National Geographic Kids - April 2022

NATGEOKIDS.COM • APRIL 2022

COOL

GIVEAWAY

Toucan
Hero!

How this amazing bird is
helping protect the planet

SPECIAL

ARE UFOs REAL? PANGOLIN RESCUE EARTH DAY GAMES

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IN
THIS
ISSUE

Editor in Chief, 12 Critter DEPARTMENTS
Kids and Family, Magazines and Digital Close-Ups
4 Weird
Rachel Buchholz A Nat Geo photographer gives But True!
Senior Design Editor, Magazines Eileen O’Tousa-Crowson you a behind-the-scenes look
at his quest to save animals. 5 Guinness
Editorial Kay Boatner, Senior Editor / Digital Producer; World Records
Allyson Shaw, Editor / Digital Producer 18 Wild Journey
6 Wild Vacation
Photo Shannon Hibberd, Senior Photo Editor Wildebeests face off 7 Bet You Didn’t Know!
Production Sean Philpotts, Manager against lions and 8 Brain Candy
crocodiles—all for 10 Amazing Animals
Digital Laura Goertzel, Senior Manager some grassy goodness.
EASPRSPFETTAUCUGHIENFAD2F8LA! Y
PUBLISHED BY NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC PARTNERS, LLC 20 History’s
Chairman of the Board of Directors Greatest Pranks COVER: JOEL SARTORE, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
Peter Rice PHOTO ARK / NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC IMAGE
EVP and General Manager Get ready to LOL at COLLECTION (TOUCAN); 3000AD / DREAMS-
David E. Miller the funniest jokes TIME (FLYING SAUCER); DR KARIN LOURENS
Managing Editor, Magazines of all time. (PANGOLIN); © CHRIS NEWBERT / MINDEN
David Brindley PICTURES (FISH). PAGE 3: JOEL SARTORE,
22 Pangolin NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC PHOTO ARK /
Advertising Offices John Campbell, Senior Vice President, Rescue NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC IMAGE COLLECTION
Partnerships, [email protected] (TAPIR); FERNANDO G. BAPTISTA (WILDEBEEST
Discover how caretakers ART); JOE ROCCO (SPAGHETTI TREE ART);
Detroit Karen Sarris, [email protected] returned these threatened ALEXANDER BRACZKOWSKI (PANGOLIN);
Los Angeles Eric Josten, [email protected] animals to the wild. 3000AD / DREAMSTIME (FLYING SAUCER)
New York Hilary Halstead, [email protected]
26 Are UFOs EXPLORATION HAPPENS
International Publishing Yulia Petrossian Boyle, Real? because of you.
Vice President; Jennifer Jones, Manager;
Leanna Lakeram, Account Manager Peek inside this mysterious When you read with us, you help further
Finance Jeannette Swain, Director; government file, then the work of our scientists, explorers, and
decide for yourself.
Tammi Colleary-Loach, Senior Manager, Rights Clearance; educators around the world.
Joey Wolfkill, Senior Business Specialist JUST FOR PARENTS
Parents, to learn more, visit natgeo.com/info
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Jennifer Hoff, Manager, Production

Publicity Anna Kukelhaus, [email protected];
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Check out these CHECK OUT
outrageous facts. THE BOOK!

BY MICHELLE HARRIS AND JULIE BEER

LAID END TO END,
THE iPHONES AND

iPADS SOLD IN
A YEAR WOULD

STRETCH
HALFWAY
AROUND

EARTH.

Before every AOSNATOCNHNETIMSSEAATAORSRTYBCHICHG.AEDR

MAJOR-LEAGUE Prehistoric humans
GAME, chewed tree resin as

each baseball gets chewing gum.
rubbed down with
One kind of TMHOEON OLEG GAWRILOFF / SHUTTERSTOCK (IPHONE); ERIC ISSELÉE / SHUTTERSTOCK (CRAB);
mud. fruit is named EGEEKSEN / ISTOCKPHOTO (TOY CAR); SURIYAPHOTO / SHUTTERSTOCK (MOON)
“STINKING can look
Some
TOE.” RdEuECriDLngIPa SluEna.r
CHICKENS

are born

half male,
half female.

THERE ARE NO RIVERS
IN SAUDI ARABIA.

4 NAT GEO KIDS • APRIL 2022

GUINNESS SLIME
YA LATER.
WORLD

RECORDS BY KAY BOATNER

THOUSANDS

What’s big, green,

GO GREENand really loves

the planet? The
world’s largest human recycling logo! The logo—which
measured 69 feet across, or larger than the width of a
basketball court—was created by 3,373 people in Chennai,
India. Each participant wore a green T-shirt and hat for
the record. That’s one way to keep Earth green.

GIANT SNAIL

Don’t worry about accidentally stepping on this
gastropod—measuring 1 foot 3.4 inches from snout
to tail when fully extended, the African giant snail
is hard to miss.(That’s the length of an average-size
scooter.) The species holds the record for largest
land snail, weighing in at nearly two pounds. Native
to East Africa, these snails move as slowly as most
other snail species: about 0.002 miles an hour.

GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS LIMITED (ALL). INFORMATION THIS IMAGE WAS
PROVIDED BY © 2022 GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS LIMITED. CREATED USING 12
SEPARATE SHOTS
OF THE JUMP.

MAN FLIES OVER WATER!

Look out below! Soaring over the Gulf of Oman along the coast of the United Arab Emirates(a country in the Middle East),
Omeir Saeed Omeir Yousef Almheiri achieved the record for farthest wakeboard ramp jump. Almheiri jumped nearly 69
feet—more than the length of a bowling lane—to beat the previous record by almost 20 feet. Talk about making a splash.

5APRIL 2022 • NAT GEO KIDS

VWAILDCATI N BY C.M. TOMLIN

Cave Hotel Be sure to
follow all local
YUNAK EVLERI HOTEL health guidelines
while traveling.
WHERE Cappadocia region,
Turkey COOL THINGS ABOUT TURKEY COURTESY OF YUNAK EVLERI CAVE HOTEL (ALL)
HOW MUCH About $160 to
$220 a night Dating from A.D. 537, the famous Hagia
WHY IT’S COOL Here’s a Sophia was built as a church, turned into a
hotel that really rocks. mosque, and is now a museum.
The Yunak Evleri is built
into caves left by volca- Early Turkish settlers once lived in the caves
nic activity 10 million of the Cappadocia region.
years ago. Follow narrow
passageways and stone Yogurt was invented in Turkey and is a main
stairs to rooms that are ingredient in local food—from soups to
a cool 57°F. Spend the desserts.
day hiking rocky terrain,
exploring caverns, or hot- King Midas may not have really turned all
air ballooning over “fairy he touched into gold. But he did rule over
chimneys”—tall rock the kingdom of Phrygia, in what is now
formations that dot the Turkey, in the eighth century B.C.
skyline. At night you won’t
have to worry about being
awakened by eruptions
since the Cappadocia vol-
canoes are now dormant.
So they’re “sleeping,” too!

SLEEP HERE!

THINGS Tour the many Wander the ruins of Haggle with shop- Take a boat ride
TODO IN bizarre rock the Temple of Artemis, keepers in the across the Bosporus
formations that built more than bustling market and get from Asia
TURKEY tower around 2,500 years ago for of Istanbul’s to Europe in
Cappadocia. the Greek goddess Grand Bazaar. 15 minutes.
of hunting.

6 NAT GEO KIDS • APRIL 2022

7stormy facts to shower
yourself with
BY PAIGE TOWLER

1 Theenergy

2 Atornado from lightning

once traveled strikes can 3

219 miles from create nutrients in

Missouri to Indiana soil, helping At about
in 3.5 hours. the same time
plants grow.
4 every day

The smell from September to

in the air after it December, a thunderstorm
rains has a name:
called Hectorthe
petrichor. Convector breaksout

VIENNA, AUSTRIA over Australia’s

Tiwi Islands.

5

The largest

hailstones

can fall faster than

a cheetah

can run.

ARNOLD_OBLISTIL / ADOBE STOCK 6 7

Virga, Before the 1800s,
many Europeans thought
phaanlsotkonomwn arsain,
is rain that falls from the that ringingchurch
bellscould prevent
sky but evaporates before lightning strikes.

it hits the ground. 7APRIL 2022 • NAT GEO KIDS

BY JULIE BEER AND CHELSEA LIN

C AN DY

WORDS ARE

WACKY.

8 NAT GEO KIDS • APRIL 2022 CHONLASUB WORAVICHAN / SHUTTERSTOCK (FISH); PHOTO MELON / SHUTTER-
STOCK (DICTIONARY); TEERAPARP MAYTHAVEE / DREAMSTIME (WALRUS)

CHECK
OUT
THE

BOOK!

IT’S WEBSTER’S
ESTIMATED THAT ONCE PUBLISHED

A NEW WORD A DICTIONARY
IS CREATED ACCIDENTALLY
EVERY 98 FEATURING THE
MINUTES. MADE-UP
WORD
“DORD.”

“SWIMS” “MONTH,”
“PURPLE,”
IS STILL “SWIMS” AND “WALRUS”
EVEN WHEN DON’T RHYME
YOU TURN IT
WITH ANY OTHER
UPSIDE ENGLISH
DOWN. WORDS.

That’s
called an
ambIgram.

9APRIL 2022 • NAT GEO KIDS

AMAANZIIMNAGLS

Comeback Critter:

I’LL JACOB HANGS
ALWAYS KEEP OUT IN A
FIG TREE IN
CLIMBING UGANDA’S QUEEN
BACK. ELIZABETH
NATIONAL PARK.

Check out more stories, tips, and Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda
crafts to help the planet! Cats might not have nine lives, but Jacob comes close.
natgeokids.com/planet
The six-year-old African lion has been trapped in a
10 NAT GEO KIDS • APRIL 2022 poacher’s snare, poisoned by other poachers, and
even gored by a buffalo or warthog. Then he lost his
foot after being caught in another trap. But Jacob’s
ability to survive proves just how strong lions can be.

After treating Jacob’s wound, veterinarians with
the Uganda Wildlife Authority worried he wouldn’t be
able to get back to normal lion life. Turns out, Jacob’s
doing just fine getting around on three paws. He can
even climb trees and join his pride on hunts.

“It just shows that if these animals are given half a
chance to continue,they can squeeze out an existence,
and that’s pretty amazing,” says Alex Braczkowski, a
lion researcher and National Geographic Explorer.
“It’s heroic stuff.”

Only about 20,000 lions remain in the wild, and
experts agree more needs to be done to protect
these animals.But Jacob is proof that with a little help,
these cats can make a comeback. —Douglas Main

HOW FAR ARE UH ... I
WE WALKING FORGOT TO
BRING THE
TODAY?
MAP.

BLACK BEAR Iguana
Escapes Fire
Hiking COYOTE
Buddies Corby, England
I-guana get out of here!
Naples, Florida hanging out. One clue: The video was taken
Now this is a cool trail mix. during coyote pup season. Firefighter Simon Everitt was on his
hands and knees in a burning house
When Michael Kacos set up a trail “To keep larger predators away from when he felt a tap on his helmet.(Since
camera near his house, he expected to their pups, coyotes often ‘escort,’ or lead, smoke rises, firefighters often crawl on
see deer, bears, coyotes, panthers, and animals away from the den,” carnivore the floor to see better.)At first, he
bobcats pass by at different times. But ecologist Aspen Stevanovski says. thought it was a fellow firefighter who
one day when he was reviewing the video, Translation: This coyote might’ve been was also feeling around the room.
he saw a black bear and coyote walking steering the bear away from its babies!
on the trail next to each other. “I was “But then I saw a tail and a claw,”
shocked,” he says.“I’ve seen both those The two animals might not be BFFs, but Everitt says. Turns out it was Doris, a pet
species on the trail cams before but the pair seemed relaxed as they walked green iguana. Everitt quickly took the
never together.” along the wooded path. We wonder who reptile out of the house to safety.
packed snacks. —Cheryl Maguire
Bears and coyotes aren’t friends—they Pet iguanas sometimes ride on their
compete for food, including small animals, owners’ shoulders, so Doris could have
carrion(dead stuff), and plants. So the been hitching a ride on a familiar spot.
pair probably had another reason for Or she might’ve been following her
iguana instincts.

“When danger—like from this fire—
threatens an iguana, its instinct is to
flee,” herpetologist R. Graham Reynolds
says.“In the wild, that means jumping
down from a branch to the ground or a
stream.”

So Doris might’ve hopped down from
a chair or table and accidentally landed
on the rescuer. Smart move, Doris!
—Cheryl Maguire

You’re

MY

hero!

IGUANA
Corby, England

BEAR AND
COYOTE
Naples, Florida

LION

Queen Elizabeth
National Park,
Uganda

“JACOB THE LION” TEXT ADAPTED FROM AN AUGUST 2021 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC ONLINE ARTICLE. ALEXANDER BRACZKOWSKI 11APRIL 2022 • NAT GEO KIDS
(JACOB); MICHIO HOSHINO / MINDEN PICTURES (BLACK BEAR); SEBASTIAN KENNERKNECHT / MINDEN PICTURES (COYOTE); MICHAEL
KACOS / VIRAL HOG (BEAR AND COYOTE ON TRAIL); NORTHANTS FIRE AND RESCUE (IGUANA)

“Critter Close-
A Nat Geo photographer gives
‹ you a behind-the-scenes look at
his quest to save animals.

BY ALLYSON SHAW • PHOTOGRAPHS BY JOEL SARTORE

Sometimes Joel Sartore smears peanut butter all over a
sifaka’s enclosure; other times he power washes penguin
poop off a photo backdrop. But it’s all to inspire you to help
save animals. “I want people to look into their eyes,”
he says. “I hope that by seeing these animals up
close, people will care about them.”

The National Geographic Explorer travels to
zoos, aquariums, and rescue centers around
the world to snap pics of all 25,000 animal
species living in captivity for his project:
the National Geographic Photo Ark.
He works with the animals’ keepers
to make sure they’re comfortable
and safe—but things still get a
little wild. Read about a few of
Sartore’s memorable moments.

Photographer
Joel Sartore uses plain
black or white backgrounds
in his pictures because he
wants the focus to be

on the animals and
nothing else.

“

Moment of All toucans are cool. They’re big Flocks
birds—over a foot and a half of keel-billed
CHILL long—so they don’t have a lot toucans roost
to fear from other animals in together in tree
KEEL-BILLED TOUCAN the forest. And that meant they
were also very mellow in my trunks.
• Native to southern photo tent. With other species
Mexico, Central of animals, I often work with
America, and keepers and handlers to choose
northern Colombia the right individual that would
and Venezuela feel comfortable doing a photo
shoot. But with toucans, I know
• Tracy Aviary in Salt it’ll always be a good shoot. They
Lake City, Utah just don’t get rattled.

12 NAT GEO KIDS • APRIL 2022 JOEL SARTORE, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC PHOTO ARK /
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC IMAGE COLLECTION (ALL)

“

Moment of I came to this zoo to photo- But they insisted I had to see coloring mimics the shadowy
graph another animal, but this cutie. pattern of sunlight on the
SQUEE the staff insisted I also take forest floor so they can hide
a photo of their Malayan “So they led the mom and in plain sight and eat without
MALAYAN TAPIR tapir calf. I said no because I six-day-old baby into my much fear.
already had a photo of an photo space. The baby stood
• Native to Malaysia adult tapir, and I can’t take calmly while the mom ate “Turns out I was wrong: It
photos of all the babies, too. some leaves, just like they was the cutest thing ever, and
and Sumatra behave in the wild. Their I’m so glad I got this shot.
“
• Minnesota Zoo in Apple “

Valley, Minnesota

Adult Malayan
tapirs can
weigh up to
800 pounds.

“

Moment of When the keepers placed this gets a treat, like an alfalfa
Gunnison’s prairie dog in my cube or leaves, this prairie
HA photo tent, he looked around dog starts squawking.
and immediately started
GUNNISON’S barking. I snapped a few “He was barking now
PRAIRIE DOG pictures and then asked his because he wanted to get
caretaker why he was making back to his enclosure and
• Native to Colorado, so much noise. keep an eye on his neighbor.
Even though we gave him
New Mexico, Arizona, “She told me that he lives plenty of treats, he was
and Utah next to a white-tailed prairie wondering if his competition
dog and is extremely jealous was getting something even
• Liberty Wildlife in of him. Whenever his neighbor better!

Phoenix, Arizona 13APRIL 2022 • NAT GEO KIDS

Each Gunnison’s
prairie dog has
its own special

bark.

Servals
use their big
ears to help
them hunt.

» WILDNESS!More Photo Ark spotlights all kinds of animals. Meet a few more of Joel Sartore’s subjects.

WALRUS CHINESE WATER DRAGON HORSFIELD’S TARSIER SPOTTED PORCELAIN CRAB

• Native to the Bering Sea • Native to Southeast Asia • Native to Southeast Asia • Native to the western
• SeaWorld San Diego in San • Lincoln Children’s Zoo in • Taman Safari Bogor in
Atlantic Ocean
Diego, California Lincoln, Nebraska Bogor, Indonesia
• Gulf Specimen Marine Lab

in Panacea, Florida

14 NAT GEO KIDS • APRIL 2022 JOEL SARTORE, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC PHOTO ARK / NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC IMAGE COLLECTION (ALL)

“

Moment of Moment of For this shoot, we set up a to the spot. Of course, he
shelf for the sifaka—a type jumped right up and rubbed
OOPS YUM of lemur—high on a wall. the peanut butter on his
They’re arboreal animals hands and started licking
SERVAL COQUEREL’S SIFAKA [meaning they live mostly in it off.
trees], so we thought he’d
• Native to parts of • Native to Madagascar feel more comfortable there. “Once he was done, he sat
• Houston Zoo in and stared at me—I bet he
northwest Africa and “We spread peanut butter was wondering if I had any
Houston, Texas all over the wall to entice him more peanut butter.
“ sub-Saharan Africa “
• Lincoln Children’s Zoo in “ These
Lincoln, Nebraska sifakas can
leap 20 feet in
When I came to snap pics of a single bound.
Johnny the serval, I used a
bright orange clip to hold
the black backdrop in place
against a metal bar. Johnny
was really focused on that
clip, not on me. Eventually
he just hopped up on top of
the bar—bringing the
whole thing crashing down,
including the light stands
I’d carefully set up.

“He was fine, but it made
a big noise and a big mess.
Eventually we set every-
thing back up—without
the orange clip—and got
a great photo. The worst
part? That day a newspaper
photographer was shadow-
ing me, and he caught the
whole embarrassing thing
on video.

GREEN TREE PYTHON LEARN MORE ABOUT PHOTO ARK.
natgeokids.com/photo-ark
• Native to Australia and
15APRIL 2022 • NAT GEO KIDS
nearby islands

• Riverside Discovery Center

in Scottsbluff, Nebraska

Moment of “

EW Antarctic penguins are great “Penguins eat fish and drink “But you don’t see penguin
to work with because unlike
CHINSTRAP PENGUINS animals that live near people, a lot of water,so their poop is poo in this photo, and here’s
these birds never learned to
• Native to Antarctica fear us. They’re calm, curious, extremely runny and extremely the secret: I clean up the
and so funny to watch. There’s
and nearby islands only one downside: They poop stinky.I always save penguin photos using editing soft-
all the time.
• Newport Aquarium in photo shoots for the end of the ware to remove the poop

Newport, Kentucky day because I know the back- stains in the final photo.
“
ground is going to be ruined“ Otherwise, the pic would be

after these birds have their turn. pretty gross!

Chinstraps Moment of ROMEO
are also
SMOOCH
called bearded
penguins. SEHUENCAS WATER FROG

These fully • Native to Bolivia’s
aquatic frogs live
on the bottoms Andean cloud forests
of streams and
“ • Museo de Historia Natural
rivers. Alcide d’Orbigny in

JULIET Cochabamba, Bolivia

16 NAT GEO KIDS • APRIL 2022 At one time, scientists thought that Romeo the Sehuencas
water frog(pronounced say-WHEN-kus) was the last of his spe-
cies. He’s so important that I had to change into a sterilized
jumpsuit and boots just to go in and see him. I crouched and
crawled around to get the best angle for this shot—it’s hard
to make eye contact with a frog!

“Luckily, scientists found a female frog of this species in the
wild—which they named Juliet—and I got to take her photo,
too. We’re all hoping that these two will fall in love and help
save their species.

JOEL SARTORE, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC PHOTO ARK / NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC IMAGE COLLECTION (PENGUIN GROUP, JULIET, ROMEO);
MICHAEL GORE / FLPA / MINDEN PICTURES (PRAIRIE DOG); GLENN BARTLEY / BIA / MINDEN PICTURES (TOUCAN); FLIP NICKLIN / MINDEN

PICTURES (CHINSTRAP PENGUIN); MICHEL AND CHRISTINE DENIS-HOUT / BIOSPHOTO / MINDEN PICTURES (SERVAL); PETE OXFORD
MINDEN PICTURES (SIFAKA); SUZI ESZTERHAS / MINDEN PICTURES (TAPIR); GLOBAL WILDLIFE CONSERVATION (FROG ON PEBBLES)

How toHelp

GUNNISON’S PRAIRIE DOG KEEL-BILLED TOUCAN

Threatened by: Hunting by humans and loss Threatened by: Habitat destruction and sometimes being
of grassland habitat due to development captured for the pet trade
How you can help: Prairie dogs get a
bad rap: Some people think they’re pests How you can help: Wild animals suffer when they’re kept as
because they sometimes tunnel under crops pets. Never purchase an animal that should be in the wild, and
or in yards. But these animals help keep ask your parents not to “like” photos of them kept as pets or as
grasslands healthy, so tell your neighbors tourist attractions on social media.
and friends how important these critters are
to the entire habitat. SERVAL

CHINSTRAP PENGUIN Threatened by:
Hunting and habitat loss
Threatened by: Climate
change and disease How you can help: Some
How you can help: Reduce people want a pet savannah
and reuse items as much as cat—a cross between a serval
possible. Why? Making new and a domestic cat. But breed-
things in factories creates ing servals takes them out of
carbon dioxide, which con- the wild, and their offspring
tributes to climate change. don’t make good pets.

COQUEREL’S SIFAKA MALAYAN TAPIR SEHUENCAS
WATER FROG
Threatened by: Habitat loss and hunting Threatened by: Habitat
How you can help: Sifakas are losing their forest homes in destruction and hunting Threatened by:
Madagascar because the wood is sometimes used to make Habitat loss, pollution, climate
products. Ask your parents not to buy furniture made How you can help: The change, and a deadly fungus
of rosewood and instead look for items that tapir’s habitat is cut down called chytrid disease that
come from sustainably managed forests. to create products made affects frogs
of wood. Cut back on your
paper waste and recycle How you can help: Don’t
what you use to help purchase wild-caught frogs
preserve trees. and amphibians. If you want
one as a pet, make sure it was
bred in captivity.

WIN A PHOTO ARK BOOK, PLUSHIE, AND
PUZZLE! TRY ONLINE MARCH 14-21.
natgeokids.com/april

17APRIL 2022 • NAT GEO KIDS

‹‹ ILDJOURNE
Wildebeests face off against lions and crocodiles—
all for some grassy goodness. 1 JANUARY
THROUGH
Migrating wildebeests CHEETAH WILDEBEESTS THOMSON’S APRIL
in Africa walk about WILDEBEEST GAZELLE
1,750 miles—that’s like The rainy season in
hoofing it from Portland, TANKZEANNYAIA Tanzania means plenty
Maine, to the very end of grassy plains for
of Florida! wildebeests to feast
on. That’s especially
Every January, about important for pregnant
1.3 million wildebeests females, which will give
start migrating in a birth to about half a
giant circle through million calves in a three-
the countries of to four-week period.
Tanzania and Kenya.
Members of the Zebras hang with
antelope family, these the herd for safety—
odd-looking animals but stay out in front to
spend a year chasing get first dibs on food.
rain, eating the grass it Pulling up the rear are
brings, having babies, animals like Thomson’s
and avoiding predators. gazelles; after the
And then they do it all wildebeests graze, the
over again. Check out shorter grass is easier
their amazing journey. for these animals to eat.

ARCTIC OCEAN MASAI Food might be plen-
MARA tiful, but wildebeest
NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN EUROPE ASIA NATIONAL calves are still in danger
AMERICA from predators like
RESERVE cheetahs and spotted
AFRICA PACIFIC Mara River hyenas. Luckily, the
OCEAN calves can run just 15
PACIFIC SOUTH minutes after they’re
OCEAN AMERICA INDIAN born.
OCEAN

AUSTRALIA

SOUTHERN OCEAN ZEBRA
ANTARCTICA

THIS KENYA IONCDEIAANN 2
RECTANGLE
REPRESENTS Lake
THE AREA Victoria
WHERE THESE
WILDEBEESTS TANZANIA
MIGRATE.

MAY 2 3SERENGETI WILDEBEESTS
THROUGH
JUNE WILDEBEEST NATIONAL
HERD PARK
As the rains stop, the
wildebeests migrate GIRAFFE 1
into the savanna for
more tasty grass. WILDEBEESTS 3 JULY ADAPTED FROM THE DECEMBER 2021 NATIONAL GEOGRPAHIC ARTICLE “THE UNLIKELY KING” BY PETER GWIN AND SUPPLEMENT TEXT BY EVE CONANT; FERNANDO G.
But they’ll face com- START THEIR THROUGH BAPTISTA (ANIMAL ART); RILEY D. CHAMPINE, MATTHEW W. CHWASTYK, KATIE ARMSTRONG (MIGRATION MAP); MARTIN WALZ (SMALL MAPS, BOTH; BACKGROUND)
petition from other MIGRATION IN ELEPHANT OCTOBER
grazers, like topi and THE SOUTHERN TREE HYRAX
African buffalo. And PART OF CROCODILE The dry season might
predators like lions SERENGETI be the most dangerous
still lurk nearby. NATIONAL PARK for the wildebeests
(1), FOLLOW THE as they continue their
Other animals live RAIN TOWARD migration in search of
among the wildebeests KENYA’S MASAI food. The woodland
here. Giraffes munch MARA NATIONAL vegetation is tasty for
on acacia tree leaves, RESERVE(2), animals like elephants
and black rhinos pluck CROSS OVER THE and tree hyraxes,
greens from bushes MARA RIVER, AND but it doesn’t offer
and shrubs. Dwarf HEAD BACK TO wildebeests much to
mongooses scamper THE PLAINS(3). eat. And it provides
on the ground, while plenty of hiding places
vervet monkeys hang AFRICAN for predators like
out in trees. BUFFALO leopards (though the
wild cats are usually
BLACK VERVET more interested in
RHINOCEROS MONKEYS antelope and impalas).

LIONS Driven by hunger,
the wildebeests
must also cross the
perilous Mara River.
Many drown or are
trampled—that is, if
the crocodiles don’t
get them first. Those
that survive push north
to Kenya, then back
south into the grassy
plains of Tanzania. It’ll
soon be time to start
all over again.

‹PRANHISTOGRYR’ESATEST
LOL at the
funniest jokes
of all time.

BY KAY BOATNER
ART BY JOE ROCCO

The first people to 1 ca 220 Considered one of ancient Rome’s worst emperors, teenage Elagabalus was at least an
be called April fools
didn’t step in fake dog accomplished prankster. He supposedly placed whoopee cushions on the chairs of dinner guests he
poo. They were people disliked. He also reportedly thought it was funny to release snakes in public to scare people. (It’s not.)
who were using the
wrong calendar! 2 ca 500 Annoyed by his neighbor, fifth-century Greek architect Anthemius of Tralles conjured
up an earthquake—sort of. Anthemius connected boilers, or tanks of water, in his house to a hose that
The calendars in he fed into a hole in the neighbor’s basement. (Since rubber hoses weren’t a thing yet, ancient Greeks
medieval Europe used used hoses made from ox intestines.) Lighting the tanks boiled the water inside and produced such a
to start on April 1. But forceful rush of steam into the neighbor’s basement, it felt like an earthquake was shaking the house.
around 1582, France
changed its calendar so 3 ca 1400s
that each year began on
January 1. (Much of the An English monk
world soon followed.) named Thomas
People who weren’t Betson pulled off
aware of the switch and one of the first
kept marking the new practical jokes to
year in April were called be documented
“April fools.” on paper. (Betson
wrote about
Today, people all the prank in his
over the world try to journal.) He hid
trick their friends on a beetle inside
this unofficial holiday. a hollowed-out
But pranksters have apple and con-
existed since way be- vinced his fellow
fore the 16th century— monks that the
and not just on April 1. rocking apple
Check out this timeline was possessed
to discover some of by evil spirits. 
the funniest hoaxes
throughout history.

Historians don’t
always know the exact
date of historical
events. That’s why
you’ll see a “ca” next
to some of the years
listed here. It stands
for “circa,” meaning
“around.”

20 NAT GEO KIDS • APRIL 2022

NKS

5 1835 A series of articles published in The Sun, a New

York newspaper, described a civilization discovered on
the moon that included unicorns, pyramids, and beavers
that could walk upright. The writer penned the series as a
joke, but the paper didn’t let readers in on it. As they kept
reading what they thought was a real story, the paper’s
circulation increased—even after the series was revealed
to be fake.

6 1957 A TV network aired a report showing Swiss

“spaghetti farmers” plucking pasta off trees as part of an
April Fools’ Day broadcast. But some viewers didn’t realize
what day it was and called in to ask where they could get their
own spaghetti trees. Pasta was uncommon in parts of Europe
at the time. Many people had no idea spaghetti was made of
flour … and didn’t grow on trees.

7 1978 An adventurer announced his plans to tow an ice-

berg from Antarctica into Australia’s Sydney Harbour. So resi-
dents weren’t surprised when what looked like a giant chunk
of ice showed up in the city on April 1. But when it started to
rain, shaving cream ran off the “iceberg,” revealing what was
underneath: white plastic sheets draped over a boat.

4 1698 During 8 2009

the 17th century, An article in Taiwan’s 
England’s Tower of Taipei Times newspaper
London—a building declared that a pair of
used as a fortress and giant pandas given to the
a jail—was also home local zoo from China were
to the city’s first zoo. actually brown bears in
Invitations stamped disguise. According to
with the royal seal the article, zookeepers
were mailed to a few figured out the truth
people to attend the after observing the “pan-
zoo’s Annual Washing das” behaving strangely.
of the Lions on April Most readers figured out
1. But when locals the article was, of course,
showed up, guards an April Fools’ Day prank.
turned them away.
The event didn’t 9 2011 Ever wonder what your pet is saying when it “talks”? A new website promised
exist. No one’s ever
claimed credit for the to translate what animals were trying to communicate—except the website (which looked
oldest April Fools’ totally real!) was up for only one day: April 1.
Day hoax on record. 
21APRIL 2022 • NAT GEO KIDS

PANGOLIN

RESCUE

How caretakers returned these
threatened animals to the wild

BY SCOTT ELDER Most
mammals are
Two men whisper quietly to each other in front of a gas covered in fur—
station outside Johannesburg, South Africa. One gestures pangolins are the
to a third man, who approaches the pair with a backpack. only ones with
Inside is an armored creature called a pangolin, curled up
in a defensive ball. scales.

One man touches his hands to his head, as if he’s amazed
to see the pangolin. But he’s really signaling to law enforce-
ment officials hiding nearby. Fifteen officers from South
Africa’s Endangered Species Unit appear on the scene and
immediately handcuff the man with the backpack.

“The officers’ job is to arrest the wildlife traffickers,”
says Ray Jansen, the undercover buyer and founder of
the African Pangolin Working Group, an organization
that helps protect Africa’s pangolins and their habitat.
“Mine is to make sure the pangolin is OK.”

Jansen gently removes the animal from the bag. The
rescued pangolin straightens her scaly body and peers up
at Jansen. “I can’t explain it, but it’s like she knows we saved
her life,” Jansen says, “like she was thanking us.”

TIME FOR TLC about 11 pounds and is A CAREGIVER AT THE
underweight for her age. JOHANNESBURG WILD-
But the critter, a young LIFE VETERINARY
female Temminck’s pangolin, She’s immediately sedated HOSPITAL TUBE-FEEDS
is still in danger. She hasn’t and given a medical exam, A YOUNG PANGOLIN
been fed her diet of ants and followed by an IV drip of NAMED TOT.
termites for days, possibly rehydrating fluids. To avoid
weeks. Jansen rushes her to her scaly suit of armor, vets
the Johannesburg Wildlife insert the IV needle into
Veterinary Hospital for Cory’s soft underside.
emergency treatment.
POACHING
Jansen decides to name PROBLEM
the pangolin Corona because
she was rescued in March Unfortunately, the
2020 at the beginning of hard scales that defend
the coronavirus pandemic. pangolins from predators
Nicknamed “Cory,” the two- like lions don’t protect
year-old creature weighs them from poachers, who
can simply pick them up

22 NAT GEO KIDS • APRIL 2022

after they curl FIELD MANAGER
into balls. All LENO SIERRA HELPS
eight species TUBE-FEED A
SEDATED PANGOLIN
NAMED VISHI.

of pangolins

are trafficked, or illegally

traded, mostly for their

scales. The bony plates are

ground up into powder that

some people falsely believe

are “cures” for problems

ranging from anxiety to

depression to cancer.

“Science has proven the

scales have no medicinal

value at all,” wildlife veteri-

narian Karin Lourens says.

“They’re made of keratin,

which is the same material

as our fingernails—and

rhino horns.”

Poachers illegally sell

other animal body parts,

PANGOLIN too, such as elephant tusks
RESEARCHER
CHARLI DE VOS and rhino horns. But pango-
PREPARES TO
WEIGH RAMPFY lins are considered the
THE PANGOLIN.
most trafficked animal in
EUROPE
AFRICA the world.

ARCTIC OCEAN

Pangolin AT L A N T I C O C E A N A
moms carry I
their babies on ALEXANDER BRACZKOWSKI (MAIN); DR KARIN LOURENSS
their tails. (TOT); FRANCES HANNAH (VISHI); MARTIN WALZ (MAP)
A
PACIFIC
OCEAN

INDIAN AUSTRALIA
OCEAN

Where
pangolins
live

23NAT GEO KIDS

ON THE MEND wildlife reserve in South Africa’s of ants and termites in the hospital, but
KwaZulu-Natal Province. Pangolins had now she has to dig them up on her own.
After a few days of treatments and high- been extinct in the area for decades, So one of the first activities Sierra does
calorie tube feedings, Cory’s health has but thanks to the rescue group, they’re with Cory is find a good snack spot.
improved enough that she’s allowed making a comeback.
some exercise. Pangolins are mostly And she knows just the place.“There’s
nocturnal, so she takes nighttime walks MMM, ANTS! a nearby field that has a lot of termite
at a safe location near the hospital. mounds,” Sierra says.“It’s like a termite
Caretakers attach a blinking light to Although Cory’s healthy, she’s still not big buffet.” Cory sniffs around one of the
one of her scales so they don’t lose her enough to easily survive on her own.“At termite-mound towers. Then she digs in
in the dark. her size and age, Cory would still stick with her long, strong front claws and
close to her mom and rely on her for stuffs her snout directly into the mound.
Five weeks after Cory arrives at the help,” says field manager Leno Sierra, who
hospital, caregivers decide she’s strong will help Cory adjust to the wild.“She still “She knows what to do. Her tongue
enough to begin the process of return- needs help opening termite mounds.” goes in and out of the mound nonstop,
ing to the wild. Workers transport Cory like a whip,” Sierra says.“Cory was
from the Johannesburg hospital to a Workers helped the pangolin eat plenty excited to be hunting.” Her long, sticky

EXPERTS
PLACE A
TRACKING
TAG ON A
PANGOLIN’S
BACK.

RESCUERS BARRY RESCUERS
MTHEMBU(LEFT), DALE ATTACH A
WEPENER(CENTER), BLINKING
AND CHARLI DE VOS FIT LIGHT TO
A TRACKING TAG ON A CORY SO THEY
PANGOLIN. CAN SPOT HER
IN THE DARK.

HOW TO BUILD A PANGOLIN Discover some supercool features of these scaly animals.

STEP 1 STEP 2

Start With Claws Make It Sticky

Pangolins have long, A hungry pangolin can
sharp claws on their stretch its sticky tongue
front feet. The claws up to 16 inches past its
dig burrows for the mouth. Coated in saliva,
pangolin to sleep in the tongue picks up ants
and rip up ant and and termites. One pangolin
termite mounds as it can catch up to 70 million
searches for dinner. insects a year with its extra-
long licker!

24 NAT GEO KIDS • APRIL 2022 ALEXANDER BRACZKOWSKI (PANGOLIN BEING FIT WITH TAGS, BOTH); ASHLEIGH PIENAAR (CORY WITH
TAG); MURRAY HARRISON (CORY FEEDING); GARETH THOMAS (CORY LOOKING UP); CHRIS WARE (COMIC)

These Scaly Stats
animals emit a
stinky odor when A pangolin’s top speed is
threatened. about three miles an hour.

CORY FORAGES There are eight species of pangolins:
FOR TERMITES. four in Africa and four in Asia.

A pangolin’s scales make up
20 percent of its weight.

Giant pangolins—the largest pangolin
species—weigh up to 73 pounds. Black-
bellied pangolins—the smallest species—

weigh as little as four pounds.

Pangolins might have lived on Earth
for nearly 80 million years.

tongue—two-thirds the length of her own for the first time.
body—bends to follow insect tunnels “We released her in a spot nearby
underground.
that’s far from potential predators,”
For the next several weeks, Cory and Sierra says.“Pangolins are so threat-
Sierra continue going on long walks to ened, we want to give them the safest
feast on termites and increase Cory’s place possible to bounce back in.”
weight. Sometimes the termite mound Fences in the area aim to keep
dirt is too hard for Cory to claw open, so poachers out, and the tracking tag
like a wild pangolin mom, Sierra digs it will alert the team if Cory gets too
up for her—with a pickax. close to the boundary and needs
relocating.
BACK TO THE WILD
Since 2019, the rescue group
After five months of babysitting Cory in has released more than a dozen
the wild—and after the animal’s weight other pangolins in the region.
increases to 14 pounds—the team Sierra hopes Cory will soon
decides the pangolin is ready to be add to the local population by
released. Sierra attaches a satellite having a pup of her own.
tracking tag to Cory’s back so they can
keep tabs on her. Then the rescuer “Cory having a pup would be
watches the animal wander off on her the ultimate success story,”
Sierra says.

STEP 3 CORY CHECKS OUT
HER SURROUNDINGS
Don’t Forget the Armor SOON AFTER HER
RESCUE.
These animals are covered in rows
of overlapping scales. Made out of WATCH WEIRD ANIMALS
keratin—the same substance in your LIKE PANGOLINS
fingernails—a pangolin’s armor is IN ACTION.
so tough that even predators like
lions can’t bite through it. (When a natgeokids.com/april
pangolin rolls its body into a ball to
protect itself, it looks like an over- 25APRIL 2022 • NAT GEO KIDS
grown pinecone!)

URAFereaOl?s
Peek inside this government file,

BY ROSE DAVIDSON then decide for yourself. SWEET SURPRISE

A saucer-shaped aircraft shoots through the clouds before crash- Navy pilots cruising off the coast
of Southern California in 2004
landing in the desert. A door slowly opens, revealing tiny green were stunned to see what they
described as a 40-foot-long oval
figures. The aliens have arrived! object flying at a mind-boggling
575 miles an hour, moving up
Well, not yet. But aliens and UFOs might not be so far out there. and down rapidly. It was too high
to be a bird, and it left no fuel
Last year, the U.S. government released a public report that discusses trail—which you’d expect from
an airplane.
unidentified flying objects. That’s big news, because the govern-
The craft was nicknamed Tic-
ment has never before admitted to taking this stuff so seriously. Tac for its resemblance to the
minty candy. Seth Shostak, a
The unclassified file reveals that from 2004 to 2021, the govern- senior astronomer for the Search
for Extraterrestrial Intelligence
ment collected video footage, data from sensors, and stories from Institute, thinks it could’ve been
the glare from a distant jet
military personnel for 144 cases of what they call Unidentified Aerial engine. But government officials
aren’t ready to close this case.
Phenomenon—UAP for short. So far they’ve only been able to

explain one of the sightings. (It was a deflating balloon.)

What else could these 143 UAPs be? The report offers a few catego-

ries of likely explanations, like clutter in the air (think birds or weather

balloons), stuff in nature (perhaps strange lightning), and technology

from other nations. Then there’s the “other” category, which means

it’s totally unexplained. (Could it be aliens? The report doesn’t say!)

But for now, officials simply can’t say for sure what any of these

143 UAPs are.

Read on about three of the sightings, then decide

for yourself what they could be. And if these mystery

objects are truly out of this world? Instead of focus-

ing on tiny green creatures, NASA researcher

Ravi Kumar Kopparapu suggests keeping a OVERHEARD!

more open mind. Some of the
UAP video
“Let’s think of them as curious, recordings
also caught
extremely interesting scientific the pilots’
reactions to
phenomena,” he says. what they
were seeing.
26 NAT GEO KIDS • APRIL 2022 Here’s what t“DhoatytohuInsge?e”
they had to
say.

THE PLANES’ VIDEO
CAMERAS CAPTURED
THESE IMAGES.

OUT FOR A SPIN SPEED MACHINE COOL UFO
MOMENTS
Soaring above the coast of Florida In 2015, Navy pilots observed a
in 2015, Navy pilots spotted an odd small white orb whizzing at about June 1947
spinning object on their radar 300 miles an hour above the
screens. As the pilots got closer, Atlantic Ocean. The craft was A pilot in Washington
the strange rotating object flying against the wind—without State sees nine flying
seemed to purposefully dart away. wings, a tail, or anything else that vehicles and says they flew
might propel it forward(such as an “like a saucer if you skip it
The event was named Gimbal engine). Pilots named the quick across the water.”
after a tool that allows something craft Go-Fast.
to spin around a stable base, sort July 1952
of like a compass. According to But Shostak thinks it might be
Shostak, it could’ve been the jet- odd footage of a simple weather Air traffic controllers spot a
engine heat from a distant plane. balloon,which collects information series of odd objects floating
“If you’re a hundred miles behind about temperature, air pressure, over the White House and
it, the heat from the tailpipe will and winds. However, these devices U.S. Capitol in Washington,
make the plane look like a flying typically only travel about 11 miles D.C. The Air Force explains
peanut,” Shostak says. But that an hour—way too slow for Go-Fast. they were simply stars or
doesn’t explain the spinning or the meteors.
getaway—and that’s why this case
remains unsolved. 1960s

The U.S. government
encourages the idea that
UFOs were flying around
Area 51, a military facility in
Nevada, to hide what they
were really doing: building
supersecret spy planes.

2006

Pilots, mechanics, and airline
managers spot a flying-
saucer-like object over an
airport in Chicago, Illinois.

2019

Dozens of people
gather outside
Area 51 to rescue
aliens ... as a joke.
(They don’t
find any.) 

2021

After Congress asked in
2020, the government
releases all the information
it has about UAPs.

“Wow! What Is VOTE: DO YOU THINK
that, man?” ALIENS ARE OUT THERE?
natgeokids.com/whatchathink

“tLhoIongk,adtutdhea!”t PRAPANN / SHUTTERSTOCK (ENVELOPE); 3000AD / DREAMSTIME (FLYING SAUCER); U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE (TIC-TAC, GIMBAL, GO- 27
FAST), NINELL / SHUTTERSTOCK (PHOTO FRAMES, ALL), IMAGES DIGITALLY COMPOSED; DAVID SMART / SHUTTERSTOCK (OPEN FOLDERS,
ALL); TRANZ2D / DREAMSTIME (ALIEN); LAURENT FOX / GETTY IMAGES (U.S. CAPITOL); MARIO TAMA / GETTY IMAGES (AREA 51)

GAMES, 2 YOGURT
LAUGHS, CONTAINER
AND LOTS

STUFFTODO!

RIseTchyact lable?
BY JULIE BEER
TREESCTYYCLOINURG SMARTS!COaaarnKenstwgyooeetnurosegsorsuanielnlpystsaonwgoaehnri3erce5chcytyococlfiflntaihngbedlbesoie?nuCitathe!nemdcskwathrheiceh

1 PLASTIC
SUNGLASSES

NOT ALL RECYCLING
FACILITIES ARE THE SAME.

Some of the recyclable products
shown here aren’t accepted at
many facilities because they’re
hard to process. Check with your
local recycling center to see what
it accepts. With a parent’s help,
you can also go online to research
companies and groups that might
accept other things that are tricky
to recycle, like water filters or
coffee pods.

JAVIER BROSCH / ADOBE STOCK (1); SMARTIK1988 / ADOBE STOCK (2); COPRID / ADOBE STOCK (3); PICSFIVE / ADOBE STOCK
(4); BESTV / SHUTTERSTOCK (5); MARIUSZ BLACH / ADOBE STOCK (6); MICHAEL FLIPPO / ADOBE STOCK (7, RECYCLE BIN),
VOVAN / ADOBE STOCK (7, SHAMPOO BOTTLE), IMAGE DIGITALLY COMPOSED; DAISY DAISY / ADOBE STOCK (8)

3 PLASTIC FOAM EASRSTPFTUUEHCFNFIAD! LAY
CONTAINER
4 PLASTIC
BOTTLE

5 MILK
JUG

6 TO-GO
COFFEE CUP

8

STRAWS

7 SHAMPOO

BOTTLE

CHECK OUT
THE BOOK!

29APRIL 2022 • NAT GEO KIDS

U EASRSTPFTUUEHCFNFIAD! LAY

YOURPARENTS

How eco-friendly are your parents? If they can’t
answer these questions, maybe they should take a
lesson in going green. ANSWERS ON PAGE 35

1 In your lifetime, you’ll throw away enough 6 Which of these species are threatened

trash to fill _____________ . by climate change?
A. the Empire State Building A. koala
B. about five trash trucks B. clownfish
C. six bathtubs C. arctic fox
D. the Grand Canyon D. all of the above

2 7 What happens when Te Ka’s darkness over-
takes the island in the movie Moana?
Which item is found most
often at beach cleanups? A. fish disappear C. coconuts turn black
A. glass
B. pieces of plastic B. crops fail D. all of the above
C. shoes
D. jewelry

3 Which alternative 8 Which of these items can be composted, or
turned into natural fertilizer, for your garden?
form of transpor-
tation does not A. eggshells C. aluminum foil
appear in the Harry
Potter book series? B. golf balls D. all of the above
A. a broomstick
B. a hippogriff 9 Which statement about recycling aluminum THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY IS MAJORITY OWNER OF NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC PARTNERS. © CHRIS NEWBERT / MINDEN
C. a skateboard PICTURES (FISH); DAVID KIENE / GETTY IMAGES (CANYON); REBECCA HALE / NG STAFF (BOOK); AA FILM ARCHIVE / WALT DISNEY
is true? PICTURES / ALAMY (MOANA); © MITSUAKI IWAGO / MINDEN PICTURES (PANDA); © BRAND X PICTURES / JUPITERIMAGES (EARTH)
with wings A. More than half of all aluminum cans
D. a flying
produced in the United States are recycled.
motorcycle B. About 100,000 aluminum cans are

4 Which uses the most energy in U.S. homes recycled each minute in the United States.
C. Recycling one aluminum can save nearly the
each year?
A. lighting C. heating and air-conditioning same amount of energy that it takes to
B. refrigeration D. heating water power a 100-watt light bulb for four hours.
D. all of the above
5 Paper can be made from
10
which of these materials?
A. panda excrement How many degrees has the Earth warmed
B. hemp up in the past 100 years?
C. wood
D. all of the above A. 20°F
B. 30°F
C. 1°F
D. 12°F

30 NAT GEO KIDS

Green Scene EASRSTPFTUUEHCFNFIAD! LAY
BY JILL YAWORSKI

Create a Hummingbird Garden!

Seventeen different species of colorful
hummingbirds live throughout the United
States—some probably near you. These
tiny birds with iridescent feathers are fun
to watch as they dart from flower to flower.

Use plants native to your area to create
a garden that will attract hummingbirds
to your yard. By growing native plants,
you’ll have a garden that thrives naturally
and is good for the environment.

Hummingbirds These birds BROAD-BILLED
are the can hover in HUMMINGBIRD

only birds midair.
that can fly
backward.

Their
wings beat
40 to 80 times
a second.

HOW TO ATTRACT HUMMINGBIRDS

Hovering all day can be exhausting, so hummingbirds need to
refuel often. They feed on the flowers’ nectar, which has lots
of energy. And a hummingbird can drink half its weight in just
one day.

Hummingbirds will feed from any nectar-producing flower,
regardless of its shape or color. Attract your feathered friends
by filling your garden with these “flight fuel” flowers.

BUTTERFLY SCARLET PENSTEMON TRUMPET TRUMPET
BUSH SAGE CREEPER HONEYSUCKLE

© DAVID TIPLING / NPL / MINDEN PICTURES (HUMMINGBIRD); ZEN RIAL / GETTY IMAGES (BUTTERFLY BUSH); © PHOTOART UK / ALAMY (SCARLET SAGE); 31APRIL 2022 • NAT GEO KIDS
© IMAGEBROKER / ALAMY (PENSTEMON); © CUBOIMAGES SRI / ALAMY (TRUMPET CREEPER); © JOHN KEATES / ALAMY (TRUMPET HONEYSUCKLE)

TRASH TROOPER

These photos show close-up views of items often
found at trash pickups. Unscramble the letters to
identify what’s in each picture. Can’t quite pick it
up? ANSWERS ON PAGE 35

EASRSTPFTUUEHCFNFIAD! LAY

NUAMIMLU NCA ENTLDA SSLOF CRGEROY AGB
IKCP

ASICPTL TLOTEB WTSARS ITLENSUS TOP ROW (LEFT TO RIGHT): FENG YU / DREAMSTIME; ANG INTARAVICHIAN / SHUTTERSTOCK; MNI / SHUTTERSTOCK. MIDDLE
ROW (LEFT TO RIGHT): EASTERNLIGHTCRAFT / GETTY IMAGES; TAE PY15MU / SHUTTERSTOCK; TIMMARY / SHUTTERSTOCK.
ACSKN GBA TTBEOL CPA EOTUAKT BOTTOM ROW (LEFT TO RIGHT): YALCIN SONAT / SHUTTERSTOCK; SEDMI / SHUTTERSTOCK; BRAVISSIMOS / SHUTTERSTOCK.
EROCNAINT

32 NAT GEO KIDS • APRIL 2022

Whatcha tCKohidetshcrkiseoapudotellr,htsohrweensNpgaootnGodneeoldineEASRSTPFTUUEHCFNFIAD! LAY

to vote in the next one!

natgeokids.com/whatchathink

19% 11%

WATER BOTTLES CUPS AND LIDS

Which
plastic item

will you
cut back

on?

20% 36%

STRAWS BAGS

ALEN KADR / SHUTTERSTOCK (WATER BOTTLE); VITAMINCO / SHUTTERSTOCK 14%
(CUP WITH LID); MATKUB2499 / SHUTTERSTOCK (STRAWS); SARROTE SAKWONG /
SHUTTERSTOCK (UTENSILS); ALEXEY POPRUGIN / DREAMSTIME (BAG) UTENSILS

33

ENDANGERED ANIMALS

Nat Geo Kids readers can’t wait to

help protect animals. Check out a

ART ZONE fewoftheirfavoritecritters.

S Ethiopian S Asian Elephant
Ahan S., 12
Wolves Redmond, Washington

Haley T., 16 W Black Rhino
Columbiana, Ohio Brody W., 9
Farmington, New York
Pangolin X

Lexi M., 13
Atlanta, Georgia

34 NAT GEO KIDS • APRIL 2022

Draw a new ice- Send us Nat Geo Kids— Include your name, address, phone number, date of birth, a title for your drawing, a statement that
cream flavor. your Ice Cream Art Zone it is your own work, and the name of your parent or guardian. Your parent or guardian must sign a
original P.O. Box 98002 release for publication if your illustration is selected. Submissions become the property of National
drawings: Washington, DC Geographic Partners,and all rights thereto are transferred to National Geographic Partners.Submis-
20090-8002 sions cannot be acknowledged or returned. Selection will be at the discretion of Nat Geo Kids.

W Hawksbill Sea Turtle EASRSTPFTUUEHCFNFIAD! LAY
Niko W., 8
Boise, Idaho

T Tiger
Katherine H., 10
Ogden, Utah

W Sea Otter
Clara S., 11
Evanston, Illinois

Orangutan X

Reese W., 11
Bentonville,
Arkansas

S African Wild Dog Answers
Anna H., 11
Lake Elmo, Minnesota ”Is That Recyclable?” (pages 28-29):

Plastics are sometimes recyclable, but always check with your
local facility to see which types of trash they accept.
USUALLY RECYCLABLE: yogurt container, plastic bottle, milk jug,
shampoo bottle.
USUALLY NONRECYCLABLE: plastic foam container, sunglasses,
to-go coffee cup (these paper cups often have plastic inner
linings that aren’t recyclable), straws (most facilities can’t recycle
these).

”Stump Your Parents” (page 30):

1. B, 2. B, 3. C, 4. C, 5. D, 6. D, 7. D, 8. A, 9. D, 10. C.

”What in the World?” (page 32):

Top row: aluminum can, dental floss pick, grocery bag. Middle
row: plastic bottle, straws, utensils. Bottom row: snack bag,
bottle cap, takeout container.

35APRIL 2022 • NAT GEO KIDS

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Cute, Cuter, CUTEST!

Bet you’ve never seen so many adorable animals all in one place! It’s page
after page of precious pictures and fun facts about big-eyed vervet monkeys,
prickly little hedgehogs, fuzzy blue penguins, and more. Learn all about them!

WGROALYF ghGraarvryaee,ycdwrwdehoiasilmthveec,,oosbarclaatecsnvk.e,n A gray wolf’s
Playful puppy or powerful sense of smell
is over 100 times
predator? Both, actually! more sensitive
Gray wolves grow up to be than a human’s.
excellent hunters, but they’re
not born that way. As pups, 13
wolves like to play with their
littermates. Young wolves 7/27/20 1:50 PM
have been seen tossing “toys,”
such as bones and animal skin, Learn how
back and forth. As adults, they to do cool
play a more helpful role and birdcalls!
alert the pack to prey or
danger in the area. Despite
what you may have heard,
wolves don’t howl at the sight
of a full moon, but they do
howl to communicate with

one another, to claim their
territory, or, sometimes,
simply to mimic the howls of
other members of their pack!

12

Birds are cute, too! Head outside with
one of these handy guides to discover
more about our fine feathered friends.
Filled with fascinating facts, photos,
maps, activities, and more.

Learn how
to take great

bird pics!

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