08.2021 Gladiators THE REAL LIFE BEHIND THE SHIELD 3 1 2 Driving discovery further than ever before. National Geographic and Hyundai have teamed up to bring you Outside Academy–an immersive augmented reality (AR) adventure offering in-depth educational experiences from America’s national parks. Visit Yosemite National Park and activate AR hotspots throughout the park on Instagram, or bring the park to you with AR Anywhere. And now, the first-ever TUCSON Plug-in Hybrid takes your sense of discovery further in style, all while keeping in harmony with the environment around you. Reimagining how far your mind will take you, it’s your journey in the first-ever TUCSON Plug-in Hybrid. 1 Unlock the secrets of Yosemite at Yosemite Falls. 2 Learn about the park’s wonders from Tunnel View. 3 Tap to place a bighorn sheep in any meadow. Visit Yosemite Find @NatGeo Search for National Park. on Instagram. the effects. FURTHER AUGUST 2021 On the Cover CONTENTS Ready for combat, a heavily armed Thraex gladiator holds up his shield and sica, a short sword with a curved blade, in the amphitheater at Pompeii. FERNANDO G. BAPTISTA PROOF 1EXPL5ORE THE BIG IDEA The Dog (et al.) Days If we love holidays and we love animals, it’s no surprise that we’d love animal- themed holidays. BY OLIVER WHANG INNOVATOR 28 The ‘Gardening’ Tapir DECODER This animal is key to Space Hurricane reviving Brazil’s wet- A vortex of plasma lands after wildfires, spins up to 31,000 says conservation ecol- miles above Earth. ogist Patrícia Medici. BY ROBIN GEORGE ANDREWS BY ANNIE ROTH AND JASON TREAT; ILLUS- TRATION BY MARK GARLICK 6 TOOL KIT Tidal Technique A Summer Trip With simple tools, he to the Shore sculpts elaborate tow- In landlocked Hungary, ers on shifting sands. an ersatz seashore BY CATHERINE ZUCKERMAN vacation—to Lake Bala- PHOTOGRAPH BY ton, central Europe’s REBECCA HALE largest lake—is a tradi- tion for many families. ALSO ALSO PHOTOGRAPHS BY Parrot, Macaw Mummies Japanese Washi Paper ZSÓFIA PÁLYI Shark Species Decline A Photographer’s Youth FEATURES Ancient Rome’s Perfectly Clear The Edge of Survival Fight Club New findings tell sci- The delicate balance Real gladiators weren’t entists more about the of life in the Kalahari quite like those in the translucent amphibians is at risk from increases movies. They were known as glass frogs. in heat and droughts. more interested in BY ANGELA BY LEONIE JOUBERT putting on a good show POSADA-SWAFFORD PHOTOGRAPHS BY than in killing each PHOTOGRAPHS BY THOMAS P. PESCHAK other, and surprisingly, JAIME CULEBRAS ..................................... P. 110 most were fighters .......................................P. 72 by profession. ABOVE: Desert dwellers in BY ANDREW CURRY Hunger in America the Kalahari collaborate to stay alive. Among meerkats PHOTOGRAPHS BY In 2020, 1 in 7 people (shown), some of lesser rank RÉMI BÉNALI in the U.S. didn’t get provide care for the pups ART BY FERNANDO G. sufficient food. of the high-ranking female, BAPTISTA BY CASSANDRA SPRATLING while others stand guard to ...................................... P. 40 ...................................... P. 86 warn of predators. AUGUST | FROM THE EDITOR MEET ONE OF Ideas That OUR ARTISTS ‘Surprise People’ BY SUSAN GOLDBERG PHOTOGRAPHS BY REBECCA HALE ART SUPPLIES, models, tools, works in progress: This photo gives one glimpse into the studio of Senior Artist Fernando Baptista, at National Geographic’s headquarters in Washington, D.C. I’m writing about Fernando’s work now because there’s so much of it in this month’s issue: The cover art for “Glad- iators: Ancient Rome’s Fight Club.” Eight pages of infographics showing how these warriors fought and lived. And, for our story on southern Africa’s Kalahari, an explainer about animals’ adaptations to heat. A native of Spain, Fernando was the director of graphics at El Correo in Bilbao—a newspaper renowned for its visual journalism—when National Geographic called. “They offered me a job, and I thought, Why not?” says Fernando, who moved to the United gladiators project, for example, Fer- When he creates true- States and joined us in 2007. nando worked with a researcher to draft to-life images of sharks, saber-toothed cats, and His art has won every kind of honor— historically accurate sketches. Those other creatures that either more than 200 awards, medals, cita- were shown to a half dozen experts who are or were alive on Earth, tions, you name it—from every major looked at the clothing, the backgrounds, National Geographic’s Fernando Gomez Baptista group that judges illustrations and the arenas, the appearance of the (below) consults with graphics. He’s even been nominated crowd, the fight moves—every manner experts to make his depic- for two Emmys, for his animation work. of detail to make sure it was just right. tions as accurate and How does Fernando create? Often, Those consulted don’t always agree. complete as possible. But when he’s drawing for fun, before he starts to draw, he fashions a But even battling experts don’t dull Fer- he likes to invent space three-dimensional polymer clay model. nando’s enthusiasm for telling a story. aliens and monsters like “The models help me find the best per- “I always try new things,” he says, those that populate science fiction and comic books— spective,” he says. “I can see how the approaching each story with these ques- and then, he jokes, “at least light works. It makes it more realistic, tions: “What don’t people know? How I don’t have to worry about and you can get the right point of view.” can I get people interested? I want to the experts.” Sometimes he’ll photograph a model surprise people with ideas.” and paint on the photo with acrylics or When people think of National digitally. Other times he’ll use the mod- Geographic visuals, most think first els to create a pencil drawing, scan the of photography. But illustrators and drawing into the computer, paint it dig- graphic artists such as Fernando itally, then merge it with a background and the rest of our talented team are he has painted. Occasionally he will just as vital to our goal of explaining make one of his models a figure in an and exploring the natural world and animated film. In short: He’s amazing. humankind’s journey in it. And then there’s the matter of vet- Thank you for reading National ting his creations with experts. For the Geographic. j ATEM Mini Pro model shown. Introducing ATEM Mini Pro The compact television studio that lets you create presentation videos and live streams! Blackmagic Design is a leader in video for the television Live Stream Training and Conferences industry, and now you can create your own streaming videos The ATEM Mini Pro model has a built in hardware streaming engine with ATEM Mini. Simply connect HDMI cameras, computers for live streaming via its ethernet connection. 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There are titles for presenter names, wipe effects for transitioning between sources and a green screen ATEM Mini Pro..........$49 keyer for replacing backgrounds with graphics. ATEM Mini Pro ISO......... Learn more at www.blackmagicdesign.com PROOF PHOTOGRAPHS BY ZSÓFIA PÁLYI NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC LOOKING AT THE EARTH FROM EVERY POSSIBLE ANGLE 6 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC A SUMMER TRIP TO THE SHORE In landlocked Hungary, an ersatz seashore vacation—to central Europe’s largest lake—is a tradition. VOL. 240 NO. 2 A boy dives into the shallow waters of Hungary’s Lake Balaton. The nearly 50-mile- long lake is the largest in central Europe and for decades has been a popular destination for summer vacationers. AUGUST 2021 7 PROOF As people frolic, float, and wade in Lake Balaton, photographer Zsófia Pályi captures their portraits in its cyan waters—a result of its shallowness, chemical composition, and algae content. 8 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC Hungary’s second most popular vacation destination, after Budapest, the lake is surrounded by vineyards, mountains, and thermal spa resorts. Its coastlike ambience lures landlocked Hungarians.