National Geographic Kids

NATGEOKIDS.COM • FEBRUARY 2021 COOL

SEARCHING BOOK
FOR
GIVEAWAY
SNOW
LEOPARDS

RECORD-
BREAKING
DOG
WOMBAT RESCUE



IN THIS ISSUE

Editor in Chief and Vice President, 12 On the Trail of Ghost Cats
Kids Magazines & Digital Cool technology and old-school tracking help protect hard-to-find snow leopards.
Rachel Buchholz
18 Sneak Peek! DEPARTMENTS
Design Director, Magazines Eileen O’Tousa-Crowson
Check out an excerpt 4 Weird
Editorial Kay Boatner, Senior Editor / Digital Producer; from Explorer Academy: But True!
Allyson Shaw, Editor / Digital Producer The Tiger's Nest.
5 Incredible
Photo Shannon Hibberd, Senior Photo Editor 20 Wombat Rescue Animal Friends

Production Sean Philpotts, Director How a kind caretaker 6 Guinness
helped raise three orphaned World Records
Digital Laura Goertzel, Director wombats during the
COVID-19 lockdown. 7 Bet You
PUBLISHED BY NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC PARTNERS, LLC Didn’t Know!
24 The Secret
Chairman of the Board of Directors History of 8 Awesome 8
Jean Case Chocolate 10 Amazing Animals
28 Fun Stuff
Chairman, National Geographic Partners These facts will melt
Gary E. Knell in your mouth. PLAY!

Editorial Director 26 Fit for a Queen STUMPYOPRUEEDRSIPITDAIOERNNENTSTS
Susan Goldberg
The Taj Mahal might Pages 28-29
Managing Editor, Magazines be the world’s
David Brindley grandest tomb. COVER: PETER BOLLIGER (SNOW LEOPARD);
DOUG GIMESY / NATURE PICTURE LIBRARY
Advertising Offices John Campbell, Senior Vice President, JUST FOR PARENTS (WOMBAT); GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS
Partnerships, [email protected] (DOG). PAGE 3: FRÉDÉRIC LARREY (MOM
For corrections and clarifications, AND CUBS); SCOTT PLUMBE (EXPLORER
Detroit Karen Sarris, [email protected] go online. natgeo.com/corrections ACADEMY ILLUSTRATION); DOUG GIMESY /
Los Angeles Eric Josten, [email protected] NATURE PICTURE LIBRARY (WOMBAT); JOE
New York Hilary Halstead, [email protected] Follow us on Twitter@NGKids ROCCO (CHOCOLATE ILLUSTRATION); HANS
and like us on Facebook. SLEGERS / DREAMSTIME (FLAGS); JIM ZUCK-
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Senior Vice President; Jennifer Jones, Director;
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Finance Jeannette Swain, Senior Budget Manager; When you read with us, you help further
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Jessica Bates, Senior Director

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Check out these CHECK OUT
outrageous facts. THE BOOK!

BY MICHELLE HARRIS AND JULIE BEER

TREES WITH Some lobsters are
SQUARE
TRUNKS BRIGHT BLUE.
GROW IN
PANAMA.

Koalas

in southern Australia
tend to have

thicker fur

than koalas to
the north.

wnTaahms eoePrdFigltruihnisetablolyePelatter. muleMail is delivered by © ISSELEE / DREAMSTIME (KOALAS); SUE DALY / NPL / MINDEN PICTURES (LOBSTER); JACK KURTZ UPI PHOTO SERVICE /
NEWSCOM (MULE); ZONECREATIVE / ISTOCKPHOTO (WATERMELON); © KIRSTY PARGETER / DREAMSTIME (PEOPLE)
to a village in Arizona.

A SMALL LUMP OF Watermelons More people live in
are
GOLD the Tokyo, Japan,
92 percent
CAN BE FLATTENED area than in
INTO A SHEET water.
all of Canada.
AS BIG AS A

TENNIS
COURT.

4 NAT GEO KIDS • FEBRUARY 2021

INCREDIBLE
ANIMAL FRIENDS BYELISABETH
DEFFNER you

quack
me up.
OWL SNUGGLES
WITH DUCK
North Yorkshire, England
Someone forgot to tell

Larch the long-eared owl

that owls sometimes hunt ducklings. His first best friend? A white-crested

runner duck. The two young birds spent hours together preening(also called

grooming) each other’s feathers at the Kirkleatham Owl Centre where they

both hatched.

LONG-EARED OWL Paired up because neither had siblings,

the birds immediately bonded. The two

RANGE North America, often napped together, remembers center

Europe, Asia, and parts manager Craig Wesson. Dark, fuzzy Larch would fall RUNNER DUCK
of Africa asleep on top of his fluffy duck friend, and when the

CAMO-OWL Long-eared duck woke up, she sometimes stood up so fast that RANGE Every continent
owls can blend into tree limbs the little owl tumbled off. This never bothered Larch, except Antarctica
to hide themselves from but the duckling’s fondness for water was a bigger
predators such as eagles and problem. Owl feathers aren’t waterproof like duck NAME GAME Runner
other owls. feathers, so it’s hard for owls to get dry when they’re ducks don’t waddle. As
wet. “Larch looked quite horrified when the duck their name says, they can
X MARKS THE SPOT White was splashing water everywhere,” Wesson says. run.
feathers form an X between
these owls’ eyes. As the pals grew up, they spent less time ALSO KNOWN AS
with each other. Ducks sleep at night, while A male duck is a drake.
NIGHT HUNTER A female duck is a hen.
Even in pitch black, owls snooze during the day. But until
long-eared owls then, these winged friends enjoyed QUACK ATTACK
can catch mice, flocking together. Only hens make quack-
thanks to their ing sounds; drakes make
excellent whispering noises.

hearing.

LARCH

© KIRKLEATHAM OWL CENTRE (BOTH)

5FEBRUARY 2021 • NAT GEO KIDS

GUINNESS GET OUT OF
HER WAY!
WORLD
Emma is a pretty
RECORDS BY ANGELA JONES speedy dog—even on
two legs. The pup can
EXCUSE run about 33 feet on
ME, no her hind legs in 3.05
tIme to seconds, as well as
“paws!” jump five hurdles on
her hind legs in 5.66
OWNER WOLFGANG seconds. That’s the
LAUENBURGER RUNS fastest time for those
ALONGSIDE EMMA stunts by a dog.
DURING HER RECORD- Emma’s tricks took
BREAKING ATTEMPT. years of training, but
she had plenty of
motivation during
practice: a doggie
treat at the finish line.

CAR

You’ve probably never seen an electric car like this FLAMING
one. Measuring about a foot and a half from the
ground to its highest part, the lowest roadworthy STUNTThis woman can take the
car runs on batteries instead of gasoline. Built by high
school students and their teachers, the car is called heat. Pippa “The Ripper”
the Mirai, which means “future” in Japanese. That’s a Coram holds the record
future we want now. for the most fire hoops spun while in a split position.
First she lights three hoops on her arm and spins
6 NAT GEO KIDS • FEBRUARY 2021 them so fast that the fire barely touches her skin.
Then she slides into a split. But she’s never too far
away from a fire extinguisher!

GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS (EMMA); HARADA KAZUNARI (CAR); PAUL MICHAEL HUGHES / GUINNESS
WORLD RECORDS (CORAM). INFORMATION PROVIDED BY © 2021 GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS LIMITED.

fabulous facts

7about friendship
BY PAIGE TOWLER

1 2 Yellow roses
symbolize
Conversation
happiness,
candyhearts, warmth,

popular on Valentine’s and

Day, were originally friendship.

cureinvented as a
for sorethroats.

3 A study

5 Catsoften found that you 4 Scientists are
show their and your friends may developing
“sociable
have similar robots”—
brainwaves— robots designed to

meaning that your act as our friends and
brains respond to
information in the companions.

same ways.

affection

by wrapping their

tails around 6 7 Scientists

loved ones. cowshavefound

Scientists think that

that dogs have best
dream about friends,

their owners. just like humans.

BABYBLUEUT / ISTOCK 7FEBRUARY 2021 • NAT GEO KIDS

awesoome BY SARAH WASSNER FLYNN
AND BRITTANY MOYA DEL PINO

1 YOU ARE LIKE OYSTERS AND
WHAT CLAMS, NUDIBRANCHS
YOU EAT ARE MOLLUSKS. BUT
THESE SEA SLUGS
Near the rocky DON’T HAVE SHELLS.
shores of California n
and Mexico’s Baja
California, a neon
Spanish shawl
nudibranch is hard
to miss crawling on
corals or fluttering
through open water.
This flashy finger-
length slug gets its
bright color by recy-
cling pigments from
its favorite food, tiny
plantlike jellyfish
known as hydroids.

GNARLY NUDIBRANCHS

THEY MIGHT BE NICKNAMED “SEA SLUGS,” BUT THESE CREATURES ARE ANYTHING BUT LAZY.

NUDIBRANCHS 2 PATTERN
NAVIGATE USING PLAY
TENTACLES(ALSO
CALLED HORNS) Fluorescent stripes
THAT CAN SMELL and polka dots
AND TASTE. turn Nembrotha
kubaryana’s costume
into a can’t-miss
warning sign for
potential predators.
Distinguished by its
often orange edging,
this nudibranch
lives in tropical
western Pacific and
Indian Ocean waters
and can grow up to
4.7 inches long.

8 NAT GEO KIDS • FEBRUARY 2021

CHECK
OUT
THE

BOOK!

4 SUCH A 5 DANCE FOR THE FRILL OF IT
SHOW-OFF
Spanish dancers—which are
The beautiful plumes of the largest member of the sea
Cyerce nigricans are coated slug family—can be found
with a toxic mucus that swirling their “skirts” in the
tastes nasty to fish. Like a tropical waters of the west-
lizard’s tail, these plumes ern Pacific and Indian Oceans.
can also break off when this They grow up to 18 inches
sea slug feels threatened— long, crawling or swimming in
they wriggle to distract search of tasty sea sponges.
predators while the bite-
3 DEADLY size nudibranch makes its 6
SURFER getaway. FUZZY FACE

The thumbnail-size Nembrotha cristata looks like
blue dragon cruises it’s ready for someone to
tropical oceans, using scratch behind its little black
a stomach bubble to ears! Except those aren’t
float on the surface actually ears: They’re rhino-
while it searches for phores, used for smelling. The
its favorite snack: green mustache is really its
Portuguese man-of- tongue, and the little green
wars. But watch out! wings are stinging gills. On
The dragon stores the second thought, forget about
poison it ingests from the ear scratching …
its prey in the tips of
its frilly blue “fingers.” MAURICIO HANDLER / NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC IMAGE COLLECTION (1); © DANIELA DIRSCHERL / GETTY IMAGES (2); S. ROHRLACH /
GETTY IMAGES (3); VALERIE AND RON TAYLOR / ARDEA (4); DAVID DOUBILET / NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC IMAGE COLLECTION (5);
7 8 DOUG PERRINE / GETTY IMAGES (6); TERRY MOORE / STOCKTREK IMAGES / GETTY IMAGES (7); WATERFRAME / ALAMY (8)
DRESSED FOR ACTION SPOTS, HORNS, AND WINGS

If the University of California, Santa Cruz, ever gets tired Its frilly pigtails, mustache, and daisy-shaped spots make
of its banana slug mascot, we suggest trading up with Bornella anguilla look more like a cartoon character than a
Chromodoris annae as a replacement. This finger-length pinkie-finger-length sea slug. This nudibranch, named for its
sea slug already wears the university’s blue and yellow eel-like way of swimming (anguilla means “eel” in Latin), lives in
colors, and when it comes to competition, stingers beat the tropical waters of the western Pacific and Indian Oceans.
slime every time.
9FEBRUARY 2021 • NAT GEO KIDS

AMAANZIIMNAGLS

South Luangwa National Park, Zambia

Hippo Pucker up! On a safari drive, guide Patrick Njobvu
“Kisses”
watched as a young hippopotamus emerged from
Hyena
the Luangwa River, walked over to a snoozing spotted

hyena, and started to sniff. “The hyena didn’t run,

and both started sniffing each other, nose to nose,

almost like kissing,” Njobvu says. The two animals

hung out together for about 20 minutes before

walking away.

Experts don’t know why the hyena didn’t run

off—some think it might have been too scared to

move, while others believe that it could’ve been

feeling very relaxed. And the hippo? It was likely

just being curious. Behavioral ecologist Rob

Heathcote says that young animals like this hippo

are often more curious as they explore the

world and learn how to behave.

The “kiss” wasn’t true love,

but it was definitely

SORRY MY cute. —Katie Stacey

SMOOCHES

ARE SANDY!

10 NAT GEO KIDS • FEBRUARY 2021

I’M A
NATURAL
ATHLETE.

THINK
PINK!

THE PINK RAY
SWIMS ABOVE
TWO OTHER
REEF MANTA
RAYS AND A
REMORA, A TYPE
OF FISH THAT
EATS PARASITES
OFF BIGGER
ANIMALS.

Pink Manta Ray Cat Crashes “HIPPO ‘KISSES’ HYENA” TEXT ADAPTED FROM A SEPTEMBER 2019 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC ONLINE ARTICLE. “PINK MANTA
Football Game RAY” TEXT ADAPTED FROM A FEBRUARY 2020 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC ONLINE ARTICLE. SHENTON SAFARIS (HIPPO AND
Near Lady Elliot Island, Australia HYENA); © KRISTIAN LAINE (RAY); RICH GRAES FOURTHSLE / ICON SPORTSWIRE VIA GETTY IMAGES (CAT, BOTH).
This fish is no phony—it’s the only known pink manta ray in the world. East Rutherford, New Jersey
Get this cat a uniform. The Dallas
Reef manta rays are typically black on their backs and white on their tummies, Cowboys were down 9-3 against the
but they can also be all black or all white. At first scientists with the research New York Giants in a November 2019
group Project Manta theorized the ray’s rosiness could be caused by the plankton football game when a black cat
it eats, similar to how flamingos get their pink color from eating tiny pinkish sprinted onto the field. Play stopped
crustaceans. But when they examined a small skin sample from the 11-foot-long as the speedy feline ran into the end
fish, they learned that the ray probably has a rare genetic condition that affects zone, and the announcer jokingly
how its body creates its skin color. yelled “Touchdown!” For about a
minute—and on live TV—the kitty
The condition doesn’t hurt,and it probably won’t affect the ray’s chances of survival dashed around security guards,
since the animal is so large—adult reef mantas can weigh more than a ton—and sprinted past the goalposts, and
therefore not a prey animal. This ray is just tickled pink! —Bethany Augliere finally zoomed down the exit tunnel.

CAT A group of feral cats sometimes
East Rutherford, hangs out in the stadium, where
New Jersey they’re cared for by kind humans.
“Sports stadiums like this one can
HIPPO AND provide feral cats shelter from rain
HYENA and hot sun—and they’re a good
South Luangwa place to find prey like rats,” cat
National Park, behavior expert Marilyn Krieger
Zambia says. This cat was probably chasing
its dinner or fighting another cat
MANTA RAY when it appeared downfield.
Near Lady Elliot
Island, Australia After the game, the cat couldn’t
be found for interviews. But the
Cowboys players(who won the game
37-18) might want to watch the
replays to see if they can learn any
new moves.
—Elizabeth Hilfrank

11FEBRUARY 2021 • NAT GEO KIDS

Snow
leopards can
change direction
mid-leap by rebounding
off ravine walls while
they’re chasing

prey.

This cat
hunts every
eight to 10 days,
eating its prey
over several

days.

12 NAT GEO KIDS • FEBRUARY 2021

A MALE SNOW
LEOPARD CHECKS OUT
HIS TERRITORY FROM
ABOUT THREE MILES
UP A MOUNTAINSIDE.

The old snow leopard sweeps his thick, spotted tail and looks
over his frozen home high in the mountains of India. He lies on
an icy ledge overlooking a deep canyon as I watch him through
binoculars. Three wild mountain goats, called ibex, appear on
the rim of the canyon about 300 feet away from the cat.
The snow leopard lifts his head, catches their scent in the air, and
slowly begins to slink up the cliff. It’s hard to follow him, even with the
binoculars. The cat’s white-and-gray fur with black spots blends in
among the canyon’s rocks, shadows, and patches of snow. He seems to
vanish and reappear like a ghost. “He wants to get above the ibexes to
chase them to the edge of the cliff,” whispers my friend Prasenjeet
Yadav, a photographer.

After about 20 minutes, the cat has crept close to the ibex and is just
about to leap. But then a sharp whistle breaks the silence, and the ibex
suddenly sprint away. “That’s their warning call,” Prasenjeet says. “One
of them must’ve smelled the leopard.”

The snow leopard doesn’t bother to chase them. He descends the
mountain and disappears. “You are very lucky—you saw a snow leopard
on your very first day,” Prasenjeet says. “Some people never see them.”

HIDING IN PLAIN TWO SIX-MONTH-OLD
SIGHT CUBS FIND PROTECTION
IN THE ROCKY CLIFFS.
Prasenjeet and I have traveled to the
A FEMALE SNOW ancient Himalayan village of Kibber in
LEOPARD, SOME- India’s Spiti Valley. We’re looking for
TIMES RECOGNIZED snow leopards, which are some of the
BY THE “COMMA” hardest-to-find animals on the planet.
UNDER HER LEFT The long journey is not for anyone who
EYE, RESTS ON A is afraid of heights. The village is reach-
STEEP, ROCKY CLIFF. able only by a zigzagging, narrow road
carved into steep mountains. Because
you must go in winter, when the snow
leopards follow their prey into lower
parts of the mountains, parts of the
road are covered in snow and ice. Over
the next few weeks, Prasenjeet and I
will trek more than 30 miles: descend-
ing into canyons, trudging up snowy
passes, and climbing onto icy cliffs as
we try to photograph the cats and
learn more about how they live.

ADAPTED FROM THE JULY 2020 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE
ARTICLE “THE HIMALAYA’S GHOST LEOPARDS.” FRÉDÉRIC LARREY (ALL)

The exact number of snow leopards in IF PREY LIKE
the Spiti Valley is a mystery. In fact, IBEX BECOMES
counting them is practically impossible. SCARCE, SNOW
Their range extends across 12 Central LEOPARDS
Asian nations in some of the harshest MIGHT HUNT
environments for humans. Temperatures GOATS AND
that can cause frostbite and hard-to- DONKEYS.
reach mountainous terrain prevent most
scientists from studying these endan- territory—an area slightly larger than The Snow Leopard Trust estimates
gered creatures up close. Washington, D.C.—while a female needs
about 48 square miles. that 3,500 to 7,000 snow leopards live
DIGITAL FOOTPRINTS
But snow leopards live in different on the planet, but that’s just a guess.
Because snow leopards are so sneaky and types of terrain. What kind of prey is
hard to find, some people call them “ghost available, how humans might bother Scientists have been able to study only
cats.” One way scientists are able to study them, and other factors affect how
them is by using GPS collars to track much territory one cat needs. a tiny amount of snow leopard habitat,
them. In recent years a research team in
Mongolia, a country in Asia, put satellite says Charu Mishra, the head of the Snow
collars on 32 snow leopards and learned a
lot about the cats’ movements in the Tost Leopard Trust.“We can’t really say how
Mountains of the Gobi desert. For exam-
ple, they learned that an adult male there many there are.”
needs roughly 80 square miles of hunting

But scientists do know that snow

leopards face lots of threats. In some

places, poachers hunt them to sell their

fur; in others, companies digging for

minerals can destroy the land where

they live. And many of the snow leopards’

favorite prey animals are disappearing.

In Kibber, the local people used to

hate snow leopards because they would

kill their goats, sheep, and donkeys. But

Charu and other conservationists

helped the locals develop new ways to

protect their animals. Now tourists pay

money to visit Kibber and see snow

leopards, and the locals help protect the

cats. Those suc-

cesses are hope-

ful, Charu says, OPCAECIAFINC

“but we need ASIA
more of them.”

OINCDEAIANN
RUSSIA

KAZAKHSTAN MONGOLIA
UZBEKISTAN

KYRGYZSTAN

SNOW LEOPARDS CAN’T ROAR, SO THEY MARK AFGPHAAKNISISTTAANN TAJIKISTAN
TERRITORY TO TELL OTHER ANIMALS THEY’RE CHINA
AROUND. THEY DO THIS BY RUBBING SCENT
GLANDS FROM THEIR CHEEKS ON ROCKS, NEPAL
SCRATCHING, OR SPRAYING URINE.
INDIA BHUTAN
14 NAT GEO KIDS • FEBRUARY 2021
Where
snow
leopards
live

NICK GARBUTT / NPL / MINDEN PICTURES (IBEX);
SANDESH KADUR / FELIS IMAGES (SCENT MARKING);
FRÉDÉRIC LARREY (MOM AND CUBS); MARTIN WALZ (MAP)

Most
big cats have
yellowish eyes,
but a snow leopard’s
are gray, blue, or
light green.

These
wild cats can
chase prey at
40 miles an

hour.

TWO 10-MONTH- Snow leopard moms
OLD CUBS SIT line their dens with
WITH THEIR fur to keep their
MOM, KNOWN
FOR A NOTCH ON cubs comfy.
HER LEFT EAR.
WHICH BIG CAT ARE YOU? TAKE THE QUIZ!
natgeokids.com/february

A CAMERA TRAP photo Prasenjeet has been hoping for Built for
CAPTURES AN all winter—a female with three cubs. Extremes
OLD MALE SNOW “Three is a large litter,” he says.“Usually
LEOPARD WELL a female will have one or maybe two. Check out how a snow
KNOWN TO Getting four snow leopards in one pic- leopard’s body is perfectly
LOCALS. ture would make me very, very happy.” adapted for its snowy,
subzero mountain habitat.
CAUGHT ON CAMERA We finally reach the valley and scram-
ble up to a rocky band of ledges where BELLY
Learning more about snow leopards will the cameras are hidden.“This is like a
help conservationists protect them in snow leopard highway,” Prasenjeet says, Thick belly fur
many places. That’s one reason why for explaining how the cats use the ledges to helps keep vital
two years, Prasenjeet has come to travel between the high pastures where organs toasty.
Kibber to work with scientists and track their prey come to graze.
snow leopards with camera traps.
Soon Namgyal finds recent tracks,
On one of our last days in Kibber, including a small one that might have
Prasenjeet and I—along with a local been made by a cub. Prasenjeet locates a
guide named Namgyal—set off on a long fresh urine stain, where a cat had
hike to check some of those camera marked its territory. Snow leopards had
traps. The air is freezing, and our breath definitely wandered past the cameras.
forms steam clouds as we trudge up and
down the mountains. Then Prasenjeet begins checking the
cameras. One of the traps’ batteries had
Prasenjeet and Namgyal had placed died—a common problem in the extreme
the camera traps where they knew snow cold. Another’s flash had stopped working.
leopards liked to hunt. For each trap, The last had captured images, but only of
they set up a camera in a waterproof a curious fox and a flock of birds.
case, then piled up rocks around it to
hide it. When a snow leopard passed Prasenjeet is disappointed. “The
under a special motion sensor, it would snow leopards love to torment me,” he
set off a flash and trigger the camera. says. He tells me how a cub had once
“Basically, it’s like the snow leopard is peed on his camera. “The good news is
taking a selfie,” Prasenjeet says. we know the snow leopards are here.”

We’re excited because the three traps And more good news was coming:
we’re checking might have captured a After I returned home, Prasenjeet sent
me a text message. Namgyal had gone
back to check the camera traps. This
time the memory card had video of the
mother and her three cubs!

A new generation of snow leopards
would soon be stalking ibex in the
Himalaya.

AFTER FEEDING
ON A BLUE SHEEP,
A MALE SNOW
LEOPARD TAKES
A DRINK FROM A
STREAM .

PAWS

Large paws act like
snowshoes and help
keep them from
sinking into the
white stuff.





HEAD Snow
leopards have
Snow leopards been spotted at
live high in the elevations up to
mountains, where 18,000 feet.
the air doesn’t have
as much oxygen. FUR
To help them
breathe, large Long fur traps air near the
nostrils and skulls
shaped like domes skin like a sweater under
take in more
oxygen with each a coat.
breath.
A snow leopard’s dark

spots—called rosettes—

plus its tan or gray coat

help it blend in with the TAIL

rocky habitat. Like a tightrope
walker’s pole, a
snow leopard’s tail
helps with balance
as it turns during
leaps.

The snow leopard has the longest tail
(proportionately) of any big cat and can
wrap it around its body like a warm scarf.

HIND LEGS PRASENJEET YADAV (AT NIGHT); FRÉDÉRIC LARREY (DRINKING, PROFILE, PRINTS IN SNOW); BRECK P.
KENT / ANIMALS ANIMALS / EARTH SCENES / NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC IMAGE COLLECTION (IN SNOW)
Their extra-long
SNOW LEOPARD hind legs provide
PAW PRINTS powerful jumps
and acceleration to
chase prey in steep, WATCH A VIDEO ABOUT ASIA,
snowy mountains. WHERE SNOW LEOPARDS LIVE!
They can leap natgeokids.com/february
across 50-foot
gorges and jump 17FEBRUARY 2021 • NAT GEO KIDS
six feet high with
no running start.

In this excerpt from FROM THE PAGES OF
Explorer Academy:
The Tiger’s Nest, BY TRUDI TRUEIT
Cruz and his friends
are exploring an “What are you waiting for?” Sailor gave She obeyed. With a quick check to make
ancient landmark that Cruz a push.“Go!” sure he was alone, Cruz placed his fingertips
might hold clues to a on the swirls, now bathed in Mell’s golden
numbered code in the Hurtling the rope, Cruz scooted into the glow. One tip to each swirl—pinkie to index
scrollwork carved into cramped space between the tower and the finger. He took a full breath and then …
the building. But back wall. He fell to his knees and began pushed.
time’s running out, running his hands over the marble. The
and danger lurks … swirls had to be here. They just had to! Cruz lifted his hand. Was the dim light
Halfway around the column, however, he was playing tricks on him or were the raised
TsiaentthCcsuhhxgaefoBoopdoipNebtmstluEWrnialereoohosoeextmrnhdbluebnbnchtpavtitiutoyauopIotetlsdinolhdniallfahaoecatOedrregot—harien,tdasihrer,entaercasiandlehwornlttiAnCpubfmoireenrooedOaercuowa.ogui-nrvaszndCachckrzdeel1zleherogirie3mslldnetuasda-ebaf,rfpmgnztnoiunauftsyfgistofliytrozohtuiisasn?rretr-g.er. starting to wonder if he’d been wrong. None swirls beginning to flatten? He bent until
of the scrollwork looked like his mom’s his nose was practically touching marble.
cipher, the secret code she created. He was right. The swirls were disappearing!

“Cruz!” It was Sailor.“Security!” Something was happening within the
Cruz tried to pick up the pace, but his tower. The marble panel was separating from
palms were sweaty. His hands kept slipping. the base! Cruz drew back as the entire panel
Plus, he couldn’t go too fast or he’d miss the slid to his left. A hot breeze blasted his face.
cipher. He was losing sunlight. Cruz hoped The slab stopped, revealing a hole beneath
that his fingertips could find what his eyes the base of the minaret. A secret chamber!
were struggling to see.
There! His thumb had rolled over a clock- The drone flew into the opening, her eyes
wise curve. It was raised a bit higher than illuminating a flight of steep marble steps
the others. Cruz followed the curl to its end, with no railing. Mell was waiting. She tilted
felt a break, then a dot. He knew this swirl! her head as if to ask, Are we going or not?
It was code for the number one. Cruz moved
his hand to the right. The next curlicue He sighed.“Yeah, we’re going.”
was identical to the first symbol. Another Cruz went through the gap feetfirst,
numeral one. His pulse quickened. The next scooting in on his rear. It wasn’t pretty, but
symbol was a slightly longer clockwise swirl. it was safe. He crab-walked down one step,
And a dot. That was a two. And finally, a then two. So far, so good. On the third
short counterclockwise swirl with a dot at step, he got slowly to his feet. A bead of
the bottom. Nine. 1-1-2-9! sweat rolled down his temple. His OS band
Hunched behind the tower, Cruz stayed indicated the temperature inside the
put until he no longer heard voices or foot- chamber was 88.3 degrees. Cruz wasn’t too
steps. He started to click on the light on his worried. He knew his uniform would help
OS band, then thought better of it. It was regulate his body temperature.
too bright. Someone might see. He opened Cruz heard thunder.
his jacket pocket.“Mell, on,” he whispered to The panel was closing! He whirled around,
his honeybee drone. one foot sliding off the edge of the steps.
A pair of golden eyes blinked up at him. Cruz had to throw out his arms to keep
“Mell, turn your eyes to low and come on from toppling over the side. By the time
out. Stay close to my hands.” he regained his balance—

Boom!
He was sealed in.

18 NAT GEO KIDS • FEBRUARY 2021 SCOTT PLUMBE (ILLUSTRATION)

WIN THE BOOK!
GO ONLINE

JANUARY 11–18.
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.com/february

Where does the secret staircase lead?
Will Cruz find his way back to the ship?
Check out Explorer Academy: The Tiger’s Nest to find out!

19FEBRUARY 2021 • NAT GEO KIDS

How a kind
caretaker helped
raise three orphaned
wombats during
the COVID-19
lockdown

BY SCOTT ELDER
PHOTOGRAPHS BY DOUG GIMESY

Wombat
pouches open
toward the
marsupial’s rear
instead of its head
to keep dirt

out while
digging.

Wombat
poop is cube-

shaped.

BRONSON, A
SEVEN-MONTH-OLD
BARE-NOSED WOMBAT,
SITS IN A HOMEMADE
POUCH IN EMILY
SMALL’S APARTMENT
IN MELBOURNE,
AUSTRALIA.

20 NAT GEO KIDS • FEBRUARY 2021 DOUG GIMESY / NATURE PICTURE LIBRARY (ALL)

BRONSON
SLEEPS WHILE
EMILY SMALL
PREPARES
BOTTLES FOR
FEEDING TIME.

‹‹ Rustling between eucalyptus SMALL
SMALL RUBS trees during its nightly forage BOTTLE-FEEDS
OINTMENT ON for food, a wombat rambles EACH WOMBAT
BRONSON’S FEET toward a noisy highway. In the FOUR OR FIVE
TO KEEP THEM darkness, a driver doesn’t see TIMES A DAY.
FROM DRYING OUT the furry animal and hits it.
AND CRACKING. Hours later, another driver spots LANDON
the wombat on the side of the
road and pulls over to see if CITY CRITTERS
he can help. It’s too late—the
wombat is dead. But the driver The young wombat, called a joey, is rushed
still hopes to save a life. to a nearby wildlife caregiver. He seems
healthy, but he’s only about five months
Like kangaroos, wombats old and likely hasn’t spent too much time
are marsupials, which means outside of his mother’s pouch. In the wild,
the females carry their babies wombats stay with their mothers up to
in pouches. A close look inside two years, so this orphan will need long-
this animal’s pouch reveals the term care before he’ll be able to live on
tiny, clawed paw of a baby his own.
wombat. Suddenly, it moves.
The baby is alive. The joey is then taken to Goongerah
Wombat Orphanage in southeast
BRONSON, LEFT, Australia, where he’s named Bronson by
NAPS WITH his new foster mom, orphanage founder
LANDON, A Emily Small. Bronson is also welcomed by
SIX-MONTH-OLD another male joey, Landon. Before losing
BARE-NOSED their mothers in car accidents, both
WOMBAT. babies survived the terrible wildfires that
affected much of Australia in late 2019.

Soon after Bronson joins Landon at the
orphanage, the COVID-19 pandemic hits

21FEBRUARY 2021 • NAT GEO KIDS

A wombat can
take two weeks

to digest
a meal.

BRONSON

SMALL what they’d get from their mom. BEATRICE, A
ENCOURAGES After bottle-feeding in the kitchen 10-MONTH-OLD
THE WOMBATS BARE-NOSED
TO PLAY IN DIRT and snuggling on the living room couch, WOMBAT,
TO HELP KEEP the two joeys roam the apartment.“When EXERCISES
THEM WILD. the clicking of claws on the floor stops, I BY RUNNING
know someone’s eating something they AROUND
Australia. Just like many kids start shouldn’t,” Small says. SMALL’S
going to school at home to keep them APARTMENT.
safe from the virus, Small starts working Wombats naturally gnaw on things
from home—and brings the joeys with with their beaver-like teeth, so Small After about a month of city life,
her to Melbourne, Australia’s second gives them sticks and grass from the another rescued orphan—a female
largest city. Goongerah area to graze on. She wants named Beatrice—moves in. Beatrice is
them to get used to eating the grass and a few months older than Bronson and
HOW TO RAISE dirt they’ll encounter in the wild once Landon, and therefore a little wilder. She
A WOMBAT they’re released from the orphanage. quickly becomes friends with the two
“They’re still infants, though,” Small male joeys, but she doesn’t trust her
Fostering wombat joeys is exhausting says.“So they spend most of their time human foster mom right away.“At first,
work for wildlife rehabilitators. The joeys sleeping. Growing takes a lot of energy.” she growled at me a lot,” Small says.
are cuddled frequently to make them feel “But now Beatrice associates me with
as if they’re safe inside their mother’s food and comfort.”
pouch. Small does this in her apartment
by swaddling the wombats in blanket-like TRIPLE TROUBLE
cots, then laying them in small, soft cat
beds warmed with electric heating pads Wombats typically have a strong bond
for pouch-like comfort. Up to five times with their mothers. Although Small can
a day, she bottle-feeds the wombats a give the three babies the health care
special milk formula that is similar to they require with milk and all the cud-
dling they need, she can’t give them the
HOME SWEET BURROW Wombats use their sharp front companionship they’d get in the wild.
claws to dig burrows into the Even though wombats are usually raised
sides of hills. (Their hind feet push without siblings, these marsupials are
loosened soil out of the way.) naturally social in the wild and need to
And they don’t like to share their learn how to interact with other wom-
burrows, which can stretch up to bats.“That’s why buddying them up with
65 feet long with many con- other joeys is so important,” Small says.
necting tunnels. They’ll find (or
dig) another burrow if their first Although Small encourages most of the
choice is occupied. joeys’ wild instincts in her apartment—
like letting them snack on loose dirt in
their cots—she occasionally prevents a
different behavior: digging. Wild wombats
live in burrows that they dig in the
ground, using their long, supersharp
claws.“Their claws are basically shoveling
and cutting tools,” Small says.“They try to
scratch the floor and my carpets a lot.
I do stop them sometimes!”

But not for long. Three months after
moving into the apartment, the wombats
return to the rural orphanage, where

22 NAT GEO KIDS DOUG GIMESY / NATURE PICTURE LIBRARY (ORPHAN WOMBATS, ALL); DAVE WATTS / NATURE PICTURE LIBRARY (WILD WOMBAT); YVA MOMATIUK AND JOHN
EASTCOTT / MINDEN PICTURES (KANGAROO); SUZI ESZTERHAS / MINDEN PICTURES (KOALA); THOMAS MARENT / MINDEN PICTURES (SUGAR GLIDER); SEAN
CRANE / MINDEN PICTURES (PADEMELON); RUDIE KUITER / BLUEPLANETARCHIVE (SEAHORSE); MARTIN WALZ (MAP); CHRIS WARE (BURROW ILLUSTRATION)

ICNASIA OPCAEACIF POCKET
IONCDEIAANNAUSTRALIA
PROTECTORS
ANTARCTICA
Wombats aren’t the only animals
AUSTRALIA that carry their babies in body
pouches. Check out some other
INDIAN Tasman marsupials that keep their newborns
OCEAN Sea safe in a pouch—plus one non-
marsupial that protects its babies
Where in a pouch before they’re born.
wombats
live

they’re now allowed—and encouraged— KOALA  KANGAROO
to dig outside in their enclosure. A baby koala is born blind, Born the size of a grape, baby
hairless, and no bigger than a kangaroos won’t leave their
HOME AGAIN jelly bean. It relies on its senses mother’s pouch for good until
of smell and touch to find its they’re about eight to
Back at the orphanage, the foster mother’s pouch. 11 months old.
siblings will spend more time outside.
First they’ll go on daytime walks. Then SUGAR GLIDER
they’ll spend afternoons in an outdoor The opening of
enclosure with a ready-made burrow to a sugar glider’s
help them get used to being outside full pouch is close
time after months of city living. When to where a belly
they reach about two years old and weigh button would
between 35 and 55 pounds, the orphans be on a human.
will finally be released back into the
forest where they were born. SEAHORSE

Sometimes previously released Seahorse dads
wombats stop by the orphanage as
adults. A few have even shown up with have a front
their own wild-born joeys. Small hopes
to see Beatrice with a baby of her pouch where
own one day:“That’s the ultimate
success story.” they carry

ONCE THEY’RE RELEASED their eggs
BACK INTO THE WILD,
BRONSON, LANDON, AND between 10
BEATRICE WILL HANG
OUT WITH OTHER WOM-
BATS, LIKE THIS ONE.

and 25 days

until they’re

ready to SEAHORSE
hatch. BABIES

PADEMELON CHECK
OUT
A pademelon baby stays THIS
in its mother’s pouch for
about seven months. BOOK!

23FEBRUARY 2021 • NAT GEO KIDS

THE SECRET HISTORY OF‹

CHOCOLATE
These facts will melt in your mouth. BY JAMIE KIFFEL-ALCHEH ART BY JOE ROCCO

Deep in the South American rainforest is … a chocolate
tree? One-foot-long bright yellow pods hang from its
branches. Inside are small, bitter seeds that give the
tree its name: cacao (cuh-COW). Those seeds are what we
use to make chocolate.

The seeds—which grow only near the Equator—don’t
look or taste delicious. But ancient people figured out
how to use them to make tasty treats. (In fact, the first
part of the seed’s scientific name, Theobroma cacao,
translates to “food of the gods” in Greek.) Check out this
timeline for the sweet scoop on the history of chocolate.

1 3300 B.C.

The earliest people known to have used the cacao plant are the ancient Mayo-Chinchipe people of what’s now
Ecuador, a country in South America. Experts aren’t sure whether these people used the plant for food, drink,
or medicine. But they do know the culture used cacao often since they found traces of theobromine—a natural
chemical compound that comes from the plant—in artifacts found in archaeological sites throughout the region.

2 ca 1800 B.C.

THE OLMEC ARE The ancient Olmec people of Mesoamerica (what’s now Mexico and CACAO BEANS GROW
BEST KNOWN FOR Central America) begin using cacao seeds—also called cocoa beans— INSIDE PODS LIKE THESE.
BUILDING HUGE to brew warm, flavored drinks. Historians aren’t sure how the Olmec THE COLOR OF THE POD
HEAD STATUES figured out that the plant’s bitter beans would make tasty beverages. CHANGES BASED ON
LIKE THIS ONE. But one guess is that when they ate the fruit surrounding the seeds, SEVERAL THINGS, LIKE
they’d spit the seeds into a fire, which gave off a pleasing smell. THE PLANT’S LOCATION.

Historians ca EIGHTH
don’t always know 3 CENTURY A.D.
the exact dates of
historical events. That’s Cha-ching! The Maya,
why you’ll see a “ca” next another group of
to some of the years on ancient people from
these pages. It stands Mesoamerica, start
for “circa,” meaning using cocoa beans as
money. Archaeologists
“around.” have even found counter-
feit beans made of clay
Every American that people tried to pass
and Russian space off as the real deal.
voyage has included
chocolate bars.

24 NAT GEO KIDS • FEBRUARY 2021 SUBBOTINA ANNA / SHUTTERSTOCK (CHOCOLATE BACKGROUND); ADIT_AJIE / SHUTTERSTOCK
(CACAO PODS); DANNY LEHMAN / GETTY IMAGES (OLMEC HEAD); RETRO ADARCHIVES / ALAMY
(FRY’S CHOCOLATE BAR); LAURENT VITEUR / WIREIMAGE / GETTY IMAGES (CHOCOLATE DRESS)

4 1500s

Many Aztecs, ancient people who lived in what’s now central
Mexico, are drinking cacao every day, mixing the seeds with
chilies to make a spicy, frothy beverage. In 1519, Spanish explorer
Hernán Cortés reported that Aztec ruler Moctezuma II drank
50 cups a day. Cortés brings the drink back to Spain in 1528,
where the Spaniards make one big change—to add sugar.

5 1600s-1700s A chemical
in cacao releases
feel-good chemicals

in the brain.

Chocolate houses—similar to coffeehouses today—become

popular gathering spots for rich Europeans and Americans

to meet over a hot chocolate drink. During the Revolutionary

War, which lasts from 1775 to 1783, wounded soldiers are given the

beverage to warm them up and give them an energy boost, and

troops are sometimes paid with cocoa beans. In 1785, Thomas Jeffer-

son predicts that hot chocolate will become as popular as tea or coffee.

6 1847

A company called J.S. Fry & Sons of England adds extra cacao
butter to liquid chocolate, turning it solid and creating the
first mass-produced chocolate bars. Over the next
several decades, chocolate makers add milk powder
to their recipes to create milk chocolate.

8 EARLY 1900s 7 LATE 1800s

At the beginning of the 20th century, Chocolate is still kind of … chewy. So in 1879, Rodolphe Lindt of
the main ingredient in chocolate— Switzerland comes up with a process called conching, in which a
cocoa—becomes much cheaper. machine stirs the chocolate until it gets that melt-in-your-mouth
Chocolate is no longer a treat for just texture. Dozens of different brands start making their own chocolate
rich people, and stores around the bars with the conching process.
world are stocked with affordable
chocolate bars for everyone. 9 2021 A MODEL AT

Chocolate can now be found in THE 2017 SALON
DU CHOCOLAT
SHOW WEARS
grocery stores, candy shops … and A VEST AND
on the runway. Salon du Chocolat, OUTER SKIRT

the world’s biggest chocolate MADE ENTIRELY
OF CHOCOLATE.
festival, features a chocolate

fashion show in Paris, France, every

year, with clothes made of the

sweet treat. (The 2020 festival was

canceled because of COVID-19.)

The outfits are too fragile to be

sold, so after the festival some are

put on display in what must be the

best-smelling exhibit ever.

25FEBRUARY 2021 • NAT GEO KIDS

The Taj Mahal
might be the world’s
grandest tomb.

BY ALLYSON SHAW

The Taj Mahal in India might look
like a fancy home for important
kings and queens. After all, it was
likely the inspiration for Aladdin’s
palace. But no one ever lived here:
It’s actually a tomb. Who’s buried
inside? Read on to find out!

MEET THE MAKER

For over 200 years, the Mughal Empire

ruled over parts of what is today India,

Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Nepal. To

become emperor, a royal male had to

prove himself to be the best choice

before being named as heir—but the

family could still change its mind.

That’s what happened to Shah Jahan,

a third-born son who had been named

heir but later fell from favor. When his

father died, he returned home in 1628 to

reclaim the throne. And just in case, he

put his rivals—including his brother and

a few nephews—to death. art historian Mehreen Chida-Razvi says. Artisans covered the tomb with
The couple was married for nearly 20
The new emperor loved architecture years before Mumtaz Mahal died in 1631. designs made from over 40 types of semi-

and art, and he adored his wife Mumtaz Legend says that after his wife’s death, precious gems like jade, agate, and lapis
Shah Jahan’s black hair turned white
Mahal. (Shah Jahan had a few wives; from grief. He decided her tomb would be lazuli; sometimes 60 pieces of stone were
a grand monument for his lost love.
emperors at this time usually had many “Nothing had ever been built like this to used to create just one flower.
honor a queen before,” Chida-Razvi says.
spouses to gain power through their Calligraphers hand-carved poems and
BEST BUILDING
families.) scripture all over walls and columns. The
About 20,000 craftsmen baked bricks
Mumtaz Mahal made of mud to form the building’s head calligrapher was even allowed to
structure. They then covered them in
traveled with white marble for the tomb or red sand- sign his name to the work—he
stone for nearby buildings.
him everywhere, signed as “the insignificant

even on military being, Amanat Khan Shirazi.”

campaigns. What looks like Mumtaz

“They had a Mahal’s sarcophagus was

true partner- placed in the central room.

ship and a true But it’s actually a INLAID PIECES
cenotaph, a false OF JADE AND
A PORTRAIT OF MUMTAZ love,” Mughal CORAL CREATE
MAHAL(LEFT) AND SHAH ART THROUGH-
JAHAN OUT THE TAJ
MAHAL.
26 NAT GEO KIDS • FEBRUARY 2021

In the Persian Mumtaz WORKERS
language, Shah Mahal means CLEAN THE TAJ
Jahan means “chosen one of MAHAL WITH
the palace.” CLAY, THEN
“king of the WASH IT OFF
world.” WITH DISTILLED
WATER.
Shah Jahan
sat on a throne
called the Peacock
Throne, which was
studded with
gems from his

treasury.

ASIA Solving a Mystery

tomb that allows visitors to pay their INDIA Every few years, the Taj Mahal gets
respects without disturbing her actual a mud bath to remove mysterious
remains. Those were laid in a crypt directly INDIAN yellow-brown stains from the white
underneath. OCEAN marble. Environmental scientist
Mike Bergin thought that if he could
About 20 years later, the massive, STAN CHINA find the cause of the stains, people
42-acre complex was complete. PAKI New BHUTAN could better protect the tomb.
Dehli
TOMB TRUTH NEPAL In 2012, he placed marble tiles
Agra on the monument for two months,
Shah Jahan likely would have built MYANMAR then used a special high-powered
his own tomb nearby, Chida-Razvi Arabian Sea microscope to look at the stained
says. But in 1657 he fell gravely TAJ MAHAL tiles. He found tiny particles of
ill. Seizing the chance to pollution from cars and the burning
become ruler—just like Shah INDIA of wood, trash, and dung. The
Jahan had done 30 years pollution absorbed light instead of
before—one of his sons BANGLADESH reflecting it, which created the stain.
imprisoned him in a fort. As a result, the Indian government
Bay of restricted burning trash and driving
Bengal cars near the monument to help
decrease the staining pollution.

“Once you know the problem,”
Bergin says, “you can make policies
to fix it.”

His only comfort: that he could see the
Taj Mahal from a window.

The ex-emperor died eight years
later, but his son didn’t honor him with
a majestic tomb. Instead, his body was
brought to the Taj Mahal at night. His
sarcophagus was plopped to the side of
his wife, even though the tomb was to
honor Mumtaz Mahal—and no one else.

Over 350 years later, people still
marvel over the Taj Mahal. Shah Jahan
would probably be happy that people
continue to honor his beloved wife.

SEE MORE COOL LANDMARKS!
natgeokids.com/february

JIM ZUCKERMAN / GETTY IMAGES (BIG IMAGE); DINODIA 27FEBRUARY 2021 • NAT GEO KIDS
PHOTO / GETTY IMAGES (PAINTING); AFATEEV / GETTY IMAGES
(GEMSTONES); DAVID KEITH JONES / ALAMY (CLEANING)

4 Which of these

wasn’t a name
for one of George
Washington’s dogs?
A. Bippy
B. Madame Moose
C. Mopsey
D. Truelove

5 When King George VI of the United Kingdom
came to visit the United States in 1939, what
ctahne’steaqnusewsetrions
about U.S. food did Franklin D. Roosevelt serve him at a
presidents,
maybe they picnic?
should go to
school instead A. caviar C. lobster
of you!
B. truffles D. hot dogs
ANSWERS ON
PAGE 33 6 Match the president with one of his

favorite foods.
A. James A. Garfield 1. jelly beans
B. John F. Kennedy 2. squirrel soup
C. Ronald Reagan 3. meatloaf
D. Donald J. Trump 4. clam chowder

1 Which president’s birthday does 7 Which of these presidential ghosts

Presidents’ Day officially celebrate? hasn’t been spotted in the White House?
A. George Washington A. Abraham Lincoln knocking on doors
B. Thomas Jefferson B. John Quincy Adams square dancing
C. George W. Bush C. Andrew Jackson stomping his feet
D. It doesn’t celebrate any president’s birthday. D. Thomas Jefferson playing violin

2 Match the president with the item he installed 8 Match the president with one of the
in the White House.
jobs he had before becoming a politician.
A. Lyndon B. Johnson 1. tennis courts A. Gerald R. Ford 1. peanut farmer
B. Calvin Coolidge 2. movie star
B. Theodore Roosevelt 2. solar panels C. Jimmy Carter 3. park ranger
D. Ronald Reagan 4. toy maker
C. Harry S. Truman 3. bowling lane

D. Jimmy Carter 4. a button to call for soda

LIGHTIX / SHUTTERSTOCK (FLAG BACKGROUND); HANS SLEGERS / 3 As the first president to have electricity in the 9 Ulysses S. Grant designated ______ as the
DREAMSTIME (SMALL FLAGS, ALL); TBD / GETTY IMAGES (1); ANDRES
RODRIGUEZ / DREAMSTIME (2); JKAUFMANN88 / GETTY IMAGES (3); White House, Benjamin Harrison did which of world’s first national park.
ISSELEE / DREAMSTIME (4); JIRI HERA / SHUTTERSTOCK (6) the following? A. Acadia, in Maine
A. immediately bought a dishwasher B. Denali, in Alaska
B. flicked the lights on and off, over and over C. Grand Canyon, in Arizona
C. refused to touch the light switches D. Yellowstone, in Wyoming,
D. blasted music late at night
Montana, and Idaho

28 NAT GEO KIDS • FEBRUARY 2021

10 Which president filed a report saying he saw a UFO? 16 In 1972 the Chinese leader, Zhou Enlai, gave
A. Jimmy Carter C. Bill Clinton two giant pandas to which president?(The

B. George H.W. Bush D. none of them pandas lived at the Smithsonian Institution’s

National Zoo for two decades.)

A. James Monroe C. William McKinley

11 President-elect Joe Biden signed B. Grover Cleveland D. Richard M. Nixon

up to get notifications from
___________ on his phone.
17 It’s said that James A. Garfield could write in
A. People magazine C. Time magazine
which two languages at the same time, using
B. Car and Driver D. Nat Geo Kids one hand for each language?
A. Greek and Latin
magazine magazine B. English and Swahili
C. Spanish and Mandarin
12 When Chester A. Arthur needed money D. Latin and pig latin

to redecorate the White House, he sold which 18 ______ is the only president

items from former presidents? who grew up in Hawaii.
A. Abraham Lincoln’s pants and John Quincy A. Herbert Hoover
B. Dwight D. Eisenhower
Adams’ hat C. Woodrow Wilson
B. Rutherford B. Hayes’ pen and Andrew D. Barack Obama

Johnson’s bow tie
C. James Buchanan’s pillow and Franklin Pierce’s

candle collection
D. James K. Polk’s golf clubs and Millard Fillmore’s

sailboat

13 Which two presidents both died on 19 Who was the

July 4, 1826—the 50th anniversary of the only president to
Declaration of Independence? also serve as the
A. George Washington and James Madison Chief Justice of the
B. John Adams and Thomas Jefferson United States (the
C. Martin Van Buren and Zachary Taylor chief judge of the
D. William H. Taft and Millard Fillmore Supreme Court)?
A. William H. Taft
14 William Henry Harrison gave the longest B. John Quincy Adams
C. John Tyler
inauguration speech, talking nonstop D. Warren G. Harding
for ______ minutes.
A. 30 B. 45 C. 105 D. 120 20 Edith, Woodrow Wilson’s

15 Which statement about Theodore ______ , was known as the CHECK OUT THE
“secret president” because NAT GEO KIDS BOOK
Roosevelt isn’t true? she helped him lead the
A. He could walk on stilts. country after a series of OUR COUNTRY’S
B. He didn’t have any pets. strokes left him partially PRESIDENTS.
C. He explored a river in the Amazon rainforest. paralyzed.
D. He participated in a séance with Harry A. daughter
B. wife
Houdini. C. mother
D. friend

INK DROP / SHUTTERSTOCK (7); KIM NGUYEN / SHUTTERSTOCK (8); MICHAEL H SPIVAK / GETTY IMAGES (9); KOYA979 / SHUTTERSTOCK (10); KEVIN 29NAT GEO KIDS
MAZUR / GETTY IMAGES FOR RFK RIPPLE OF HOPE (11); KENNETH SPONSLER / ISTOCK (13); HULTON ARCHIVE / GETTY IMAGES (15); BETTMANN /
CONTRIBUTOR / GETTY IMAGES (16); DTIMIRAOS / GETTY IMAGES (17); IDREAMPHOTO / SHUTTERSTOCK (18); EVLAKHOV VALERIY / SHUTTERSTOCK (19)

30 NAT GEO KIDS • FEBRUARY 2021 EKRNAES EVSLGO ARESBIRSERP

N A E RG E M PAOT EDR XFO IELCYBC

AARDNLCI PEPSRPE BYRU RED ALERT

These photos show close-up views
of red things. Unscramble the letters
to identify what’s in each picture.

ANSWERS ON PAGE 33

TOP ROW (LEFT TO RIGHT): © SERGII KOLESNYK / DREAMSTIME; © SORACHAR TANGJITJAROEN / DREAMSTIME; © ANDRII MYKHAILOV / DREAMSTIME.
MIDDLE ROW (LEFT TO RIGHT): ALEKSANDR BRYLIAEV / SHUTTERSTOCK; © BRIAN SEDGBEER / DREAMSTIME; © SALTCITYPHOTOGRAPHY / DREAMSTIME.
BOTTOM ROW (LEFT TO RIGHT): © MATKA_WARIATKA / SHUTTERSTOCK; © KATERINA KOVALEVA / DREAMSTIME; © BRIAN KUSHNER / DREAMSTIME.

FFUNINLYL IN PLAY MORE FUNNY FILL-IN!
natgeokids.com/ffi

VOTE
GROUNDHOG

BY KAY BOATNER

Ask a friend to give
you words to fill in the
blanks in this story
without showing it to
him or her. Then read
out loud for a laugh.

Every year on holiday my friends and I watch male celebrity the animal

come out of his burrow. Legend says that if he doesn’t see his noun , spring will come early.

If he does, we have six more weeks of noun . We wore adjective coats and

article of clothing, plural to the ceremony because it was only small number degrees outside. After the mayor

spoke, the animal past-tense verb out of his home. At first he didn’t do anything. Suddenly he darted up the

podium and started to verb . “I’m verb ending in -ing my plans to run for type of job ,”

he said. Lots of something that flies, plural and squirrels got onstage too. They adverb ending in -ly past-tense verb

a campaign banner and began passing out noun, plural . Our mayor was adjective .

But we were excited—we could be the only city past-tense verb by a(n) animal !

Plus, the animal never saw his noun . No more winter for us.

DAN SIPPLE

31FEBRUARY 2021 • NAT GEO KIDS

ANIMALSHFINIDDDTEHNE

Animals often blend in with the A
environment to hide. Find each C
animal listed below in the pictures.
Write the letter of the correct
photo next to each animal’s name.

ANSWERS BELOW

1. stargazer(a type of fish)
2. arctic fox
3. pygmy seahorse
4. harlequin crab
5. katydid
6. common chameleon

B

32 NAT GEO KIDS • FEBRUARY 2021

© JOSE B. RUIZ / NATURE PICTURE LIBRARY (A); © FABIO LIVERANI / NATURE PICTURE LIBRARY (B); AnswersDE
© TERRY ANDREWARTHA / NATURE PICTURE LIBRARY (C); ATESE / GETTY IMAGES (D); © JOHN
CANCALOSI / NATURE PICTURE LIBRARY (E); © JURGEN FREUND / NATURE PICTURE LIBRARY (F) “Stump Your Parents” F

(pages 28-29): 1. A, 2. A, 4; B, 1; C, 3;FEBRUARY 2021 • NAT GEO KIDS 33
D, 2; 3. C, 4. A, 5. D, 6. A, 2; B, 4; C, 1;
D, 3; 7. B, 8. A, 3; B, 4; C, 1; D, 2; 9. D,
10. A, 11. B, 12. A, 13. B, 14. C, 15. B,
16. D, 17. A, 18. D, 19. A, 20. B.

“What in the World?”

(page 30): Top row: raspberries,
bicycle, ruby. Middle row: gloves, red
fox, peppers. Bottom row: sneakers,
pomegranate, cardinal.

“Find the Hidden Animals”

(pages 32-33): 1. B, 2. C, 3. D, 4. F,
5. E, 6. A.

Check out how Nat Geo Kids readers
responded to this poll, then go online
to vote in the next one!

natgeokids.com/whatchathink

7% 35%
EASTNSOOWME HODTRCIONCKOA

25% doWyohuatdo
SLEDGDOING first after
it snows?

14% YANLEV / SHUTTERSTOCK (SLEDDING); CAVAN IMAGES / GETTY IMAGES (EATING SNOW); OLGA MILTSOVA /
SNBOUWILMD AAN SHUTTERSTOCK (COCOA); ASCENTXMEDIA / GETTY IMAGES (FORT); SMIT / SHUTTERSTOCK (SNOWMAN)

19%
SNMOAWKFEOART

34 NAT GEO KIDS • FEBRUARY 2021

TBAACKLK 1. Fill in the thought balloon.

2. Cut out the entire picture(or make a photocopy of it).

3. Mail it along with your name, address, phone number, and date of birth

to Nat Geo Kids, Back Talk, P.O. Box 96000, Washington, DC 20090-6000.
Selection for publication in a future issue will be at the discretion of Nat Geo Kids.

YOiWsUathhtlahpinitankdckianotgh?is

FROM THE MAY 2020 ISSUE

I wish I had a back Make sure to get my
scratcher! good side.

Lyndsey R., 9 Avery P., 9
Louisville, Kentucky Medina, Ohio

BOBBUSHPHOTO / GETTY IMAGES (ALPACAS); VICKI JAURON, Does anyone have a Can someone help? I
BABYLON AND BEYOND PHOTOGRAPHY / GETTY IMAGES (SEAL) beach ball? got stuck in this position
while stretching.
Sam G., 11
Goshen, New York David S., 12
Avondale, Arizona
Don’t disturb me. I’m in
my happy place. I’m flex-seal-ble.

Hazel J., 12 Sydney T., 10
Hobe Sound, Florida Ellenwood, Georgia

Is there something Maybe they’ll name a
on my back? yoga pose after me!

Brody Q., 11 Ezra M., 7
Bentonville, Arkansas Allison Park, Pennsylvania

35FEBRUARY 2021 • NAT GEO KIDS