News Bites - National Geographic Kids: January 2009 Archives

Thursday, January 29, 2009

National Green Week

Posted By NG Kids

Being green has nothing to do with the seasons and everything to do with protecting the Earth year-round. February 2-8 is National Green Week. Schools and students can sign up and help teach the world how to be environmentally aware. Is your school participating?

Learn about National Green Week.

Get tips on how to go green.

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

President Obama Inaugurated in LEGOLAND

Posted By NG Kids

Photo: A replica of President Obama's Inauguration built with LEGOs

Photo by Sandy Huffaker/LEGOLAND California

President Obama's Inauguration has been recreated at LEGOLAND California! A crowd of over one thousand mini figures can be seen in front of LEGO brick Capitol building. Temperatures at this mock swearing in ceremony are much warmer than at the real ceremony.

Monday, January 26, 2009

Chinese New Year

Posted By NG Kids

Today is the Chinese New Year! According to the Chinese horoscope, each year is represented by a different animal. There are a total of 12 animals. This year is the Year of the Ox.

Find out which animal you are!

Learn more about China.

Friday, January 23, 2009

New Robot Has Delicate Touch

Posted By NG Kids

©2009 National Geographic (AP)

Japanese researchers have made a new humanoid (human-like) robot that has fingers so sensitive that it can pick up objects nearly as well as people can!

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

44th President of the United States Inaugurated

Posted By NG Kids

Barack Obama was inaugurated today as the 44th President of the United States. He is also the country's first African-American President. The inauguration took place on the west side of the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.

In his inaugural speech, President Obama said: "Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America: They will be met."

Where were you during the Inauguration?

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Potty-Mouth Amphibian Found

Posted By NG Kids

Image courtesy Farish A. Jenkins, Jr./Harvard University

Scientists recently uncovered fossils of an extinct amphibian called Gerrothorax pulcherrimus whose mouth opens sort of like a toilet seat. The jaws of all other vertebrates (animals with a backbone) open wide by hinging down from their skull, while this creature lifted its head up to open its choppers. Gerrothorax lived about 210 million years ago. It lived in warm lakes and ate fish with its toilet seat mouth. It was about three feet (one meter) long and was flat with short limbs.

Farish Jenkins, of Harvard University, said that Gerrothorax was "the ugliest animal in the world."

Read more about this freaky find on National Geographic News.

Read about dino discoveries on National Geographic Kids.

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Baby Gorilla Born at National Zoo

Posted By NG Kids

A western lowland gorilla named Mandara gave birth to her sixth baby in the Great Ape House on January 10. The zoo isn't sure if the tiny gorilla is a boy or a girl yet, because Mom's keeping the baby all to herself for now.

Western lowland gorillas are listed as a critically endangered species, so these births are especially important. There have been seven successful western lowland gorilla births at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. since 1991.

See baby pictures and watch a video at the National Zoo.

Get the facts on mountain gorillas in the Creature Feature.

Thursday, January 8, 2009

Pink Iguanas Discovered

Posted By NG Kids

Photograph by Gabriele Gentile

Scientists have discovered a new iguana species! These iguanas are unusual because they have pink skin.

The pink iguanas only live on the Wolf volcano, located on the Galápagos island of Isabela, off the coast of Ecuador. The future of this species is also in question. Their population is quite small. Scientists think that cats introduced to the island may be eating the baby iguanas.

Learn more about this discovery on National Geographic News.

See photos of other Ecuadorian animals in the Photo Gallery.

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

New Marine Monuments

Posted By NG Kids

Photograph by Enric Sala

In the last few days of his presidency, President George W. Bush created three new national monuments in the Pacific Ocean in the largest ocean conservation effort ever. The new monuments will protect Kingman Reef (as part of the U.S. Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument), Rose Atoll, and the Mariana Trench, which is home to Earth's deepest spot.

All three of the protected areas are home to many species, including the giant coral colony shown in the photo above.

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Monkey Hear, Monkey Do

Posted By NG Kids

Did you know that orangutans can imitate sounds and even whistle? Researchers have seen them imitate human activities like sweeping and even washing clothes, but now scientists have found that they can pick up sounds from other species.

Bonnie, an orangutan who lives at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., has been whistling for about 20 years. She was never trained to whistle, indicating that some animals can learn and mimic sounds that other species make without being directly taught.

Photograph courtesy Smithsonian National Zoological Park

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