Whydoyou thinkred foxespounce insnow? Red foxes hunt mice hiding under the snow. With its big ears, the fox hears the tiny mouse. Then it leaps up and dives headfirst into the snow. Surprise, mouse! Afox canjumpashigh as agrown-up’shead. 3 © MARK RAYCROFT / MINDEN PICTURES (1); © ANDRÉ GILDEN / ALAMY (2); © DONALD M. JONES / MINDEN PICTURES (3) ANIMALS 2 J A N U A R Y / F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 3
Look at each picture in the top row. Find the differences between it and the one below. What IsDifferent? © IMAGE SOURCE / CORBIS (HATS); © APICHON_TEE / SHUTTERSTOCK (BIRDS); © SERGEY GALUSHKO / ALAMY (SHELLS AND SEA STARS) SORTING N A T I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C 3 Find one difference. Find two differences. Find three differences.
That’sCool! Meet the musk ox. Muskoxen live where it is very cold.Their shaggycoats keepthem warm. Muskoxen live inherds. Theyhelp protect each other from wolves. Theyuse theirhooves todigfor roots andmossunder the snow. © INGO ARNDT / MINDEN PICTURES (BIG PICTURE); © JIM BRANDENBURG / MINDEN PICTURES (HOOF) HOOF COAT NATURE 4 J A N U A R Y / F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 3
What intheWorldAreThese? —IZZA —UPCAKE —ANDLES —CE CREAM —RIENDS —RESENT —OW —APER CUP —OISEMAKER Name some other things you see at a birthday party. TOP ROW (LEFT TO RIGHT): ALEXANDER BALUEV / SHUTTERSTOCK; © IMAGE SOURCE BLACK / JUPITERIMAGES; BRENT HOFACKER / SHUTTERSTOCK. MIDDLE ROW (LEFT TO RIGHT): © LEW ROBERTSON / BRAND X / CORBIS; ANDERSEN ROSS PHOTOGRAPHY INC / DIGITALVISION / GETTY IMAGES; DAVE BRADLEY PHOTOGRAPHY / GETTY IMAGES. BOTTOM ROW (LEFT TO RIGHT): GROVE PASHLEY / BRAND X PICTURES / JUPITERIMAGES; © GRAFICART.NET / ALAMY; © IMAGE100 / CORBIS. NAMING N A T I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C 5
Snow leopards live high in the mountains. Their home is very snowy and rocky. ANIMALS HOME IN THE 6 J A N U A R Y / F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 3
SNOW Long, thick fur keeps the snow leopard warm. Furry feet keep the paws toasty. © THOMAS MARENT / MINDEN PICTURES (BIG PICTURE, PAWS) PAWS N A T I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C 7
They hunt ibex, blue sheep, anddeer. A snow leopard’ s fur blends in with the snow and rocks. It hides and waits. With strong legs and paws that grip the rocks, it leaps to catch its prey. Can you find two snow leopards in this photo? 8 J A N U A R Y / F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 3
© SYLVAIN CORDIER / NPL / MINDEN PICTURES (TWO SNOW LEOPARDS); © WIM VAN DEN HEEVER / NATURE PICTURE LIBRARY (LEAPING); WESTBURY / GETTY IMAGES (SLEEPING) Snow leopards hiss,growl, andpurr. The fur onitsbelly is as longas yourhand. After it eats, the snow leopard finds a spot to sleep. It wraps its long tail around its body for a snuggly catnap. N A T I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C 9
IDENTIFYING BEFORE TORTOISE Whathappens before yougooutside whenit is cold? BEFORE AND AFTER KINGFISHER BOTTLENOSE DOLPHIN RED SQUIRREL © OLIVER WRIGHT / NATURE PICTURE LIBRARY (KINGFISHER, BOTH); 10 J A N U A R Y / F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 3 © JANE BURTON / NATURE PICTURE LIBRARY (TURTLE, BOTH);
AFTER N A T I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C 11 Whathappens afteryoureada bedtime story? Look at the pictures below. Some of them show what happens before. Some of the pictures show what happens after. Draw a line with your finger from the before picture to the after one. © DAVID PATTYN / NPL / MINDEN PICTURES (RED SQUIRREL, BOTH); © JOHN MACPHERSON / 2020VISION / NATURE PICTURE LIBRARY (BOTTLENOSE DOLPHIN, BOTH)
The whale shark is the biggest fish in the world. Everything about it is giant! GIANTS OF THE SEA ANIMALS 12 J A N U A R Y / F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 3
© GARY BELL / OCEANWIDE / MINDEN PICTURES N A T I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C 13 Whales sharks can be as long as four cars end to end. The fin on its back is taller than you. This is a shark, not a whale.
14 For a big fish, its eyes are small— about the size of Ping-Pong balls. Each whale shark has a different pattern of spots and stripes on its back. Open up! The shark’ s mouth is wider than your outstretched arms. But the whale shark eats very small food! The fish swallows the tiny food whole—it does not bite it. MOUTH EYE 14 J A N U A R Y / F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 3
There are more than 530 kinds of sharks. Here are a few. SHARKS FRILL SHARK BLUE SHARK LEOPARD SHARK OTHER GREAT WHITE SHARK © RICHARD HERRMANN / MINDEN PICTURES (MOUTH); © REINHARD DIRSCHERL / FLPA / MINDEN PICTURES (WHALE WITH SPOTS); JOOST VAN UFFELEN / GETTY IMAGES (BLUE SHARK); AWASHIMA MARINE PARK / GETTY IMAGES (FRILL SHARK); © FRANCO BANFI / BLUE PLANET ARCHIVE (GREAT WHITE SHARK); © ANDY MURCH / NATURE PICTURE LIBRARY (LEOPARD SHARK)
WOW, VOWELS! The letters A, E, I, O, and U are special letters called vowels. Sing the names of the animals that start with the letter A. Whisper the names of the animals that start with an E. Make an O shape with your fingers when you see animals that start with the letter O. EEL OSTRICH © JUERGEN & CHRISTINE SOHNS / MINDEN PICTURES (OSTRICH); © ALEX MUSTARD / NATURE PICTURE LIBRARY (OCTOPUS); MOOSE HENDERSON / GETTY IMAGES (EAGLE); RUNDSTEDT B. ROVILLOS / SORTING 16 J A N U A R Y / F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 3
Can you find the other two vowels inside these words? (Hint: The other vowels are I and U.) ANT ELEPHANT OCTOPUS ALLIGATOR EAGLE ORANGUTAN GETTY IMAGES (ANT); NNEHRING / GETTY IMAGES (ALLIGATOR); HUMBERTO RAMIREZ / GETTY IMAGES (EEL); © LISA HOFFNER / NATURE PICTURE LIBRARY (ELEPHANT); © SUZI ESZTERHAS / MINDEN PICTURES (ORANGUTAN) N A T I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C 17
A kangaroo hops instead of walks to find food and friends. A kangaroo can hop as fast as a car drives on a street. Using its big feet like a diving board, the kangaroo leaps up. It can jump higher than three kids standing on top of each other. A KANGAROO © JUERGEN & CHRISTINE SOHNS / MINDEN PICTURES (ALL) NATURE 18 J A N U A R Y / F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 3
A kangaroo’s long, thick tail helps keep its balance in the air. The animal can jump the length of a school bus in one hop. JUMPS 3 4 The kangaroo lands on the ground. It jumps again and again to find grass, leaves, and flowers to eat. Boing! Boing! N A T I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C 19
STARKOV ROMAN / SHUTTERSTOCK When it is very cold outside, rivers, streams, and lakes might form ice on the top of the water. The water right under the ice is too cold for most fish to live there. But the water at the bottom of the lake or river is not as cold. So the fish go there to swim during the winter. WHERE DO FISH GOWHEN WATERFREEZES? SCIENCE 20 J A N U A R Y / F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 3
How do you get ready for cold weather? ICE FISH
HEARTS AND STARS Nature is full of many shapes. Trace the star shapes with your finger. Pat your heart when you see a heart shape. STONE PAPAYASEEDS (Papaya is a fruit.) SEASTAR CACTUS SORTING 22 J A N U A R Y / F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 3
What otherkinds of shapes can youname? LEAF BIRDS STARFRUIT FLOWER Editor in Chief, Kids and Family, Magazines and Digital Rachel Buchholz Senior Design Editor, Magazines Eileen O’Tousa-Crowson Senior Photo Editor Shannon Hibberd Editorial Ruth A. Musgrave, Contributing Writer Photo Kelley Miller, Contributing Photo Editor Art Dawn McFadin, Contributing Designer Production Sean Philpotts, Manager Digital Laura Goertzel, Senior Manager PUBLISHED BY NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC PARTNERS, LLC EVP and General Manager David E. Miller Editorial Director, National Geographic Nathan Lump Managing Editor, Magazines David Brindley International Publishing Yulia Petrossian Boyle, Vice President Jennifer Jones, Manager, International Business Development; Leanna Lakeram, Account Manager Finance Jeannette Swain, Director Tammi Colleary-Loach, Senior Manager, Rights Clearance Joey Wolfkill, Senior Business Specialist Consumer Marketing John MacKethan, Director, Print Operations Mark Viola, Senior Manager, Circulation Planning Janet H. Zavrel, Manager, Circulation Planning Publicity Anna Kukelhaus, [email protected] Caitlin Holbrook, [email protected] NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC LITTLE KIDS, Issue 96, January / February 2023 (ISSN 1934-8363), is published bimonthly by National Geographic Partners, LLC, 1145 17th Street N.W., Washington, DC 20036-4688. POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC LITTLE KIDS, P.O. Box 37545, Boone, IA 50037. If the Postal Service alerts NGP that your magazine is undeliverable, NGP has no further obligation unless it receives a corrected address within two years. SUBSCRIPTIONS: United States, $30.00; to Canada, $37.00; elsewhere, $48.00; all in U.S. funds. Single copy: United States, $5.00; to Canada, $10.00; elsewhere, $15.00; all in U.S. funds. In Canada, Agreement number 1000010298,return undeliverable Canadian addresses to NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC LITTLE KIDS, P.O. Box 819 STN Main, Markham, ON L3P 9Z9 Parents: Follow us on Twitter @NGKids and like us on Facebook. PRINTED ON100%PEFC-CERTIFIED PAPER— PEFC/29-31-58—Pleaserecycle. © JOSE B. RUIZ / NPL / MINDEN PICTURES (BIRDS); MINH HOANG CONG / 500PX / GETTY IMAGES (STAR FRUIT); © NORBERT WU / MINDEN PICTURES (SEA STAR); © NIALL BENVIE / NPL / MINDEN PICTURES (STONE); © ALEX HYDE / NPL / MINDEN PICTURES (LEAF); JAMALRANI / GETTY IMAGES (CACTUS); ALANA HALDAN / SHUTTERSTOCK (PAPAYA SEEDS); ADELHEID NOTHEGGER / GETTY IMAGES (FLOWER); PETER BOLLIGER (COVER) N A T I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C 23
wild cards EUROPEAN WILDCAT COPYRIGHT©2022NATIONALGEOGRAPHICPARTNERS,LLC
© PETER CAIRNS / NATURE PICTURE LIBRARY FUN FACTs Wildcats look a lot like pet cats. However, they are wild— just as lions and tigers are. European wildcat
w i l d c a r d s w i l d c a r d s RED BIRD OF PARADISE
© ERIC BACCEGA / NATURE PICTURE LIBRARY FUN FACTs It can take six years forthe male’s curved red feathers to grow long. He uses them to attractfemales. red bird of paradise
w i l d c a r d s w i l d c a r d s GEMSBOK
ANN & STEVE TOON / ROBERT HARDING FUN FACTs Both male and female gemsboks have horns. Gemsboks use their horns to fight offenemies. gemsbok
w i l d c a r d s w i l d c a r d s BLISTER BEETLE
© ROLF NUSSBAUMER / NATURE PICTURE LIBRARY FUN FACTs This blister beetle is about as long as the word “blister” at the top of this card. blister beetle
w i l d c a r d s w i l d c a r d s ANTARCTIC FUR SEAL
© SUZI ESZTERHAS / MINDEN PICTURES FUN FACTs An adult fur seal may spend more than a week at sea looking for food. Antarctic fur seal
wild cards HUMPBACK WHALE
© DOUG PERRINE / NATURE PICTURE LIBRARY FUN FACTs Humpbacks can leap almost allthe way out ofthe water. They twistin the air as they jump. humpback whale
A. swimming B. running C. cleaning its fur CritterCorner What do you think this polar bear is doing? © JAMI TARRIS / MINDEN PICTURES Copyright © 2022 National Geographic Partners, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction of the whole or any part of the contents of NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC LITTLE KIDS without written permission is prohibited. NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC LITTLE KIDS and Yellow Border: Registered Trademarks ® Marcas Registradas. Printed in the U.S.A. SUBSCRIBETO NATIONAL GEOGRAPHICLITTLEKIDS! CALLTOLL FREE: 1 (800)647-5463 Monday-Friday: 7 a.m.–8p.m.CT, Saturday: 8 a.m.–6p.m.CT natgeo.com/littlekids/subscribe C:r e wsnA OBSERVATION