Ranger Rick articles from April 1998

Ranger Rick archives from April 1998

Splash and snatch! Animals have all kinds of ways to catch slick fish and other water creatures.
April 1, 1998... Animals have all kinds of ways to catch slick fish and other water creatures. Take a look at these dazzling dunkers. SURFACE SNATCHER This osprey soared high above a lake until it spotted something moving in the water below. Now it dives...

Surprising skull.(whale skull from new species found on island off coast of Chile)
April 1, 1998... The whale skull above was found on an island off the coast of Chile, in South America. When scientists examined it, they discovered it was from a new, never-seen-before species! They named it Bahamonde's beaked whale. Scientists would like to...

EarthSavers.(children's clubs work to help the environment)
April 1, 1998... All across the country--and even around the world--kids are joining EarthSavers clubs. Each club does different things to help the environment around the members' homes and schools. In an EarthSavers club in Gambia (a country in Africa), kids...

School Grounds Day.(schools improve schoolyards on International School Grounds Day)
April 1, 1998... Hey, kids---there's still time for your school to participate in International School Grounds Day (ISGD). This year it'll be on Friday, May 1st. Last year, more than 1400 schools around the world took part by improving their schoolyards. One...

A batty house.(bat house constructed at University of Florida)
April 1, 1998... Seven years ago, a bat invasion started at the University of Florida. Thousands of bats moved into the university's new sports stadiums. The bats' droppings began making a big smelly mess. Some people wanted to kill the bats. Other people had a...

New noises.(sounds of spring)
April 1, 1998... Spring is a good time for new sounds. In the East, little frogs called spring peepers make loud calls at night. In the West, Pacific tree frogs call krecker, kreck-ek. Chripy songs of robins, blackbirds, and other returning birds fill the warm...

Baby bushy-tails.(watching tree squirrel babies in spring)
April 1, 1998... Tree squirrels often have their babies in March. By April, the babies may venture out of thedir nests and come down to the ground to explore. They're smaller and act tamer than their parents. If you sit quietly under a tree, a baby squirrel or...

Check the sunny spots.(watching reptiles in spring)
April 1, 1998... Reptiles come out of their winter resting places in spring. After it's been warm for a few days, snakes, turtles, and lizards may appear. Soon the reptiles will start hunting for food and looking for mates. But first they need to get energized...

Adventures of Ranger Rick: the gang stumbles onto a big stinky problem.(short story)
April 1, 1998... "Hey," shouted Becky Hare as she peeked into her cousin's den, "it looks like Hattie hasn't been here for days." "I wouldn't stay around here either," said Boomer Badger, "if the air always smells this bad." He clamped his paw over his nose...

More info.(facts about hog farm waste)
April 1, 1998... When your parents were kids, a farm might have had a few hundred hogs. But now, a single "factory" farm may have more than 15,000 hogs on it. What happens to the tons of hog waste stored in holding ponds? A lot of it is used as fertilizer on...

Wet vet.(Dr. Chris Keller cares for animals at the Tennessee Aquarium)(Cover Story)
April 1, 1998... Uh-oh! Is this toad about to CROAK? Don't worry. The "patient" is feeling fine. Dr. Chris Keller is just checking out the cane toad's lungs. Caring for aquarium animals keeps Dr. Keller "hopping" all the time! Turn the page and find out how....

You can be a can-do kid!(how to become a volunteer worker)
April 1, 1998... Have you ever wanted to save wild animals? Solve a pollution problem? Help people in need? Then this info is for you! by Roseanne Allexenberg Kids across the country are busy! For example: Kids in Rhode Island do a bunch of neat projects...

Managing marsupials.(poem)
April 1, 1998... What if marsupials needed to be Put into order, like one, two, and three? Do you think you could get them to stand in a line, When opossums swing upside down all the time? And Tasmanian devils take such delight In snapping and...

Bark: nature's "tree-shirts."
April 1, 1998... Think of bark as armor for trees. It's that tough layer on the outside of the trunk and branches that keeps many insects and diseases o.u.t. Some trees have bark so thick that even fire doesn't get through it! Check out the photos. See how...

Frozen dinner.(baby squirrel finds food after spring snowstorm)
April 1, 1998... I love to eat The seeds of weeds-- It's hard for me to stop. Until, that is, My seedy weed Becomes a frozen pop. This baby Richardson's ground squirrel had already figured out how to find food on its own. But then a freak spring...

Ouch!(moth caterpillars have spines that sting)
April 1, 1998... Looking like a prickly doughnut, the io (EYE-oh) moth caterpillar at left is wrapped around a plant stem. That shows off its spines. Pretty, aren't they? But hey, don't touch--those spines sting. Yow! When birds and other hungry enemies get a...