National Geographic Kids December 2023/January 2024

VOLCANOES ONCE ERUPTED ON THE MOON. WORMS that resemble TINY CHRISTMAS TREES are found on many CORAL REEFS. A SNOWY OWL’S FEET ARE COVERED IN FEATHERS TO KEEP THEM WARM. A double somersault with a TWIST performed on a trampoline is called a fliffis. The lungs of a West Indian manatee are two-thirds the length of its body. EXTREME ATHLETES have SKIED from the top of MOUNT EVEREST to a BASE CAMP 12‚000 FEET BELOW.…

What’s the slimiest animal? The hagfish easily takes this ooey gooey top spot. It can fill an entire bucket with slime in less than a second! Turns out, slime is a hagfish’s superpower. When threatened, the eel-like, 18-inch-long fish releases sticky mucus—or slime—filled with tiny fibers that sting and clog a predator’s gills. And if that doesn’t work, the hagfish has a backup move: It can squirm out of its attacker’s grasp by tying itself into a knot. (How? The hagfish has no bones.) This fish might be the slimiest animal, but it could also compete in the “strangest” category. It’s the only animal with a skull but no true spinal column, and its skull is made of cartilage, the same flexible tissue in your nose and ears. It has…

VERY IMPORTANT BEAR This officer doesn’t follow orders very well—unless it’s an order to eat fish! Juno the polar bear is the world’s highest-ranking bear. The bear was “adopted” by the Canadian Army as a mascot after she was born near an armed forces holiday; she now holds the unofficial rank of master corporal. She’s also an environmental ambassador, raising climate change awareness for visitors at the Toronto Zoo where she lives. Juno, we salute you! —Laura Goertzel HUGE DECORATION You might have a hard time hanging up this ornament. Dangling from the ceiling of a mall in Dubai, United Arab Emirates(a country in the Middle East), the world’s largest holiday bauble weighs 2,425 pounds and has about a 15-foot diameter. Fifteen people needed two nights to put together the ornament,…

1 Arctic foxes have thick fur on their paws that help them grip the ice. 2 Submarines have traveled underneath the North Pole. 3 Temperatures in the Arctic have dropped as low as minus 93.3˚F. 4 At least once a year, the Arctic has 24 hours of darkness and 24 hours of sunlight. 5 The Arctic region includes parts of Canada, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden, and the United States.…

ALL IN THE FAMILY Every living thing on Earth—animals, plants, and fungi—shares a common ancestor that lived 1.6 billion years ago. That means all living things share some DNA, the stuff that determines everything from eye color to height. Here’s how much DNA humans share with other organisms. CHECK OUT THE BOOK!…

Beaver Cleans Room Chelmsford, Massachusetts Busy as a beaver? Just wait till you meet Nibi! Found near a road when she was a few days old, this American beaver is growing up at Newhouse Wildlife Rescue. For her first year, Nibi spent most of her time inside the facility, where she could be safe from predators like hawks and get the care she needed. Rehabbers gave Nibi lots of toys to play with and sticks to practice her dam-building skills. Throughout the day, Nibi mixed the sticks and toys together. But when the beaver decided it was time to clean up, she carefully placed each item into its proper pile. “It’s like she was separating her playthings from her work things,” animal rehabilitator Jane Newhouse says. Nibi’s behavior is similar to how…