Wild Animal Planet by Fun For Kidz

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3 Check It Out! 4 Humpy, Stiff-Legged Cud Chewer 6 10 Wild Facts 8 Scaly, Armored Beast 9 Magnificent Marsupials 10 Sticky Water 11 The Non-Boring Wild Boar 12 Tracking Wild Animals 16 Eats Ninety Pounds of Food a Day! 18 Puzzles 20 Babies of Antarctica 21 African Animal Artists 22 Draw an African Elephant 24 Long-Necked Wonders 25 Giraffe Manor 26 Riddles & Rhymes 27 Max & Gracie 28 Kids Corner 29 Big, Ugly, and Scary 30 Puzzle Solutions 2

Answer each question with an animal found in this issue.

ey, kids, suppose we hop on a plane and take a trip around our Earth. If we landed on each continent, we’d discover a variety of animals. (Look by the page numbers to see the shape and name of a continent they call home.) Some may only live in one place. Come with me. Visit our Wild Animal Planet. After reading this issue, enter the contest. If you answer all the questions correctly, we will send you a surprise with your next issue of Fun For Kidz. You will find all the answers in this issue. Check our Facebook page for extra hints. Good luck!

Which animal: 1. has teeth that never stop growing? 2. has a long purple-black tongue and can go for days without drinking water? 3. has two toes on each broad foot? 4. lives in a rookery and stands on its parent’s feet? 5. is weighed down with body armor like a knight but doesn’t ride a horse? 6. has big feet and cannot walk backward? 7. is furry and climbs and hugs trees but is not a bear? 8. was once used to predict the weather before the groundhog? 9. uses its tongue to keep its ears cleaned out? 10. jumps straight up vertically to scare others away?

Email your answers to: contest@funforkidz.com Or, mail your answers to: Contest, Fun For Kidz, PO Box 227, Bluffton, OH 45817-0227. Your answers must be received by June 15, 2016.

. ith, Ed.D m S e v ie Genev

Imagine walking across the hot desert carrying 500 pounds. Think how thirsty and tired you would get! The camel travels across the sands of the world carrying heavy loads. Both legs move forward on one side at the same time. Then the legs on the other side move forward. The ride is rocky and can make you seasick. You can describe a camel like this: pop-up eyes, droopy jaws, a split upper lip, stiff legs, and a shaggy coat. His disposition is as sour as a lemon. He grumbles when he moves, squealing and grunting continually. Sometimes, he kicks or bites. A cud chewer like a cow, he may spit a mouthful in your face. He is smelly too! The camelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s famous hump is his pantry. It weighs about 80 pounds and is made of tissue and fat. When the camel has plenty to eat, the hump fills up with fat. Camels do not store water in their humps. But when food and water are scarce, the fat turns into energy and water. Then the hump shrivels up. Camels can drink as much as 25 gallons of water at a time. Their bodies keep most of the water they drink instead of sweating it out. People have used camels to carry things far distances for thousands of years. The hair is spun and woven into cloth to make garments, tents, rugs, or rope. His droppings are used for building huts or making fuel. Camels who are working animals are fed grain, dates, and dried hay. When moving across the desert, camels eat seeds, pods, and dried leaves. A camelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s upper lip reaches out to grab the thorny branches of desert plants.

Asia

Babies are called calves. They have wooly coats and can stand up when born. In a week, their wobbly legs get stronger. When a baby is a few months old, he learns to have a blanket put on his back. He also learns how to stand and kneel on command. At the age of six years, camels will learn to carry baggage. Camels are called the “ships of the desert” because they carry people, baggage, and produce. People could not live in the deserts of North Africa, Arabia, and Mongolia if it weren’t for camels. Today airplanes and motor vehicles transport things in these areas, but the camel is an expert on sandy roads. They are treasured because they perform work that no other animal can do and have been servants longer than any other creature.

Two Kinds of Camels The Dromedary camel has one hump on its back. Thick hair protects it from blowing sands in North Africa, the Middle East, and countries like India and Pakistan. Callouses on its knees protect the legs when it kneels. Broad feet with two toes keep it from sinking in the sand. Two sets of long lashes protect the eyes during sandstorms. They can shut their slanted nostrils to keep out flying sand. Camels with longer legs and a slimmer build are used for riding. They can be seven feet tall at the hump and can weigh over 1000 pounds. Bactrian camels have two humps on their back. They have longer hair and heavier bodies to help them live in the cold winters of North Central Asia. The Bactrian camel also has tough footpads and kneepads and long eyelashes. The female’s rich milk is used for drinking and making cheese. The camel meat is eaten too. These camels are shorter than Dromedaries, but can weigh 2000 pounds!

Scaly, Armored Beast by Susan Richardson Dressed in a suit of scaly armor, the nine-banded armadillo snorts and snuffles along the forest floor. The strange animal is looking for ants, worms, and other tasty morsels hiding beneath the leaves. As it forages, the armadillo pauses to dig and explore more thoroughly. Something squirms under the loose dirt. Immediately, a long, sticky tongue extends to grab the fat, juicy grub. Yum! Gentle and strangely adorable, the armadillo is a fascinating wild animal. It is the only North American mammal covered with bony plates and small, hard scales. The protective shell does not cover the armadillo’s soft belly, though. Although it cannot see very well, the armadillo senses that a predator is watching. A hungry hawk swoops low. The armadillo bolts toward a thicket of thorny vines and frantically starts digging a burrow to hide in. With strong front legs and large, sharp claws, the armadillo throws up soil with amazing speed, kicking it away with its hind feet. Soon the frightened armadillo is “Armadillo” means “little armored safe. When there’s no time to escape predators, the armadillo one” in Spanish. presses its belly firmly to the ground and holds on tight, like a tough lump. When startled, an armadillo jumps vertically into the air, scaring a predator. This little mammal can hold its breath for six minutes! This is very useful when digging or walking across a shallow stream. The armadillo swallows air to inflate its stomach and intestines. This makes it able to float! By floating and paddling like a dog, the armadillo swims across small creeks and ponds. Usually, though, the armadillo keeps its long snout to the ground and its big claws in the earth.

North America 8

Can you see the nine bands of scales around the middle?

Australia is home to extraordinary wild animals found nowhere else on Earth. Some are marsupials, animals with pouches. Marsupial babies, called “joeys,” are born undeveloped. They are blind, hairless, and as small as a jelly bean. A joey spends months in its mother’s pouch until it’s fully developed.

Koalas • Don’t call them “koala bears”! These tree-hugging mammals are not bears at all. • Koalas survive on a diet of leaves from certain eucalyptus and gum trees. The leaves provide so little energy, koalas sleep 20 hours a day! • To help with digestion, koalas eat dirt once in a while.

Kangaroos • A kangaroo’s springy hind legs are much larger and stronger than its forelimbs. Its powerful tail is used for balance and steering. Large feet help kangaroos achieve those pogo-stick leaps. • When grazing for grass, leaves, and flowers to eat, a kangaroo forms a tripod with its tail and two forelimbs. Then it moves its feet forward and “crawl-walks.” • Kangaroos cannot walk backward!

Wallabies • Wallabies use their hind legs and tail for hopping, like their kangaroo cousins. Also like kangaroos, they can swim! • Some kinds of wallabies are as small as a rabbit. Others grow to be almost six feet long from head to tail. They are shy, but curious. • Wallabies thump their tails or hind legs to warn other wallabies of danger.

Wombats • These pudgy, stubby-tailed animals dig burrows with their sharp claws. Most wombats live alone in their burrows. • Wombats are expert kickers! They use their strong hind legs to drive off predators. • Their front teeth never stop growing. A diet of bark and roots keeps the teeth filed down.

Australia 9

Water is important to wild animals. Animals drink water and bathe in it. Some animals live in water or use it to hide from predators. You already knew this, but did you know that water is “sticky”? Try this simple experiment, and you will see that water sticks to itself whenever it has the chance!

What You Need: a sink water a few paper cups

a sharp pencil

What You Do: 1. Use the sharp pencil point to make two tiny holes side by side on the side of the paper cup. Make them about this far apart • • just above the bottom. 2. In the sink, fill the cup with water. Water will squirt out the holes and into the sink. Either there will be TWO streams of water, one from each hole, or the two streams will be joined together to make ONE stream.

Experiment If two streams of water squirt out, use your thumb and pointer finger and pinch the streams together right where they come out of the cup. They should stick together and become a single stream. If they don’t, keep trying, and they will. If there is just one stream, brush your fingertip between the holes. This will break apart the stream and make two streams. If the stream doesn’t break apart the first time, keep trying. If you can’t get the streams to join together or break apart, use another cup and make holes in it that are closer together or farther apart. Experiment! Once you know exactly how far apart to make the holes, try making three or four holes in a cup. Try making all, some, or none of the streams stick together. DO NOT get any soap in the water, or this experiment won’t work. If you don’t believe it, try it!

An animal full of personality and power lives in the dense forests of Europe. It’s the wild boar, the wild ancestor of the domestic pig. But this is no cute barnyard animal! A wild boar is quite ferocious, especially when surprised or cornered, or when protecting boar piglets. People living in these forest areas watch out for wild boars. You see, these coarse-haired animals hold grudges. They can remember you from another time when you dared to enter their territory. They see very poorly out of their small eyes, so they won’t recognize you by sight. But they have an incredible sense of smell, and that’s what they’ll remember! Even if you scurry up a tree to escape a boar, it will keep trying to reach up to bite you. This medium-sized animal eats almost anything that fits in its mouth. They feed at night, looking for berries, grasses, and fruits. A long, rubbery snout lets them unearth bulbs and roots like a bulldozer. They eat eggs, mice, lizards, and even the abandoned kill of another animal. In early winter, wild boars gorge on acorns. Wild boars have tusks on their bottom lips. The males’ tusks curve upward and are larger than the females’. The pointy tusks are used to dig for food and as weapons. Only males have upper tusks. These act as a knife sharpener and are constantly sharpening the lower tusks. Male wild boars test each other’s strength. Challenges begin with grunts and turn into intense pushing matches. Tusks find their way into the wild boars’ bodies. When the fight is over, the loser leaves first. Then the winner swaggers off, swinging his head as if saying, “Don’t mess with me!” A wild boar is confident and a show-off. But boring? Never!

boar piglets

Europe

by J.T. Waite • illustrated by Ginny Pruitt • colored by Gaurakisora Tucker “What’s so great about the great outdoors, anyway?” Ginny rolled her eyes. Her brother, Phil, was always complaining. “I mean, it’s hot. There isn’t any air conditioning. And we have to walk everywhere. “We’re hiking, Phil,” Ginny sighed. “You don’t ride when you hike. You walk.” Phil and Ginny were twins. They had just turned eight, and they lived in New York City. It was summer vacation, and they were spending a week on their Uncle Ethan’s farm in Vermont. It wasn’t a working farm anymore, but there was a lot of land, a stream, and some woods on the property. A state park was right next door. “OK, we’re walking,” Phil said. “So where are the sidewalks?” Uncle Ethan pointed to a path in front of them. “Things in the woods are a little different.” “You bet,” Phil said. “No streets and no street signs.” “You’d be surprised,” said their uncle. “There are plenty of streets and signs around here. They’re just not the kind you’re used to.” Phil looked all around him. He didn’t see any. “Where?” Uncle Ethan laughed. “Everywhere,” he said. He pointed to the tall grass along the side of the path. “See where the grass is all matted down? That’s a street for somebody. Maybe it’s for a rabbit or a fox.” He pointed to a bush. “You see that bush over there? See where the branches are bent and broken?” “Uh-huh,” said Phil. “That’s a sign that something’s been through there.” “What?” Ginny asked. Uncle Ethan shrugged his shoulders. “Don’t know. Something bigger than a rabbit. Those branches are too high for a rabbit.” “Bigfoot?” Phil suggested. “Don’t pay any attention to him, Uncle Ethan,” Ginny said.

“The grass isn’t trampled down much,” Uncle Ethan said. “It can’t be too big.” “You mean it’s not an elephant?” Phil asked. “Phil!” Ginny said. “No, he’s right. We don’t get many elephants up this way.” “So what is it?” Phil wanted to know. “My guess would be a deer.” “You mean a reindeer?” Uncle Ethan laughed. “Reindeer live in places like Lapland, Phil, up by the Arctic Circle. They’re bigger than our deer. They’re more like elk.” “And he doesn’t mean those guys in funny hats who belong to a lodge,” Ginny said before Phil could make another joke. “Here’s another sign,” Uncle Ethan said, pointing to some droppings on the ground. Phil made a face. “That’s deer poop!” “It’s called spoor,” Uncle Ethan said. “If you spend enough time in the woods, you can tell the different animals by reading their spoors.” “Eeww!” said Phil. “I’d rather read a book!” “What other signs are there?” Ginny asked. “Tracks,” Uncle Ethan said. “You can always look for tracks. In the winter, it’s a lot easier. You can see tracks in the snow. You can see them now, too, if the ground is wet or muddy. See that over there? The little imprint of a split hoof? That’s a deer track.” “How do you know one track from another?” Ginny wanted to know. “Your grandfather taught me,” Uncle Ethan said. “There are plenty of nature guides in the library if you want to learn.” “I don’t think we’ll need to in the city,” Phil said. Uncle Ethan smiled. “You’d be surprised how many different birds and animals there are in the city.”

“There are some pretty strange birds in New York, all right,” Phil said, “but most of them don’t have feathers.” “We have peregrine falcons,” said Ginny. “I read about them. They were an endangered species, so some wildlife scientists brought a bunch of peregrine falcons to New York City. The scientists put their nests up on the top of some tall buildings on the Eastside.” “Why?” Phil asked. “Do they like to shop at the ritzy Eastside stores?” “Don’t be silly,” Ginny said. “The scientists figured that the wide, windy avenues between the skyscrapers were just like the canyons where the falcons used to live.” “So,” Uncle Ethan asked, “did it work?” “I think so. There are many more falcons now than there were when the project started. I think the falcons made themselves right at home.” “What do they eat?” Phil asked. “They don’t stop at their corner hot dog stand, do they?” “They eat pigeons,” said Ginny, “but maybe you’re right. To a falcon, I guess a pigeon is just a flying feathered hot dog.” Phil’s stomach rumbled at so much talk of hot dogs. “Now there’s a sign we can all read,” Uncle Ethan laughed, “and it means it’s time for lunch! Why don’t we make tracks for home?”

by J.T. Waite • illustrated by Ginny Pruitt colored by Gaurakisora Tucker What about you? Whether you live in the city or in the country or somewhere in between, there are birds and animals all around you. Go out in your backyard or take a walk in the park. See how many different birds and animals you observe. Can you see their tracks? Can you find their burrows or nests? Go to the library and take out a wildlife guide to the animals in your area. Keep a journal, and see how many different birds and animals you can collect. Every time you see a new bird or animal, write down its name, the date, and where you saw it. And, yes, your pets count too!

Send Fun For Kidz a photo of animal tracks you come across. It can be your pet or another animal that you’ve seen. Your photo may appear in a future issue!

Rabbit tracks in the snow. Can you guess which prints are the hind feet?

! y a D a d o o F f o s d n u o P ty e Eats Nin ry Lindhjem by Denise Wilcox • photos by Ma

Have you ever stuffed yourself so full of food you felt your stomach would burst? Maybe three banana splits? Even less than two pounds of food would make your stomach scream, “Stop!” Not so for brown bears in Alaska. From mid-summer through fall, they devour as much as 90 pounds of food each day. Brown bears that live inland, in forests and tundra meadows, are often referred to as grizzly bears. Those living by seas are usually called coastal brown bears. They are the same species living in different habitats. Where they live determines their diet. When these omnivores prepare for winter, they concentrate on the foods that add the pounds of fat they need to survive. One grizzly can scarf over 200,000 berries in a single day. Coastal brown bears prefer to gorge on salmon, consuming as many as 30 fish in a day. Brown bears are at the top of the food chain in Alaska, so they can feast without worrying about predators. Their paws are the size of a major league baseball player’s mitt. At the end of each front paw are five claws as long as crayons. Grizzlies use their claws to scoop berries as they amble across the tundra. Coastal browns use their sharp claws to snag fish. The claws not only serve as eating utensils, they are powerful shovels for excavating too. In the late fall, brown bears search for denning sites among the roots of large trees or along sheltered slopes. These bears are mostly solitary animals. They dig their dens alone or with the help of their one- or twoyear-old cubs. Brown bears are not true hibernators because if disturbed, they will awaken. Female brown bears usually give birth to a pair of cubs during the winter. The cubs are born blind and hairless and are about the size of chipmunks. When you were born, you probably weighed seven to ten times more than a brown bear cub. Cubs grow fast and surpass even the largest humans. An adult brown bear weighs between 350 and 1000 pounds when fully grown at the age of five.

North America 16

Playful brown bear cubs

When the sow and her cubs are ready to leave the den in spring, the cubs have grown to about 10 pounds and are covered in thick fur. The sow will have lost as much as 40 percent of her body weight over the winter. She leaves the den hungry, in search of water and food. Cubs learn what to eat and how to find food by watching their mothers. Brown bear mothers protect and teach their cubs until they are two and a half years old. Then the mothers chase them away. Bear siblings spend some time together and then become solitary like their parents. Many brown bears travel long, long distances in search of food within their own territory. With their long claws, they reach as high as they can and make scratch marks on trees as a warning or signal to other bears entering the area. When standing on their hind legs, female brown bears are between five and eight feet tall and males are six to ten feet tall. Even though brown bears may look fat and slow, they can run 35 miles an hour. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s as fast as a racehorse! They are excellent swimmers but rarely climb trees after fully grown. Brown bears require a lot of land for the food they need to survive. Alaska is home to more than 40,000 brown bears. Over one million acres of Alaskan wilderness are protected for them. If you are ever lucky enough to see a brown bear in the wilds of Alaska, it is a thrilling experience you will never forget. Mountain brown bear (much smaller than coastal brown bears) using claws to rake through berry bushes

www.hiddenpicturepuzzles.com

boa lion bird pear bone 2 fish molar whale crown candle tortoise 2 cones alligator 3 hearts elephant rhinoceros baseball bat hippopotamus

by Donna Lugg Pape

Discover a wild animal by using one color to fill in each space that has a dot in it. Use a different color to fill in the other spaces.

by Joyce Stryon Madsen

2 4

ACROSS 2. Because more elephants are killed or die of natural causes than are born each year, the elephant is an ______________ species. 4. Elephants are important figures in Chris Van Allsburg’s book “_____________.” 5. The extra-long, flexible snout is called a ____________ and is used for breathing and carrying.

6. Elephants eat a _______________ diet of grass, fruit, roots, leaves, and bark.

8. Elephants are very social and live and travel in ___________. DOWN 1. The elephant is believed to be related to the prehistoric ________________. 3. “____________” is an old favorite book and movie about a little elephant with extra-large ears, which allowed him to fly. 4. Rudyard Kipling’s “The _____________ Book” also contains elephants as characters. 7. An elephant’s _________ are really modified incisor teeth and are very useful for digging and scraping.

Fraction-nition by Evelyn B. Christensen

Warthogs are wild pigs that live in Africa. They have two pairs of tusks and are powerful diggers, using both their tusks and their feet.

A T

A T H S W T R A S A H S R G W S H O G T R W H G O W S A O G W T R Fill in the squares so that each row, column, and 8-square section has the letters W-A-R-T-H-O-G-S.

by David Lindo

Find the letters described by the fraction given in each statement. Print the letters you select, in the order provided, into the boxes.

Are your answers correct? Or

wildly innaccurate?

The first 1/8 of SCRABBLE The first 1/4 of QUIZ The middle 1/5 of TRUCK The middle 1/5 of ROAST The last 1/3 of VANISH What is a hippopotamus’s favorite game?

Find out on page 30.

by Lorene Gnaedinger I’m a baby penguin living in Antarctica. Before I was born, my parents made a large pizza-sized nest for me out of small pebbles. That’s where Mom laid my egg. My parents took turns sitting on my egg to keep me warm. While Mom sat on the egg, Dad went down the penguin highway to get food from the sea. Then Mom went for food, and Dad sat on my egg. After about 33 days in the dark, hot, cramped egg, I wanted out. I used the sharp point on my beak and pecked on my egg’s shell until it cracked. After two days of stretching and wiggling, my egg gentoo penguin popped open, and I was free. Mom greeted me with a “Rah-rah-raah.” My downy silvery-gray hair dried quickly. I was a fat, little eight-inch-tall chick. Sometimes, I would sit on one of my parent’s feet to keep warm. After a few weeks, I was strong enough to waddle on my own. I stayed in the penguin rookery with other chicks and young penguins while my parents found food for me. Adult penguins kept watch over us. Chicks that stray away from the rookery may become tasty meals for large brown birds called skuas. When my parents returned, they found me by the sound of my voice. Their crops were filled with pink shrimp-like fish called krill. Crops grind up food and store it until it is needed. Mom and Dad brought up the krill from their crops into my mouth. The fleshy spikes inside my mouth and on my tongue helped me swallow my meal.

Baby gentoo penguin enjoying a meal from her parent’s crop

Antarctica

As I grow, stiff black and white feathers replace my soft hair. These new waterproof feathers keep me warm in the sea. Soon I’ll be ready to swim in the sea and catch my own food.

African Animal Artists by Diane Winebar

Would you be surprised to see an elephant paint? At Zoo Atlanta, it happens all the time. African elephants Kelly and Tara have been trained to hold paintbrushes in their trunks and paint on canvas. The result? Vivid one-of-a-kind art and two happy elephants!

Tara has fun painting at Zoo Atlanta.

These painting pachyderms usually paint where zoo visitors can watch. The elephant eagerly takes the paint-loaded brush from her trainer’s hand. Then, squish, the paint is brushed onto the canvas. The artist often pauses to look at her colorful creation. When the session is over, the elephant receives a round of applause. It’s another masterpiece!

Questions & Answers with Nate Elgart, Lead Keeper in Elephants, Zoo Atlanta Q: Why do elephants paint at your zoo? A: We train our elephants to do many things. Some of the training is to stimulate their minds. Painting is one of those things. Also, elephants need to stay busy. Painting is a fun way for us to achieve that. Q: How were Kelly and Tara trained to paint? A: The elephant is rewarded for holding the paintbrush in the tip of her trunk. Keepers will tell her to “take it” to achieve this action. Then the trainer says, “Paint.” This verbal cue tells the elephant that it’s time to touch the brush to the canvas. The elephants receive rewards like celery, apples, or lettuce for participating in the activities. Q: Do Kelly and Tara choose their own colors? What are their painting styles? A: Usually, the trainer will have an idea of what colors they like to use. Neither elephant has a clear favorite color. Kelly typically makes longer brush strokes. Tara will often do short touches with the brush. Q: What does Zoo Atlanta do with the elephants’ paintings? A: They are often given to important guests, donated, or sold in our gift shop at the Zoo.

Africa 21

by Andrew Wales The African elephant is the largest land animal on Earth. They can grow to be twelve feet tall and weigh as much as six tons! Here’s how to draw this magnificent animal.

1. Start with a circle for the head. Add two dots for the eyes, and begin the two curved lines for the trunk. Notice that the trunk gets narrower as it goes down.

2. Now begin to alter the shape of the head. Change the forehead slightly to make it slope. Make it knobby at the top. Continue drawing the trunk, curving it like a backward letter “J.”

3. Next, begin the tusks. An elephant’s tusks are just upper teeth. Often, one of the tusks will be broken from use, or they might be uneven as the elephant wears one down from use.

4. Begin the elephant’s ears. An African elephant’s ears look like the shape of the continent of Africa. An Indian elephant’s ears resemble the country of India! After you’ve begun the ears, draw the two finger-like projections at the end of the trunk.

5. It’s time to begin the elephant’s body. Notice that the head is below the shoulders. Start with a kind of oval shape. Then add the legs.

6. Add lots of wrinkles for texture. An elephant’s skin looks like a baggy suit. Its skin lacks moisture, so it must be loose to provide flexibility for the elephant to move. Finally, refer back to the first illustration for shading ideas. Have fun! Dear Readers, Send us your drawing of an African elephant, or write a poem about an animal you read about in this magazine. You may see it in a future issue! Include your name, city, state, age, and a small school photo, if possible. Only names and ages will be published with photos and submissions. They cannot be returned, so keep copies for yourself.

Of all the world’s wild animals, one stands head and shoulders above the rest. Graceful, funny-faced giraffes live in the savannas and grassy plains of Africa. These calm, gentle giants have lots of companions. Wildebeests and ostriches like to hang out with their tall friends because, thanks to their amazing height, giraffes can spot danger from far away. Every single giraffe has its own spot pattern. Spots let giraffes blend into shadows, trees, and tall grasses, confusing their predators. But if a lion comes too close, giraffes put their long legs to work and take off running. They are extremely fast, but can only run for short periods. Then they put their muscular legs to another use. Powerful kicks scare away the big cat if it tries to attack. Giraffes can easily nibble on treetops. They have the young, tender leaves all to themselves! A giraffe’s flexible purple-black tongue can wrap around branches and pull off foliage. Giraffes get much of the water they need from eating leaves, but head for rivers or ponds during the dry season. Even with its long neck, a giraffe can’t reach down to drink. Instead, it must awkwardly spread out its legs or kneel. Luckily, they can go several days without drinking.

Rothschild giraffes are Earth’s tallest animal.

A GIRAFFE’S GIGANTIC NUMBERS Giraffes grow to be 16 to 20 feet tall. Even newborns are taller than most humans! Males can weigh 3000 pounds. The tongue is 18 to 20 inches long. A giraffe can use it to clean its ears! Giraffes have big hearts. They weigh about 25 pounds and are 2 feet long. The neck is 6 to 8 feet long and weighs 600 pounds. Legs are 6 feet long, though the hind legs look shorter.

DID YOU KNOW?

Giraffes don’t really have horns on their heads. They are “ossicones,” which are hardened cartilage covered in skin and fur.

by Anne Renaud What do you see when you look out your bedroom window? Birds, squirrels, giraffes? For the guests of Giraffe Manor, that’s exactly what they see. They may even have a giraffe pop in for breakfast! In 1974, Jock and Betty Leslie-Melville rescued a baby Rothschild giraffe from a heavily poached area in western Kenya, in Africa. Daisy, as she was named, came to live on the grounds of the couple’s Englishstyle manor. At first, Daisy was not pleased with her new parents. She refused to drink or even move. Luckily, Daisy finally accepted the couple’s offerings of milk. She let them stroke her and would even suck their thumbs. Slowly, Daisy became accustomed to her new surroundings. She roamed the grounds, like a very large pet, eating flowers and tree branches.

Popping in to share a meal at the Manor

To ensure that Daisy would not grow lonely, Jock and Betty adopted another Rothschild giraffe that they called Marlon. He kept Daisy company. Later, the couple built an educational nature center that would become home to many more of the endangered Rothschild giraffes. Every year, thousands of African children visit the Giraffe Centre and the giraffes. They learn the importance of conserving these beautiful animals. The manor is now a hotel, welcoming people from around the world. Giraffes and other animals wander the grounds. Meals are almost always interrupted by one of the four-legged occupants. The giraffes poke their heads through the giant window to help themselves to a treat or two!

Rothschild giraffes differ from other giraffes. They can grow to be 20 feet tall, making them Earth’s tallest land animals. Their coloring is unique. A bright creamcolored coat is broken up by deep brown rectangular patches. The patches don’t go down their lower legs. These giraffes can have up to five “horns” on their heads. Other giraffes have only two.

A Rothschild giraffe calf

Africa 25

by Sharon L. Reiter

#1 I roar in the jungle all day. In the African sunshine I play. I’m just a big cat, Although rather fat. But if you see me, get out of the way!

#2 I’m a bird, and I live in the night. My eyes are big, shiny, and bright. “Hoot. Hoot” is my song. I sing all night long. But I sleep in the morning’s daylight.

Wild Animal Teasers by Nancy Dearborn

Find the answers to these riddles from the following list: COUGAR WOLF

PARROT LION

HYENA TIGER

1. Which animal always comes in twos? 2. Which animal is a kind of car? 3. Which animal likes to recline on things? 4. Which animal eats her food too fast? 5. Which animal is a type of lily? 6. Which animal is the most elevated? Answers: 1. PARROT, 2. COUGAR, 3. LION, 4. WOLF, 5. TIGER, 6. HYENA

What Am I?

#3 I’m an animal, gigantic and gray. When you see me, get out of the way. I have a long nose That looks like a hose. And I roam in the jungle all day.

#4 I have beautiful fins on each side That I show off with a great deal of pride. I swim very fast ‘Cause I’d like to last, Not be on your stove and deep fried! Answers: 1. LION, 2. OWL, 3. ELEPHANT, 4. FISH

The Rhinoceros by J.T. Waite

The rhinoceros, it seems to us, Is something quite preposterous. His hide is thick. His hair is thin. He cannot smile. He will not grin. He’s far too wide. He’s much too tall. He hardly has a tail at all. He wears a horn upon his snout And puts his skin on inside out.

Big Sur, California 2:13 PM Into the woods on a partly sunny day! Max and Gracie and their owners, Linda, Craig, and their seven-year-old son, Ed, are driving the back roads of America. Perhaps you have seen Max and Gracie with their heads out the window. If not, here is a letter describing their most recent adventure.

ed. At least she bumping into me. She was very scar Seeing the coyote, Gracie backed up, one toe. Gracie ted in place, unable to twitch even roo was I ed scar so was I e. mov ld cou slinked behind me. eaked out a bark. “Are you friend or foe?” I finally squ . To her, I was side. Obviously, she didn’t understand The coyote cocked her head to the have. -stop anyway. It’s a nervous habit I talking gibberish. I kept talking non your way. I continued, “where we’ll be out of “We’re going to go right over here,” ’t let on how ll head this way, OK?” My voice didn we’ and way that g alon run just You cie’s whimpers behind me. frightened I felt, and it masked Gra The coyote didn’t answer. press against I could feel Gracie’s trembling body I started walking slowly but firmly. of mine. mine, her steps matching each one I had to be brave for both of us. you. Now you way over here. Didn’t mean to bother “OK, we’re just slowly making our need of company. ther coyote down the road that is in just run along. There’s probably ano e, and it’s a sister, Gracie. This is our first time her my is this and , way the by , Max I’m and on I jabbered away. beautiful spot. Do you live here?” On a shot. heard Ed calling to us, we took off like When we got around the corner and ote in the wild g call after an encounter with a coy thin soo s Ed’ ring hea like hing not There’s to finally get me moving!

Max

Dear Readers, , artwork, poetry, Send in yo ur letters for publication! an d other creations @funforkidz.com, or mail to: publish

Poem

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by Kayleigh Bates, age 5 The dog wanted to run and play Through the fields and in the hay. His master would not let him out, For the master had great doubt The dog would not stay about.

Bugs by Josh Fellrath, age 11

by Russell Bailey, age 11

Dear Editor, es, I like that your magazine has gam is ff stu riddles, and more! Some of the things even done by kids! It gives me like a it’s es, etim to make and do. Som ething som brain teaser. It also gives you asked to make, then eat! But if I were that I what I like the most, I would say gs. like to make amazing thin From, Brittney McKenzie

Bugs, bugs, my brother likes bug s. He likes to give them kisses and hugs. He has some bugs in his bed. He has two spiders on his hea d. Does he mind? Does he care? Does he wish they weren’t there? “No,” he says in a dignified air. “I’m glad that those spiders are there.”

Dear Editor, I really like the magazine. My absolute favorite parts are the puzzles. I think that you should ask kids to send in tricks. If you do, a lot of people would want to buy FUN FOR KID Z. After I read your magazine, I wanted another issue. Sincerely, Stanton Valentino

young spectacled caiman

by Guy Belleranti

“Over there, to my right!” a man with binoculars shouts. Our guide moves the boat closer to a sandy bank along Costa Rica’s Sarapiquí River. We had already seen many birds, iguanas, turtles, and howler monkeys on our river safari. Now I was going to see the wild animal I had been waiting for. A caiman! Caimans live in South and Central America and are related to alligators and crocodiles. Depending on the species, they range in size from the 3-1/2-foot-long dwarf caiman to the 15-foot-long black caiman. The caiman we saw sunning itself on the sand was somewhere in-between. No one on the boat volunteered to get out and measure exactly how long this caiman was. Good thinking! Caimans may not look like fast movers, but looks are deceiving. On land, a caiman can run almost 20 miles an hour for short distances. That’s much faster than humans. In water, the caiman’s tail propels it even faster. Like all crocodilians, the caiman has hard bony scales that serve as body armor. Also like crocodilians, it is a carnivore, with LOTS of teeth. New teeth replace old throughout the animal’s lifetime. Caimans eat crustaceans, fish, small mammals, birds, amphibians, and reptiles. And, sometimes, other caimans! Caimans usually lie submerged in a swamp, lake, or slow-moving river. Its body blends in among branches and logs. A caiman’s eyes are near the top of its head. This lets it watch for prey. Caimans hunt mostly at night and have excellent night vision. They also have great senses of hearing and smell. These reptiles have an extra set of clear eyelids that cover their eyes as they swim. Wouldn’t these be cool to have when This Cuvier’s dwarf caiman is small, but scary. you’re swimming underwater?

South America 29

Elephant Crossword on page 19

Mystery Picture Puzzle on page 18

N 4J

E 3D

M U

U A

B R

E 7T

U S K S

Warthogs Sudoku on page 19

G O

O G

G W T

T W R

R W T

G O

T W G

W T

O G

T W

Who’s There? on page 18 Fraction-nition on page 19 What is a hippopotamus’s favorite game? SQUASH

MONKEY

Photo Credits: via Wikimedia Commons: Yaan (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0] 5 (bottom); VladLazarenko (Own work) [CC BY 3.0] 8 (top); birdphotos.com (Own work) [CC BY 3.0] 8 (bottom); Quartl (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0] 9 (koala); jenny-bee [CC BY 2.0] 9 (kangaroo); JJ Harrison (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0] 9 (wombat); Rizzo (Own work) [GFDL or CC BY 3.0] 11 (top); Christopher Michel from San Francisco, USA (Gentoo Penguin Baby) [CC BY 2.0] 20 (bottom); Bernard DUPONT from FRANCE [CC BY-SA 2.0] 24 (top); Quartl (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0] 25 (bottom); Juan Carlos Dominguez M (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0] 29 (top). Photo courtesy Zoo Atlanta 21.

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V i s i t U s O n l i n e ! F a c e b o o k . c o m / F u n F o r K i d z • w w w. F u n F o r K i d z . c o m Vol. 15 No. 3 • MAY/JUNE 2016 Publisher: Thomas M. Edwards Editor: Marilyn Edwards Associate Editor: Diane Winebar Graphic Design: Gaurakisora Tucker Marketing Director: Jonathan Edwards

FUN FOR KIDZ (ISSN 1536-898X) is published bi-monthly by the Bluffton News Publishing and Printing Company, P.O. Box 227, 101 N. Main St., Bluffton, OH 45817-0227. Telephone: 419-358-4610. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Fun For Kidz, P.O. Box 227, Bluffton, OH 45817-0227. Periodical postage is paid at Bluffton, OH and Preston, ID.

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FUN FOR KIDZ, INC. accepts no responsibility whatsoever for Article, Photo & Artwork Submissions: We accept and any injuries arising out of the use or misuse of ideas, materials, encourage article, photo and artwork submissions. Unsolicited and activities featured in its publications or products. materials will be considered for publication and will be returned Science Editor: Larry White Copyright © 2016 by the Bluffton News Publishing and Printing if accompanied by sufficient first-class postage. Guidelines are Co. All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be available with a SASE. The publisher accepts no responsibility Science Illustrator: Alan Wassilak reproduced without the written permission of the publisher. Riding ... with Max & Gracie Editor: Lisa Rehfuss FUN FOR KIDZ™, and the FUN FOR KIDZ logo™, are trademarks for unsolicited material. of FUN FOR KIDZ, The Bluffton News Publishing and Printing Co. Submissions should be sent to FUN FOR KIDZ, INC. Cover Artist: Chris Sabatino P.O. Box 227, Bluffton, OH 45817-0227.

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