Collector’s

Cards!

The
Sc e
of

C te
Arctic
foxes,
koalas, dolphins,
and more!

DARE TO EXPLORE
E
natgeokids.com
CLOUDE D
LEOPAURED
DECEMBER 2017 / JANUARY 2018

RESC
 1,189 endings and one hero...
YOU!

270 million books in print • 40 languages

Choose Your Own Adventure and Choose Your Own Adventure in oval are
trademarks of Chooseco LLC and are registered in the United States and in
international jurisdictions. All rights reserved. © Chooseco LLC 2017
cyoa.com
 Editor in Chief and Vice President,
Kids Magazines & Digital
Rachel Buchholz
Vice President, Visual Identity
Eva Absher-Schantz
Design Director, Magazines Eileen O’Tousa-Crowson
Editorial Kay Boatner, Senior Editor / Digital Producer;
Allyson Shaw, Associate Editor / Digital Producer
Photo Shannon Hibberd, Senior Photo Editor 12
Production Sean Philpotts, Director
Digital Laura Goertzel, Director;
The Science
of Cute
Tirzah Weiskotten, Video Manager
Administration Michelle Tyler, Editorial Assistant

Find out how these

PUBLISHED BY NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC PARTNERS, LLC
Chief Executive Officer
adorable animals can
Declan Moore affect your brain.
Chairman of the Board of Directors
Peter Rice
Executive Vice President, Consumer Products
Rosa Zeegers
Senior Vice President, Kids Media, Content

20
Jennifer Emmett

Advertising Offices Kim Connaghan, Vice President, Publisher Smart Toys

(212) 822-7431; Bob Amberg, National Brand Director Check out five amazing
(212) 822-7437; Detroit Karen Sarris (248) 368-6304; toys and the technology that
West Coast Eric Josten (424) 292-5715
International Magazine Publishing Yulia Petrossian Boyle,
makes them so clever.
Senior Vice President; Jennifer Jones, Business Manager;
Rossana Stella, Editorial Manager
Finance Jeannette Swain, Senior Budget Manager;
Tammi Colleary-Loach, Senior Manager, Rights Clearance;
Pinar Taskin, Contracts Manager Clouded Leopard
Consumer and Member Marketing John MacKethan, Vice
President, Retail Sales and Special Editions;
Mark Viola, Circulation Director;
22 Rescue
Orphan cubs learn how
Richard J. Brown, New Business Director to live in the wild.
Market Services Tracy Hamilton Stone, Research Manager
Advertising Production Kristin Semeniuk, Director;
Julie A. Ibinson, Manager
Publicity Caitlin Holbrook, Publicist (202) 912-6714
Parents, contact us online: [email protected]
The Truth 26
Behind Awesome
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS (ISSN 1542-3042) is published ten times a year
New Movies
COEOCTLOR’S
by National Geographic Partners, LLC, Washington, DC 20036. For more
information contact natgeo.com/info.
Periodical postage paid at Washington, DC, and additional mailing
See how two new flicks
offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC stack up to reality.
KIDS, P.O. Box 62135, Tampa, FL 33662–2135. Subscriptions: United States,
L DS
COLCAR E!
$25.00; Canada, $29.95; elsewhere, $34.95; all in U.S. funds. Single copy:
United States, $4.99; Canada, $6.99 in Canadian funds or $5.75 in U.S.
funds; elsewhere, $5.99 in U.S. funds or equivalent(includes postage). In
Canada, Agreement number 40063649, return undeliverable Canadian
addresses to NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS, P.O. Box 4412 STA A, Toronto,
Departments D INSI
Ontario M5W 3W2.
4 Weird But True! 6 What Would Happen? 10 Amazing Aniima
als
The submission of photographs and other material to NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
KIDS is done at the risk of the sender; NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS cannot
5 Guinness World 8 Bet You Didn’t Know 28 Fun Stuff
accept liability for loss or damage. Records 9 Dare to Explore

SUBSCRIBE TO NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS! Parents: Follow us on Twitter @NGKids and like us on Facebook. For
CALL TOLL FREE 1–800–647–5463 corrections and clarifications, go online. natgeo.com/corrections
(TDD: 1–800–548–9797) A Note to Parents
MON.–FRI., 8 A.M.–MIDNIGHT ET, SAT., 8:30 A.M.–7 P.M. ET National Geographic Kids occasionally makes its member and subscriber Please include a current magazine
For a subscription to NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS, send written requests—
including name, address, zip code, and payment in U.S. funds or equivalent—to lists available to reputable organizations that market their products and label with this coupon, and mail
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS, P.O. BOX 62135 TAMPA, FL 33662–2135 services through the mail. If you do not want your name and address used your request to:
For gift subscriptions, send giver’s name and address as well as recipient’s. in this manner, you can remove it by returning this coupon.
National Geographic Kids
Copyright © 2017 National Geographic Partners, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction of the Do not make my name and address available to other organizations. Customer Service
whole or any part of the contents of NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS without written permission
is prohibited. NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS and Yellow Border: Registered Trademarks ® Marcas
Please note that Nat Geo Kids will not disclose your child’s name P.O. Box 62135
Registradas. Printed in the U.S.A. ISSUE 476 for marketing or promotional purposes. Tampa, FL 33662-2135
PRINTED ON 100% PEFC-CERTIFIED PAPER—PEFC/29-31-58— COVER: BLICKWINKEL / ALAMY (ARCTIC FOX); ANUP SHAH / NATURE PICTURE LIBRARY (ZEBRA); IFAW / WTI S. KADUR (CLOUDED LEOPARD); UBTECH (ASTROBOT).
Please recycle. PAGE 3: ZSSD / MINDEN PICTURES / GETTY IMAGES (TIGERS); UBTECH (ASTROBOT); IFAW / WTI S. KADUR (CLOUDED LEOPARD); BLUE SKY STUDIOS (GOAT)
 BY JEFFREY WANDEL

Check out these

outrageous facts.
A newborn

S
puppy can
take up to 2

n
months to start ROCKETS

a
wagging its tail.

MUST

k e
i’D TRAVEL

s
BETTER CALL THERE IS
MOM TO TELL CELL PHONE

can’
HER i’LL BE
LATE FOR
RECEPTION
DINNER. AT THE SUMMIT
SOME FROGS OF MOUNT
EVEREST.
CAN GLIDE
t s
UP TO AT LEAST
lither 25,000
MILES
AN HOUR

(FROG); STEFEN CHOW / AURORA PHOTOS (MOUNT EVEREST); JONATHAN HALLING / NG STAFF (GREEN GLASS ART)
50 FEET
on glass.

E ECCA HALE / NG S AFF ( EAVE SIGN); IM MACMILLAIN / JOHN DOWNER PR / NATURE PICTURE LIBRARY
TO
THROUGH
THE AIR. ESCAPE
EARTH’S
GRAVITY.
SKIN
IS
YOUR GET
BODY’S MORE!
LARGEST A HUMAN BONE IS 5 TIMES and
ORGAN. STRONGER THAN A PIECE OF
STEEL OF THE SAME WEIGHT.
App

4 DECEMBER 2017 / JANUARY 2018

 M
HINGM
ONIS
AST IES FRO F
STOR FILES O
THE Guinne ss ORDS!

Wo Re c
BY KAY BOATNER

LEGO
SUPERHEROES
Get more cool
Get oo
ol sttuf
uff
ff
in the
e new book
UINNESS WORLD
ECORDS:
AMAZIN
NG ANIMALS!
Superheroes, unite! Lego superheroes, that is. Artist
Nathan Sawaya holds the record for the largest displaay
of Lego superhero sculptures with 11 separate figuress.
He used over two million Lego pieces to construct thee
Flash, Green Lantern, Cyborg, Aquaman, Krypto, and two
different sculptures each of Superman, Batman, and
Wonder Woman. Lego villains, beware.
FLASH

CAT HAS
G
i’ve got

LONG
fluff to
spare.

TAIL
Make room for this feline.
BALL OF STICKERS
With a tail measuring 17.5
inches from his rump to the
tip of his tail, Cygnus the
Maine coon holds the record
for the longest tail on a
domestic cat. And the kitty’s
tail isn’t done growing—it’s
expanded about half an inch
every month since this record
measurement. When he’s
not chasing a laser pointer Walk into the lobby of the StickerGiant offices in Longmont,
around the house, Cygnus Colorado, and you’ll see a few plants, some desks ... and a
takes naps with his tail 232-pound ball of stickers named Saul. John Fischer and
wrapped around his family’s fellow employees from the label-making company took two
two other cats, Arcturus months to build the largest ball of stickers(measured by
and Sirius. Maybe he dreams weight) in honor of the first National Sticker Day in January
about extra-long mice. 2016. So how many stickers is Saul made of? Nearly 200,000!

JAMES CANNON / GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS (FLASH); KEVIN SCOTT RAMOS / GUINNESS WORLD
RECORDS (CYGNUS, FISCHER). INFORMATION PROVIDED BY © 2017 GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS LIMITED. NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS 5
 CHECK OUT
THE BOOK!

T BY JOE C O
R
BY C
B

What would happen if

Earth’s gravity disappeared?
Things would really be up in the air. Gravity is the force that
pulls objects toward Earth’s center, keeping you grounded.
It also holds the planet together. If this force vanished, any-
thing that’s not secured to the ground would float off into
space—including water from oceans, lakes, and rivers! Build-
ings might remain in place for some time. But the people,
animals, and items inside would weightlessly drift upward,
sort of like astronauts do in space. And eventually, without
gravity to keep Earth intact, the planet would break into
pieces. Luckily scientists agree that it’s impossible for Earth’s
gravity to disappear. That’s a weight off our shoulders!

What would happen if you

had a time machine?
You could beam to ancient Egypt or zip to the Victorian era. But don’t
expect to change history by, say, introducing King Tut to a cell phone. Some
scientists think it’s possible that our universe is one of many alternate
“parallel” universes, each with its own timeline (for real!). And if time
travel could happen, a new universe with a different timeline would form
the moment the traveler did something to alter the future. But nothing
would shift in your original timeline. So when you returned to your jumping-
off point, you wouldn’t see the consequences of your trip. Other scientists
think there’s only one universe with one timeline that cannot be changed
no matter what. So if you were hoping to alter history to become a zillion-
aire in the present, you’re out of luck!

What would happen if

everything were free?
You’d need a lot more closet space to stash your stuff!
Not having to pay for anything would mean you could get
whatever items are on your wish list … for a while at least.
People who create the things you want and need are getting
paid to make stuff—that way they can buy their own goods.
If everything were free(and money wasn’t needed), people
might not be interested in working to produce items or
provide services. Before long, everything from sneakers to
toothpaste to gaming systems may no longer exist because
no one would be making them. So paying money for your
must-haves is probably worth it.

6 DECEMBER 2017 / JANUARY 2018

 ADVERTISEMENT

anywhere!
anytime!

Watch
t True!
Weird Bu ck local
he
on TV. C ions for
FOX t s.
st a
time

plus: WATCH
ot her
ut
Check o hows
s
natgeokids.com Saturd
morning ay
s on
our Nat Geo
on theses!
platform WILD!
 BY ERIN WHITMER

this

der 2
eat
hou
in Colorado
tossed
ver
of icing—t ake 415
heavie t.
than a
4
largest
3 The
T orah —
delabra
Kwa
Kw fr
comes fro
during
Hanukkah
H —

RUTH BLACK / SHUTTERSTOCK

phrase m
was taller
“first w
three-story
fruits ding.
language called Swahili.
6
A survey found
that about half of
dog owners to circle the moon, CHECK
in the United
States buy holiday gifts entered orbit on OUT THIS
Christmas Ev
E BOOK!
for their pets.
8 in 1968.
 RE Mountaineer Wasfia Nazreen is
BY C.M. TOMLIN

E O the first person from her South Asian

country of Bangladesh to climb
the “Seven Summits,” or the highest
mountain on each continent. She talks
to Nat Geo Kids about overcoming
oobstacles and doing the unexpected.

GEOGRAPHIC CREATIVE (NAZREEN, INSET); SANGAY SHERPA / AFP / GETTY IMAGES (NAZREEN, WALKING)
WASFIA NAZREEN / NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CREATIVE (NAZREEN, MAIN); RANDALL SCOTT / NATIONAL
“W
hile climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa, one of
my team members brought a Hula-Hoop. Growing up, many things were
frowned upon for young girls like me to do—hula-hooping in public was
one of those things. So halfway up Kilimanjaro, we decided to take the Hula-
Hoop to the top … and to the highest peak of all seven continents. It was my way of
taking back what was often taken from me as a child: my right to play outdoors.
WANT TO BE A “No good thing in life comes without obstacles, and all obstacles seem scary at first.
MOUNTAINEER? But it’s always been worth it for me to push through them. For instance, while climbing
Mount Everest in Nepal, we were close to the summit when our camp was destroyed by an
STUDY: avalanche. Without our extra supplies, we were forced to return to base camp and start
Geography and all over again. It was frustrating at the time, but finally reaching the summit was more
social studies meaningful because of all the extra struggles we went through.
WATCH: “You have to go for your dreams no matter how big they are or where you’re from.
The documentary Any peak is reachable as long as you’re persistent and hard-working.”
The Wildest Dream
READ: “Remember that it’s not about the summit or the final goal. It’s
To the Top! about the journey and the lessons we learn along the way.”
Climbing the World’s
Highest Mountain by
S.A. Kramer

WASFIA NAZREEN
USES A LADDER TO
CROSS OVER A DEEP
CREVASSE ON MOUNT
EVEREST, THE WORLD’S
HIGHEST PEAK.

NAZREEN HOLDS
THE BANGLADESHI
FLAG ATOP ALASKA’S
DENALI, NORTH
AMERICA’S TALLEST
MOUNTAIN.

9
 what?
do we have
something
in our
teeth?

OTTIE (FAR LEFT) AND

BONSO HAVE BEEN
SHEARED TO LOOK
LIKE A POODLE AND
A STEGOSAURUS.

Cirencester, England
It’s hard to miss Ottie, Tinka, and Bonso the alpacas. Their hilarious hairdos
make them and the other members of their herd look sort of like different
animals—including a zebra, a poodle, and even a dinosaur!
Helen Kendall Smith wanted to do something special to celebrate her
10th year as an alpaca breeder, so she decided to give 10 of her animals
crazy cuts. First she sketched out the shapes before hiring a professional
shearer to transform the animals. Alpacas are used to being sheared every
year to keep them cool and sell their wool. That’s why none of the animals
minded getting their new stop-and-stare styles.
How did Kendall Smith pick which alpacas would get the special cuts?
S
TINKA SHOW A- “I chose the ones that love attention,” she says, “the ones that have that
OFF HER ZEBRO.
INSPIRED ’D ‘look-at-me!’ attitude.” Her favorite is the dinosaur do on Bonso. “When he’s
in the field with his head underneath a tree to eat leaves, he really does
look like a dinosaur!” —Sara Schwartz

10 DECEMBER 2017 / JANUARY 2018

 australia?
never heard
of it.

O’D” AWAKENING
Dodgev le, Wisconsin
You ex ct to see a cow in Wisconsin farm country, not a kangaroo.
No won r Sheriff Steve Michek thought the first call reporting
the stra Australian animal was a prank. But sure enough, hopping
around woman’s snowy yard was a five-foot-tall kangaroo!
So h w do you catch a kangaroo? Michek lined up gates and
cars to eate a wide path leading into a horse barn. “We used apple
slices to help him along,” he says. Soon the ’roo bounded into the
shelter, where
w he stayed until zoo officials arrived.
How he animal, named Roo, got to Wisconsin remains a mystery.
“He may have escaped in transit from somewhere,” says Jim Hubing
of the H nry Vilas Zoo, which later adopted the animal, giving it a
life of lu ury as the zoo’s biggest star. Sure beats hopping around
in the ssnow! —Gerri Miller

KANGAROO ALPACAS
DODGEVILLE, CIRENCESTER,
WISCONSIN ENGLAND
what’s
for dinner?
anything
SHARK i want!
MONTEREY,
CALIFORNIA

SHARK TAL
Monterey, California
Scuba divers cleaning this million-gallon tank wore
a little something extra: chain mail. Why? Swimminng
close by—but not too close—was a great white
shark nearly six and a half feet long.
The shark made waves when she remained in
captivity at the Monterey Bay Aquarium for 198 days,
the longest ever for a great white. She came to her
new home after fishermen accidentally caught her.
Scientists at the aquarium used her visit to show
that sharks should be protected, not feared. “Many
species of sharks are threatened or endangered,”
marine biologist Randy Kochevar says.
The shark was eventually released into the ocean—
where she had to catch her own dinner instead of
grabbing it off an eight-foot pole! —Gerri Miller

FRANCIS HAWKINS / SWNS (ALPACAS, BOTH); ISSELEE /

DREAMSTIME (ROO); DAVID DOUBILET AND RANDY WILDER (SHARK) NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS 11
 The

cute
Science
of

BY JAMIE KIFFEL-ALCHEH

How these adorable animals affect your brain

Waking from a nap, a fluffy kitten blinks open its big blue
eyes and yawns to reveal a tiny pink tongue. Then it
stretches its body, exposing a furry little tummy. Curling
back into a ball, the kitten lets out a soft meow
adults to look after them. Having features that grown-ups find
irresistible helps make sure that the baby is cared for and
played with so that it’s healthy and learns social skills. So over
hundreds of thousands of years, humans developed a fondness
and goes back into snooze-mode. So adorable! for certain traits in babies. And when we see similar character-
Whether it’s a sleepy kitty or a bumbling istics in animals, we find them aw-worthy as well.
baby elephant, certain traits drive our cute- What is it about human babies and animals that we find so ador-
o-meters wild. And it turns out that science able? In 1943, Austrian zoologist Konrad Lorenz came up with a list
can explain our need to squee over critters. of “cuteness” traits—from big eyes to clumsiness—that make us
Scientists think our tendency to value feel affection. “People have an automatic response to these
cuteness has to do with species survival. features,” says Sookyung Cho, a scientist at Northern Kentucky
Human babies are born helpless—they need University. Discover which traits give us warm fuzzies, and why.

ALLSTARS / SHUTTERSTOCK (KITTEN); PATRICK ENDRES / AGE FOTOSTOCK (ARCTIC FOX); STEFAN

12 DECEMBER 2017 / JANUARY 2018 CHRISTMANN / BIA / MINDEN PICTURES / GETTY IMAGES (PENGUIN); CHRIS RADBURN / ALAMY (GIRAFFE)
head-to-head
Adorable Animal: An arctic fox pokes its
fluffy head out from behind a snowbank. Living
in its rugged habitat on the Arctic tundra, the
animal sports a thick layer of fur in winter
that makes its head look big.

Cuteness Factor: A large head is one of the

traits that humans find adorable. Some scien-
tists believe that we’re drawn to animals with
big heads because they remind us of a human
baby’s noggin. When humans are born, their
brains are more developed than other parts of
their bodies. Their skulls must then be big eye got it
enough to hold those brains. So when humans Adorable Animal: A baby giraffe on the African savanna
see other animals with similarly large heads, blinks, showing off its huge peepers. Lots of young animals
we feel the need to protect them. have large eyes, from giraffes to puppies to gorillas. Baby
humans do too—a human’s eyes grow fastest during the
first few years of life, then slow down while the body
catches up.

Cuteness Factor: Large eyes are often associated with

sweetness and innocence, creating a major adorable alert in
your brain. Looking at the big peepers of certain animals
and human babies can even prompt some people to produce
natural chemicals called dopamine and oxytocin, which
boost feelings of happiness.

sweet sounds
Adorable Animal: An emperor penguin chick nestles
underneath its father for warmth. The chick opens its
beak and squeaks—it’s now toasty beneath the dad’s belly.

Cuteness Factor: Squeals and trills from animals can

make a human want to coo. “Unlike a loud roar or sharp
squawk, the sounds made by baby animals aren’t threaten-
ing,” says Joshua Paul Dale, a professor at Japan’s Tokyo
Gakugei University who studies the concept of cuteness. So
humans are able to see the critters as lovable.

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS 13

Beastly Benefits
These animal
aanimals
ls have ffeatures
eatures th
that
at definitely aren
aren’tt considered
co
cute. But their not-so-charming traits come in handy. Check out
these jaw-dropping characteristics.

Big Softies
With wart-like bumps on
their heads, warthogs
aren’t exactly beauty
pageant winners. But the
“warts” are actually
Nosing Around bumps of fat that help
A star-nosed mole’s cushion blows when the
nose sports 22 fleshy pro- males fight each other.
jections that contain a
total of 100,000 nerve
fibers. Nearly blind, the
mole bops the projections
against the ground. These
sensors send information
about the environment
through the nose and into
the brain.

Freaky Fingers
The aye-aye(a kind of lemur) has long,
creepy-looking middle fingers that it
uses to drum on rotten logs and
branches in order to find hollow spots
where bugs live. (The sound of the tap-
ping alerts the animal to a cavity.)
Then it bites a
hole and digs up
all of the bugs.
Dinner’s served.

Bald Truth
When the California
condor eats, it sticks its
bald head inside rotting
carcasses. Because bac-
teria could cling to
feathers and make the Thorn in
bird sick, the condor’s Your Side
lack of head plumage Called a thorny dragon,
means it avoids disease. this lizard’s spiky skin is
designed to collect rain-
water in its dry desert CHECK IT OUT!
habitat. Water lands on Come fface-to-face
t f with
ith d
dolphins,
l hi whales,
h l and d
the reptile’s surface, then other cute (and not-so-cute!) sea animals at the
flows through narrow National Geographic Encounter: Ocean Odyssey
channels in the skin that in New York City. For more information, grab a
parent and go online.
lead to the animal’s
mouth. Now it can drink natgeoencounter.com
up and stay hydrated.
VISUALS UNLIMITED, INC. / KEN CATANIA / GETTY IMAGES (MOLE); ECOPIC / GETTY IMAGES (WARTHOG); CHIEN
LEE / MINDEN PICTURES (AYE-AYE); MARK CARWARDINE / NPL / MINDEN PICTURES (FINGERS); MICHAEL &
14 DECEMBER 2017 / JANUARY 2018 PATRICIA FOGDEN / MINDEN PICTURES / GETTY IMAGES (LIZARD); STEVE JOHNSON / GETTY IMAGES (CONDOR)
 big round out
Adorable Animal: A koala rests
Adorable Animal: A bottlenose its rump on a tree branch in an
dolphin emerges from the ocean, Australian forest as it munches
its mouth curved in what looks like eucalyptus leaves. Its body looks like
a huge smile. Even though we know a furry ball clinging to the branch.
this animal probably isn’t flashing a The koala swallows the last of its
wide grin, humans think of happi- leafy
lea snack.
ness when they see the “smile.”
Cuteness Factor: One quality
C
Cuteness Factor: When people that people tend to find irresist-
see an unfamiliar sight, they tend ible in koalas is a rounded body,
to compare it to images and rather than a sharp one like a
expressions they already know. This sea urchin has. In general,
is called pareidolia(pronounced humans prefer curving geo-
pair-eye-DOH-lee-ah). So even metric shapes. “We’re more
though we’re unsure of what the drawn to roundness than sharp
animal’s thinking, we automatically lines,” says researcher Hiroshi
identify a smiley shape on its face Nittono
Nit of Japan’s Osaka University.
as something we’re used to—a
happy look.

out curiosity
Adorable Animal: A tiger cub scampering around its habi-
tat and sniffing everything in sight definitely weighs high
on the cute scale. “There’s a time when young animals are
curious about everything,” Dale says.

Cuteness Factor: Animals that display curiosity seem

friendly, so humans are drawn to them. “At this age, even a lot
of aggressive animal species are pretty harmless,” Dale says.
Soon the animal’s curiosity fades, and it’s replaced by caution.
Once an animal makes that transition don’tt find
transition, humans don
them quite as cute. So curiosity is fuel for cuteness!

PERSONALITY
QUIZ!
Which Cute
Baby Animal
Are You?
natgeokids.com
/december

ART-DESIGN-PHOTOGRAPHY.COM / GETTY IMAGES (DOLPHINS);

SUZI ESZTERHAS / MINDEN PICTURES (KOALA); ZSSD / MINDEN
PICTURES / GETTY IMAGES (TIGERS) NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS 15
 GET MORE
CUTE
ANIMALS!
natgeokids.com/december

walk wobble
Cutest. Animal. Ever.
We’ve combined the scientific traits that help determine
Adorable Animal: A baby Asian elephant
toddles alongside its mother. “When baby
animals learn to walk, they don’t do it very
“cuteness” to create the ultimate adorable animal. well,” Dale says. “Their clumsiness is another
characteristic that appeals to humans.”

Cuteness Factor: Animals with wobbly

curious movements like young elephants come
GiANT
tiger across as helpless, just like a human baby
GiRAFFE
ears who’s still developing motor skills. This
EYES
sparks a person’s desire to protect and
care for the animals because we have a
sense that, like human babies, the ani-
mals aren’t quite strong enough to
defend themselves.
round
koala Big
body arctic fox
head

WIN THE
wobbly
elephant
happy
DOLPHiN
BOOK!
“SMiLE” TRY ONLINE
LEGS NOVEMBER 23-30.
natgeokids.com/december

WORRADIREK / SHUTTERSTOCK (ELEPHANTS); PAUL SAWER / FLPA / MINDEN PICTURES (CURIOUS TIGER EARS); RICHARD DU TOIT / GETTY IMAGES (GIANT GIRAFFE
EYES); PAUL NICKLEN / NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CREATIVE (BIG ARCTIC FOX HEAD); STEPHEN FRINK / ALAMY (HAPPY DOLPHIN SMILE); THEO ALLOFS / MINDEN
PICTURES (WOBBLY ELEPHANT LEGS); ENJOYLIFE2 / GETTY IMAGES (TAMARIN); CHERYL-SAMANTHA OWEN / NPL / MINDEN PICTURES (HYRAX); BLICKWINKEL /
16 DECEMBER 2017 / JANUARY 2018 ALAMY (DUCK); JANE BURTON / NPL / MINDEN PICTURES (AXOLOTL); CHARLES WOLLERTZ / ALAMY (KLIPSPRINGER). FIREMAN23 / GETTY IMAGES (OWL, PAGES 18-19)
 Rock Hyrax
Beyond Adorable
Check out the cutest
cutest animals you
you’vve never heard
he of!
Cute Fact: Rock
hyraxes’ foot pads
act like suction cups
to help them climb
super-steep slopes.

Emperor
Tamarin
Cute Fact: When
a baby emperor
tamarin is born, adult
males in the group
bathe and care for it.

Mandarin
Duck
Cute Fact: If a
predator appears, a
mandarin duck might
distract it by faking
an injury.
Axolotl
Cute Fact: Axolotls
can regenerate
damaged limbs and
even small parts of
their brains.

Klipspringer
Cute Fact: This
antelope’s name
means “rock leaper”
in Afrikaans(a lan-
guage spoken in
southern Africa).

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS 17

The great gray owl has a four- to five-foot wingspan. Without turning its head, an owl can only see straight ahead.
A great gray owl uses another bird’s abandoned nest. An owl’s superior hearing helps it find prey in the dark.
 Check ou
these amazin t
and the tech g toys
that makes t y
he
so brainy.

BY KRISTIN BAIRD RATTINI

1
THE TOY
AstroBot
WHAT IT IS
An interactive roobot
that dodges obsttacles
COOL SCIENCE
Infrared light
HOW IT WORKS
AstroBot doesn’t let anything get in its way— —literally.
This adorable droid avoids barriers as it zips around.
Once in motion, AstroBot shoots out beams off infrared
light. If something blocks the droid’s route, the beams
bounce off the obstacle and back to the toy’s sensor so NOW SHOWING!
that the toy knows to change direction. It’s sort of like
bat echolocation, in which the flying mammal bounces
sound off trees back to its ears to tell it what’’s blocking
its path. Ready, set, roll. T
natgeokids.com/december

2 THE TOY
Artsplash
WHAT IT IS
Then take a piece of paper from
the kit. Squeeze the water onto
the preprinted patterns. The H20
Paper that lets you create will ball up on each pattern. Why?
3-D paintings with water The designs contain a chemical
COOL SCIENCE that attracts water; the surround-
Surface tension ing paper has a chemical that
HOW IT WORKS repels water. So water molecules
Your paintings will pop off the page cling together to stay on each pat-
with this art kit. Mix water with tern. That clinging is called surface
dyes to create different shades of tension.(Compare it to people hud-
liquid. Pour the liquid into your dling around a warm campfire on a
Aquapen, a pen-shaped dispenser. cold night.) Way to cause a splash.

20
UBTECH (ASTROBOT
(ASTROBOT, ALL);
ALL) BECKY H
HALE / NG STAFF (ARTSPLASH,
(ARTSPLASH GIRL AT TABLE);
TABLE) MATTEL,
MATTEL INC
DECEMBER 2017 / JANUARY 2018 (KAMIGAMI, ALL); WOWWEE (DIGILOOM INSET); PHOTO COURTESY OF ZING (STIKBOT STUDIO PRO, ALL)
 4
3
TH
THE
HE TO
TOY
Y
DigiLoom
WHAT IT IS
An app-operated loom
for friendship bracelets
THE TOY
COOL SCIENCE
Kamigami
Short-wave radio
WHAT IT IS
frequencies
Realistic toy bugs you HOW IT WORKS
assemble like origami
The DigiLoom helps you weave friendship bracelets. The app
COOL SCIENCE
shows you how to set up the threads in the loom, then sig-
Biomimicry nals
l th
the machine
hi tto start
t t th
throughh Bl
Bluetooth,
t th a ttechnology
h l
HOW IT WORKS that connects nearby smart devices using short-wave radio
Prepare for a creepy-crawlie collision course! frequencies. These waves of energy carry data received
Bug-like Kamigamis are made with sturdy plastic “body from the Digiloom’s app.(They’re the same
parts” that you fold and interlock, origami style. An app waves that connect walkie-talkies,
wirelessly revs up their motors so they skitter around. carrying voices from one device to
Toymakers designed the Kamigami’s motors and gears to the other.) The Digiloom responds to
move the legs as if they were part of a real insect, which the signals by positioning the threads.
always has three of its six feet on the ground when running. As the machine moves, you’ll weave
This “mimic” technology is called biomimicry. (Think of a another thread through the strands in
swimmer doing a dolphin kick to plow through water like a the loom to create your design.Wrist-pect!
marine mammal.) Best of all? No bug bites.

THE TOY
Stikbot Studio Pro
WHAT IT IS
A mini movie studio
COOL SCIENCE
Chroma key
HOW IT WORKS
This toy comes with Stikbott figures
(your “actors”)and a gree back-
drop(the “movie set”). Posee the fig-
ures against the backdrop, then
use the app to select a bacckground
photo—a beach, the moo wha -
ever. When you look througgh the
camera, you’ll see the figurres in
front of the image you choose
instead of the green backddrop.
That’s because the app uses tech-
nology called chroma key, which
allows cameras to recognize and
filter out a certain color, then fills
the space with the other image. It’s
similar to when your spell-checker
finds a misspelled word in your
essay, erases it, and fills in the
space with the correct spelling.
String your scenes together to
create stop-motion movies.
Academy Awards, here you come!
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS 21
22 DECEMBER 2017 / JANUARY 2018
LEOPA
A clouded
leopard’s tail,
used for balance
as it climbs trees,
is nearly as long as
the rest of its
body.
yummy
milk

BY SCOTT ELDER

A
man quietly spreads the word that he has valuable rescued a very rare species,” vet Panjit Basumatary says.
goods for sale. He tries to keep it a secret from the These kittens are actually very uncommon wild cats called
authorities who govern his forest village, because clouded leopards.
it’s illegal to possess the merchandise: two tiny The vets examine the two furry cubs, both male,
wild leopard cubs. But the first people to arrive att and eestimate they’re only a few weeks old. They’re
his home aren’t interested in buying exotic pets. These wild rellieved that neither cat has any bad cuts, broken
Acting on a citizen’s tip, they are forest rangers cats are most bbones, or obvious illnesses, but because both kit-
who police this area in northeast India, called closely related to tens weigh in at less than two pounds, the vets
Kokrajhar. Busted, the surprised villager hands lions, leopards, fear that they’re dangerously underfed and
over the helpless leopard kittens, so young jaguars, tigers, dehydrated. To replace the milk their mother
they haven’t even opened their eyes. and snow would give them, the vets try hand-feeding the
The rangers alert the nearby wildlife clinic— leopards. ccubs cow’s milk using baby bottles. If the leopard
operated by the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI)—that cubs don’t accept this artificial diet, they won’t
two common leopard cubs are arriving for emergenncy surviive. Fortunately both patients eat well.
care. Although the veterinarians are thrilled that the
rangers rescued the kittens, their satisfaction is bittersweet. A PLAN FOR THE FUTURE
The common leopard is a powerful big cat that often comes Now that the brothers’ health seems stable, the vets and
into conflict with humans in India. So at the time, releases of wildlife experts at WTI and its partner organization, the
this species were currently banned in that country. International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), must decide the
cubs’ future. Unlike common leopards, clouded leopards are
NOT COMMON AT ALL too small to be threats to humans or livestock, so they can be
When the cubs arrive, however, the vets are amazed by released. But without the care and protection of their mother,
the strange blotchy pattern on their coats, which looks who was almost certainly killed by a poacher, the cubs won’t
like brown and black clouds. Common leopards would be stand a chance. Although WTI and IFAW have successfully
covered with spots. “The rangers don’t realize they have hand raised and released young elephants and black bears, no

IFAW / WTI A. MOOKERJEE (BOTH) NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS 23

 PLAY TIME

one had ever attempted to do so itat of dense forests. The tiny

with a clouded leopard. However, A clouded ats nervously trail behind their
with only about 10,000 clouded leopard can eepers, which is good. “Initially
leopards left in their natural catch monkeys, the cubs have to be under the
habitat in Southeast Asia, the birds, and control of the keeper,” Ashraf
staff decides to try. squirrels says. “The role of a keeper is to
“When animals are this rare, in trees. rovide security—much like a
every single individual matters to ter parent.”
the population,” says Ian Robinson, er one week, the keepers
IFAW’s head of wildlife rehabilitation.“And we remove the leashes so that Runa and Kata
believe that wildlife belongs in the wild. When can climb and jump around freely. Clouded
animals are taken out of the wild, they ought leopards are arboreal, which means they
to be put back.” spend most of their time up in trees. Adult

IFAW / WTI A. MOOKERJEE (PLAYING, CLIMBING); IFAW / WTI S. KADUR (WALKING, PORTRAIT)
clouded leopards are acrobats of the for-
LEARNING TO CLIMB est: They climb along branches while cling-
Basumatary and fellow veterinarian Bhaskar ing underneath like sloths, hang upside
Choudhury—along with WTI’s Wild Rescue down from their hind legs like monkeys,
director, N.V.K. Ashraf—begin attending to and scramble headfirst down the sides of
the clouded leopards. The baby leopards are trees like squirrels. These young clouded
assigned two keepers who will stay with them leopards have to learn all this. “They’re
almost 24/7. Throughout the rehabilitation, very comfortable climbing, but they do fall
these keepers are the only humans who regu- down every once in a while,” Ashraf says.
larly come into close contact with the cats. “They have to learn which branches are the
This way, the cubs will retain their instinctive thinnest they can hold on to.”
mistrust of all other humans, which will be
BEGINNING THE HUNT
LEARNING
essential for survival in the wild. The keepers
choose names for the orphans: Runa and These climbing skills aren’t just for playing
TO CLIMB Kata, taken from the name of the forest around, though. Adult clouded leopards are
near where they were rescued, Runikhata. master predators that stalk and hunt prey
The clouded leopards begin going such as monkeys, birds, and deer. To help
on leashed walks through their natural trigger their predatory instincts, liver soup

24
 CH CK OUT
BOOK!

a WALK IN
THE WOODS

is added to their milk formula diet after two

weeks at the clinic. Again, Runa and Kata
prove they have a lot to learn when they ttry
to hunt during walks. “At first they’re tryiing
to catch every animal they see,” Ashraf sayys.
“But soon they learn that there’s no point in
pouncing at every animal. So they’ll wait …
wait … and wait … and then attack.”
BACK TO THE WILD
After about six months living near the clinic,
Runa and Kata move deeper into the forest
with their keepers. They begin walking—and
hunting—at night, like wild clouded leop-
ards. Six months later, the orphaned brothers
are ready for some independence. Their cage
door is left open so they can come and go
as they please, but food is left out in case
they need it. “Their natural habitat is
like a magnet,” Ashraf says. “It pulls
Clouded
the clouded leopards away from
leopards can
us humans.” climb by the
In just a few weeks, Runa and time they’re six
Kata become so wild they must weeks old.
be tranquilized with a dart in
order to handle them. The keeperss
then fulfill their final duty as fosteer
parents—carrying the tranquilized cats to
the vets so they can attach radio-tracking
collars—before saying goodbye. Once the
sedative wears off, the cats stealthily slink
away into the forest for good.
A year later, the brothers continue to
thrive in their natural home, proof that
clouded leopards can be hand raised and
released successfully.

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS 25

THE TRUTHBEHIND

WESOME NEW
A
MOVIES e tw o animated ality!
See how thes o re
flicks stack up tVE
BY KAREN DE SE ETH HILFRANK
AND ELIZAB

COCO
GHOSTLY JOURNEY Twelve-year-old Miguel dreams of becom-
ing a musician. But his relatives banned music decades ago after
his great-great-grandfather chose singing over his family. When
Miguel accidentally journeys to the Land of the Dead, he seeks
out his great-great-grandfather in the hopes of finding a con-
nection to his love of music. In real life, of course, people don’t
hang out with their departed ancestors in a magical world. But
many Mexicans do honor their ancestors during Día de los
Muertos, or Day of the Dead. Celebrated around November
1, family members visit graves to clean tombstones and leave
food and other gifts for their departed loved ones.

FLOWER POWER In the movie, millions off marigolds form

the bridge that connects the Land of the Living and the
Land of the Dead. These golden flowers arre actually an
important part of Mexican culture. Many believe that
marigolds’ strong scent helps guide spiritts to their
graves during Day of the Dead celebrations.

PROTECTIVE PUP Before entering the Land of o the

Dead, Miguel befriends a hairless dog named Dante
D
that joins him for his journey in the magical
world. Dante resembles a real-life Mexican dogg
breed known as “xolos”(pronounced shoh-LOHS).
Named after the Aztec god Xolotl(pronouncedd MIGUEL (LEFT) AND
shoh-LOH-til), the dogs are believed to guard DANTE SEE THE LAND
homes from evil spirits. OF THE DEAD FOR THE
FIRST TIME FROM
THEIR SPOT ON THE
MARIGOLD BRIDGE.

26 DECEMBER 2017 / JANUARY 2018

FERDINAND THE BULL (ABOVE)
TAKES A WILD RIDE WITH HIS NEW
FRIENDS LUPE THE GOAT (LEFT),
UNA AND QUATRO THE HEDGEHOGS BUDDY SYSTEM After Ferdinand, a bull with a big heart, is mistaken for a dangerous beast,
(FAR RIGHT), AND DOS THE RAT. he’s separated from his family. Luckily Lupe the goat, along with a pair of mischievous hedge-
hogs and one rat, helps him get back home. In real life, bulls don’t always play well with others —
four-legged creatures or otherwise. Although bulls often live peacefully with their herd of cows
and a few other bulls, they show dominance by being aggressive around other farm animals and
humans. In fact, because of their size and personality, bulls have the potential to be one of the
most dangerous domestic animals, according to dairy specialist J.W. Schroeder.

FEELING THE BURN Ferdinand goes bull-istic when he feels a bee sting him. A real bull’s skin—
called its hide—can be up to several times thicker than a human’s, which helps protect the ani-
mal from weather such as hail and windburn. But the hide is still sensitive, and a bee sting still
feels like, well, a bee sting. The insect injects its target(bull or human) with venom that contains
a chemical called melittin, which causes nerve cells to think they’re literally on fire.

FANCY FEET In one scene, Ferdinand and a few other bulls enter a dance off against a group of
elegant horses. Despite their weight, which is typically around 2,000 pounds, bulls are actually
known to appear quite graceful. That’s because their hooves allow them to grip the ground and
pivot in smooth-looking circles to quickly change directions … sort of like ballerinas!

Check out the map

to see where these
movies are set! MORE
MOVIE
SCOOP!
Go online to
watch a trailer
and check out
photos from
Ferdinand.

FERDINAND natgeokids.com
SPAIN /december

© 2017 DISNEY PIXAR. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. (COCO); BLUE SKY STUDIOS (FERDINAND) NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS 27
 Movie Madness
It’s chaos on this crazy mo
vie set in
beg inning
Hollywood. Ele ven thi ngs
the lett er c have gon e missing.
with
items in
Can you find the missing
go on?
the scene so the show can
ANSWERS ON PAGE 33
MIGY

28 DECEMBER 2017 / JANUARY 2018

 TOP ROW (LEFT TO RIGHT): © ARTPARTNER-IMAGES.COM / ALAMY; NAPOCSKA / SHUTTERSTOCK; PNC / PHOTODISC / GETTY IMAGES. MIDDLE ROW (LEFT TO RIGHT): KHOROSHUNOVA OLGA / SHUTTERSTOCK;
DOBERMARANER / SHUTTERSTOCK; IAN DUFFIELD / SHUTTERSTOCK. BOTTOM ROW (LEFT TO RIGHT): MEDIOIMAGES / JUPITERIMAGES; LWA / PHOTODISC / GETTY IMAGES; ESA HILTULA / ALAMY.

LMAC
NLBLOOA

DMTAISU TSSAE
OLOP

EGPNSO
GMSIMIWN

TBLRYUTEF
Feeling blue?
TRUE BLUE

are blue. Unscramble the letters

and faraway views of things that
These photographs show close-up

ANSWERS ON PAGE 33
to identify what’s in each picture.

AMAWC
LEDERDI

HOBHORTUST

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS

CHECK OUT
THIS BOOK!

29
 ORCA Live
SeaPanda
in: Antarctic Ocean
Likes: High fins and fast swims
FRIEENDS

BY ALLYSON SHAW ANTAARCTIC WEDDELL EMPEROR

KRILLL SEAL PENGUIN
If wild animals used social media, what would ChillKrrill VerySealious KingBird
they say? Follow this orrca’s day as it updates its feed.
10 a.m.

SeaPanda VerySealious
Can I get a few likes for my new SeaPanda, I think I saw your pod, um,
profile pic? #SpyHopSelfie h, that’s it! Like way north.

ChillKrill KingBird
What are you doing? Here, I’ll GPS it for you.
I think you’ll love the
change in latitude.
VerySealious

DMYTRO PYLYPENKO / SHUTTERSTOCK (SEAL SELFIE); TCYUEN / GETTY IMAGES (PENGUIN CHICK); TORY KALLMAN / SHUTTERSTOCK (ORCA JUMPING); GAMEGFX / SHUTTERSTOCK (CARTOON FACES, ALL)
(SEAL PROFILE, ALL); INGO ARNDT / MINDEN PICTURES / GETTY IMAGES (PENGUIN PROFILE, ALL); JENS KUHFS / GETTY IMAGES (ORCA PROFILE, ALL); FLIP NICKLEN / MINDEN PICTURES (KRILL SWARM);
That’s SeaPanda’s way of getting to

CHRISTIAN MUSAT / SHUTTERSTOCK (MAIN ORCA); GERALD AND BUFF CORSI / VISUALS UNLIMITED, INC. / GETTY IMAGES (KRILL PROFILE, ALL); WOLFGANG KAEHLER / LIGHTROCKET VIA GETTY IMAGES
the surface to look for prey like me. VerySealious
So I’ll steer clear of a photo bomb Say hi to the Brazilian
and dive deep. surfers for us!
#I’mSoSeally

KingBird 2:30 p.m.

Yeah, thanks for the selfie, SeaPanda. SeaPanda
It gives me a chance to catch up with Found my pod! Whew. My mom
VerySealious. would have been stressed if I’d
gotten lost. BIG trouble.

ChillKrill
Plus all the action’s underwater VerySealious
anyway. No offense, but on land Trouble like when you’re trapped
VerySealious just thumps around, on an ice floe surrounded by orcas?
and KingBird shuffles on the ice. Seriously, you don’t know the
MEANING of trouble.
KingBird
Yeah, but you can’t touch me when ChillKrill
I’m swimming—I can move 11 feet Chill, bros. Just go with the flow and
a second in the water! float with the current like me and
my swarm. It’s all good.
SeaPanda
Wanna race?
KingBird
SeaPanda’s just
worried his mom
m.
1 p.m will be mad. I don’t
SeaPanda get it! My three-
Anybody seen my pod? About 40 month-old chick
orcas? I used our special call but … will be on his own in
no answer. just a few months.

ChillKrill SeaPanda
Only 40? My swarm has I admit it … I’m a
BILLIONS of krill—people
e momma’s whale.
can see us from space! #CanIGetAHighFin

30 DECEMBER 2017 / JANUARY 2018

AS YOU’VE NEVER SEEN IT BEFORE!
From fish to forests, mammals
to mountains, and seeds to
salamanders, find even more
amazing facts and see even
more amazing images in this
explanatorium for curious kids—
just like you!

The ostrich is the largest

living bird—although they are
flightless—and the fastest
animal on two legs.

ATES
INVERTEBR

HOW
AR
SWTORK
ly not
are actual
Starfish w-moving inve
slo sea flo
but are
over the
that creep suckerlike fee
of
hundreds of sea crea
a larg e group get th
to
ms, which
echinoder ek words for “s

A chameleon’s tongue can reach

Gre
from the ls, echi
st anima
Unlike mo t or back and
no fron
hav e ir bodies
ead, the
brain. Inst more symmetr
or
have five a ring.
in
arranged

prey in less than 0.07 seconds. Seawater

enters
the body here.

Fe
water
into the

d canal
A ring shape
throu ggh Tu
carrie s water syste m.
the ends
the digestive s
arms can
Instead light sme
T SYSTEM d vessels s that
t or bloo tube
TRANSPORnot have a hear ater filled ,
do ork of seaw food
Starfish oxygen,
on a netw , transporting movemen
t
they rely
gh the body helps with them extend
run throu The system also
e feet to make
and wast into the ed
pumped ls over the seab
water is sh craw
Hyoid bone as the starfi

Retractor
muscle

Starfish can regenerate lost arms.

Some starfish can regrow from a
single detached arm provided the arm
still retains part of the central disc.

Available wherever books are sold

A WORLD OF IDEAS:
SEE ALL THERE IS TO KNOW www.dk.com
ArZtone DREAM
JOB
Check out these cool
careers drawn
by Nat Geo Kids
readers.

Photographer X
Amelie P., 8
Kingwood, Texas

S Paleontologist
Harrison J., 10
New London, Wisconsin

Author and Illustrator X Engineer

T
Paul H., 8 Andrew T., 10
New Orleans, Louisiana Toronto, Canada

YouTube Gamer
T
Boston L., 12
Regina, Canada

32 DECEMBER 2017 / JANUARY 2018

 S Soccer Player
Arlie A., 11
Morton, Illinois

S Marine Biologist
Colton K., 11
Bend, Oregon
Horse Trainer X
Mia C., 11
Price, Utah

S Doctor
Isabella F., 9
Mountain House,
California

Statement of ownership, management, and monthly circulation of

National Geographic Kids
OWNER AND PUBLISHER: National Geographic Partners, LLC
Answers
9. A, 10. B.
Declan Moore, CEO D, 2. B, 3. B, 4. C, 5. B, 6. C, 7. A, 8. A,
Rosa Zeegers, Executive Vice President, Consumer Products
Jennifer Emmett, Senior Vice President, Kids Media, Content “Stump Your Parents” (page 34): 1.
Rachel Buchholz, Editor in Chief and Vice President
HEADQUARTERS OF PUBLISHER AND PUBLICATION: sponge, toothbrush.
1145 Seventeenth Street N.W., Washington, DC 20036
STOCKHOLDERS; BONDHOLDERS; MORTGAGE; macaw. Bottom row: stadium seats,
OTHER SECURITY HOLDERS: National Geographic Society dreidel. Middle row: clam, butterfly,
and 21st Century Fox
Top row: balloon, swimming pool,
Average no. copies Single issue “What in the World?” (page 29):
each issue during nearest to
preceding 12 mos. filing date
A. TOTAL COPIES PRINTED Oct, 2016-Sept. 2017 Sept. 2017
(Net Press Run) 966,459 938,149
B. PAID CIRCULATION
1. Outside-County Mail Subscriptions 815,266 797,445
2. In-County Mail Subscriptions - -
3. Non USPS Distributed 86,417 84,506
4. Other Classes Mailed Through USPS - -
C. TOTAL PAID CIRCULATION 901,683 881,951
D. FREE DISTRIBUTION BY MAIL
(includes samples, no news agents)
1. Outside-County 12,221 11,473
2. In-County - -
3. Other Classes Mailed Through USPS - -
TOTAL FREE DISTRIBUTION BY MAIL 12,221 11,473
E. FREE DISTRIBUTION OUTSIDE THE MAIL - -
F. TOTAL FREE DISTRIBUTION (Sum of D and E) 12,221 11,473
S Astronaut G. TOTAL DISTRIBUTION (Sum of C and F)
H. OFFICE USE, LEFTOVER, ETC.
913,904
52,554
893,424
44,725
“Movie Madness” (page 28):
Jayden G., 11 I. TOTAL (Sum of G and H) 966,458 938,149
Wausa, Nebraska J. PERCENT PAID 99% 99%

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

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS 33

 Z:
From the pages of QUIZ WHI

2013 © SERGEY ALIMOV / GETTY IMAGES (BUILDINGS); NORA CAROL SAHINUN / 500PX / NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CREATIVE (NEW ZEALAND); SORIN RECHITAN / EYEEM / GETTY IMAGES
STUMP

(DOG); NASA / PAOLO NESPOLI (INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION); GLOBE PHOTOS / ZUMAPRESS (HARRY POTTER); MICHAEL & PATRICIA FOGDEN / MINDEN PICTURES (FROG)
YOUR PARENTS wer
If your parents can’t ans y 6 A dog’s
these quest ion s, ma ybe the
d eye has how
should go to school instea many eyelids?
of you! S ON PAGE 33
ANSWER
A. 1
B. 2
C. 3
D. 422

7 The first space tourist to

visit the International Space
1 Where is the world’s tallest building?
Station paid how much for a
A. New York, New York C. Moscow, Russia
10-day trip?
B. Chicago, Illinois D. Dubai, United Arab Emirates
A. $20 million C. $1 billion
B. $100 million D. nothing

2 More live in
New Zealand than people. 8
A. river otters Match these Harry Potter characters with their pets.
B. sheep A. Ron Weasley 1. Fawkes the phoenix
C. koalas B. Hermione Granger 2. Trevor the toad
D. unicorns C. Neville Longbottom 3. Fang the dog
D. Hagrid 4. Crookshanks the cat
E. Dumbledore 5. Pigwidgeon the owl
3 In what parts of your body are there 500,000
sweat glands?
A. armpits C. eyeballs
9 What type of bat can eat
600 mosquitoes in an hour?
B. feet D. hands A. little brown bat
B. big brown bat
C. leaf-nosed bat
4 About how many teeth will a shark lose in its lifetime? D. fruit bat
A. 4,000 C. 30,000
B. 23,000 D. 120,000
10 The most poisonous frog in the world is .
A. the blue poison dart frog
B. the golden poison frog
5 In the virtual world of Animal Jam, which land is C. the red-eyedd tree frog
ctic on Earth?
most similar to the Arctic D. the Americaan bullfrog
A. Appondale BLUE POISON
DART FROG
B. Mount Shiveer
C. Lost Temple of Zios CHECK OUT
D. Crystal Sands
THE BOOK!

34 DECEMBER 2017 / JANUARY 2018

 Aw
Giveaeswom
Seepage
e
ay!
27 .

DARE
TO
natgeok EXPL
ids com ORE

TELL US
SS
INNE D!
A GU COR
LP SET RLD RE
HE WO FEBRUA
RY 2017

WHAT YOU
TO
DARE s.c

THINK!
kid
natgeo

2017
MAY

Join the National Geographic Kids Team.*

’ invite
Throughout the year we’ll i i you by email i to complete our latest
online survey. The surveys ask for opinions about current magazine issues,
articles we’re working on, and topics that affect kids like you.

Apply online!

I GN I NG U P IS
S
For each
survey you
complete, you’ll be
entered into quarterly
drawings to win an

1 Grab a pa
are
ent.
AMAZON
2 Go to ngk
kidsandfamilyteam.com GIFT CARD!
/join20177. Hav
ve
e your par
p rent fill
ll
out the co
onssen
nt form
m.
3 Look for eem
mail connfirm
mation
from Natt G
Geo Kid
ds.
If you have any questio s‚
contact [email protected].
t
© DAMEDEESO / DREAMSTIME

* Children of NGS sttaff, NGP staff, and

contractors are noot eligible to par-
ticipate. Only those selected willl be
notified. If you aree already a member
of the panel, you do
d not need to
reapply.
Awesome Animals!

BLACK-TAILED PRAIRIE DOG

TEXT BY RUTH A. MUSGRAVE COPYRIGHT © 2017 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC PARTNERS, LLC

 BLACK-TAILED PRAIRIE DOG
A This animal is a kind of dog.
FALSE: A prairie dog is a rodent, closely
related to tree squirrels.
A kiss hello means you’re part of
B the family.
TRUE: Family members greet each other
by gently touching teeth.
Black-tailed prairie dogs are as
C American as apple pie.
FALSE: These prairie dogs are found in
Canada and Mexico as well as in 11 states.
D Prairie dogs live in towns.
TRUE: Prairie dog towns are complex
tunnel systems with subdivisions and
even security guards. Modern prairie
dog towns are less than half a square mile.
In the past, one town covered 25,000
square miles.
A prairie dog is so small it could
E curl up on this card.
FALSE: At 14 to 17 inches long, it could
relax on an open copy of this magazine.

KONRAD WOTHE / MINDEN PICTURES

 Awesome Animals!

DEBRAZZA’S MONKEY
 DEBRAZZA’S MONKEY
Female DeBrazza’s monkeys
A could get the bearded lady job
at a carnival.
TRUE: Both males and females have
a white beard.
B Chimps are these monkeys’ BFFs.
FALSE: Chimpanzees, eagles, leopards,
pythons, and sometimes humans hunt
DeBrazza’s monkeys.
These monkeys would totally win
C at freeze tag.
TRUE: They freeze when scared. The
monkeys have been known to remain
motionless for up to eight hours.
If its head is bobbing, it’s grooving
D to a tune stuck in its mind.
FALSE: A head bob is a threat, especially
if it’s also staring with an open mouth.
When dining with them, it’s rude
E to stuff your face.
FALSE: A DeBrazza’s stuffs its cheek
pouches with fruit and seeds and then
eats its meal later in a safer place.

GERRY ELLIS / MINDEN PICTURES

 Awesome Animals!

RED-KNOBBED SEA STAR

 RED-KNOBBED SEA STAR
A It is a star, but not a fish.
TRUE: That’s why scientists call these
invertebrates sea stars, not starfish.
B This is a life-size photograph.
FALSE: A red-knobbed sea star can be
the size of a dinner plate.
Sea stars belong in the sea, not in
C a souvenir shop.
TRUE: Thousands of red-knobbed sea
stars are taken from the ocean and sold as
tourist trinkets, putting this and other sea
star populations at risk.
Predators love nibbling on this
D animal’s arms.
FALSE: Scientists think that the red-
knobbed sea star’s spiny armor probably
protects it from predators.
The red-knobbed sea star chews
E its food with sharp teeth.
FALSE: A sea star doesn’t have teeth. To
eat, it slides its stomach out of its body,
covers the food, digests it, and then reels
the stomach back inside. (Cool and gross!)

INAKI RELANZON / NATURE PICTURE LIBRARY

 Awesome Animals!

COMMON ZEBRA
 COMMON ZEBRA
When a predator attacks, it’s
A every zebra for itself.
FALSE: If one is attacked, family members
surround the injured animal, facing the
predator ready to fight.
B Zebras live in harems.
TRUE: A harem includes a stallion (an
adult male) and a few females. A herd
is formed when harems and bachelor
groups gather together.
You can tell where a zebra lives
C by its stripe pattern.
FALSE: Stripes are as individual as
fingerprints. Scientists use the patterns
to identify individuals.
D Common zebras are endangered.
FALSE: Their population numbers are
holding steady.
A cowboy might tell you a zebra is
E about 14 hands tall.
TRUE: Horses are measured by “hands.”
A hand is four inches. A zebra is around
56 inches tall—the size of a large pony.

ANUP SHAH / NATURE PICTURE LIBRARY

 Awesome Animals!

OCELOT
 OCELOT
Ocelots can smell better than you
A but not as well as your dog.
TRUE: Ocelots have an excellent sense
of smell—better than a human’s but not
quite as good as a dog’s.
B Ranchers like ocelots.
TRUE: Ocelots keep the rodent popula-
tion in check and do not eat livestock.
C Ocelots make great pets.
FALSE: They are wild and do not safely
adjust to a home environment.
The common name “ocelot”
D comes from an Aztec word.
TRUE: Tlalocelotyl means “field tiger.” The
ocelot’s scientific name, Leopardis pardalis,
means “like a leopard” in Latin.
There are lots of ocelots living
E in the wild.
FALSE: Populations are in jeopardy due
to habitat destruction and overhunting.
Ocelots are hunted for their fur as well
as for the illegal pet trade. They live in
North, Central, and South America.

PHOTODISC PHOTODISC / PHOTOLIBRARY

 Awesome Animals!

VICTORIA CROWNED PIGEON

 VICTORIA CROWNED PIGEON
To find a Victoria crowned pigeon,
A listen for a sound like someone
blowing into a glass bottle.
TRUE: But you have to be in the forests of
New Guinea or nearby islands. Otherwise
it really is a person blowing into a bottle.
This bird even eats bats and rats.
B FALSE: It eats fruit, berries, seeds, and
insects. Sometimes it splurges on a snail.
You might want to avoid walking
under a well-fed flock.
TRUE: Think “big bird droppings.” A
C Victoria crowned pigeon weighs seven
times more than a city pigeon.
Its magnificent feathers match its
bold, aggressive personality.
D FALSE: Beautiful feathers and a low-key,
gentle nature combine to make it a very
desirable target of human hunters.
These birds stay with their
E sweethearts forever.
TRUE: They mate for life.

ROD WILLIAMS / NATURE PICTURE LIBRARY

 © 2014 Pepperidge Farm, Incorporated.
ADVERTISEMENT