Ranger Rick - March 2024test

National Wildlife Federation®®

®

LEAPIN’ LEMURS

S AVE O UR S WALLOWS

SEA TURTLES March 2024

NATURE’S MEDICINE • RECYCLING TIPS • GAMES & RIDDLES

MARCH 2024 Vol. 58 No. 3

4 Reader Mail 5 S nake Sillies 6 Ring-Tailed Lemurs 12 The Buzz (Nature News) 14 H elping Purple Martins (Birds) 20 R anger Rick Adventures: “A Dose of Nature” 24 How to Recycle 26 Sea Turtles 33 Games

FRONT COVER: Sea turtles are awesome swimmers. But, as this hawksbill sea turtle proves, they need some downtime, too. A cozy coral reef makes a perfect place to rest. Meet more sea turtles on pages 26–32.

PHOTO BY ALEX MUSTARD/NPL/ MINDEN PICTURES

BACK COVER: This sassy little marsh wren can be hard to see, flitting back and forth in her weedy wetland home. She’s about ready to lay eggs. The nest is built. All she needs now is to find fluffy stuff, such as from this seedy cattail head, to line it with.

PHOTO BY ROBERT SERVRANCKX

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PAGES 2–3: Any guesses why this beetle is called a giraffe weevil? (One guess is enough.)

This one is a male. His neck is three times longer than a female’s. Just like actual giraffes, male weevils use their long necks for fighting each other.

PHOTO BY THOMAS MARENT/ROLFNP.COM

Ranger Rick (ISSN 0738-6656) is published monthly, except January and July, by the National Wildlife Federation, a nonprofit corporation; 11100 Wildlife Center Dr.; Reston, VA 20190-5362. Periodical postage paid at Herndon, Virginia, and at additional mailing offices.

Occasionally, we make our subscriber list avail­ able to carefully screened organizations whose goals and programs might interest you. (We do not release children’s names.) If you would like to be excluded from this service, please write: Ranger Rick; P.O. Box 3056; Harlan, IA 515930120.

Copyright 2024 by the National Wildlife Federation.

Printed in the USA. Postmaster: Send address changes to Ranger Rick; P.O. Box 3056; Harlan, IA 51593-0120. > Photo taken under controlled conditions < Photo digitally altered

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nwf.org

Last April, we asked you to draw a portrait of your own pterosaur (TEH-ruh-sor)—a flying reptile that lived during the time of dinosaurs.

We thought all of your creations were dinomite! Here are just a few of them.

RANGER RICK is published by the NATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATION

RANGER RICK STAFF

BUMBLESAURUS

PALMADACTYL Nickname: “Webbed Feet” This was a very large pterosaur. It had a wingspan of 20 feet, and its head was three feet long. The Palmadactyl had eight teeth that helped it eat insects, jackfruit, and small mammals.

Nickname: “Bee” The Bumblesaurus had blue wings and a yellow-and-black striped body. It lived in caves in large mountains of North America. Its favorite meal was insects—especially grasshoppers and flies.

Leon B., Idaho

Nickname: “Crazy Claws” This reptile lived 65 million years ago, and it was one of the smaller pterosaurs. It stayed in the treetops where it would hide from predators and also eat small birds.

PUBLISHING STAFF Richard J. Brown AVP, Publishing Operations Thuy Senser Director, Digital Publishing Robynann Martin Production Manager

NWF PRESIDENT & CEO Collin O’Mara President and CEO Ranger Rick is printed by Quad in Sussex, Wisconsin.

Pre-press by Quad Imaging. Ranger Rick is indexed in the Children’s Magazine Guide, which is available in libraries.

Editorial offices: Readers’ letters and other correspondence should be sent to Ranger Rick; 11100 Wildlife C ­ enter Dr.; Reston, VA 20190-5362.

Please note: Ranger Rick magazine no longer accepts unsolicited article queries or manuscripts.

Photographers and artists wishing to send unsolicited portfolios should first write for our photo and art guidelines. Any unsolicited material sent to us will be returned only if accompanied by a valid courier account number or a self-addressed envelope with sufficient postage. We accept no liability for damage or loss of any unsolicited material.

Elizabeth S., Missouri

RABIDUSODON

Hannah Schardt Editor-in-Chief John Gallagher Art Director Jaymi Heimbuch Senior Photo Editor Ellen Lambeth Executive Editor Kathy Kranking Senior Editor Anne Cissel Senior Editor Michele Reyzer Digital Content Editor Robyn Gregg Production Manager Greg Hudson Senior Designer Rob Simmons Video Editor/Producer Gerry Bishop Science Advisor Kate Hofmann Contributing Writer

XEMOPLYSAUR

Change of address: Send both new and old addresses to Ranger Rick; National Wildlife Federation; PO Box 3056; Harlan, IA 51593-0120. Allow six weeks for change to take effect.

Nickname: “Big Wings” This pterosaur was colorful and large.

It weighed 1,000 pounds, was seven feet tall, and had a 10-foot-wide wingspan.

Blake N., Wyoming

Arwen N., New Mexico

TELL US! On pages 6–11, you’ll learn about ringtailed lemurs—and why their long tails are special. What if YOU had a lemur tail? What would you use it for? How would it help you? Would it cause any problems? Send your tail tales to

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Ranger Rick 11100 Wildlife Center Dr. Reston, VA 20190-5362 Email: rick@nwf.org We enjoy reading everyone’s letters, even though we can publish only a few in the magazine. All letters, photos, and drawings become the property of the National Wildlife Federation.

RATE THIS ISSUE

What do you think about this month’s issue of Ranger Rick?

Scan this QR code to take our survey.

What’s a snake’s favorit e class at school?

Hissss-tory.

What snakes are good to have on a car?

Windshield vipers.

How do you describe a snake that tells funny jokes?

Hisss-terical.

What nursery rhyme do snakes like best?

“Little Boa Peep.”

What do you call a snake that’s a noisy eater?

Ą slurpent.

Why should you measure a snake in meters?

Because snakes don’t have feet.

Who is a python’s favorite author?

William Snakes-peare.

WANT TO JOIN THE FUN? Submit your favorite nature riddle to RangerRick.org/jokes or send your riddle with your full name and address to Reader Riddles; Ranger Rick; 11100 Wildlife Center Dr.; Reston, VA 20190-5362; Email: rick@nwf.org.

We like reading all the riddles from our readers. We’re sorry, but there’s room to print only some of them. All submissions become the property of the National Wildlife Federation..

ART BY DAVE CLEGG

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Would you like to be a ring-tailed lemur?

Learn these lessons and see if it’s the life for you!

LE

by Kate Hofmann

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PHOTO BY ART WOLFE

Ho w

to Be a

M in U R 8 Lessons

If you were a lemur, you’d live in Madagascar. This island country lies off the coast of Africa and is home to AFRICA more than 100 different species of lemurs. Lemurs are related to monkeys and apes. But they, and most of the other animals in Madagascar, are found nowhere else in the world. As a ring-tailed lemur, you’d be easy to see with your long, striped tail. You’d hang out in a troop with others of your kind, and you’d need to know the ringtail rules.

where ring-tailed lemurs live

Madagascar

For a ring-tailed lemur, rule number one is to stay with your troop. You eat together. You sleep together, cuddled up high in trees or cliff-top caves. And you protect each other. With lots of eyes looking out for danger, you’re less likely to get caught by a hawk, snake, or some other predator. To keep the peace during all this togetherness, you also spend a lot of time grooming each other. That means cleaning bugs and dirt out of each other’s fur. How? By combing with a set of special front teeth that are just right for the job.

1 Stick Together 2 Hang On Tight Baby ringtails and their moms stick extra-close together. As a newborn, you hang on to the fur of your mom’s chest and go everywhere she goes. When you’re a few weeks old, you climb to her back and ride there (below). You’re good at holding on. That’s because, like people, you have thumbs that grip (left). These thumbs will also help you grab branches when you climb into trees on your own.

When you’re about six months old, you’ll be ready to explore. But don’t forget rule number one: Stay close to your troop!

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Because you’re a ringtail, your bushy tail is one of the most special things about you. It’s really long and covered with black and white stripes. (Your body is about the size of a house cat’s, but your tail is twice as long as a cat’s tail!)

That tail is very helpful when you’re on the ground, searching for food. You and the rest of your troop will raise your tails like flags (below). The tails say, “Here I am; follow me!”

3 Talk With Your Tail

What do you do when you’re up high in a tall tree, but you see some tasty fruit in the tree next door?

Don’t climb all the way down to the ground and back up again! You’re a fearless leaping lemur. You have long, powerful back legs. Your hands and feet have tough pads to handle the spiny branches on many of Madagascar’s trees.

You have a great grip. You can’t swing from your long tail, but it will help you balance. Go for it! Even moms carrying babies make spectacular jumps. (right).

4 Look and Leap baby lemur

CYRIL RUOSO/MINDEN PICTURES (8T, 8B); JOUAN & RIUS/NATUREPL.COM (8M); BERNARD CASTELEIN/NATUREPL.COM (9T); SUZI ESZTERHAS (9B)

What’s 5 Eat in Season Here’s the thing about where you live in southern Madagascar: In the winter, it’s wet. In the summer, it’s very dry.

Plants are the main foods on your menu, but what you find will change with the season.

So, eat what you can, whenever you can get it.

Sometimes you’ll get to eat your favorite fruits, such as figs. But you’ll also eat leaves, flowers, tree bark, and sap. And sometimes you’ll eat bugs, bird eggs, or small lizards. During the dry season, water can be scarce. But no worries: You can wet your whistle by eating the juicy pads of a prickly pear cactus (left).

6 Sunbathe

Here’s another thing about southern Madagascar: It can be really hot but also really cold. You’ll often need to warm up after a chilly night. Just sit down, relax, and point your belly at the sun.

You don’t have much fur there, so it won’t take long for the sun’s rays to heat you up. If people see you doing this, they might think you’re doing lemur yoga. It’ll probably make their day.

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7 Fight for Your Rights Lemur life sometimes involves fights. Females are always the bosses in a ringtail troop. If you’re a female, you might fight with females from other troops over who gets the best place to live. If you’re a male, you’ll fight with other males over mates. In a “jump fight” (right), you’ll leap and bite at each other until one of you gives up. “Stink fights” are smellier but less dangerous. On your wrists, you have scent glands that make a big stink. You rub your tail over the glands and then shake your tail in the other male’s face. He does the same to you.

The fight is over when one of you can’t handle it anymore and runs away.

/ ); KONRAD WOTHE TUREPL.COM (10T HAS (11T); CYRIL RUOSO /NA I ESZTER SUZ ); (10B ES TUR MINDEN PIC (11B) NDEN PICTURES JASPER DOEST /MI

Life for a ringtailed lemur isn’t easy. You have to find food, look out for predators, be ready to fight off rival troops, and defend your place in your own group. But that’s not all. Your biggest danger is people. The forests where you live are being cut down for farm fields and firewood. Luckily, lots of people are working to protect you. They have set aside parkland and passed laws to keep you safe. So, hold your tail high, leap long, and stay strong!

8 Look to the Future

ringtail rules, e th w o n k u o y Now that e troop? = th in jo to y d a e DRAW A LEMUR! are you r

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by Dan Paley

r i B

n e s f e e D t s e N d

How do people keep birds from perching and pooping on buildings?

Sometimes with spikes: pointy pieces of wire that make it hard for birds to land on roofs and ledges. So, you might be surprised to learn that some birds in Europe are using those spikes to build nests!

Scientists first came across such a nest in a tree in a hospital courtyard in Belgium. A patient had noticed the birds building their nest from his window. The nest had 1,500 metal spikes on the outside of it when

What is your emergency?

it was finished. It soon became clear that the birds had stolen the spikes from the hospital roof.

Some birds have always added thorny plants to protect their nests from predators. But metal

spikes might be an even better defense. The birds that use them are crows and crow relatives.

These birds are very intelligent.

If you had to build a nest, what would YOU use for protection?

Monkey Business Last year, police in California got a mysterious 911 call. They traced it to a zoo. But when they got there, they were told no one had called. Well, no HUMAN had called.

Turns out, the caller was a capuchin monkey named Route. She had found a cellphone in one of the zoo’s golfcarts and started pushing buttons. That’s one curious capuchin!

BIRD NEST AND TURTLE ART BY BRIAN WHITE; CAPUCHIN AND FROG ART BY JOHN GALLAGHER; BEE ART BY DANIELLE JONES

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Flow er Frogs If you ever walked near flowers, you probably heard a familiar sound: Bzzzzzz. Bees are one of many kinds of insects that pollinate flowers. That means they help flowers make seeds by spreading pollen from one flower to another.

But what if you heard a different sound— maybe something like RRRRibitt, PEEEEP, or CR-R-ROAK? Could frogs be pollinators, too?

Scientists in Brazil think so. Izecksohn’s Brazilian treefrog is one of the few amphibians in the world that eat nectar. Scientists watched one wiggle into a milk fruit flower looking for the sweet stuff. When the frog came out, pollen was stuck to its back. If the frog carried that pollen to another flower, that could make it a pollinator. And that’s something to hop up and down about!

Papa Pickles

The oldest animal in the Houston Zoo just became a dad for the first time. He is a 90-year-old radiated tortoise named Mr. Pickles. He and Mrs. Pickles (age 53) welcomed three hatchlings named Dill, Gherkin, and Jalapeño.

The couple had been together for more than 25 years without having any baby turtles. But one day, a zookeeper was surprised to see Mrs. Pickles digging a hole and laying eggs. The zoo staff then moved the eggs to a safe place where they could hatch successfully. Five months later, the three Pickles babies emerged!

In the wild, radiated tortoises live in Madagascar, a big island country off the east coast of Africa. They are critically endangered because people illegally capture and sell them as pets. So, it’s a great day when a baby radiated tortoise hatches! We hope old Papa Pickles can keep up with his young Pickles. Luckily, this kind of tortoise can live to be 150!

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M a e t m o c l e W or Martins f am

by Ellen L

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beth; photos by Sean Fitzgerald

These birds need a friendly helping hand. And that’s exactly what they are getting!

The birds in this story are purple martins—the largest species in a family of birds called swallows.

Swallows have awesome flying skills.

They swoop and swirl toward winged insects. Then they nab them right out of the air!

As you can see below, the male martin on the right is

darker and glossier than his female mate, perched next to him. And at left is proof that purple martins like to nest in colonies (groups). That highrise building for birds is called a gourd rack. Each gourd can hold a single nest built by a mated pair of martins.

People who provide such group bird houses are called “purple martin landlords.” Some landlords monitor (keep track of) the birds in their colonies throughout the breeding season.

William Ebel (right) is part of a monitoring team in Texas. Here, he’s just lifted an adult male

martin from one of the gourds for inspection. The bird is still holding a katydid he caught!

Turn the page to see what else these birdfriendly caretakers are up to!

PURPLE MARTIN CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION

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Welcoming the Martins William lives on a ranch with its own martin housing. But in this story, he’s helping to monitor a colony on a nearby ranch.

This one belongs to “landlord” Julie Mattox.

Julie’s ranch has several gourd racks. Altogether, they add up to 92 nesting gourds!

And each gourd is checked every four days during the breeding season. Good thing, purple martins are cool with all the “nosy” humans hanging around.

Julie really appreciates the help from William and other kids in the area. And the kids are proud to play an important role in this huge “community science project.”

 Once eggs hatch, the monitors use this growth chart to figure out the age of each nestling they find.

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 William reports to Julie what he sees inside nest gourd #4.  Mama Martin waits patiently till William is done.

Then she’ll deliver that snack in her beak to her hungry chick.

1-day-old chick

 There’s Joe, happy to take an adult male martin from William’s gentle grip.

After some testing, the bird will be free again.

For the Birds You may be wondering, “What’s the big deal with these birds?” As with so many wildlife species, there are way fewer purple martins now than before. That’s especially true for martins in the western part of the country. The number of eastern martins has been going down fast, too. They need help!

And they’re getting it, thanks to people like Joe Siegrist.

Joe was a Ranger Rick reader as a kid, which made him want to grow up to help wildlife.

And now that’s exactly what

he does—at the Purple Martin Conservation Association.

Joe’s work allows him to share his love of martins with others. He teaches people how they, too, can help. He collects the information that Julie and other purple martin landlords send to him. And that helps him keep track of how the birds do

 Once a nestling is 10 days old, it can be banded. Wherever it shows up in the future, the number on its leg band will identify it.

during their breeding season.

As you see above, he also sometimes visits successful colonies like Julie’s.

 Anna inspects a martin, while Opal (left) and Danaye watch. Sydney crouches next to Anna, ready to take the bird once its checkup is done.  Blood drawn from the bird’s wing will get tested.

New Discoveries Biologist Anna Forsman teamed up with Joe on this visit to Julie’s colony. She collects health information from the birds. This may help the team discover things that might harm—or help—the purple

martin population. Anna also bands the birds. It’s like putting little ID bracelets on their legs.

When banded martins show up at other times or in other places, those “bracelets” give Anna, Joe, and other scientists even more information.

What the eastern martins really need is more housing.

That’s because they now, for some reason, nest only in human-made structures. The racks in this story even come with built-in protections against predators such as snakes, hawks, or raccoons.

 Free at last!

Finn lets his martin lift off in a flashy final farewell.

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 Sydney gently holds the martin. That protects the bird while he recovers from all his “lab work.”

More kids getting involved will make a big difference, too. Joe hopes that, someday, every elementary school in this region will have its own purple martin colony.

So, what are you waiting for? Ask your teacher to visit purplemartin.org and click on the EDUCATION tab. If your school is in the right zone, offer to help host a new colony there. The martins—and Joe— will thank you! =

From Here

...to There

NORTH AMERICA

SOUTH AMERICA

Brazil

breeding wintering

WATCH IT! COURTESY OF CLA

The breeding season is just a small part of a purple martin’s year. After that, each bird joins others in huge flocks like the one in this background photo.

They’re preparing for the long migration back to their winter homes in South America. Little was known about their lives there. Until now, that is!

Clarissa Oliveira (above) is studying to be a bird biologist in Brazil. She’s

RISSA OLIVEIRA AND

HER ERIKA HINGST-ZA

posing with a purple martin that was caught and inspected, and is now ready for release. Both Joe and Anna have visited here to work with Clarissa and other Brazilian scientists.

And the two teams share their information with each other. Just don’t forget what everyone in this story—from kid to property owner to scientist—is working so hard to accomplish: Save our purple martins!

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A Dose of Nature

STORY BY HANNAH SCHARDT; ART BY THE CHARACTERSHOP It’s late winter in Deep Green Wood, and Boomer Badger is several hours into an online game.

But the very next day…

Now, THIS game is relaxing.

I don't even need to think.

C’mon, c’mon, I’ve gotta win this one!

AAGH! That’s it!

No more video games for me.

Knoc k kn oc,k !

!

k Crac

I'm coming! I'm com...OW!

As winter turns to spring, Boomer keeps his eyes glued to screens.

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Boomer!

What’s wrong?

I think I pulled a muscle.

Scarlett and I are going to meet Becky Hare for a snowball fight. Want to come?

Nah, I’m too sore. And I’m in the middle of a game here!

I’d better lie down for a bit. Good thing my favorite games are all on my phone, too!

One day…

Time for a snack! Oof, my back is sore.

Boomer!

What are you doing in bed?

It’s a beautiful day!

And my head hurts!

We’re going birdwatching.

Wanna come?

You just made me lose my game!

K! KNOC , K C O K, KN KNOC

Sorry, Boom. But we miss you!

And don’t you think you could use some fresh air?

No! What I could really use is some peace and quiet!

Bloop-bleep.

You lose!

Man, Boomer doesn’t seem like himself at all.

Yeah! I hope he isn't sick.

Bleep-bloop!

You lose!

Ugh, what a waste of time!

I guess I was pretty rude to Rick and Scarlett.

Maybe I should go apologize.

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There are wildflowers everywhere! And the air— it’s so fresh!

Wow, it sure is bright out here!

Hey, buddy!

Great to see you!

Pee p!

Pee p! p! p!

Pee Pee

Wow, the woods are so ALIVE! I’m glad I came outside to look for…

I think I was.

Screen-sick!

Well, maybe all you needed was a healthy dose of Mother Nature.

Rick and Scarlett!

Yeah…make that DOCTOR Nature!

Boomer!

I’m so happy to see you!

And you look so much better. We were afraid you were sick.

RANGER RICK’s FIELD NOTES There are lots of reasons why spending time in nature is healthy for you. Here are just a few:

• It makes you feel calmer. stretch your muscles.

• You Your gets a workout.

• You areheartbetter • attention. able to pay

So give yourself a prescription to spend more time outside! Visit thegreenhour.org to find lots of fun outdoor activities.

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Wildlife you can hug!

Make a difference for wildlife!

Symbolically adopt an animal with Ranger Rick.

SO MĄNY TO CHOOSE FROM!

Help the National Wildlife Federation protect wildlife and wild places.

Each adoption kit includes: An adorable, high-quality plush made from 100% recycled plastic water bottles A wild animal adoption certificate A species fun fact card

Plus, with every symbolic adoption, NWF will plant a native tree!

Ądopt your new friend:

RangerRick.org/Ądopt

Almost everyone thinks recycling is a good idea. But most people who recycle don’t actually do a great job of it. So, what’s the problem? For one thing, recycling can be confusing. What stuff is really recyclable, and what should just go into the trash?

The answer: It’s complicated! Different cities and counties have different rules about what’s recyclable. Always check with your local public works department or private recycling company. Many things are nearly always recyclable—but other things should NEVER go into that blue bin.

TRASH TALK On average, each person in the United States throws away 5 pounds of trash every day.

foam “peanuts” or containers cardboard box

soda can

R paper art project broken glass

plastic peanut butter jar

junk mail

NUMBERS GAME

dirty diaper

ANSWERS: recycling: plastic milk jug, paper art project, plastic peanut butter jar, cardboard box, junk mail, soda can, soup can trash: dirty diaper, foam “peanuts” or containers, broken glass, loose bottle cap note: Plastic bags can't be recycled at home, but many grocery stores will recycle them for you.

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Plastic containers marked with a “1” or “2” are usually recyclable, and those marked with a “5” sometimes are.

But most other kinds of plastics aren’t recyclable.

by Hannah Schardt and Tillie Freed art by Greg Hudson

Look at each common “throw-away” below and decide where you think it should go: in the RECYCLING bin or in the TRASH. Then check your answers at the bottom of page 24. How many did you get right?

Be a Better Recycler

No matter where you live, there are things you can do to give your recyclables a better chance of making it through the process.

• Paper should be clean and dry. Used is OK, but not greasy, shredded, or wet.

• Food containers should be empty and rinsed out.

soup can

plastic bag

plastic milk jug loose bottle cap

• Don’t crush your cans! A flattened soda can may be mistakenly sorted as paper or cardboard.

• Push the lid of your soup or tuna can inside the can, then put it in the recycling.

A metal lid on its own is too small and sharp to be safely recycled.

• Milk cartons and other cartons are recyclable in many places, but not all.

Scan this code to find out whether you can recycle them where you live.

THE SMALL STUFF Nothing smaller than a credit card should ever go into a recycling bin.

Small items can get stuck in the machinery.

• Not sure whether something can be recycled? Look it up! Most communities publish guides that list items that are accepted in local recycling. Sending nonrecyclables to a recycling center can cause problems.

watch it!

COLLECTING LITTER BY BIKE! 25

L e L b E r a H t S e s ’ t Le S

ea Tu

This hawksbill sea turtle “flies” over a coral reef looking for food.

WATCH IT! 26

PHOTO BY ALEX MUSTARD/NPL/MINDEN PICTURES

s e l urt at

by K

ra hy K

n k in

g

Check out some cool facts about these flipper-flapping reptiles.

THEY HAD DINOSAUR NEIGHBORS. Sea turtles are ancient creatures that have been around for millions of years. They were flapping through the ocean at the same time that the dinosaurs lived on land. Some of those ancient sea turtles were huge—the biggest was about the size of a car!

Today, there are seven species of sea turtles— the Kemp’s ridley, olive ridley, loggerhead, hawksbill, flatback, green, and leatherback—and they live in most warm ocean waters around the world.

The leatherback is the biggest, growing to be as long as a grownup is tall. The Kemp’s ridley is the smallest, at just over two feet in length.

3

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limbs into. But sea turtles can’t pull into their shells at all.

THEY NEVER GET CAVITIES.

The reason sea turtles never get cavities is this: They have no teeth! Instead, they have beaks. And their beaks can give clues to what they eat.

The sharp, strong beak of the loggerhead turtle, for example, is great for crushing the shells of crabs and shrimp. A green sea turtle’s jagged-edged beak helps it snip sea grasses and scrape algae (AL-jee) off coral and rocks. A hawksbill’s narrow, pointed beak is the perfect tool for pulling sponges from tight spaces in a coral reef. And the leatherback’s soft, delicate beak is good enough for eating squishy food such as jellyfish.

THEY CAN FLY (SORT OF).

Green sea turtles-including this one-have beautiful shells. Each species of sea turtle has its own pattern and number of scutes.

Sea turtles seem to “fly” gracefully through the water as they swim, flapping their flippers as if they were wings. Their front flippers are strong and paddle shaped to propel the turtles along.

Their rear flippers are used to steer.

Flippers aren’t just for swimming, though. Sea

THEIR SKELETONS ARE SHOWING.

You can’t talk about sea turtles without talking about their amazing shells. As with all turtles, the shell is part of the animal’s skeleton. It is connected to the turtle’s backbone and ribs. The shell has a top part and a bottom part, and the soft parts of the turtle’s body are protected in between.

The shells of most kinds of sea turtles are made of bone and cartilage (KAR-tuh-lij), the same bendable stuff your ears and nose are made of. They’re covered with thin plates called scutes (SKOOTS). But the leatherback’s shell is different. It’s covered with a layer of leathery skin instead of scutes.

Many turtles that live on land have houselike shells that they can pull their heads and 28

Hawksbills eat lots of different foods, including jellyfish like this one. But sponges are their favorites.

A leatherback has pointed parts in its mouth to help grip slippery meals. without a microscope. Some of the larger ones prey on the smaller ones. And many feed on plant-like algae growing there as well. Scientists have found as many as 100,000 tiny creatures living on a single turtle’s shell!

JEAN-LOUIS KLEIN & MARIE-LUCE HUBERT (28T); OCEAN PHOTO /FLPA/M INDEN PICTUR ES (28B); TUI DE ROY/MINDEN PICTURES (29T); LARRY RICHARDSON/DANITA DELIMONT (29M); ART WOLFE (29B)

Like all sea turtles, this loggerhead gets rid of extra salt in its body by squeezing salty fluid from glands near its eyes.

turtles may use them to uncover food on the sandy seafloor or dig nests. All sea turtles except leatherbacks have claws on their flippers.

Most kinds of sea turtles are homebodies, hanging out in shallow coastal waters their whole lives.

But leatherbacks are wanderers that travel hundreds or even thousands of miles every year.

THEY GIVE TURTLE-BACK RIDES.

As sea turtles flap their way through the ocean, they are not alone. Riding along on their shells (and sometimes other parts of their bodies) may be a surprising number of hitchhikers. The biggest of these are remoras, fish that have suction discs on their bodies. They attach themselves to a sea turtle’s shell and ride along. This gives them an easy way to get from place to place. And they often nibble leftovers from the turtle’s meals. A free ride and free food: a pretty good deal.

But there are also much smaller creatures that ride on sea turtles’ shells, including crabs, barnacles, shrimps, and many kinds of animals too tiny to see

Going my way? This green sea turtle has a remora hitching a ride on its shell.

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Female olive ridley sea turtles nest in large numbers-sometimes thousands at a time!

The overhead view above right shows a beach speckled with nesting olive ridleys.

THEY’RE SUITED TO THE SEA.

Sea turtles breathe air with lungs, just as you do.

But they can hold their breath a lot longer than you ever could. The green sea turtle is the champ: It can stay underwater for as long as five hours!

Sea turtles are more than just great swimmers.

Some of them are super divers. The leatherback regularly dives more than a thousand feet as it looks for food. That’s twice the height of the Washington Monument. And its very deepest dives can be three times farther than that!

TUI DE ROY/NPL/MINDEN PICTURES (30TL, 31B); TUI DE ROY/NATUREPL.COM (30TR); PEDRO NARRA/NATUREPL.COM (30B); SYLVAIN CORDIER/NATUREPL.COM (31T); KEVIN SCHAFER/DANITA DELMONT (31M)

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Sand is flying as a green sea turtle digs her nest.

1

THEY DIG IT.

Next, she lays her eggs.

Sea turtles spend almost their entire lives in the ocean. But when it’s nesting time, the females come ashore to lay their eggs. They often return to the same beaches where they, themselves, hatched.

In most species, a female sea turtle comes ashore at night. She uses her flippers to dig, dig, dig away sand to make a nest. Depending on the species, she lays from 50 to 200 round, white eggs in the nest. Then she covers them with sand and returns to the sea.

Later, the baby sea turtles hatch from the eggs and dig their way out of the nest. Then they crawl down to the water and swim off to begin their new lives, each one completely on its own.

2

Then, after covering the nest, she heads back to sea.

3

This baby leatherback has just dug out of its sandy nest.

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PEOPLE ♥ SEA TURTLES.

After digging out of the sand, a group of olive ridley sea turtle babies make their way to the sea.

u T n t r l e e ” h s y l R F W eally “ 1

2

EN LAUREN OW

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S LAMBERT (3)

Even though sea turtles are warm-water creatures, hundreds of them end up stranded on cold northern beaches each winter. What’s going on?

During summers, as the ocean becomes warmer, young sea turtles head north along the coast looking for food. But now, climate change is causing northern waters to get warmer than they used to be. So, the turtles stay there longer than they used to.

Turtles can’t make their own body heat. So when the water quickly turns cold, the turtles become “cold stunned.”

They lose muscle control and can’t move. Helpless, they wash up on northern shores.

INGO ARNDT/M

INDEN PICTURES

Sadly, sea turtles face many troubles.

Most species of sea turtles are either endangered or threatened. They can get caught or tangled in fishing nets or lines.

They are also harmed by plastic trash, oil spills, and other kinds of pollution. And they face other problems, too.

But the good news is that people are working hard to help sea turtles. Many laws have been passed to protect them.

And in some places, sea turtle numbers are going up! (See below for another way people are helping sea turtles.) With a little luck, these ancient reptiles will be flapping their way through the ocean for many more millions of years!

That’s where people come in. They wrap up the turtles (1) and take them to rescue centers to be nursed back to health. Once the turtles are better, the people put them on planes (2) and fly them to places with warm water, such as Texas or Florida. Then they release them there (3), giving them a second chance at survival.

Take care, turtles! =

3

GAMES BY HANNAH SCHARDT

ART BY JACK DESROCHER

These plant-eating mammals can all be found in North America. Find and cross out the underlined portion of each animal’s name in the puzzle below. Use the remaining letters—from left to right, top to bottom—to fill in the blanks below to find out what else these animals have in common.

EASTERN COTTONTAIL AND ARE

PYGMY RABBIT THE BOTTOMS

LPYG M YA A RC TI CG D E S E RT O B L AC K TA I LE DA M E R I C A N

DESERT COTTONTAIL

M E A S TE R N OW H ITE TA I LE D

FEET HAVE

ARCTIC HARE OF THEIR

RSNOWSHOEPANTELOPEHS They’re all members of a group called ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ .

AMERICAN PIKA

SNOWSHOE HARE

PADS

COVERED

WHITE-TAILED JACKRABBIT COMPLETELY

BLACK-TAILED JACKRABBIT

ANTELOPE JACKRABBIT

NO PAW

WITH FUR

BONUS What makes the feet of rabbits and their cousins different from those of most other land mammals?

Each animal pictured here has some blue words under its name. Following the order in which the names appear in the puzzle above, write the words in blue below. The first one is done for you.

The bottoms

.

33 33

How do you tell a rabbit and a hare apart? And how can you spot their cousin, the pika? To find out, use the word bank to complete these rhymes.

Careful—there are extra words!

1

My ears and legs Are really long.

My newborn babes Are furry and _______ .

I live by myself Without any care.

That’s how you’ll know That I am a _______ .

2

My ears are a little shorter And my body’s cute and round.

My babies are born hairless In a nest upon the _______ .

I don’t spend too much time with them— Just nurse them—that’s my habit.

And that’s how when you look at me You know that I’m a _______ !

3

I live in high-up rocky spots, Collecting flowers and _______ .

So you’ll probably never see me Unless you hike through mountain passes.

If you’re fond of cute and fuzzy, I’m exactly what you’ll like-a.

See my little ears and legs?

It’s clear that I’m a _______ !

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+

= 13

+

= 6

+

= 17

= ?

Each of the animals above represents a number between one and ten. Solve the equations to figure out which number the hare represents.

A trail camera caught this photo of Colby Cottontail as he explored the edge of a forest. If you look closer, you’ll also see 3 animals that might like to eat Colby for dinner! Compare the real scene with the trail cam scene. Can you spot 7 differences?

BONUS Solve these equations to find out which predators are lurking near Colby.

CAMERA 1

30 MAR 2024 05:29 pm

BOBBY – BY + SCAT – S = ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ BOWL – B = ___ ___ ___ COLOR – LOR + YOLK – LK + TEA – A = ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

These four pikas are collecting grasses and wildflowers to save for winter snacking. Use the clues below to figure out which pika is which.

Scatter snagged something from a hiker for his pile.

Skitter collected half as many kinds of flowers as Pitter.

Patter’s pile is higher up the mountain than Skitter’s.

Pitter collected the most food.

1

2

1. _____________ 2. _____________ 3. _____________

3

4. _____________

4

All in the Family: They are all members of a group called lagomorphs (LAG-uh-morfs).

BONUS: The bottoms of their feet have no paw pads and are completely covered with fur.

Rabbity Rhymes: 1 (strong, hare); 2 (ground, rabbit); 3 (grasses, pika).

Fuzzy Math: 7 (rabbit=3, pika=10) Flash! Click!

BONUS: bobcat, owl, coyote Pika I.D.: 1-Pitter, 2-Patter, 3-Skitter, 4-Scatter eat fre

sh

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Visit Ranger Rick on

@RangerRickMags

ON A MISSION

So soft and downy!

These small tufts of fluff Will make my nest comfy And warm. That’s enough.