Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2017 - January 2018 i National Geographic Kids

LEGO SUPERHEROES Superheroes, unite! Lego superheroes, that is. Artist Nathan Sawaya holds the record for the largest display of Lego superhero sculptures with 11 separate figures. He used over two million Lego pieces to construct the Flash, Green Lantern, Cyborg, Aquaman, Krypto, and two different sculptures each of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. Lego villains, beware. CAT HAS LONG TAIL Make room for this feline. With a tail measuring 17.5 inches from his rump to the tip of his tail, Cygnus the Maine coon holds the record for the longest tail on a domestic cat. And the kitty’s tail isn’t done growing—it’s expanded about half an inch every month since this record measurement. When he’s not chasing a laser pointer around the house, Cygnus takes naps with his tail wrapped…

“Remember that it’s not about the summit or the final goal. It’s about the journey and the lessons we learn along the way.” “While climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa, one of my team members brought a Hula-Hoop. Growing up, many things were frowned upon for young girls like me to do—hula-hooping in public was one of those things. So halfway up Kilimanjaro, we decided to take the Hula-Hoop to the top … and to the highest peak of all seven continents. It was my way of taking back what was often taken from me as a child: my right to play outdoors. “No good thing in life comes without obstacles, and all obstacles seem scary at first. But it’s always been worth it for me to push…

Big Softies With wart-like bumps on their heads, warthogs aren’t exactly beauty pageant winners. But the “warts” are actually bumps of fat that help cushion blows when the males fight each other. Nosing Around A star-nosed mole’s nose sports 22 fleshy projections that contain a total of 100,000 nerve fibers. Nearly blind, the mole bops the projections against the ground. These sensors send information about the environment through the nose and into the brain. Freaky Fingers The aye-aye (a kind of lemur) has long, creepy-looking middle fingers that it uses to drum on rotten logs and branches in order to find hollow spots where bugs live. (The sound of the tapping alerts the animal to a cavity.) Then it bites a hole and digs up all of the bugs. Dinner’s…

Aman quietly spreads the word that he has valuable goods for sale. He tries to keep it a secret from the authorities who govern his forest village, because it’s illegal to possess the merchandise: two tiny wild leopard cubs. But the first people to arrive at his home aren’t interested in buying exotic pets. Acting on a citizen’s tip, they are forest rangers who police this area in northeast India, called Kokrajhar. Busted, the surprised villager hands over the helpless leopard kittens, so young they haven’t even opened their eyes. The rangers alert the nearby wildlife clinicoperated by the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI)—that two common leopard cubs are arriving for emergency care. Although the veterinarians are thrilled that the rangers rescued the kittens, their satisfaction is bittersweet. The common…

A Female DeBrazza’s monkeys could get the bearded lady job at a carnival. TRUE: Both males and females have a white beard. B Chimps are these monkeys’ BFFs. FALSE: Chimpanzees, eagles, leopards, pythons, and sometimes humans hunt DeBrazza’s monkeys. C These monkeys would totally win at freeze tag. TRUE: They freeze when scared. The monkeys have been known to remain motionless for up to eight hours. D If its head is bobbing, it’s grooving to a tune stuck in its mind. FALSE: A head bob is a threat, especially if it’s also staring with an open mouth. E When dining with them, it’s rude to stuff your face. FALSE: A DeBrazza’s stuffs its cheek pouches with fruit and seeds and then eats its meal later in a safer place. GERRY…

What would happen if Earth’s gravity disappeared? Things would really be up in the air. Gravity is the force that pulls objects toward Earth’s center, keeping you grounded. It also holds the planet together. If this force vanished, anything that’s not secured to the ground would float off into space—including water from oceans, lakes, and rivers! Buildings might remain in place for some time. But the people, animals, and items inside would weightlessly drift upward, sort of like astronauts do in space. And eventually, without gravity to keep Earth intact, the planet would break into pieces. Luckily scientists agree that it’s impossible for Earth’s gravity to disappear. That’s a weight off our shoulders! What would happen if everything were free? You’d need a lot more closet space to stash your…

1 Where is the world’s tallest building? A. New York, New York B. Chicago, Illinois C. Moscow, Russia D. Dubai, United Arab Emirates 2 More live in New Zealand than people. A. river otters B. sheep C. koalas D. unicorns 3 In what parts of your body are there 500,000 sweat glands? A. armpits B. feet C. eyeballs D. hands 4 About how teeth will a shark lose in its lifetime? many A. 4,000 B. 23,000 C. 30,000 D. 120,000 5 In the virtual world of Animal Jam, which land is most similar to the Arctic on Earth? A. Appondale B. Mount Shiveer C. Lost Temple of Zios D. Crystal Sands 6 A dog’s eye has how many eyelids? A. 1 B. 2 C. 3 D.…

A The ots can smell aka better is a than r you ve but accoons not as well . as your dog. F TRUE: Ocelots have an excellent sense They of smell named —better themselves than a human . ’s but not TRUE quite as : Text good text as text a dog’s. B A Ranchers sifaka swings like ocelots through . trees. FALSE TRUE: : Ocelots Text text keep text the rodent population in check and do not eat livestock. C FALSE FALSE species Ocelots can: : Text They . make text are text wild great and pets do not . safely adjust to ’ a home environment. D address The common it to Ankarafantsika name “ocelot” . , DTRUE comes : Text from text an text Aztec word.…

1 A gingerbread housewas decorated with 4,750 pounds of icing — that’s heavier than a giraffe. 2 A record holder at the Great Fruitcake Toss in Colorado hand tossed a leftover fruitcake 415 feet. 3 Theword Kwanzaa comes from a phrase meaning “first fruits” language called Swahili. 4 The world’s largest menorah — a candelabra used during Hanukkah —was taller than a three-story building. 5 A survey found that about half of dogowners in the United States buy holiday gifts for their pets . 6 Apollo 8, the first manned spacecraft to circle the moon, entered orbit on Christmas Eve in 1968.…

1 THE TOY AstroBot WHAT IT IS An interactive robot that dodges obstacles COOL SCIENCE Infrared light HOW IT WORKS AstroBot doesn’t let anything get in its way—literally. This adorable droid avoids barriers as it zips around. Once in motion, AstroBot shoots out beams of infrared light. If something blocks the droid’s route, the beams bounce off the obstacle and back to the toy’s sensor so that the toy knows to change direction. It’s sort of like bat echolocation, in which the flying mammal bounces sound off trees back to its ears to tell it what’s blocking its path. Ready, set, roll. 2  THE TOY Artsplash WHAT IT IS Paper that lets you create 3-D paintings with water COOL SCIENCE Surface tension HOW IT WORKS Your paintings will pop off…

TRUE BLUE These photographs show close-up and faraway views of things that are blue. Unscramble the letters to identify what’s in each picture. Feeling blue? ANSWERS ON PAGE 33 CHECK OUT THIS BOOK!…

A This animal is a kind of dog. FALSE: A prairie dog is a rodent, closely related to tree squirrels. B A kiss hello means you’re part of the family. TRUE: Family members greet each other by gently touching teeth. C Black-tailed prairie dogs are as American as apple pie. FALSE: These prairie dogs are found in Canada and Mexico as well as in 11 states. D Prairie dogs live in towns. TRUE: Prairie dog towns are complex tunnel systems with subdivisions and even security guards. Modern prairie dog towns are less than half a square mile. In the past, one town covered 25,000 square miles. E A prairie dog is so small it could curl up on this card. FALSE: At 14 to 17 inches long, it could relax…

A To find a Victoria crowned pigeon, listen for a sound like someone blowing into a glass bottle. TRUE: But you have to be in the forests of New Guinea or nearby islands. Otherwise it really is a person blowing into a bottle. B This bird even eats bats and rats. FALSE: It eats fruit, berries, seeds, and insects. Sometimes it splurges on a snail. C You might want to avoid walking under a well-fed flock. TRUE: Think “big bird droppings.” A Victoria crowned pigeon weighs seven times more than a city pigeon. D Its magnificent feathers match its bold, aggressive personality. FALSE: Beautiful feathers and a low-key, gentle nature combine to make it a very desirable target of human hunters. E These birds stay with their sweethearts forever. TRUE:…