Ranger Rick articles from January 1997

Ranger Rick archives from January 1997

Ice is nice ... and not so nice - for people ... and for animals.
January 1, 1997... How about that cool seal on pages 2 and 3? It's "chilling out" in Antarctica after a hard day's hunt for underwater prey. How? By climbing aboard a float- ing piece of ice called a floe (FLOW). In the watery world near the poles, an ice floe may...

Adventures of Ranger Rick: Rick and the gang have a nightmare experience - all to get this magazine into your hands!
January 1, 1997... Ranger Rick Raccoon was standing on Cubby Bear's shoulders, peering into an open window of a big, red-brick building. The rest of the gang--Scarlett Fox, Boomer Badger, Odora Skunk, and Sammy Squirrel--huddled around Cubby, looking up at Rick....

Magnets to make. (how to make bread dough magnets shaped like sea creatures)
January 1, 1997... What you need: 1 cup salt 1 1/2 cups warm water 4 cups flour toothpicks paints or felt pens clear shellac (optional) craft glue (non-toxic) small, flat magnets (1-inch [2.5-cm] magnets work well) What you do: 1. Pour...

A really big family. (sperm whales; includes related article on tracking the whales)
January 1, 1997... If you were a sperm whale, every member of your family would be big. We're talking humongous here. Adult sperm whales may be bigger than a school bus. In fact, a male may grow almost as long as two school buses end to end. And he may weigh as...

Whose track is that? (how to discern animal tracks; includes related bibliography)
January 1, 1997... A fox chased a rabbit across a meadow. The rabbit disappeared down a hole and then scampered out of another hole. Nearby, a young bobcat got too close to a skunk. Ffffftt, the skunk turned around and blasted out a stinky spray. All this took...

The great goose invasion. (Canada geese cause disturbances in residential areas as they migrate)
January 1, 1997... "It's happening all across the U.S.," says Tom Landwehr, a scientist who works with Canada geese in Minnesota. "Great gobs of geese have taken over the parks in many northern cities and suburbs. The geese tear out the grass, and people can't...

Not all Canada geese are pests. (how native Alaskan children help Canada geese)
January 1, 1997... We Like Our Honkers! People in northern Canada are happy when the migrating geese arrive in spring. These geese don't have it as easy as the ones in the U.S. that stay at ponds year round. "I was in northern Canada last July," says Bill...

How do cats catch birds when birds can fly and cats can't? (Ask Scarlett)
January 1, 1997... It's like this, Tommy: Cats are reeeeally sneeeeaky. It's part of their nature as hunters to be very quiet and patient when they're stalking prey. Then, at just the right moment, the cat pounces in a flash. Sometimes this trick works, and...

Does fixing animals so they can't have babies help them live longer? (Ask Scarlett)
January 1, 1997... Yes, it may. When a vet "fixes," or neuters, a pet, he or she takes out the animal's reproductive (ree-pruh-DUCK-tiv) organs. (Those are the body parts that make it possible to have babies.) It so happens that these organs are also the places...

How do people know that salmon return to the place where they hatched? (Ask Scarlett)
January 1, 1997... By "following" the fish. Here's how scientists who study salmon do it: First they catch some young salmon in a stream before the fish head out to sea. Next the scientists mark them all the same way. (One way to mark a fish is to stick a very...

What's the world's strongest animal? (Ask Scarlett)
January 1, 1997... I'll bet you're thinking, "Is it an elephant? Tiger? Whale?" Well, think smal- ler--MUCH smaller. Some scientists say it's an insect called the rhinoceros beetle. You're probably wondering how a little ol' insect can be stronger than any of...

The biggest little zoo in the world. (Belize Zoo and Tropical Education Center in Belize, Central America)(Cover Story)
January 1, 1997... Hey, mon! Welcome to Belize (Buh-LEEZ). Belize is one of the smallest countries in the world, but it has lots of big-hearted people--and a very spe- cial zoo. Belize is a land of tropical rainforests, misty mountains, amazing coral reefs, and...