look inside:
animal cards!
THE MAGAZINE FOR YOUNG EXPLORERS
Lion
Cubs
2014 WINNER OF A PARENTS’ CHOICE GOLD AWARD March / April 2015 natgeo.com/littlekids
ANIMALS
Why?
Male deer grow big antlers. They use their antlers to fight each other. The winner gets to spend more time with the female deer. 2
march / april 2015
WHITE-TAILED DEER
Š DONALD M. JONES / MINDEN PICTURES / CORBIS
Why do you think deer have antlers?
SORTING
What Is Different?
© PIXELROBOT / DREAMSTIME (PAINT SET); © ELENA ELISSEEVA / DREAMSTIME (FLOWERS); © SERGEY02 / DREAMSTIME (BOOTS)
Look at each picture in the top row. Find the differences between it and the one below.
Find one difference.
Find two differences.
Find three differences.
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NATURE
That’s Cool! Meet the painted bunting.
MALE
A painted bunting can use spiderwebs to hold her nest together. 4
March / April 2015
Usually buntings eat mostly seeds. But in the spring they eat mostly bugs.
© ALAN MURPHY, BIA / MINDEN PICTURES (MALE); © BILL COSTER / ARDEA (FEMALE)
The female is not as colorful as the male.
TOP ROW (LEFT TO RIGHT): © SERGEY MOSTOVOY / DREAMSTIME; © CAO HAI / DREAMSTIME; © ANDI BERGER / DREAMSTIME. MIDDLE ROW (LEFT TO RIGHT): © WATUNYOO SOPONTAMMARAK / DREAMSTIME; LEVENTEGYORI / SHUTTERSTOCK; © DAVINCI / DREAMSTIME. BOTTOM ROW (LEFT TO RIGHT): SUZI NELSON / SHUTTERSTOCK; © ISTOCK / KCLINE; © SVETLANA FOOTE / DREAMSTIME.
NAMING
What in the World are These?
—ALL —ISH —UPCAKE
—LOWERS —IGGY BANK —OBOT
—UITAR
PINK —EMONADE
—LAMINGO
NAME SOME OTHER PINK THINGS.
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ANIMALS
GROWING UP IN A
LION FAMILY Lions are the only wild cats that live in family groups called prides. 6
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MANE
A father lion has long hair, called a mane, around his face and neck.
Lions roar to tell other lions where they are.
ROBERT MUCKLEY / GETTY IMAGES (BIG PICTURE); © ANUP SHAH / NATURE PICTURE LIBRARY (MALE AND CUB)
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Lion cubs have many playmates in their pride. Playing is great exercise and helps cubs grow strong.
They chase, leap, and pounce on each other. 8
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Cubs practice hunting by sneaking up on each other.
© DENIS-HUOT / NATURE PICTURE LIBRARY (BIG PICTURE, FOUR CUBS, CUB STALKING); © SUZI ESZTERHAS / MINDEN PICTURES (MOTHER AND CUB)
After lots of playing, cubs enjoy snuggling with Mom for a nap. Lions rest for about 20 hours every day. A whole day has 24 hours.
MATCHING
ANIMAL HOMES
Point to the scene in which each of these four animals lives.
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DAN SIPPLE
LION
ROBIN
DOLPHIN
HONEYBEE
What colors can you name in these pictures? n at i o n a l g e o g r a p h i c
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ANIMALS
BAT-EARED
FOXES What huge ears these foxes have!
12
March / April 2015
Many kinds of bats have big ears. That is how the bateared fox got its name.
A bat-eared fox uses its big ears to listen for insects— its favorite food.
© CHARLIE SUMMERS / NATURE PICTURE LIBRARY (BIG PICTURE); © CHRISTIAN HEINRICH / IMAGEBROKER / PHOTOSHOT (LISTENING); © TBKMEDIA.DE / ALAMY (DIGGING); © SOLVIN ZANKL / NATURE PICTURE LIBRARY (EATING)
LISTEN
When it hears an insect, the fox digs to find it. The fox catches its meal and chews it up.
DIG
EAT n at i o n a l g e o g r a p h i c
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Baby bat-eared foxes are born in a den that their parents dig in the ground.
© SUZI ESZTERHAS / MINDEN PICTURES (TWO PUPS); © VINCENT GRAFHORST / MINDEN PICTURES (YAWNING)
Bat-eared foxes are all grown up by the time they are about one year old.
© ROLF NUSSBAUMER / NATURE PICTURE LIBRARY (GRAY); KEVIN SCHAFER / GETTY IMAGES (KIT); © BRIAN BEVAN / ARDEA (RED); © THOMAS RABEIL / NATURE PICTURE LIBRARY (FENNEC)
More
FENNEC FOX
EASTERN GRAY FOX
FOXES
SAN JOAQUIN KIT FOX
There are more than 25 kinds of foxes. Here are just a few.
RED FOX
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Look!
FINDING
For more fun, find all the round objects. Then find all the ones that are animals. Which objects have wheels? 16
march / april 2015
REBECCA HALE / NGS STAFF (ALL)
Look at the pictures below. Find the same objects in the photo at right. Circle them with your finger.
Nature
A DANDELION
2 1 A dandelion bud grows at the top of a stem. 18
March / April 2015
The bud opens and a flower with bright yellow petals blooms.
GROWS
3 After about two weeks the petals fall off. Now the dandelion looks like a round, fluffy ball. It is a ball of seeds. © JAMES OSMOND PHOTOGRAPHY / ALAMY (1, 2, 3); © IMAGEBROKER / ALAMY (4); © JON FEINGERSH / BLEND IMAGES / CORBIS (GIRL)
4 The wind blows the seeds away. When they land on the ground, new dandelions will grow. n at i o n a l g e o g r a p h i c
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Paleontology
SPEEDY
Dinosaur FOOD
Meat and plants SIZE
This shows how big Archaeornithomimus was.
5-YEAR-OLD
Some kinds of dinosaurs ate both meat and plants. Animals that eat both are called omnivores. This speedy runner was an omnivore. It ate fruit, leaves, eggs, and small animals.
SAY MY NAME: AHR-kee-or-NI-thoh-MIME-us 20
march / april 2015
ART BY FRANCO TEMPESTA
FACTS
Archaeornithomimus had long, strong legs. It could run very fast.
FROM THE PAGES OF
This dinosaur had no teeth.
COUNTING
TRUCKS
on the Move
Count the number of wheels you see on each truck.
How many trucks do you count? 22
March / April 2015
Editor and Vice President Rachel Buchholz Art Director Eileen O’Tousa-Crowson Managing Editor Catherine D. Hughes Editorial Andrea Silen, Kay Boatner, Associate Editors; Nick Spagnoli, Copy Editor; Rose Davidson, Special Projects Assistant Photo Kelley Miller, Senior Editor; Lisa Jewell, Hillary Leo, Editors; Bri Bertoia, Special Projects Assistant Art Dawn McFadin, Contributing Designer; Kathryn Robbins, Designer; Stephanie Rudig, Associate Digital Designer; Rachel Kenny, Special Projects Assistant Production Sean Philpotts, Manager Administration Allyson Shaw, Editorial Assistant and Social Media
ROB WILSON / SHUTTERSTOCK (FIRE TRUCK); BAMBUH / SHUTTERSTOCK (BLUE MIXING TRUCK); DARIO LO PRESTI / SHUTTERSTOCK (BLACK TRUCK); IGOR MARX / SHUTTERSTOCK (ORANGE TRUCK); VERESHCHAGIN DMITRY / SHUTTERSTOCK (GREEN TRUCK)
Chief Education Officer Melina Gerosa Bellows Senior Management Team, Kids Publishing and Media Nancy Laties Feresten, Senior Vice President; Julie Vosburgh Agnone, Vice President, Editorial Operations; Jennifer Emmett, Vice President, Editorial Director, Kids Books; Michelle Sullivan, Vice President, Kids Digital; Eva Absher-Schantz, Design Director; Jay Sumner, Photo Director; Hannah August, Marketing Director
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Digital Anne McCormack, Director; Laura Goertzel, Sara Zeglin, Producers; Jed Winer, Special Projects Assistant; Emma Rigney, Creative Producer; Brian Ford, Video Producer; Bianca Bowman, Assistant Producer; Natalie Jones, Senior Product Manager International Magazine Publishing Yulia Petrossian Boyle, Senior Vice President; Jennifer Jones, Manager; Cynthia Combs, Rights Manager Manufacturing Phillip L. Schlosser, Senior Vice President, Production Services; Gregory Storer, Director; Robert L. Barr, Manager; Neal Edwards, Imaging Finance Alison Benson, Finance Director; Andrea Stahlmann, Finance Manager; Cindy Ramroop, Contract Manager; Tammi Colleary, Erin Knack, Financial Analysts Consumer and Member Marketing Elizabeth Safford, Senior Vice President; John MacKethan, Vice President, Retail Sales and Special Editions; Mark Viola, Circulation Director; Richard J. Brown, New Business Director Market Services Tracy Hamilton Stone, Research Manager Publicity Anna Irwin, Communications Director; Beth Furtwangler, Publicist (202) 457-8223 PUBLISHED BY THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY President and CEO Gary E. Knell Chairman of the Board John Fahey Chief Media Officer Declan Moore Executive Vice President and Worldwide Publisher Claudia Malley NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC LITTLE KIDS, Issue 49, March / April 2015 (ISSN 1934-8363), is published bimonthly by the National Geographic Society, 1145 17th Street N.W., Washington, DC 20036-4688. POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC LITTLE KIDS, P.O. Box 62136, Tampa, FL 33662-2136. If the Postal Service alerts NGS that your magazine is undeliverable, NGS has no further obligation unless it receives a corrected address within two years. SUBSCRIPTIONS: United States, $17.95; Canada, $24.95; elsewhere, $28, all U.S. funds. In Canada, Agreement number 40063649, return undeliverable Canadian addresses to NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC LITTLE KIDS, P.O. Box 4412 STA A, Toronto, Ontario M5W 3W2.
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wild cards
EUROPEAN WILDCAT
COPYRIGHT © 2015 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY
European wildcat FUN FACTs This kind of cat doesn’t live with people. It’s wild. Wildcats are born in spring. The moms usually have three to six kittens at a time.
© KONSTANTIN MIKHAILOV / NATURE PICTURE LIBRARY
wild cards
RING-TAILED LEMUR
ring-tailed lemur FUN FACTs The ring-tailed lemur lives in Madagascar, an island country in Africa. These animals clean their fur by combing it with their teeth.
Š NICK GARBUTT / NATURE PICTURE LIBRARY
wild cards
REGAL ANGELFISH
regal angelfish FUN FACTs Regal angelfish swim in tropical ocean waters. They often travel in pairs. The fish snack on sponges, a kind of sea animal.
Š GEORGETTE DOUWMA / NATURE PICTURE LIBRARY
wild cards
BANDED DEMOISELLE
banded demoiselle FUN FACTs The banded demoiselle is an insect. It has a long, thin body. Adults hunt other insects as they fly through the air.
Š DANNY LAPS / MINDEN PICTURES
GENTOO PENGUIN
wild cards
gentoo penguin FUN FACTs A gentoo penguin lives in and around the ocean. The bird dives into the water to find food. It can dive 450 times in one day.
Š YVA MOMATIUK & JOHN EASTCOTT / MINDEN PICTURES
red-necked pademelon DUCK-BILLED PLATYPUS
wild cards
duck-billed platypus FUN FACTs The platypus is a mammal. Only two kinds of mammals lay eggs. The platypus is one of them.
Š DAVE WATTS / NATURE PICTURE LIBRARY
GAME
Hide-and-Seek
© EMANUELE BIGGI / FLPA / MINDEN PICTURES (FROG); © SUZI ESZTERHAS / ALL RIGHTS RESERVED (COVER)
Can you find the mossy frog in this picture?
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