEB 14 - FEB 21 National Nestbox Week Can you provide a home for local birds? FEB 14 Valentine's Day Send a card to someone you love! Turn to page 48 for a love-ly Valentine’s Day craft! FEB 27 International Polar Bear Day Get cool facts at natgeokids.com/uk/polar-bears MAR 1 St. David's Day It’s the Welsh saint’s special day! MAR 3 World Wildlife Day Celebrate Earth’s animals today!…

A European red fox slinks along a footpath in the UK countryside, stalking its prey under nighttime cover. A human hiker would need a torch, but the fox’s night vision helps it spot a small rodent called a vole near the trail. The fox sneaks up on the tiny critter and pounces – it’s dinnertime! “These foxes are one of the most successful predators on the planet,” says animal behaviour expert Blake Morton. Check out the five wild talents that make European red foxes such top hunters! 1. They hunt anything, anywhere. Foxes are a common sight around the UK and Ireland, but did you know that European red foxes also live in Western Europe, Asia, North Africa and even Australia? Their wide range means the canines have evolved to hunt…

Wildlife photographer Milan Radisics watches a female fox walk past his cottage. He smiles as he recognises the small notch on her left ear – it’s the fox he calls Roxy, a regular visitor to his home in Hungary, central Europe. As cities and suburbs expand into fox habitat, these creatures are learning to thrive near people. But Milan doesn’t shoo Roxy away. “My house is in the middle of her habitat,” he says. “Who am I to keep her out?” Instead, Milan keeps his distance and takes photographs of Roxy using camera traps and a remote shutter release. Here, he gives Nat Geo Kids the scoop on some of his favourite photos. FOX PHOTOBOMB “One of Roxy’s favourite places is my barn, probably because of all the mice inside!”…

Long, pointy horns burst out of the Arctic Ocean near the edge of an iceberg. These unicorn-like tusks belong to a pod of narwhals, a type of whale that’s unique to Arctic waters. Like most whales, narwhals are big, weighing about 1,600kg (the same as a giraffe) and they surface to breathe. But a male narwhal has something no other whale species has – a giant tusk growing out of its head! The tusk is actually a giant tooth that grows just above the male’s mouth – females very rarely sprout them. The tusk starts growing from the jaw through the animal’s upper lip when the narwhal is about three months old. “Over time, the tusk can grow almost 3m long,” says Kristin Laidre, a marine biologist at the University…

ACHOO! A special gland near a marine iguana’s eyes collects salt from the water it swallows. When the lizard is back on land, it sneezes out the salty stuff in a burst of snot-like goo! HEADS UP Male marine iguanas butt heads when battling over females. They also sometimes change colour to attract mates, turning shades of red, green or both. Fancy! FEELING TOASTY The marine iguana is the only lizard in the world that swims and feeds in the sea. It basks on sun-warmed lava rocks to raise its temperature before and after swimming in the chilly ocean waters. Its dark colour helps it absorb the sun’s warmth. SHRINKING POWERS This reptile eats algae. But to save energy when food is hard to find, the savvy iguana can shrink…

Answers on page 49 MOVIE MADNESS It’s complete chaos on this film set in Hollywood! Ten things beginning with the letter ‘C’ have disappeared. Can you figure out which items have gone missing in the scene, so the show can go on? CROSSWORD Answers on page 49 ACROSS 1 A treelike bush (5) 4 Wrap it round your neck in winter! (5) 7 ‘Hocus _____’. Magic words (5) 10 Lowest (or highest) card (3) 11 Green ogre from a film series. His best friend is a donkey (5) 12 You’re working these out now! (7) 13 Illness which affects people, plants or animals, sometimes infectious (7) 15 Japanese paper-folding (7) 17 Going on forever (11) 19 What a cake might say to you if it could talk! (3, 2) 20 Finally! (2, 4) 23 The way things currently are (2, 2,…

VALENTINE'S FLOWERS Make beautiful blooms for someone you love out of fruit, paper and, er… celery! CELERY-PRINT ROSE What you'll need ● Bunch of celery ● Knife (and an adult to help) ● Chopping board ● Red and pink paint ● Green pens ● Scrap paper ● Kitchen roll ● A4 card – cream or white, folded in half 1 First, ask an adult to cut the celery bunch near its base. A roselike pattern will be revealed! Press the stump of the cut celery onto some kitchen roll to get rid of any excess moisture. 2 Next, mix some red or pink paint on a paper plate. Dip the celery into the paint. You may need to add some extra with a brush. After doing practice prints on scrap…