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A tree stands in a forest under a cloudy sky. Suddenly it appears as if a twig is crawling down the trunk. The object isn’t actually a twig that’s sprung legs—it’s a stick insect. The stick-like trickster uses its appearance to protect itself from enemies so it doesn’t end up in, well, a sticky situation. FOOLED YA Stick insects—also known as walking sticks—live in tropical and temperate (or mild) forests all over the world. Related to grasshoppers, crickets, and mantises, these creepy-crawlies are usually brown, green, or black. They’re also the world’s longest insects. The largest one ever found stretched 22 inches with its legs extended. (Most are only up to 12 inches long.) This bug spends much of its time in trees, munching on leaves. When predators such as birds approach, the insect tries to remain completely still in order to blend with the branches. If a predator isn’t fooled and grabs the bug by the leg, it’s no big deal. The insect can detach the leg and scuttle away. It will later regenerate, or grow back, the lost limb. A GOOD EGG About 3,000 species of stick insects exist. Some are master mimics even before they hatch. The females from these species lay eggs that look like plant seeds. This prevents carnivorous insects from eating the eggs. This crawler really knows how to go undercover. Text by April Capochino Myers
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Sea otters are part of the weasel family. They have webbed feet, water-repellent fur to keep them dry and warm, and nostrils and ears that close in the water. Sea otters often float at the water’s surface in forests of kelp, or giant seaweed, and entangle themselves to keep from moving in the rolling sea. While floating on their backs, sea otters not only nap, but also use rocks to help them open mussels or other shellfish. Otters place a rock on their chests and smash the shellfish against it until it breaks open to reveal the tasty meat inside. They also snack on such aquatic creatures as sea urchins, crabs, squid, octopuses, and fish. Sea otters are the only otters to give birth in the water. Mothers cuddle their young while floating on their backs and hold infants on their chests to nurse them. They quickly teach them to swim and hunt for themselves. Sea otters wash themselves after a meal, cleaning their coat with their teeth and paws. They need to keep their fur coat clean so it stays waterproof. Sea otters have thick underfur that traps air to form an insulating layer against chilly waters (they have no insulating fat). Sea otters were hunted for their fur to the point of near extinction. Early in the 20th century only 1,000 to 2,000 animals remained. They can be found along the coasts of the Pacific Ocean in North America and Asia.
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Head to a big cat preserve in India to discover one of the few places on Earth where leopards and tigers coexist and thrive with help from park rangers. Then think like a scientist and try to spot the differences between individual big cats—just like experts do in the wild.
  • Bet You Didn’t Know: Find out six amazing facts about eyes. 

Sliding and wrestling, belly flopping, and somersaulting, river otters really know how to play! They take advantage of any slippery slope for fun, whether it’s a summer slide down a muddy hill or a winter thrill on snow and ice. They glide on their bellies with their front paws by their sides. River otters are aquatic mammals. They generally live along rivers, as their name implies, but they’re also found near streams and lakes. Otters prefer water bordered by woods and with wetlands, such as marshes, nearby. Flexing their long bodies up and down, paddling with their webbed hind feet, and using their feet and strong tails to steer, river otters are underwater acrobats. They can stay underwater for up to four minutes. As they dive, they close their ears and nostrils to keep water out. They hunt underwater, skillfully chasing fish, their main food. Otters grab their prey in their mouths. When the otters catch large fish, they haul them onto shore to dine. While river otters spend most of their time in water, they do travel across land as well—often in search of a mate. Otters even make their land travel look playful. They run a few steps and then slide on their bellies. Clearly, otters know how to have fun!
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Although Nile crocodiles resemble armored tanks with huge, teeth-filled mouths, these reptiles are unusually attentive parents. When a large male croc spots a female that catches his eye, he bellows and splashes, slapping his snout on the water to get her attention. He grunts and growls, and sometimes, inhales as hard as he can, submerging his snout and blowing water through his nostrils, producing a fountainlike spray. The female croc is ready to lay her eggs nearly two months after mating. She scouts the area for a suitable nest site in which to lay the eggs, usually digging a hole on a riverbank, shoreline, or dry streambed. She deposits from 25 to 80 eggs in the nest, then settles in for a long vigil. For a reptile, it’s an unusual display of devotion. Other reptiles lay their eggs, then move on. The female croc, however, will keep constant guard over the nest during the three-month incubation period, leaving only to cool off in a nearby shady spot or for a quick dip in the water. The male is usually close by to help scare off predators. Just before hatching, the young crocs send out high-pitched sounds—a signal for help. The female digs up the nest. The mother croc then carefully picks up the 12-inch- (30.5-centimeter-)long hatchlings in her mouth and carries them to the water. The young crocs live under their mother’s protection for up to two years, feeding on insects and small fish and growing about a foot (about 30 centimeters) each year.
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Trudi Trueit has written more than a hundred books for young readers, both fiction and nonfiction. Her love of writing began in fourth grade when she wrote, directed, and starred in her first play. She went on to become a TV news reporter and weather forecaster, but she knew her calling was in writing. Trueit is a gifted storyteller for middle-grade audiences, and her fiction novels include The Sister Solution, Stealing Popular, and the Secrets of a Lab Rat series. Her expertise in nonfiction for kids comes through in books on history, weather, wildlife, and Earth science. Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, Trueit lives in Everett, Washington.
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A bald eagle’s white head may make it look bald. But actually the name comes from an old English word, „balde,“ meaning white. These graceful birds have been the national symbol of the United States since 1782. Bald eagles were on the brink of extinction because of hunting and pollution. But laws created almost 40 years ago have helped protect them, and they’ve made a comeback. Female bald eagles are a bit bigger than males. Their bodies can be three feet (one meter) long, and their wingspan can be eight feet (2.4 meters) across. That’s about the distance from the floor to the ceiling! Eagle nests are called aeries (AIR-ees). Bald eagles build their nests at the very top of tall trees so the eggs will be safe. Some parents come back year after year to the same nest, adding more sticks, twigs, and grass each time. Babies, called eaglets, are born light gray then turn brown. When they are four to five years old, they develop their normal white heads and tails. In the wild, they can live to be 35 years old or more. Bald eagles can soar over 10,000 feet (3,048 meters) high, and their great eyesight lets them see fish up to a mile (1.6 kilometers) away. When they attack, they drop down at up to 100 miles (161 kilometers) an hour! Then they glide just above the water, snag a fish with their feet, and fly off to eat it.
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There are more than 200 species of squirrels living all around the world, including kinds of tree, ground, and flying squirrels. You may have seen the eastern gray squirrel in parks, your backyard, or in a forest in the eastern half of the United States. Eastern gray squirrels forage for nuts, seeds, buds, and flowers of trees. Like other tree squirrels, the eastern gray squirrel plays an important role in what’s known as seed dispersal. As winter approaches, squirrels carry their food and bury it in several locations. They hide more food than they will recover or eat. The buried seeds and nuts sprout and begin to grow in these locations the following spring. Eastern gray squirrels have an excellent sense of smell, which they use to help locate food that they’ve hidden away. They can also pick up information about their fellow squirrels by smelling them. They communicate with each other by making sounds and body movements, such as tail flicking. When predators such as red foxes and red-tailed hawks are nearby, eastern gray squirrels will sound warning calls to alert other squirrels. Female eastern gray squirrels may start having babies at as young as five and a half months old. Females can have litters twice a year, each usually consisting of two to four babies. They gather leaves and twigs and build nests high in the trees to house their young offspring, or use tree cavities as dens. Newborn eastern gray squirrels don’t have fur when they are born and are not able to see. They often weigh as little as half an ounce (14 grams). They leave the nest by around ten to twelve weeks old and they become fully grown by around nine months.
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Goblin Shark
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Flamingos are famous for their bright pink feathers, stilt-like legs, and S-shaped neck. When a flamingo spots potential dinner—favorite foods include shrimp, snails, and plantlike water organisms called algae—it plunges its head into the water, twists it upside down, and scoops the fish using its upper beak like a shovel. They are able to „run“ on water, thanks to their webbed feet, to gain speed before lifting up into the sky. Flamingos build nests that look like mounds of mud along waterways. At the top of the mound, in a shallow hole, the female lays one egg. The parents take turns sitting on the egg to keep it warm. After about 30 days, the egg hatches. Flamingo young are born white, with soft, downy feathers and a straight bill. The bill gradually curves downward as the flamingo matures. Both parents take care of the newborn flamingo, feeding it a fluid produced in their digestive systems. The young leave the nest after about five days to join other young flamingos in small groups, returning to the parents for food. The parents identify their chick by its voice. After about three weeks, the adults herd young flamingos into large groups called crèches where they start to look for food on their own. Most flamingo species are not endangered, although the Andean flamingo is listed as Vulnerable, and the Chilean, Lesser, and Puna flamingos are Near Threatened.
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