Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2023 i National Geographic Kids

A woman in Sweden found her WEDDING RING on a CARROT GROWING IN HER GARDEN — 16 years after misplacing it! The world’s tallest toilet paper pyramid was made up of 25,585 rolls. A JAPANESE ARTIST MAKES SHELLS FOR HERMIT CRABS THAT LOOK LIKE CITY SKYLINES. WHICH WAY IS DOWN? THE INDIAN GIANT SQUIRREL HAS PURPLE FUR. Many astronauts train for space walks by walking on the ocean floor. DONALD DUCK’S MIDDLE NAME IS FAUNTLEROY. The Kilauea volcano on Hawaii’s Big Island erupted for 35 years. Americans EAT more than A BILLION chicken wings during Super Bowl weekend. CHECK OUT THE BOOK!…

ANIMAL Brown bear RANGE Northern North America, Europe, and Asia SLIPUP SPOT Katmai National Park and Preserve, Alaska PHOTO FAIL If this brown bear doesn’t get better at catching its food, it’s never going to chomp up to 40 salmon a day to bulk up for its big winter sleep. ANIMAL Great egret RANGE Global (except polar regions) SLIPUP SPOT Champagne, France PHOTO FAIL This bird probably was hoping for a more graceful arrival when it tried to land on this frozen lake. ANIMAL Bengal tiger RANGE India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, and China SLIPUP SPOT Bandhavgarh National Park, India PHOTO FAIL Like all tigers, this youngster is probably an excellent swimmer and a fierce predator afraid of nothing—except maybe this spooky leaf in the water.…

CANINE CATCHER Purin the beagle holds the world record for catching the most balls with her paws—14 catches in one minute. “People ask me why soccer teams aren’t scouting her yet,” owner Makoto Kumagai says. Purin, whose name is the Japanese word for “pudding,” practices her soccer moves for 15 minutes a day at her home in Tokyo, Japan. In addition to fielding goals, the four-pawed sports star can do about a hundred other tricks, including jumping rope and skateboarding. This is one dog that’s really on the ball. BIG WHEEL Talk about going around in circles. Zooming across an airfield at more than 72 miles an hour, Mark Foster set the record for fastest monowheel motorcycle. The monowheel, which Foster helped build, is a motorized wheel that has a metal…

Do animal siblings care about each other? Check out six surprising stories and decide for yourself. A ground squirrel enters its underground burrow, squealing a loud warning at its sibling still outside. The second squirrel scrambles into the safety of the burrow, barely escaping the paws of a hungry fox. Ground squirrels care enough about their siblings to warn them of danger—but they don’t bother with unrelated squirrels. And research shows that hamsters that live with a sibling heal twice as fast as those that don’t. In fact, many animals find that life with siblings is better than life without them. Read on to discover why. Lost and Found Cyndy Lamb’s Labrador retriever, Cooper, wasn’t comfortable around other canines. “He always got his hair up when he met another dog,”…

Can a groundhog predict when spring will arrive? Every February 2, people gather in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, to watch a groundhog come out of its burrow. Legend has it that if “Punxsutawney Phil” sees his shadow, the startled groundhog will go back into his burrow to wait out six more weeks of winter. If he doesn’t see his shadow, an early spring is supposedly on the way. This Groundhog Day tradition goes all the way back to 1887. Groundhogs have regular hibernation patterns, and the males always come out of their burrows in early February to claim their territory. So their annual appearance is just their natural instinct. But can that predict the weather? Data gathered between 2012 and 2021 showed that Punxsutawney Phil was correct only 40 percent of the…

PLAY! 1 You make my heart sing. Couples sing duets to attract each other and form deeper bonds. 2 Can you feel the love? Males of this species emit a low-frequency sound that vibrates the water. 3 I was blue till I met you. When choosing a mate, females pick the partner with the bluest hue. 4 Don’t burst my bubble. The males of this species seal the deal by blowing bubbles to attract females. 5 May I have this dance? These mates greet each other every morning with an underwater dance. ANSWERS: 1. C, 2. D, 3. B, 4. E, 5. A. PLAY MORE MATCHING GAMES! natgeokids.com/february…

MAINLAND PREDATORS ISLAND EATERS…

HEART-TO-HEART These photographs show close-up and faraway views of heart-shaped things. Unscramble the letters to identify what’s in each picture. “What in the World?” Top row: cloud, rope, leaf. Middle row: flower, island, potato. Bottom row: marine worm, ravioli, door handle.…

1 How long is the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc race through France, Switzerland, and Italy in the Alps mountain range? A. 20 miles B. 55 miles C. 106 miles D. 176 miles 2 Bigger than a 12-story building, the world’s tallest snowperson was constructed where? A. Winnipeg, Canada B. Santiago, Chile C. Bethel, Maine D. Antarctica 3 What natural element inspired a Swiss engineer to invent Velcro? A. wasp exoskeletons B. spiky seed pods C. loopy moss D. pineapple skins 4 What did many ankylosaurs have at the end of their tails? A. a barb B. a club C. feathers D. wings 5 What does the word “dachshund” mean in German, the language spoken in this dog breed’s native country? A. badger dog B. sea dog C. shrimpy D. hot dog…