Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2025 i National Geographic Kids

It might look like this pufferfish is having a very bad day. But the California sea lion is just playing! Underwater photographer Greg Lecoeur explains how he captured this surprising scene. “I was taking photos in the Sea of Cortés, off the northwest coast of Mexico, where a huge colony of sea lions lives. You could smell them as the boat got close—not a good smell. “Underwater, I noticed this sea lion playing with a pufferfish. The marine mammal gently grabbed the pufferfish and swam toward the seafloor, then dropped it like a ball. The pufferfish swam back up. Then the sea lion caught it and dropped it again. After the sea lion was done playing, the fish swam away—all puffed up, but unharmed. “I usually dive for hours, watching…

Snowy owls don’t hatch from their eggs looking like fierce predators. Check out how these birds go from clumsy chicks to fearless fliers. About three weeks after hatching, owlets leave the nest to toddle around the tundra on their wobbly legs. Young snowies take their first real flight when they’re about six or seven weeks old—after a lot of practice. After two months, the owls are almost fully independent and will soon migrate to a warmer habitat. They’ll return to the Arctic in the spring to have chicks of their own.…

Do pets experience emotions such as joy and guilt? Definitely, according to animal behaviorist Marc Bekoff. And plenty more scientists are beginning to agree. Until recently, though, many scientists weren’t so sure. It’s only now that they’re realizing what pet owners have been saying all along: You may not know exactly what’s going on in your pets’ minds, but you are pretty sure they have feelings that are very much like your own. Read these six stories, and decide for yourself if your furry friend has more going on in its head than dinner and playtime. JEALOUS GUINEA PIG Abandoned guinea pigs Sammie and his mate, Lola, came to live with Teresa Murphy in San Mateo, California, while she searched for a new home for them. One day, the guinea…

An Austrian orchestra plays musical instruments made from veggies. Legend says that pirate treasure might be buried near the Statue of Liberty. About 300 different languages are spoken in China. A dog may yawn after seeing a human yawn. One type of Australian flower spends its entire life underground. Some experts think individual honeybees have different personalities. Nighttime rainbows, or moonbows, are common at Yosemite National Park. The Mwanza flat-headed rock agama lizard resembles Spider-Man. CHECK OUT THE BOOK!…

Snowy owls use their sharp beaks to, um, tear apart their prey. Other birds have distinctive beaks that they use to help them eat, too. Match the pictures of the beaks with the animals they belong to. A Yellow-billed oxpecker They use their beaks like tweezers to pry ticks out of other animals. B King vulture Their hooked beaks are strong enough to tear into tough hide. C Pileated wood-pecker They use their bills to drill holes in trees to get insects to eat. D Keel-billed toucan They use their long bills to pluck and peel different kinds of fruit. E Great white pelican Their huge beaks help them snag fish out of water. ANSWERS: 1. B, 2. A, 3. D, 4. E, 5. C.…

Test your doggie smarts! Match each animal’s posture to the correct emotion, then fill each line with the correct letter. The first one has been done for you. ANSWERS BELOW 1 E Curious “What’s up?” 2 Submissive “Tell me what you want. You’re the boss!” 3 Lonely “I’m all alone, where did everybody go?” 4 Playful “C’mon, throw me the ball!” 5 Afraid “I’m seriously freaking out right now.” 6 Aggressive “Back off—before somebody gets hurt!” CHECK OUT THE BOOK! Answers: 1. E, 2. B, 3. F, 4. D, 5. C, 6. A.…

SUBSTITUTION CIPHER A substitution cipher swaps one letter for another. Both the messenger and the receiver need a key to read the message. Using the key at the bottom of the page, decode these animal ciphers. ANSWERS BELOW AQHFGS BNKNQR VZQM ZVZX OQDCZSNQR. ZM NBSNOTR GZR SGQDD GDZQSR. LZKD ODMFTHMR JDDO DFFR VZQL. MN SVN SHFDQR’ RSQHODR ZQD ZKHJD. IN THIS KEY, THE ALPHABET USED TO WRITE THE CIPHER IS MOVED ONE LETTER. Normal: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Cipher: Z A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y CHECK OUT THE…

In the Arctic, snowy owls stick close to their nests, so scientists can easily observe them. But once the owls fly south for the winter, experts aren’t exactly sure where they go or what they do. Project SNOWstorm is trying to solve these mysteries. Launched in 2013, the program uses GPS tracking devices to follow snowy owls across the United States and Canada on their winter migration paths. But where do you put a tiny tracker on a big bird? In a tiny backpack, of course. First, scientists catch an owl using a harmless net trap. Then they fit the bird with a lightweight backpack that won’t affect its ability to fly. The solar-powered tracker transmits the bird’s location back to scientists through cell-phone towers. Project SNOWstorm has so far…

Like narwhals, many animals live in polar habitats. Sort the animals on the left into the region where they live: the Arctic or the Antarctic. The first one has been done for you. ANSWERS BELOW Answers: Arctic: polarbear, walrus, snowyowl, caribou, beluga. Antarctic: wandering albartoss, crabeaterseal, emperorpenguin, Adéliepenguin, leopardseal.…