Ranger Rick articles from March 1997

Ranger Rick archives from March 1997

Arlo on the go.(life of a baby kangaroo)
March 1, 1997... Arlo popped his fuzzy head out of his mother's pouch. For the first time since his birth, the gray kangaroo's tiny nostrils smelled the outside-the-pouch world. His two dark, moist eyes looked around. And his long, crumpled ears flopped this way...

Travel plans.(poem)(excerpt from 'Upside Down and Inside Out: Poems for All Your Pockets')
March 1, 1997... If I could go anywhere, here's what I'd do. I'd pop in the pouch of a kind kangaroo. I'd travel around for as long as I pleased ... And learn to say "thank you" in Kangarooese.

Thoughts of the woods.(poem)
March 1, 1997... I see birds all around me, Treetops swaying. I see an owl calling to me, Coyotes staring, It is very dark. I can hear a slow-moving stream, I hear pigeons singing to each other, Leaves are falling from the overlapping trees--...

Snake.(poem)
March 1, 1997... Whoosh, went the snake, Slithering through the forest, Crumpling dried leaves.

My earth.(poem)
March 1, 1997... The Earth is a planet With water and trees. With flowers and dolphins, And apples and peas. Snowflakes and rainstorms, Mountains and seas. Deserts and snowbanks, And buzzards and bees. But now rivers are dirty. Woodlands...

Cat and mouse.(poem)
March 1, 1997... He stands outside, She crouches inside, Both of them waiting for the right moment. Edging toward the opening on soft, pink tissue-paper feet. Whiskers twitching, Sniffing the air for the scent of danger, She tenses her body....

Forest.(poem)
March 1, 1997... The forest is like a blanket of green The air is so fresh and clean A deer looks up A rabbit perks up At the sound of a snapping twig A pine cone falls From a sky-tall tree A breeze then blows up the leaves The sun sets in...

Make a wild calendar.(how to make a calendar based on nature)
March 1, 1997... Most people around the world use the same calendar as you do. (It's called the Gregorian calendar.) The months are named mostly for gods from ancient myths. For example, the name January comes from Janus, the Roman god of gates and doorways. And...

The power of the tiger.(man-eating tigers of Sundarbans Tiger Preserve in West Bengal, India)
March 1, 1997... Man-eating tigers prowl the forests of India. Yet the people there worship them, all because of the big cats' special powers. Dusk was bringing an end to a warm May day in West Bengal, India. This was the season that villagers take their wooden...

The hip-hoppers.(how to make frog finger puppets)
March 1, 1997... Have you been hearing spring peepers or other frogs singing? Here's how you can make your own crazy band of hip-hopping finger puppets. For each frog you'll need: 2 toilet-paper tubes cardboard egg carton paint glue and rubber band...

Eagle airobics: it's amazing what bald eagles can do in the air!
March 1, 1997... It's amazing what bald eagles can do in the air! Swoosh, GRAB! These two acrobatic eagles are about to hang on to each other and mate as they tumble through the sky. ZOOM... Yikes! The eagle in back is chasing this one away from its...

Adventures of Ranger Rick: the gang meets the "missing piece" in Yellowstone National Park.(short story)
March 1, 1997... The gang meets the "missing piece" in Yellowstone National Park. Cubby Bear hunched over a jigsaw puzzle, looking for a piece with yellow flowers in it. "Nuts--there's a piece missing," he whined. "No wonder those campers threw this dumb old...

More facts.(facts about wolves)
March 1, 1997... * Wolves live in family groups called packs. Most packs are made up of 6 to 10 animals. * The leaders of a wolf pack are usually a male and a female that are mates. They're called the alpha (AL-fuh) wolves. * Howling is only one of the ways...

Do animals think? Sometimes they seem to, Is there a way to tell for sure?(Cover Story)
March 1, 1997... Sometimes they seem to. Is there a way to tell for sure? The Florida panther at left looks deep in thought. But don't let that pose fool you. Animals often do things that may make you think they're thinking. Thinking about thinking is...

Who's thinking at the zoo?(Think Tank exhibit at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C.)(Cover Story)
March 1, 1997... For the first time ever in the United States, there's a big exhibit all about animal thinking. It's called Think Tank, and it's at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. See Indah, the orangutan, in the photo below? She's learning to name things...

Here's what's buzzin' at the insect zoo.(Montreal Insectarium in Montreal, Quebec)
March 1, 1997... Butterflies, beetles, and other crawly creatures are all in a zoo for you! "See the butterflies in this box?" the guide asks. "They're monarchs . . . oh--here's a live one now," he says as an orange-and-black butterfly flutters onto his...

Is there an insect zoo near you?(Directory)
March 1, 1997... Want to visit the insect zoo shown in this story? Have an adult call for details at 514-872-1400. But you don't have to go to Canada to see an insect zoo. Here are just a few of the ones found in the United States: Insect Zoo, Los Angeles...

In your May 1995 column, you said only mammals had belly buttons, What about the platypus?(Ask Scarlett)
March 1, 1997... In your May 1995 column, you said only mammals had belly buttons. What about the platypus? Joshua Harrison; Tucson, AZ The platypus is a mammal, but it hatches from an egg. A growing platy baby is fed from a sac inside the egg. It's not...

Why don't bugs get smashed under rocks and logs?(Ask Scarlett)
March 1, 1997... Nicolette Coleman; Aurora, IL Because they make or find little nooks and crannies in rocks and logs and in the ground under them. These make great hideouts--places where bugs and other little creatures just fit. Having a hard body helps too....

Do poisonous snakes ever run out of venom?(Ask Scarlett)
March 1, 1997... Lena Groeger; Cambridge, MA No, Lena, they don't. They need their venom (poison) to catch prey. A poisonous snake never injects all its venom when it bites--even if it bites several times in a row. In fact, certain snakes can control the...

I would like to know if all animals burp.(Ask Scarlett)
March 1, 1997... Cat Jacobson; New York, NY No, not ALL animals burp. But you humans do and we foxes do. In fact, almost all mammals do. A few--such as rabbits and horses--may not. (They can't throw up either.) For some--such as cows and deer--lots of burping...

I've never seen hummingbirds open their beaks. Can they?(Ask Scarlett)
March 1, 1997... Michelle McClendon; Virginia Beach, VA Sure. You just don't notice it when they're feeding from a flower (or hummingbird feeder). A hummer's long, narrow beak often just fits into a flower's tube. It only needs to open slightly to let its...