Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2018 i National Geographic Kids

CHOOSE THIS Your powerful jaw can chomp through anything. or CHOOSE THAT You can drink through your skin. If you CHOSE THIS You might not want to eat steel, but having a jaw powerful enough to bite through something that hard works out well for the GIANT PANDA. The panda’s round head holds a set of POWERFUL JAW MUSCLES that make it easy to munch down on thick bamboo stalks—stalks that are so tough that some can withstand compression even BETTER THAN CONCRETE CAN! A giant panda spends about 12 hours a day eating bamboo. Chomp. If you CHOSE THAT You never have to worry about becoming dehydrated with a GREEN FROG’S SUPERSKIN, as long as you live in a moist, wetland spot. A frog’s skin absorbs MOISTURE, and these amphibians…

Apolar bear swims through the chilly waters of the Arctic Ocean, searching for a patch of ice to climb on. Polar bears rely on sea ice for resting, hunting, and in some places, raising their young. But lately the amount of sea ice has been shrinking. Some scientists predict that the Arctic might be completely icefree during the summer sometime this century. When that happens, this polar bear—and the approximately 26,000 others that call the Arctic home—will be in serious danger. RISING TEMPERATURES According to NASA, the Earth’s average surface temperature has increased about 1.5°F over the past hundred years, making 2017 one of the hottest years ever recorded. Most scientists expect the climate to warm another 0.5°F to as much as 8.6°F by 2100. What’s the big deal about…

Asea otter carefully uses its paws to free itself from a plastic bag that’s tangled loosely around its body. This sea otter isn’t the only animal to have a dangerous run-in with litter: It’s estimated that about half of all marine mammals have eaten or gotten trapped by plastic. A LITTLE POLLUTION = BIG PROBLEMS Plastic is different from paper or food waste because it never fully decomposes, or breaks down into pieces that can be reused by nature. Instead, plastic often ends up in water, where it releases toxic chemicals and can be mistaken for food. In a study conducted by the journal Science, scientists estimate that 8.8 million tons of plastic enter the ocean every year, threatening over 700 species of marine animals. Plastic trash isn’t the Earth’s…

Ajaguar paces at the edge of a rain forest in Brazil. The big cat once roamed through a jungle packed with trees, but now part of its home is a working farm with herds of cattle that have taken over the jaguar’s territory. A hundred years ago, jaguars ranged from the southwestern United States to Argentina, in South America. Today their territory has shrunk by more than half, and they live mostly in the Amazon rain forest. And jaguars aren’t the only animals losing their homes—according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, habitat loss is the main threat to about 85 percent of all endangered plant and animal species. LIVING ON THE EDGE Tropical rain forests cover only about 7 percent of Earth’s land, but they’re home to…

Agreen sea turtle glides through the Great Barrier Reef off the northeastern coast of Australia. Millions of species live in and around coral reef ecosystems, where these plants and animals rely on each other for survival. Scientists call this mix of different species biodiversity. An environment works well with a wide variety of species. Here’s an example: Green sea turtles love to chomp on sea grass—but they can’t hang out in one spot for too long because tiger sharks patrol the area, hunting for sea turtles. Without tiger sharks, sea turtles would eat all the best sea grass, destroying that habitat for all the other animals that depend on it. If one species—turtle, shark, or sea grassdisappears, other plants and animals that are connected to that species could go extinct…

WILD EARS! Harbor the coonhound must be a good listener. With an ear span longer than two feet, the pooch holds the record for the longest ears on a living dog. As a puppy, he used to trip over them! Bred as hunting dogs, coonhounds have long ears to help pick up scents. As the ears swing back and forth, they fan smells toward the nose. Maybe Harbor can use them to better sniff out his dinner. WORLD’S LONGEST HAIR This woman’s hair is so long that she travels with an assistant to hold her mane! Xie Quiping of China has the world’s longest hair: more than 18 feet of it! Growing it for nearly 45 years, Xie Quiping takes about an hour each morning to comb and coil her…

Clearwater, Florida DOLPHIN GETS NEW TAIL Winter the dolphin struggled against the discarded rope tangled around her body. If she couldn’t break free, she’d die. Rescuers rushed her to Clearwater Marine Aquarium, where they fought to keep her alive. The dolphin survived, but caregivers weren’t able to save her damaged tail. Clever Winter taught herself to swim by waggling from side to side, but this injured her spine. That’s when local scientists Kevin Carroll and Dan Strzempka had an idea: the first ever prosthetic, or artificial, dolphin tail! The tail, which attaches to her body like a rubber glove, took some getting used to. At first, Winter would toss it across the pool for her trainers to retrieve—just like a game of fetch. But after a few months of training,…

We know you love watching videos on your phone. But modern activitiessuch as plugging in devices, driving cars, and cooling homes—often rely on energy sources such as natural gas, oil, and coal. Those energy sources release a gas called carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere. When CO2 and other greenhouse gases trap heat that would otherwise escape Earth’s atmosphere, the planet’s temperature rises. That’s called global warming, which causes climate change. Most scientists believe that climate change is happening and causing rising seas, stronger storms, and shifting habitats for wildlife and people. But you don’t have to give up videos or totally shut down the A/C to fight climate change. Read on to learn how you can help. 1 USED GOODS ARE GOOD Reduce and reuse as much as possible.…

You might use plastic water bottles, yogurt cups, and straws for just a day, but they can remain in the environment for years. And that pollution can harm habitats and the animals that live there. Do your part to cut down Earth’s trash with these tips. 1 BIN FOR THE WIN Always throw trash in the can. Garbage left outside might harm wildlife and end up in the ocean. Trash that’s properly brought to a landfill is kept out of the sea. 2 DUMP PLASTIC According to one study, over eight million tons of plastic pollution end up in the ocean each year. Drink from a refillable water bottle, place your sandwich in cloth or a reusable container, and use bar soap instead of bottled. 3 BEST BEACH Scientists estimate…

Just like people, animals need homes. But when too many forests are cleared to plant crops and build roads, and too many seabeds are destroyed to gather fish, critters struggle to survive. This is called habitat destruction. Read on to learn how small changes from you can mean big help for wildlife. 1 SHOE SLEUTH Clean your shoes before going on a hike, especially in a new place. The mud caked in your sneakers may contain seeds of invasive plants, which can push out native plants that keep the ecosystem healthy. 2 SCRAP JUNK MAIL Is your house full of mail from places like banks and utility companies? Ask your parents to sign up for online alerts. And make sure to recycle newspapers, magazines, and other paper in your home.…

A healthy planet is full of plants and wildlife that all play important roles in their habitats. That’s called biodiversity. But removing— or adding—just one species can affect the entire ecosystem, often with bad results. Check out things you can do to prevent declining biodiversity and keep Earth wild. 1 SHOP SMART Avoid souvenirs or other items made from animal parts like scales, teeth, feathers, tortoise shells, seashells, coral, and especially ivory. Animals might have been harmed or disturbed to make them. 2 COUNT ’EM Participate in a citizen science project to tag, track, or identify animals. The information you gather can help biologists learn how the animals are adapting to climate change, habitat destruction, and other problems. 3 KEEP TO THE TRAIL Always stick to the trail when hiking,…

ATTENTION ALL EARTH LOVERS: You know this planet is an amazing place to live … but it needs your help. This special Save the Earth issue focuses on four major environmental challenges facing our planet: climate change, pollution, habitat destruction, and declining biodiversity. And you can do plenty to pitch in! The next 16 pages are packed with information about each topic—plus tons of tips on how you can help. If every Nat Geo Kids reader takes action, just think what we can accomplish together. But first, take our quiz to see which challenge you’re most suited to tackle. Then get going. There’s a planet to protect! YOU’RE A: HABITAT HERO You love spending time outdoors, whether you’re trekking through a national park or playing barefoot in your backyard. You…

GALÁPAGOS TORTOISE LIVES IN: Galápagos Islands, off the coast of Ecuador SCREEN NAME: SwellShell FRIENDS: TealToes BLUE-FOOTED BOOBY FrostyFur HOARY BAT LionAround GALÁPAGOS SEA LION START 11 a.m. SwellShell Boy, it’s hot! Time to head up the “Tortoise Highway” to cooler ground for a few months. Thousands of tortoises made these tracks! LionAround You weigh, what, 500 pounds? How fast can you cruise with that big backpack? SwellShell My shell’s actually pretty light—it’s my legs that weigh so much! And it’s not like I need to hustle to get food: I can go an entire year without eating or drinking. FrostyFur A year’s nothing to SwellShell—he’s at least a hundred years older than me. Do you even remember your birthday? SwellShell Nope! So I’ll go ahead and celebrate today. Grass…

GREEN PLANET Nat Geo Kids readers came up with creative ways to protect Earth in these drawings. Answers Draw a super-weird alien.  Send us your original drawings: Nat Geo Kids— Alien Art Zone P.O. Box 98002 Washington, DC 20090-8002 Include your name, address, phone number, date of birth, a title for your drawing, a statement that it is your own work, and the name of your parent or guardian. Your parent or guardian must sign a release for publication if your illustration is selected. Submissions become the property of National Geographic Partners, and all rights thereto are transferred to National Geographic Partners. Submissions cannot be acknowledged or returned. Selection will be at the discretion of Nat Geo Kids.…