Waterloo With KidsAugust 05, 2013 – About a half hour south of Brussels, Waterloo, the only fully preserved battlefield in Europe, offers a Continental version of Gettysburg.
Pictures: Rare Antelope, Big Cats Caught by Camera TrapAugust 03, 2011 – Camera traps set up in a little studied Kenyan forest have revealed an extremely rare antelope, several big cats, an elephant, and more.
Kids Night On BroadwayMarch 18, 2013 – Knowing that our first family vacation would have to wait until spring break, I reminded myself that you don’t have to board a plane or cross a state border to experience the joys that travel brings. That sense of exploration can be found right in your backyard, if you have the right attitude.
Video: The Guardian – Chasing the “Greatest Conservation Story Ever Told” in NamibiaJune 03, 2014 – An elephant! Her leathery wrinkles are amazing—great texture. Must get a detail shot. Did we get a model release for that beautiful child? Yes, ok good. Who will be the main voice of the film? There is a pride of lions lounging under that tree. When will we charge our batteries next? Oh there’s an…
AardvarkJanuary 14, 2015 – The aardvark gets its name from a South African word meaning “earth pig.” Although the aardvark looks like a pig, especially with its body and snout, aardvarks actually share common ancestors with elephants and golden moles. Aardvarks live throughout much of sub-Saharan Africa. STRONG CLAWS Aardvarks use their large front claws to dig holes at a rate of 2 feet (0.6 meters) in 15 seconds so they can quickly get to their favorite meal: termites and ants. Aardvarks have long, sticky tongues, which can be up to 12 inches (30 centimeters) long. Each night, they are able to dig up termite mounds and ant nests and slurp up and swallow tens of thousands of insects. Aardvarks are most active at night and tend to live alone. During the day, they sleep curled up in a ball in their burrows. As night falls, aardvarks will emerge cautiously from their dens, jumping around on the lookout for predators. They are able to see at night, but otherwise have poor vision and are color-blind. They rely on their senses of sound and smell, using their long ears and snouts to get around and find insects. Female aardvarks give birth in their burrow usually to one baby at a time. A baby aardvark stays in the burrow for two weeks and then begins to venture out to forage at night with its mom. Babies begin digging for their own meals when they reach six months and they grow to full size in about one year. The aardvark’s fast digging skill also helps protect it from predators, such as hyenas and lions. When threatened, an aardvark can dig a hole and cover itself up in about ten minutes. Its large claws are another layer of defense. Though aardvarks remain widespread, humans are the aardvark’s biggest threat. Some landowners don’t like the holes that aardvarks leave behind and kill the aardvarks. The use of pesticides to grow crops on land inhabited by aardvarks has also reduced the number of insects available for aardvarks to eat. Text by Jed Winer/NGS Staff
Sarah’s Cape TownJuly 03, 2013 – Sarah Khan was an editor at Travel + Leisure magazine when she visited Cape Town on a whim in early 2012. In the span of four days, she fell in love with the city…and with a Capetonian. Now she’s married, and happily freelancing from the most beautiful city on Earth. Here are some of Sarah’s favorite things about Cape Town.
In the Kalahari with the SanNovember 13, 2013 – More than the lions or the elephants or the hippos—it’s the smell of Africa that I find so intoxicating. Right now, in November, it’s the smell of the driest dust—grey Kalahari sand so fine you can taste it on your teeth at the end of the day—and the smell of the promise of rain. Scientifically-speaking,…
Lionfish May Finally Meet Its Match: The Seafood AisleJune 06, 2016 – A major U.S. grocery chain is now selling the invasive yet delicious fish that has tormented Florida's coastal waters for three decades.
Repost: Facing HomotheriumMay 10, 2011 – [Author’s Note: This week I am driving west with my wife and our three cats to our new apartment in Salt Lake City, Utah. Packing prevented me from writing up anything new, so I’m featuring a few posts from the recent past. I’ll be back to regular blogging next week!] When craftsman Ken Walker decided […]
Beautiful RuahaDecember 06, 2012 – Dear Maxine, Hodi! Hello there! How are you? I am still in Tanzania and will remain here for quite some time. I know that I have a habit of hopping from one country to another, but despite my continual hopping around, I still find myself deep inside the endless dry miles of central Tanzania. This…
The Movie Geek’s Guide to WellingtonJune 30, 2015 – The landscapes of New Zealand’s North Island hold cinematic cachet. “The Piano” starred a black-sand surf beach in Auckland’s Waitakere Ranges; Kiwi Andrew Adamson transformed nearby Woodhill Forest into a witch’s camp in “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe;” and Hollywood tapped Mount Taranaki in “The Last Samurai.” But when time is limited, Wellington provides ample sites, lore, and glimpses behind the scenes of a robust local film industry. Here’s a brief guide to the hot spots movie nerds should hit in the Kiwi capital.
Beverly Joubert’s Granola RecipeNovember 11, 2013 – Tracking lions all day and all night is tough work, with long hours, little sleep, and great physical effort. “Dereck and I almost have to be like athletes,” says Beverly Joubert, who has spent most of her life dedicated to the high adrenalin sport of wildlife photography. With such a busy life and travel schedule,…
Photo Safari – ServalOctober 11, 2013 – On our recent trip to South Africa, we saw all of the big cats – lions, cheetahs and leopards. But it was the serval that really captivated me, not least because never expected to see one. It’s long, slender legs allow it to leap metres into the air, and sometimes catch flying birds. It can […]
Repost – Q: How do you sex a Smilodon? A: Very carefullyFebruary 14, 2011 – An animal of such habits [as Smilodon] might fulfill the legendary requirements of the ‘King of Beasts’ more nearly than does the lion. It would be bold and fearless of the most powerful, and it might well be thought to exercise a ‘magnanimous’ forbearance toward the small and weak ones, since they were neither feared […]
José Andrés: Man vs. LionfishJune 24, 2014 – Scuba diving has changed my life. There, I said it. I always thought I was a man of …
Magazine Extras!May 04, 2018 – In this issue of National Geographic Kids, check out the secret lives of orcas. They might have the best social networks ever! Then find out how six cool robots could change your life. You'll also get the scoop on epic science fails when explorers spill their most embarrassing moments. Be sure to enter the Almanac Challenge art contest for a chance to win $500 to help save lions. Plus get a free pull-out jaguar poster. And head to the giveaway page from June 6 to 13 for a chance to win a copy of the National Geographic Kids Treasury of Greek Mythology. Other Stories in This Month's Issue: Bet You Didn't Know: Get cool facts about things that are incredibly hot. Amazing Animals: Meet an elephant that swipes snacks, a sheep-counting llama, and a pigeon that delivers photos. Weird But True!: Learn fun facts you can share with your friends. Guinness World Records: Read astonishing stories about a huge pair of jeans, a man who put 11 rattlesnakes in his mouth, and a very expensive pizza. Check out these stories and more in this issue of Nat Geo Kids, on sale now. Parents! Subscribe to the magazine!