Innholdsfortegnelse for June/July 2023 i National Geographic Kids

THE WORLD TRAVELER After leaving their nesting site, some loggerhead sea turtles swim up to a third of the way around the world. Named for their large heads that look sort of like a big log, loggerheads travel as far north as Canada and as far south as Argentina. THE “LITTLE” ONE The Kemp’s ridley might be the smallest sea turtle, but that doesn’t mean it’s tiny. The 70- to 100-pound adult reptile weighs more than most 10-year-old kids, and its shell is about the size of a car tire. These “little” turtles also build their nests in about 50 minutes, less than half the time it takes other sea turtles. THE NEAT FREAK Some green sea turtles stay clean by visiting a turtle wash! Turtles choose a “cleaning station,”…

WHOSE POO? THE SCIENTIST Mauricio Cantor COOL JOB Behavioral ecologist THE LOCATION Galápagos Islands, Ecuador “We were on a boat following sperm whales and scooping their poop from the ocean’s surface. Back at the lab, I could study the stuff to learn more about the whales’ social lives. So I placed each poo sample into a vial labeled with the animal’s name and social group. Then I put the tubes into a container of liquid nitrogen—it’s minus 320°F and instantly freezes the poop, which keeps it fresh. “Back at the lab, I opened the container—and all the labels had fallen off the vials! I didn’t know which poop sample belonged to which whale. I’d ordered the wrong stickers, which fell off in the super-cold temperature. I was not the most popular…

OOH-WORTHY EYES The mantis shrimp might have the coolest eyes your eyes have ever seen. These crustaceans, which live in tropical and subtropical waters worldwide, hold the record for having the most complex eyes in the animal kingdom. Almost all animals have color receptors, which help them tell different colors apart. But these shrimp have more color receptors than other animals, including humans. That’s why only mantis shrimp can see a type of light that reflects special patterns off their shells. And that helps them find a mate or avoid a fight with another shrimp. These creatures are definitely something you have to see to believe. TOWER OF ICE-POP STICKS How many ice-pop sticks does it take to create the world’s tallest ice-pop-stick structure? Nearly 2,000 of them! With his…

Istanbul, Turkey Subway riders in this busy city often shared their trip with an unusual passenger: Boji the Anatolian shepherd mix! The dog would wait patiently on a station platform for the train doors to open, then find a seat until he was ready to, uh, debark. The stray dog has been well known to passengers on subway trains, trolleys, and ferries. Human riders would pet the friendly pup and leave food for him at different stops. “Boji always knew where he was going,” says photographer Chris McGrath, who spent a day following the dog. “He moved so fast—it was hard to keep up with him!” In 2021, city officials put a microchip tracker in Boji and found out the pooch passed through at least 29 stations each day. So…

In the new movie Elemental, residents made of fire, water, earth, and air live in different districts throughout Element City. But when Ember, who’s made of fire, needs to save her parents’ store, she must work with a city inspector named Wade, who’s made of water. We used real science to inspire how these two characters—along with characters made of earth and air—behave in the film,” director Peter Sohn says. But how much are Ember, Wade, and other residents like the natural elements they’re modeled after? Nat Geo Kids goes behind the scenes to find out. Plant Power An earth character named Clod, who’s mostly made of soil and grass, tries to impress his crush, Ember, by sprouting flowers in his armpits. Soil is important for helping flowers grow in…

The Inca Empire was the most powerful of the day, ruling western South America between 1400 and 1533. And the Inca leaders sometimes needed vacations! That’s why the Inca built Machu Picchu in what’s now Peru. All that’s left today are ruins, but about 500 years ago, it was a bustling royal residence. Peek into the past to discover the secrets of this awesome spot. 1 ROYAL RELAXATION The royal family lived mostly in the mountainous capital city, Cusco. But during the winter, they could move down to the warmer Machu Picchu. Emperor Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui (pah-chah-KOO-tee EENG-kah YOO-pahn-kee) likely ordered construction of the retreat around 1450. There, the royals could feast and entertain guests. The other 750 residents served the rulers and maintained the city. 2 SUNCATCHER The Inca…

A The caterpillar’s butterfly mother protects them. FALSE: She lays hundreds of eggs and flies away. Caterpillars hatch a week later, able to survive on their own. B It’s a giant among caterpillars. FALSE: A black swallowtail caterpillar grows to be about two inches long. Other species are nearly three times as long. C It wouldn’t eat your hot dog, but it might think about the pickles. TRUE: These caterpillars eat dill carrots parley and queen Anne’s lace. D You might advise a black swallowtail caterpillar to take a shower. TRUE: It releases a bad odor if threatened. E No way would you find any black swallowtails in someone’s yard. FALSE: People can attract black swallowtail butterflies to yards by planting carrot and fennel seeds. Females lay their eggs on…

It’s after midnight, and the Costa Rican beach seems deserted. But a poacher sneaks onto the sand, quickly digging into a green sea turtle nest and scooping up as many eggs as he can. He’s going to illegally sell them to make money. But scientists know something the thief doesn’t: One of the eggs is fake; a tracking device had been planted inside of it just a few hours earlier. Dressed in all-black to avoid being seen, researchers had hidden the decoy egg inside this turtle nest, hoping a poacher would steal it. Now that one has, the scientists can track who’s poaching the eggs, where the eggs travel—and where they end up. POACHING PROBLEM Some people pay big bucks for sea turtle eggs, even though buying and selling them…

RED PANDA Bamboo, delish! These “fire foxes,” as they’re sometimes called, dine on bamboo like their black-and-white namesake does. But unlike giant pandas, Asia’s red pandas have cute white whiskers. The sensitive hairs help the pandas navigate narrow spaces, especially at night. WHITE RHINOCEROS A rhino’s feelings wouldn’t get hurt if you called it a name. (Not that you would.) They have thick skin—literally. About an inch thick, rhino skin is built to protect the animal from thorns and biting flies in its African home. A rhino’s size is nothing to mess with, either. One of the world’s biggest babies, rhinos can weigh 140 pounds at birth, gaining four pounds every day until they reach about 4,500 pounds. Hugely adorable! CHIPMUNK This North American rodent stays alert while it fills…

A A large Clarion angelfish is the same length as a dollar bill. FALSE: At almost eight inches, it’s one dollar and two quarters long. B Its thin body helps it slip in and around the rocky reefs. TRUE: Clarion angelfish live in reef waters that are 10 to 100 feet deep. C This fish is so common, it’s like the pigeon of the ocean. FALSE: Almost all Clarion angelfish live in a 31-square-mile area near Mexico’s Revillagigedo Islands. D Clarion angelfish would love SpongeBob. TRUE: For dinner! These angelfish eat sponges, seagrasses, and algae. E A strong El Niño is its friend. FALSE: El Niño—the unusually warm surface waters that sometimes flow in parts of the Pacific Ocean—disrupts the nutrients in the angelfish’s ocean home.…