Ranger Rick articles from May 1998

Ranger Rick archives from May 1998

Home-grown butterflies.(students in Costa Rica raise and sell butterflies to earn money)
May 1, 1998... School kids keep their eyes on a farm full of fancy butterflies. The insects mean money for their school and hope for their rainforest. People in Barra del Colorado, a village in Costa Rica, had a big problem. For many years, the villagers had...

In the rain.(some animals seek shelter from the rain while others seek the rain for various reasons)
May 1, 1998... Looking for Dry Spots When it rains, people usually look for cover. They may dart inside, open an umbrella, or grab a raincoat. Many kinds of wild animals also look for shelter in a storm. A bird may tuck itself under a leafy branch. A fox may...

Rattlers!(the truth is told about the amazing rattlesnake)(Illustration)
May 1, 1998... Are you rattled by rattlesnakes? Well, don't be. Just sink your teeth into the real truth about these amazing reptiles. Rattlesnakes have a bad reputation. No wonder! They look mean. They sound spooky. And you know about their nasty bite. But...

Adventures of Ranger Rick: a rare cat saves the day, but can the gang help save the cat?(short story)
May 1, 1998... A fat and furry snowshoe hare stretched to reach the branch of a bush. It chomped off a tender twig and then settled down to an early morning feast. Nearby sat a cat. Crouching. Short tail twitching. Paws gripping the ground. Big green eyes...

What's new in the past.(scientist discover new facts about dinosaurs)
May 1, 1998... Did dinosaurs have feathers? What happened if a Tyrannosaurus tripped? And what was that ankylosaur's tail club really for? Here's the latest. DINO FEATHERS? What was that spikey-looking stuff on this little dinosaur's back? That's what...

Life on the edge.(why sea birds lay eggs on edge of steep cliffs)(Illustration)(Cover Story)
May 1, 1998... Millions of sea birds lay their eggs near the edges of steep cliffs. Why do they do it? What if you were the young kittiwake (KIT-ee-wake) in the photo above? You'd better not lean too far over the edge of your cliff-side nest, or you might...

Ask Scarlett: Do mosquitoes bite only humans?(question and answer about mosquito bites)
May 1, 1998... Nope. But if humans are around, their blood is probably on the menu. There are more than 3000 different species (kinds) of mosquitoes. Many go for the blood of animals such as birds or deer or dogs--or even frogs and snakes. And then, it's only...

Ask Scarlett: Can cheetahs really run 70 miles (112 km) an hour?(cheetah speed)
May 1, 1998... Someone came up with that speed many years ago. But later, scientists did some checking. They decided that the speed had been figured wrong. But no one came up with a new figure, so the wrong speed stuck for a long time. Finally, another...

Ask Scarlett: Scarlett, since you're in the dog family, I thought you'd know why dogs lap up water instead of making "kiss face" and sucking it up.
May 1, 1998... Because we dogs have talented tongues! The front part is wide and flat. We can curl the tip under to form a "cup." Each time we stick our tongue in the water, we scoop up a whole "cupful" of water. Pretty nifty, huh?

Ask Scarlett: If you take a piece of green grass into the dark, what color is it?
May 1, 1998... Test it out, Ravina. You'll see that, in the dark, grass doesn't look green at all. It just looks . . . well, dark. And so does everything else. There are pigments--a kind of chemical--in most things that gives them their color, but only when...

Ask Scarlett: I think iguanas are really cool; do they make good pets?
May 1, 1998... Lots of people think so. There are already millions of these pet lizards in the United States, and thousands more are sold every year. But pet iguanas can cause big problems. For one thing, their droppings are loaded with bacteria called...

Reader riddles.
May 1, 1998... Why did the banana finally go out with the prune? It couldn't get a date. Matt Stoudt; Bloomsburg, PA What vegetable is this: You throw away the outside, cook the inside, eat the outside, and throw away the inside? Corn on the cob....

Should you help baby animals?(questions and answers about when to help baby animals)
May 1, 1998... Most baby animals, like this robin, are born in spring. Sometimes they get separated from their parents. If you find a baby animal, should you help it? See if you can choose the best answers to this quiz--then turn the page. 1. You see a baby...