Fish are vertebrates (vertebrates have backbones) that live in water. They breathe using special organs called gills.
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In Explorer Academy, 12-year-old Cruz Coronado breaks secret codes in order to fight dangerous villains and solve mysteries. Test your own skills by cracking the codes on this page and check out Nat Geo Kids magazine for more.
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In Explorer Academy, 12-year-old Cruz Coronado breaks secret codes in order to fight dangerous villains and solve mysteries. Test your own skills by cracking the codes on this page and check out Nat Geo Kids magazine for more.
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Mammals include humans and all other animals that are warm-blooded vertebrates (vertebrates have backbones) with hair. They feed their young with milk and have a more well-developed brain than other types of animals.
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Chimpanzees are omnivores, meaning they eat both plants and animals. Young chimpanzees learn from observing their mothers and other adults which foods are safe to eat and where ripe food is located. For the first few months of its life, a baby chimp clings to its mother’s belly as she travels with it everywhere. After that, young chimpanzees will spend the next seven to ten years at their mothers‘ sides learning how to groom, make nests in trees, find food, and use tools. Although they normally walk on all fours (knuckle-walking), chimpanzees can stand and walk upright. By swinging from branch to branch they can also move quite efficiently in the trees, where they do most of their eating and sleeping.
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Bactrian camels have two humps on their backs where they store fat. Arabian camels, called dromedaries have only one hump, but both these types of camels use their stored fat as energy and water when they are far away from food and a freshwater source. Bactrians‘ nostrils close to block sand, and their bushy eyebrows and two rows of long eyelashes protect their eyes from blowing sand and ice. Baby camels are born with their eyes open and can run when only a few hours old. Camels move both legs on one side of the body forward at the same time, like giraffes and race horses. This is called pacing. The only truly wild camels that still exist are Bactrian camels. These herds survive in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia and China, but number less than 400. They are critically endangered in the wild.
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Discover how this pioneering scientist time travels—sort of.
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Bullfrogs live in freshwater ponds, lakes, and marshes. The male bullfrog’s call is deep and loud. Jug-o-rum, jug-o-rum, it calls. Some people think it sounds like a cow mooing, which is why the frog has „bull“ in its name. Walking through a marsh or near a pond, you might hear a whole chorus of these calls as male bullfrogs let other bullfrogs know where their territory is. Bullfrogs eat all kinds of insects, mice, snakes, fish, and other small creatures. They hunt at night, waiting patiently until they see something pass by that they figure would make a good meal. Then, with a powerful leap, they lunge at their prey with their mouths wide open. Gulp! Down the gullet the unlucky (but tasty!) critter goes. Bullfrogs like warm weather. When it turns cold, they dig down into mud to hibernate.
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The electric eel gets its name from its shocking abilities! Special organs in the eel’s body release powerful electric charges of up to 650 volts—that’s more than five times the power of a standard United States wall socket! Although eels have the power to be the bullies of the Amazon, they are actually not very aggressive animals. The eel uses its shock to stun prey and keep predators at bay. Electric eels are nocturnal, live in muddy, dark waters, and have poor eyesight. So instead of using eyes, electric eels emit a weak electric signal, which they use like radar to navigate, to find a mate, and to find prey. Once prey is found, electric eels will use a much stronger shock to stun prey, usually smaller fish. Electric eels can grow up to 8 feet (2.5 meters) in length. Despite their appearance, electric eels aren’t actually eels at all! They are more closely related to carp and catfish. The shock of an electric eel has been known to knock a horse off its feet. Now that’s shocking!
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The Madagascar hissing cockroach is all hiss and no sting. Its alarm hiss, which sounds like a loud snake hiss, is the cockroach’s attempt to scare off intruders. The male cockroach also uses distinct hisses to attract a mate and to intimidate other male cockroaches. When defending their territory from other males, these cockroaches will hiss, push, and shove, and stand on their “toes” to show who’s boss. The male that is larger and hisses more usually wins. It is one of the largest species of cockroach in the world—adults grow to be between two and four inches (5.1 and 10.2 centimeters) long! With their thick and waxy exoskeletons, Madagascar hissing cockroaches may look like big pests, but they’re actually important to the health of the rain forest. They are detritivores, which means they eat decaying plant material and animal carcasses. They recycle nutrients back into the ecosystem.
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