Scienceland articles from March 1997

Scienceland archives from March 1997

Sunrise in Africa. (arriving in East Africa by plane when the sun is rising over the grasslands)(A Trip to Africa)
March 22, 1997... Let's take a make-believe trip to East Africa. has many modern cities. It is also the home of wild animals. Many of the animals in our zoos come from Africa. Can you name some of the zoo animals from Africa? Our plane is about to land....

An outdoor market. (the market is opened three days a week and people come to buy fresh fruits and vegetables)(A Trip to Africa)
March 22, 1997... We travel in a safari van from the airport. We come to a town on market day. There are many people. There are many fruits and vegetables. They look very fresh. But these fruits and vegetables are not like those at home. This outdoor...

Rhinoceros. (both the black and the white rhino can be found in East Africa roaming freely in the game parks)(A Trip to Africa)
March 22, 1997... Our safari van takes us to a national park. Here, animals roam safe and free as they do in the wild. There are no fences or cages. The animals were not brought here -- the park was built around them. How is this different from zoos and...

Apes! (gorillas and chimpanzees are normally found in rainforests but they can be seen in wildlife centers in other areas)(A Trip to Africa)
March 22, 1997... The gorilla is the largest of the three great apes(*). The chimpanzee is the smartest. Both live in the African rain forest, far from humans. Our safari stops to see them in a wildlife center. Unlike humans, apes must walk on their feet...

Impalas and gazelles. (these are antelopes that live in herds in the East African grasslands called savannas)(A Trip to Africa)
March 22, 1997... Impalas and gazelles are both kinds of antelopes. They live in herds with others of their species. The herds can have as many as 200 or more animals! The animals in the herds eat and sleep together. They help each other avoid enemies....

A lion attack! (a lion sometimes tries several times before it can catch its prey which may include an antelope called a topi)(A Trip to Africa)
March 22, 1997... Look at what is happening in these pictures. A female lion decides to go after food. The food is an antelope called a topi. The other lions watch to see what will happen. We watch from our safari van. It is scary and yet exciting....

African people, plants, and places. (visitors to East Africa meet people who speak Swahili, and they also see different animals and plants such as the baobob tree as they visit game parks)(A Trip to Africa)
March 22, 1997... We continue on our safari. There are people and plants that look familiar. But they are not the same as the ones back home. There are some things we have never seen before. Others, like the termite mound, are unbelievable. Which plants...

Giraffes. (they are the world's tallest animals and can be more than 19.5 ft tall. They live in East Africa's savanna and are often prey for lions)(A Trip to Africa)
March 22, 1997... A giraffe can be more than 6 m (19.5 ft) tall. It is the tallest animal in the world. Tree leaves are the giraffe's favorite food. Giraffe meat is one of the lion's favorite foods. The long legs of the giraffe help it run very fast (up to...

Elephants! (these are the world largest land animals standing up to 13 ft at the shoulders. Each day an elephant can eat 440 lbs of plant food)(A Trip to Africa)
March 22, 1997... The elephant is the largest land animal in the world. It weighs up to 8.5 tons and is 4 m (13 ft) tall at the shoulders. That is taller than two adult humans! In one day, an elephant can eat 200 kg (440 lb) of food. That is more than the...

More animals of Africa. (East Africa has many wonderful animals including ground squirrels, crocodiles, lions, hippos, wart hogs, and many kinds of antelopes, and monkeys)(A Trip to Africa)
March 22, 1997... You might have seen some of these animals in a zoo or wildlife center. But in Africa, these animals all live free in the wild. If you were an animal, would you rather live in a zoo or in the wild? Which of these animals would you most...

Scavengers. (scavenger animals living on the East African savannas include vultures, hyenas, jackets and many insects. They devour the remains of dead animals and this helps keep the environment clean)(A Trip to Africa)
March 22, 1997... Vultures, hyenas, jackals, and many insects are scavengers. Scavengers are very important to our environment. They eat what is left of animals killed by other wild animals. Scavengers can even eat spoiled meat and bones. They help to keep the...

Birds of Africa. (the secretary bird, a snake-eating bird, is found in East Africa along with others including crowned cranes, fish eagles, hornbills, and roller birds)(A Trip to Africa)
March 22, 1997... We have seen some of these birds in zoos. A few look like birds back at home. But nothing looks anything like the secretary bird. With its long legs, the secretary bird can walk more quickly than we can run. Some people think the bird...

African faces and costumes. (human life began in Mother Africa and spread globally. The peoples of Africa have different faces and customs, but most have rich dark skin and hair)(A Trip to Africa)
March 22, 1997... Scientist say that the very first humans lived here in africa millions of years ago. These first humans gradually spread to other parts of the world. Over millions of years these people began to change. Their skin color, hair color, and...

Goodnight! (water holes in the East African countryside are active with many animals like lions and leopards when night falls)(A Trip to Africa)
March 22, 1997... Our long make-believe safari has come to an end. We spend the night at a lodge in the wild bush. There are many strange sounds that keep us awake. Lions, leopards, and other wild animals come near the lodge at night. The night is very,...

A cheetah and her cubs. (five young cheetahs feed on a gazelle their mother has killed)(A Trip to Africa)
March 22, 1997... Five cheetah cubs have a meal. Their swift mother outran a gazelle. She looks tired after the chase. The gazelle can outrun most other animals. But it cannot outrun a cheetah. Luckily, there are many more gazelles than cheetahs. After the...