By BETTY DEBNAM. The Cool Penguin

Transcription

1 release dates: July (04) 2004 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc. By BETTY DEBNAM Champions at Sea Look in your newspaper. How high is the temperature predicted to be today? Maybe it will cool you off to think of emperor raising chicks in Antarctica. Unlike most birds, which hatch their young in the spring, some types of hatch in the winter. It is wintertime in Antarctica now, as it is in the rest of the Southern Hemisphere. In Antarctica, temperatures may fall to 76 degrees below zero. Winds may blow up to 124 miles per hour. Penguin lands All have their homes in the Southern Hemisphere. But not all live in cold areas. Some, such as the Galapagos penguin, live on tropical islands at the equator. Northern Hemisphere New Zealand Southern Hemisphere Europe Africa North America South America Antarctica Asia Australia Antarctica We have shaded in the areas where live. It is wintertime in these areas. Some live in cooler areas than others. Types of Most experts believe there are 17 species, or kinds, of, but some think there are 18. The emperor penguin is the largest. It can be more than 3 1 /2 feet tall and weigh from 60 to 90 pounds. It lives in the area of Antarctica. When it is at sea, it stays near floating ice packs. The smallest penguin is the fairy penguin, or little blue. It is only about 16 inches tall and weighs little more than 2 pounds. It lives in the area of southern Australia and New Zealand. Its back feathers range from slate-blue to black. Penguin food Penguins swallow prey whole that they catch with their strong bills. They eat squid, fish and krill. (Krill are small, shrimp-like animals that swim in cold waters.) Emperor group together in Antarctica to save heat. Hundreds of thousands of may come together at a rookery, or an area where hatch and raise chicks. photo by Giuseppe Zibordi, courtesy NOAA The popular idea of what a penguin looks like comes from the cute little Adelie. It nests only in Antarctica. photo by Commander John Bortniak, courtesy NOAA

2 29-2 (04); release dates: July More About Penguins Penguin safety All are protected by international laws. It is illegal to hunt them or to collect their eggs. Many nations have set up refuges to protect these birds. All wildlife in Antarctica is protected by international treaties. In addition, many zoos and aquariums work to protect these amazing birds. At this time, experts believe most penguin species are safe. However, several species are in trouble. The Galapagos and Humboldt are endangered. Each of these species lives in a different area off the coast of South America. Several species are at risk. These include: the yellow-eyed from southern New Zealand; the Macaroni, from islands near Antarctica; the African, from the waters near South Africa. This is a family of gentoo. Gentoos build their nests out of stones and pebbles, which they use to form a circle. Two eggs are laid inside the circle. Penguin communication Penguins have different calls for recognition, threats and courtship. Their actions also send certain messages, especially during mating. Penguins can recognize their partners and chicks by their individual calls. This is important, since look so much alike. photo SeaWorld Orlando Penguin parties Penguins like to be with other. They are more social than most other birds. They swim, feed and nest in groups. The rockhopper penguin gets its name from the unusual way it gets around. These like to raise their chicks on rocky areas, and so they get from one place to another by hopping from one rock to the next. photo SeaWorld Orlando Mini Spy... Mini Spy and Basset Brown are exploring Antarctica. See if you can find: man in the moon elephant s head ruler heart question mark exclamation point snake number 2 word MINI letter L caterpillar frog number 3 tooth letter A Basset Brown The News Hound s PENGUINS TRY N FIND Words and names that remind us of are hidden in the block below. Some words are hidden backward or diagonally. See if you can find: ANTARCTICA, CHICKS, EMPEROR, COOL, HATCH, ICE, SOUTHERN, HEMISPHERE, GALAPAGOS, FAIRY, FEATHERS, NEST, ROOKERY, PREY, FISH, SPECIES, DIVE, WEBBED, BLACK, WHITE, FOOD. PENGUINS ARE FUN TO WATCH! S H W E B B E D K C A L B L C O D A J S K C I H C N E S T O U I I T G A L A P A G O S K O T C C V C L S E I C E P S U L H E K U E H F O O D Y R I A F E W H I T E O S R E H T A E F R R O O K E R Y R O R E P M E N P R E Y E R E H P S I M E H U A C I T C R A T N A H S I F

3 Go dot to dot and color. Rookie Cookie s Recipe Purple Pops 29-3 (04); release dates: July You ll need: vanilla ice cream grape juice 8 (3-ounce) paper cups 8 craft sticks What to do: 1. Fill small paper cups with ice cream to half full. 2. Fill remainder with grape juice almost to the top and gently stir. 3. Push a craft stick in the center of each cup. 4. Place in freezer for 3 hours until frozen. 5. Remove from freezer and peel off the paper cup. Makes 8 purple pops. Meet Steve Coogan Steve Coogan, 38, had to fight to be the center of attention while growing up with five brothers and sisters. He later got the chance to be center stage when he went to a theater school in Manchester, England. His career began during college when he was spotted by a television talent scout while working as a stand-up comedian. Steve is also an impressionist, someone who imitates the characters and voices of others. He has appeared on British Broadcast Channel (BBC) radio and several TV shows, and was such a success that he was given his own TV show. Since then he has had parts in movies, including the voiceovers of Heston in Ella Enchanted and Tommy in Indian in the Cupboard. He plays the character of Phileas Fogg in the movie remake, Around the World in 80 Days. Steve is married and has one daughter. A KID S GUIDE TO THE WHITE HOUSE Betty Debnam Kids! You're Invited to the White House A Kid s Guide to the White House is a terrific behind-the-scenes look at a very special house. Written with the cooperation of the White House Historical Association, the book is full of fun information, photos (some in full color) and puzzles that kids of all ages will enjoy. To order, send $8.95 plus $3.25 for postage and handling for each copy. Send check or money order (U.S. funds only) payable to: Andrews McMeel Universal, P.O. Box 6814, Leawood, KS Please send copies of A Kid s Guide to The White House (Item #2153-2) at $12.20 each, including postage and handling. Toll free number Name: Address: City: State: Zip: All the following jokes have something in common. Can you guess the common theme or category? Adam: What kind of doctor treats ducks? Julie: A quack! Beatrice: How do ugly ducklings live? Charles: Swan day at a time! Mary: What time do ducks wake up in the morning? Victor: At the quack of dawn!

4 29-4 (04); release dates: July Born to swim Penguins are birds that can t fly but they almost do, underwater! Some can swim as fast as 15 miles per hour. They are also good divers. Some emperor have been known to dive deeper than 1,700 feet, a distance longer than five football fields. But most dive about 70 feet deep. Most spend much of their time in the water. Only a few come ashore every night. Others stay at sea for months. They come ashore only to breed in large colonies called rookeries. They sleep in the water. Some species, or types, of spend three-fourths of their lives in the sea. Penguin bodies are specially designed for swimming. They have: flipper-like small wings, webbed feet, streamlined bodies, special glands in their bills that get rid of excess salt. This allows the to drink the salty ocean water. more feathers than most birds. These feathers overlap like roof shingles to keep them warm and dry. bones that are heavier and more solid than those of most birds. coloring that helps protect them while they are swimming. Their coloring helps them hide from enemies and from their own prey. Enemies swimming nearby have trouble seeing swimming because the dark color on the backs, or dorsal surfaces, makes them blend in with the dark ocean depths. Also, the light coloring on their fronts, or ventral surfaces, helps them blend in with the lighter part of the sea when they are seen from below. This chinstrap penguin stands over its chick. Chinstraps spend much of their time on icebergs in the ocean. Penguin parents Most penguin parents take turns keeping the eggs safe and warm. Emperor do it differently. After emperor females lay their eggs, they leave and head for the open sea. Male emperor then sit on the eggs for 62 to 66 days before they hatch. During that time they don t eat one bite! They lose up to half of their body weight. Just before the chick hatches, a fat mom returns to the rookery, or nesting grounds (except there are no real nests emperor don t build nests). It s Dad s turn to head for the sea to get his first meal in more than two months. He soon comes back to help guard the chick and bring in food. All species of penguin parents feed their chicks by forcing up almostdigested food from their stomachs. When a baby chick gets cold, it can snuggle in and be covered by a flap of skin that is between its parent s feet. photo Seaworld Orlando Penguin problems The average penguin can live 15 to 20 years. But a high number of chicks do not survive. Many chicks starve during the winter. Also, there are many animals that are their enemies. When they are in the water, their enemies include: leopard seals fur seals sea lions sharks killer whales. When they are on land, their enemies include: dogs cats stoats (a relative of the weasel). Sea birds such as Antarctic skuas, sheathbills and petrels may eat chicks, eggs or the food meant for chicks. Humans have also hunted and penguin eggs for food, feathers, skin, and oil from their fat layers. Human development, pollution and oil spills also threaten these birds. The Mini Page thanks SeaWorld Orlando and SeaWorld San Diego for help with this issue. Site to see: Look through your newspaper for pictures and stories of things that make you feel cool. Next week The Mini Page is all about the Democratic National Convention. The Mini Page is created and edited by Betty Debnam Associate Editors Tali Denton Lucy Lien Staff Artist Wendy Daley

5 Read all about in photo Seaworld Orlando by Betty Debnam Appearing in your newspaper on. from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam 2004 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc. (Note to Editor: Above is cameraready, one column-by-4 1 /4-inch ad promoting Issue 29.) release dates: July (04) from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam 2004 The MIni Page Publishing Company Inc. Standards Spotlight: Mini Page activities meet many state and national educational standards. Each week we identify standards that relate to The Mini Page s content and offer activities that will help your students reach them. This week s standards: Students understand the characteristics and life cycles of organisms. (Science: Life Science) Students understand the interactions of animals and their environments. (Science: Life Science) Activities: 1. Make several penguin trading cards. Draw a picture of a penguin on a 3-by-5- inch card. On the back of the card, write at least three interesting facts about the penguin. 2. Make a list of all the black-and-white animals you can name. Which animals are like in some way? Which animals are different from? How? 3. Look for photos and words in the newspaper that name animals that have these qualities: (a) a streamlined body, (b) protective coloring, and (c) webbed feet. 4. How can each of these elements endanger : pollution, human development and oil spills? 5. Write a paragraph comparing penguin dads and human dads. (standards by Dr. Sherrye D. Garrett, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi) Supersport: Paul Hamm Age: 21 Hometown: Waukesha, Wis. With an acrobat s flair, a tightrope walker s balance and a warrior s courage, Paul Hamm makes difficult gymnastic routines look routine. The 21-year-old U.S. star won the 2003 world title in all-around competition and recently captured his third straight national crown. He is favored to add an Olympic gold medal to his vast trophy collection this summer. Paul s twin brother, Morgan, also will compete in the Olympics for the second time. His sister, Betsy, made her mark as a gymnast, too, at Iowa State. Paul enjoys playing tennis in his leisure time. He also is taking classes at the University of Wisconsin and wants to become a physical therapist. But first, there are more gold medals to win! (Note to Editor: Above is the Standards for Issue 29.) (Note to Editor: Above is copy block for Page 3, Issue 29, to be used in place of ad if desired.)