Ranger Rick articles from September 1996

Ranger Rick archives from September 1996

Puffin patrol. (children in Heimaey island in Iceland rescue puffins who have fallen off cliffs)
September 1, 1996... Why is this girl holding a young puffin? She and her friends are helping these little birds out of big trouble. For two weeks every summer, kids on the island of Heimaey (HAY-muh-ay) roam the streets until way past midnight. (Heimaey is a tiny...

Tricky sticks.(insects that look like sticks or that blend into plants)
September 1, 1996... Hiya--see me here? I'm Ichabod Stick. You got questions about walkingsticks? I got answers. 1. Yes, we're really insects. 2. Nope, we're not made out of sticks. Just looks that way. 3. Why? To fool enemies. I mean, if you were a bird looking...

The gang stumbles on a poisonous problem, but finds there are lots of natural solutions: adventures of Ranger Rick.(short story)
September 1, 1996... Ranger Rick Raccoon, Scarlett Fox, Boomer Badger, and Becky Hare paused by a creek next to a cornfield. They had been hiking all morning under a glorious summer sun. When Boomer saw the gurgling water, he bent over, put his mouth down, and drew...

More facts.(pesticides and organic farming)
September 1, 1996... "Toxidol" is a made-up name. But real pesticides can cause just as much damage--or more--to soil, water, people, and wildlife. Every year about 375,000 tons of pesticides are used on crops across the United States. That's enough to fill 15,000...

Moving on!(wildlife migrations)
September 1, 1996... From arctic terns to zebras, many kinds of animals move from one place to another, then back again. Their trips are called migrations (my-GRAY-shunz). Why do they go? To find more food, water, or space. To avoid bad weather. Or to reach a good...

Great moves.(animal migration patterns)
September 1, 1996... Forward, March! When the first storms of autumn stir up the ocean, spiny lobsters head for deeper, safer water. The funny thing is, they line up and march across the sea floor in single file. Each lobster uses an antenna to "keep in touch" with...

Is it true snakes sleep with their eyes open?(Ask Scarlett)
September 1, 1996... Is it true snakes sleep with their eyes open? Julia Broussard; St. Gabriel, LA Yup. Their eyes stay open because snakes have no eyelids to close over them. But they have eye protection just the same: special see-through scales.

Why does my dog always sniff cats', dogs', and other animals' bottoms?(Ask Scarlett)
September 1, 1996... Why does my dog always sniff cats', dogs', and other animals' bottoms? K.T. Scanlin; Boise, ID I guess that behavior is kind of embarrassing to you, huh? But for a dog, it's perfectly natural. Smell is the best sense your dog has. And dogs get...

Why do horses sleep standing up?(Ask Scarlett)
September 1, 1996... Why do horses sleep standing up? Carolyn Alesbury; Acton, MA Believe it or not, because it's more comfortable that way. Horses have very heavy bodies. When they lie down, all that weight pushes against their hearts, lungs, and other organs....

Why do some animals have whiskers and others don't?(Ask Scarlett)
September 1, 1996... Why do some animals have whiskers and others don't? Allison Iyo; Hilo, HI The animals that have whiskers need them. Why? All the better to feel with. Whiskers come in really handy for animals that are active at night. For example, a cat's...

Scarlett, are there any poisonous mammals?(Ask Scarlett)
September 1, 1996... Scarlett, are there any poisonous mammals? Nikki Hornbuckle; Cedar Hill, TX Hardly any. One kind is the platypus--that weird duck-billed, egg-laying mammal that lives in Australia. The males have a sharp, hollow spur on each back foot. Poison...

Big bug buddies.(making bugs out of paper and pipe cleaners)
September 1, 1996... Don't let insects bug you this summer. Instead, let them pose for you while you create your own Big Bug Buddies! (Turn the page for more.) Catch an insect and look closely at it in a jar (or find a picture of one you like in Ranger Rick). Then...

Bee detective.(directions for tracking bees taking nectar to their homes)
September 1, 1996... Summer is here, and honey bees and bumble bees are busy collecting sweet nectar from flowers. Have you ever wondered where bees go after they load up on nectar? You can be a detective and figure out where a bee's hive or underground colony is....

Lunch from head to tail.(oxpecker birds eat lice and ticks on larger animals in Africa)(Cover Story)
September 1, 1996... What's fur lunch? These birds know just where to dig in. If you were this nasty-tempered Cape buffalo, would you let a little bird perch on your head and pick around in your fur? Yup--Cape buffaloes and other large mammals do it all the time....