Ranger Rick articles from February 1996

Ranger Rick archives from February 1996

Gawky squawky gannets. (behavior and habits of the northern gannets that inhabit seashores and islands in the North Atlantic)
February 1, 1996... What's it like to be surrounded by thousands of big, white birds called northern gannets? Noisy, smelly--and pretty amazing! "Arrah-arrah, arrah-arrah," noisy gannets call from the island cliffs. Some of them are telling the other birds, "This...

He's a winner! (Jeremy Schmidt wins the Trudy Farrand/John Strohm Magazine Writing Award for his story that appeared in Ranger Rick)
February 1, 1996... Annual Writer's Award At the end of every year, the editors at Ranger Rick judge the articles printed during the past twelve months. Then they pick the writer they think did the best job. The prize is open to all writers except those who work...

Chocolate! (history of chocolate, how it is made, and the different forms in which it is eaten)(includes a quiz on chocolate trivia)
February 1, 1996... To lots of people, Valentine's Day means a big, heart-shaped box of chocolate candy. Almost everybody loves to eat chocolate, but hardly anyone knows that we owe this treat to an ancient Aztec king and his secret beans. Chocolate! Just...

Geyser watching is hot stuff. (includes a related article on how geysers work)
February 1, 1996... You've heard of birdwatchers. You may even know a whale-watcher. Now check out this geyser-watcher! Meet Ranger Rick--Ranger Rick Hutchinson, that is! Rick loves his job at Yellowstone National Park. He started out as a ranger and now he's a...

Heart throbs. (quiz on the heartbeat rates of seven different mammals, including humans)
February 1, 1996... [ARTICLE CONTAINS NO TEXT]

If you can't lick 'em, stick 'em. (nine different animals that use spikes or thorns on their bodies to ward off predators)
February 1, 1996... Most prickly creatures aren't fast enough to outrun hungry enemies. And they may not be big and strong enough to fight back. But they've got a built-in security system--sharp spikes or spines. You might say these prickly animals really know how...

Saber-toothed cat: these toothy cats were the terrors of the Ice Age.
February 1, 1996... Two million years ago, the Earth began to get very cold. The Ice Age had begun. Then, starting about 35,000 years ago, lots of huge mammals came into being--creatures such as giant sloths, mammoths, and mastodons. One of their fiercest predators...

On the Web! (Ranger Rick magazine's World Wide Web page)
February 1, 1996... Hey, kids--now you can check out the new Ranger Rick page on the World Wide Web! (That's part of the giant computer network called the Inter-net.) Our address is: http://www.nwf.org/nwf. Once you're there, just click on Rick in the Online...

Welcome back, wolves! (efforts to restore endangered populations of wolves in Yellowstone National Park)
February 1, 1996... Last summer, visitors to Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming got to see an amazing sight: A family of four gray wolves had made its home in a wide green valley--within sight of a public road! All summer long, carloads of people stopped to...

Happy birthday, enviro camps! (National Wildlife Federation celebrates the 25th anniversary of its wildlife camps for children)
February 1, 1996... Every summer, more than 1000 lucky girls and boys attend two great summer camps in North Carolina and Colorado. The camps are run by the National Wildlife Federation--the group that puts out Ranger Rick magazine. And this year the camps are...

"Dino" tree? (discovery of what could be living prehistoric pine trees near Sydney, Australia)
February 1, 1996... Scientist David Noble found a surprise when he climbed down a gorge west of Sydney, Australia. Growing at the bottom were 40 pine trees that looked like super-tall ferns. What's the big deal? It turns out this may be one of the biggest plant...

Adventures of Ranger Rick: the gang plans on taking a quiet vacation but finds a noisy surprise instead. (short story)
February 1, 1996... Ranger Rick Raccoon, Scarlett Fox, Boomer Badger, and Ollie Otter were hoping to have a nice, quiet vacation on the California coast. But the beach where they ended up was anything but quiet. "DOINK! Dudududu . . . DOINK!" A loud noise came...

Snake sense. (how snakes smell, taste, hear, detect body heat from prey, and see)
February 1, 1996... How'd you like to live the life of a snake? For starters, you'd find getting around without arms or legs a snap. You'd also see--and hear and smell and taste and touch--in a whole new way. You might even discover that you had some super senses....

Reader riddles. (14 riddles about plants, animals, and sports)
February 1, 1996... If a squirrel made a soft drink from acorns, what would the drink be called? Oak-a-Cola. Jennifer Crittenden; Haverhill, MA What does a lovebird call its mate? Tweet-heart. Stephanie Santasiera; Philadelphia, PA What kind of ticks get...