News Bites - National Geographic Kids: February 2009 Archives

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Giant Stingray Caught

Posted By NG Kids

Photograph courtesy Zeb Hogan

National Geographic Emerging Explorer Zeb Hogan found what might be the world's largest freshwater giant stingray in Thailand this month! The giant river ray's body was an incredible 6.6 feet (2 meters) wide by 6.9 feet (2.1) meters long.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Freaky Fish

Posted By NG Kids

Photograph courtesy Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute

Fishermen and scientists have found pieces of the unusual Pacific barreleye fish in their nets since 1939, but the first photos of live, intact fish were released today. Their grayish, barrel-like fish eyes are upright tubes, which are protected by a transparent dome on the top of the head, similar to the cockpit of a fighter plane.

Friday, February 20, 2009

National Geographic Kids Book Wins Science Honor

Posted By NG Kids

True Green Kids: 100 Things You Can Do To Save the Planet by Kim McKay and Jenny Bonnin was named the Best Hands-On Science Book by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. True Green Kids is packed with simple things you can do to help save the planet!

Read kids' reviews about True Green Kids, including how Jordan earned eco-points and how Parker shortened his showers on the DogEared Books Blog.

AD: True Green Kids: 100 Things You Can Do To Save the Planet

Get green tips on National Geographic Kids.

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Speedy Songbirds

Posted By NG Kids

Photo: A purple martin and a geolocation device

Songbirds fly faster than scientists thought they did--two to three times faster, in fact! A researcher from York University in Toronto outfitted wood thrushes and purple martins with miniature geolocators and tracked them as they migrated. The geolocators work by detecting light, which allows scientists to estimate the latitude and longitude where the data was recorded.

Scientists found that the birds fly two to six times faster during their spring return journey than in fall. One purple martin flew from Brazil to back to its breeding colony in the United States in only 13 days!

Find out more about the songbird study on National Geographic News.

Learn about tiny bee backpacks in this News Bite.

Large photograph courtesy Timothy J. Morton
Inset photograph courtesy Bridget J. Stutchbury

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Happy Birthday to Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin!

Posted By NG Kids

Today is the 200th anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin. Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States, led the country through the Civil War. Britain's Charles Darwin is famous for his theory on evolution, which he published in the book, On the Origin of Species. Both men are remembered today for their impact on history.

Watch a video about Abraham Lincoln's life.

Learn about the inspiration behind Darwin's theory in National Geographic Magazine.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Oldest Human Hair Found in Hyena Poop Fossil?

Posted By NG Kids

The oldest human hairs ever found were discovered in an unusual place--hyena poop! Researchers found the rock-hard dung in a cave in South Africa. They used tweezers to extract 40 fossilized hairs resembling glass needles from one of the hyena coprolites, or fossil turd.

Read the whole story on National Geographic News.

Get the scoop on spotted hyenas in the Creature Feature.

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Humongous Snake Fossil Found

Posted By NG Kids

Illustration: Artist's depiction of a giant prehistoric snake

Illustration by Jason Bourque

Fossils of Titanoboa cerrejonesis were unearthed in a coal mine in Colombia. Studies show that this snake, which lived 60 million years ago, was the biggest snake ever at 42 feet (13 meters) long and weighed almost a ton at 2,000 pounds (1134 kilograms). "That's longer than a city bus and ... heavier than a car," said lead study author Jason Head, a fossil-snake expert at the University of Toronto Mississauga in Canada and a research associate with the Smithsonian Institution.

Read more about the world's biggest snake on National Geographic News.

The largest living snake is the anaconda. Get more facts in the Creature Feature.

Monday, February 2, 2009

Groundhog Predicts More Winter

Posted By NG Kids

Uh-oh! The groundhog saw its shadow this morning, which means six more weeks of winter are on the way. Tradition says that if Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow on February 2, winter will last another six weeks. However, if Phil does not see his shadow, there will be an early spring.

Learn more about groundhogs, also known as woodchucks, on National Geographic.

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