Ranger Rick articles from September 1999

Ranger Rick archives from September 1999

MANTIS MANIA.(facts about praying mantises)
September 1, 1999... The praying mantis in the photo below isn't praying. It just looks that way. (At least, that's what people thought when they came up with that name.) So, what's the mantis really doing? It's preying! In less time than it takes for you to...

DEAR RANGER RICK.(family bicycle trip across New Mexico)(includes related tips on bicycle touring)
September 1, 1999... In our August 1998 issue, Sierra Gladfelter told how her family rode llamas along the Continental Divide trail. For five summers they traveled south from Canada toward Mexico. Now Sierra tells about the last 650 miles of the trip. Goodbye...

ASK SCARLETT.(cat eyelids; capsaicin in hot peppers; ladybugs; urban wildlife)
September 1, 1999... What are those white things that go over my cat's eyes when he sleeps? Kyle Garvey, Ohio A cat's eye has a top and bottom lid, just as your eye has. But unlike you, a cat has a third eyelid--called a nictitating (NIK-tuh-tay-ting)...

MIGHTY MOLA!(divers encounter giant sunfish)
September 1, 1999... It looks like a floating blimp with wings, but it's a fish! Meet two divers who came face-to-face with this friendly ocean giant. One fine, sunny day, Richard Herrmann and his friend, Randy Morse, were chugging along in a small boat off the...

READER RIDDLES.
September 1, 1999... What is a snake's favorite soda? Cobra-Cola. Caleb Turner, Oregon Ann: How do squirrels send messages on their computers? Dan: By tree-mail. And how do they get messages? Ann: They log on. Do they know how to sign off? Dan:...

THIS RODENT RULES!(capybara)
September 1, 1999... It's got a squared-off face only its mom could love. But this giant among rodents more than measures up! OK, so it might not win any beauty contests (see photo at right). But the capybara (kap-uh-BAR-uh) is one SERIOUS rodent. It puts its...

ADVENTURES OF RANGER RICK.(Short Story)
September 1, 1999... The gang visits a beautiful wild area. But there seems to be nothing but trouble ahead. Wind whistled past the ears of Ranger Rick Raccoon, Scarlett Fox, Ollie Otter, and Boomer Badger. The gang was riding in a raft along the fast- moving...

HOG-WILD OVER CORN.(facts about corn)
September 1, 1999... Feeling corn-fused? Here's an earful of cool corny facts! It may not look like it, but corn really comes from a kind of grass! Scientists aren't sure what the first corn was like, but it may have been a tiny ear less than an inch (2.5 cm)...