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amaz JUNE / JULY 2017 als NEW MOVIE: CAPTAIN “talk” UNDERPANTS

Executive Vice President, Kids and Family Melina Gerosa Bellows Vice President, Content Jennifer Emmett Editor in Chief and Vice President, Kids Magazines & Digital Rachel Buchholz Vice President, Visual Identity 14 Eva Absher-Schantz Design Director, Magazines Eileen O’Tousa-Crowson The Secret Editorial Andrea Silen, Senior Editor / Digital Producer; Kay Boatner, Senior Editor / Digital Producer; Language Allyson Shaw, Associate Editor / Digital Producer Art Kathryn Robbins, Senior Designer of Dolphins Photo Shannon Hibberd, Senior Photo Editor These “chatty” animals Production Sean Philpotts, Director are giving people a lot Digital Laura Goertzel, Director; to talk about. Natalie Jones, Senior Product Manager; FREE’S Tirzah Weiskotten, Video Manager COLLECTOR INSIDE! Administration Michelle Tyler, Editorial Assistant CARDS PUBLISHED BY NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC PARTNERS, LLC Chief Executive Ofﬁcer Declan Moore Chairman of the Board of Directors 20 Gary E. Knell The Lost City of Pompeii Executive Vice President, Consumer Products Will the volcano that buried this Rosa Zeegers ancient civilization blow again? Advertising Ofﬁces Kim Connaghan, Vice President, Publisher (212) 822-7431; Bob Amberg, National Brand Director (212) 822-7437; Detroit Karen Sarris (248) 368-6304; West Coast Eric Josten (424) 292-5715 Strategy and Business Development Nathan Moore, Vice President 35 Cool Things About Space International Magazine Publishing Yulia Petrossian Boyle, Launch into extraordinary facts about Senior Vice President; Jennifer Jones, Business Manager; Rossana Stella, Editorial Manager our universe. Manufacturing Phillip L. Schlosser, Senior Vice President, Production Services; Rachel Faulise, Manager 22 Finance Jeannette Swain, Senior Budget Manager; Tammi Colleary, Rights Manager; Pinar Taskin, Contracts Manager; Kurt Massé, Rights Clearance Specialist Consumer and Member Marketing Elizabeth Safford, Wildlife Killers Busted Senior Vice President; John MacKethan, Vice President, Retail Sales and Special Editions; Mark Viola, Circulation Director; Discover the cool science behind Richard J. Brown, New Business Director solving wildlife mysteries. Market Services Tracy Hamilton Stone, Research Manager 24 Advertising Production Kristin Semeniuk, Director; Julie A. Ibinson, Specialist Publicity Caitlin Holbrook, Publicist (202) 912-6714 Parents, contact us online: [email protected] The Truth Behind the New Movie

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS (ISSN 1542-3042) is published ten times a year Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie by National Geographic Partners, LLC, Washington, DC 20036. For more information contact natgeo.com/info. Find out how this flick stacks up to reality. Periodical postage paid at Washington, DC, and additional mailing ofﬁces. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC 26 KIDS, P.O. Box 62135, Tampa, FL 33662–2135. Subscriptions: United States, $25.00; Canada, $29.95; elsewhere, $34.95; all in U.S. funds. Single copy: Departments United States, $4.99; Canada, $6.99 in Canadian funds or $5.75 in U.S. funds; elsewhere, $5.99 in U.S. funds or equivalent (includes postage). In Canada, Agreement number 40063649, return undeliverable Canadian 4 Weird But True! 8 Sports Funnies 11 Bet You Didn’t Know addresses to NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS, P.O. Box 4412 STA A, Toronto, 5 Guinness World Records 9 Incredible Animal Friends 12 Amazing Animals Ontario M5W 3W2. The submission of photographs and other material to NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC 6 Wild Vacation 10 Extreme Weirdness 28 Fun Stuff KIDS is done at the risk of the sender; NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS cannot accept liability for loss or damage. @ SUBSCRIBE TO NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS! Parents: Follow us on Twitter NGKids and like us on Facebook. For CALL TOLL FREE 1–800–647–5463 A Note to Parents corrections and clariﬁcations, go online. natgeo.com/corrections (TDD: 1–800–548–9797) National Geographic Kids occasionally makes its member and subscriber Please include a current magazine MON.–FRI., 8 A.M.–MIDNIGHT ET, SAT., 8:30 A.M.–7 P.M. ET lists available to reputable organizations that market their products and label with this coupon, and mail For a subscription to NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS, send written requests— including name, address, zip code, and payment in U.S. funds or equivalent—to services through the mail. If you do not want your name and address used your request to: NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS, P.O. BOX 62135 TAMPA, FL 33662–2135 in this manner, you can remove it by returning this coupon. For gift subscriptions, send giver’s name and address as well as recipient’s. National Geographic Kids Do not make my name and address available to other organizations. Customer Service Copyright © 2017 National Geographic Partners, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction of the Please note that Nat Geo Kids will not disclose your child’s name P.O. Box 62135 whole or any part of the contents of NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS without written permission is prohibited. NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS and Yellow Border: Registered Trademarks ® Marcas for marketing or promotional purposes. Tampa, FL 33662-2135 Registradas. Printed in the U.S.A. ISSUE 471 COVER: ECO / UIG / GETTY IMAGES (DOLPHINS); © MARGUERITE SMITS VAN OYEN / NATURE PICTURE LIBRARY (MEERKAT); CHASE JARVIS (DOG); © DREAMWORKS PRINTED ON 100% PEFC-CERTIFIED PAPER—PEFC/29-31-58— ANIMATION (CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS). PAGE 3: © AUGUSTO STANZANI / ARDEA (DOLPHINS); MONDOLITHIC (POMPEII ART); NASA (SPACE SHUTTLE); © ALASKA STOCK / Please recycle. ALAMY (FOX); © DREAMWORKS ANIMATION (CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS) BY MARILYN TERRELL outrageous facts.

THE Elephants THE MOST can be left- or TOR NADOES WORLD’S right-tusked, just as HAPPEN people are left- IN MAY. TALLEST or right-handed. TREE 379.1IS FEET TALL,

Thomas Jefferson AS HIGH AS was the first president to serve 188 french fries in the SCHOOL DESKS White House. STACKED UP.

A frog uses its WIN THE BOOK! eyeballs to AND help OUSANDS” IN it EAT BRITAIN. TRY ONLINE MAY 25-JUNE 1. swallow. natgeokids.com/june-july

JONATHAN HALLING / NG STAFF (ELEPHANT, ANT, SPRINKLES, FROG); STOCKFOOD GMBH / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO (FRENCH FRIES); ERIC NGUYEN / JIM REED PHOTOGRAPHY / GETTY IMAGES (TORNADO); CORBIS 4 JUNE / JULY 2017 SUPER RF / ALAMY (PENGUIN); PHIL SCHERMEISTER / NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CREATIVE (TREE) ASTONISHING STORIES FROM Guinness THE FILES OF ords

WORLD’S SMALLESTL DOG

Milly the Chihuahua may be small, but she has a big appetite. The pooch, who’s the shortest dog by height on record, reffuses to eat anything othher than food cooked by humans—her favorites aree chicken and salmon. Jusst 3.8 inches tall at the shooulders, Milly is about as high as a cell phone. When she was born she weiighed less than an ounnce and could fit in ateeaspoon.

RICH DESSERT

This better be one yummy after-dinner treat. At $25,000, it holds the record for the most expensive dessert. The Frrrozen Haute Chocolate (haute means high-class, not hot) is a slushy mix of the world’s most expensive cocoas, milk, and edible gold. If you need a souvenir, you can take home the spoon: It’s made of 18-carat gold and studded with white, black, and chocolate-colored diamonds.

MILES OF GUM WRAPPERS It’s the ultimate upcycling project: Instead of throwing away his gum wrappers, Gary Duschl has been folding them together for more than 50 years, creating a gum wrapper chain that stretches nearly 17 miles, the longest on record. So far the chain has more than 2.1 million wrappers linked together, and Duschl keeps adding. He doesn’t chew all the gum himself—many wrappers were donated. GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS (MILLY, GUM WRAPPERS); REUTERS / CHIP EAST (DESSERT). GUM WRAPPERS); REUTERS / CHIP EAST (DESSERT). RECORDS (MILLY, WORLD GUINNESS RECORDS LIMITED. WORLD BY © 2017 GUINNESS PROVIDED INFORMATION 5 BY JAMIE KIFFEL-ALCHEH

COOL THINGS ABOUT INDIA

Chutes and Ladders, a popular board game, originated in ancient India.

High Up Over 700 languages are spoken here. India produces Hotel more movies GREEN MAGIC than any other NATURE RESORT country.

WHERE Vythiri, India HOW MUCH About $220 a night WHY IT’SCOOL Riding a pulley-operated lift 86 feet to your treetop room is just the start of your adventure. As you look out your open window—there’s no glass!—you spy monkeys and birds in the rain forest canopy. Later you might test your fear of heights by crossing the handmade rope bridge to the main part of the hotel, or just sit on your bamboo bed and read. You don’t even have to come down for breakfast—the hotel will send it up on the pulley-drawn “elevator.”

sleep here!

elevator takes you up

Watch a camel beauty Stroll through the streets Visit the Taj Mahal, a mausoleum Go on safari and spot wild THINGS TO DO IN contest at the annual of Jodhpur,a city in which (or tomb)in Agra built to house tigers, sloth bears, and INDIA Pushkar Fair,a cattle- many of the houses are the remains of an emperor’s crocodiles in Ranthambore trading event in Pushkar. painted blue. favorite wife. National Park.

6 JUNE / JULY 2017 HORNBIL IMAGES / ALAMY (BOTH) NEEDS YOU

SEE WHERE ROCKETS LAUNCH

MEET AN ASTRONAUT

LEARN WHAT’S NEXT FOR NASA uh-oh! i’m going sports to hold my breath until they give me a gold medal. funnie 2 1

don’t look at me. i have something in my teeth.

Uruguay’s Diego Forlán covers his face with his jersey after missing a goal during a 2008 FIFA World Cup soccer match in Uruguay.

3 where do you think you’re going? Yang Wei of China competes in gymnastics at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece.

whoa. i know that guy in seat 15F.

Ireland’s Padraig Harrington chases a ball during a practice Johan Gaume of France practices a snowboarding jump before a round for the 2008 British Open golf championship. 2008 winter sports and music festival in London, England.

ANDRES CUENCA / REUTERS (1); AMY SANCETTA / ASSOCIATED PRESS (2); 8 JUNE / JULY 2017 RUSSELL CHEYNE / REUTERS (3); KEVIN COOMBS / REUTERS (4) IIncrediblencredible BY KAIT GALLAGHER Animal Friends

i love ya, but i think your coat GOOSE GUARDS BULL needs washing.

Gisborne, New Zealand A big Highland bull like Hamish probably doesn’t need a bodyguard, but this goose disagrees. Whenever the bull is grazing in the pasture, the goose watches for cattle that—in the bird’s opinion—get way too close.“Then the goose will stretch out his neck, shriek, and chase the other cows and bulls away,” says Kees Weytsmans, owner of the Knapdale Eco Lodge where the two live. Hamish and the goose have been inseparable for 10 years—ever since the bird was found resting on Hamish’s leg a week after the bull was born. Since then, the goose has rarely left Hamish’s side. DOMESTIC GOOSE Weytsmans once moved Hamish to another rancher’s pasture for a few nights. But one evening apart was all the goose could stand.“The next afternoon the goose traveled all by himself to the ORIGIN Europe and Asia other pasture to find Hamish,” he says. And though Hamish doesn’t seem as eager for friendship as WEIGHT 5 to 10 pounds the goose,, the bull doesn’t mind his bodyguard.yg Otherwise,, this bull would ruffle some feathers! CLAIM TO FAME The goose is thought to be one of the first animals to be domesticated, probably in Egypt about 3,000 years ago. FUN TO KNOW The wing- span of a domestic goose can be six feet wide. REBECCA GRUNWELL / THE GISBORNE HERALD (BOTH) REBECCA

step away from the bull!

HIGHLAND BULL ORIGIN Scotland; these bulls were brought to Aus- tralia (near New Zealand) by Scottish immigrants WEIGHT 1,500 to 1,800 pounds CLAIM TO FAME Highland cattle grow two coats of hair. The coarse outer layer protects the animals from wind and rain, and the soft bottom layer keeps them warm. FUN TO KNOW Experts think Highland cattle have been around since the sixth century.

9 from

AROUND BY AMANDA SANDLIN T EME th WORLD

We’d like to see them WEIRDNESS high-ﬁve each other. irddd- met we er

-o-m eird ete w r

COZY CLUCKERS WHAT THE HANDS GO Sweaters for hens MARCHING IN WHERE Norwich, England WHAT Carnaval parade DETAILS Word on WHERE Ovar, Portugal the farm is that wool sweaters for DETAILS Need a chickens are all the hand? Here are a few! rage. People across Costumed paraders -o-m England knitted marched down streets eird ete w r “woolly jumpers” for to celebrate Carnaval, rescued hens that a festival that lets had lost feathers people express their from stressful living wild side after a couple BLINGED-OUT BENZ conditions. About months of winter. 1,500 hens were fit- People often meet ted with sweaters of WHAT and walk around in Crystal-covered cars all designs—stripes, kooky outfits, called bows, and even a few masquerading, during holiday themes. Carnaval, which lasts WHERE Chiba, Japan about a week. Blue DETAILS Someone SOUTH WEST NEWS SERVICE (CHICKEN); JOSE MANUEL RIBEIRO / REUTERS (HANDS); HANAI / REUTERS (CARS) TORU (BALLOONS); PHOTO MARIO ARMAS / REUTERS ALAMY STOCK went a little crazy with is so her rd-o-me ei ter w the glue gun. A luxury color. auto company embel- lished two cars—one Honk if painted silver and VADER RULES THE SKY you love the other gold—with sparkles! 300,000 crystals. Each. WHAT Guanajuato The cars, worth about International Air a million dollars apiece, Balloon Festival were on display at the Tokyo Auto Salon. WHERE León, Mexico Pedestrians, get out your sunglasses! DETAILS This might be the Rebels’ worst nightmare. Partici- pants at this festival soared across the sky in giant hot-air balloons, such as this one shaped like Darth Vader’s mask. More than a hundred balloons fly each year— anything from pandas to bees to scarecrows. But don’t worry. This The Vader’s only full of force is hot air. strong with this one.

10 JUNE / JULY 2017 BY VALERIE C. CLARK

8 frogfrog factsfacts toto jumpjump into!into! 1 A bullfrog named Rosie thethe Ribiter traveledtraveled moremore thanthan 2121 feetfeet in 3 hops.

2 A chorus of frog calls cancan bebe heardheardmore than a mile away. 3 4 5 Certain It rained frogs Two frogs frogs can got married produceproduce inin Kansas Kansas City City,,Missouri,, moremorethanthan after strong winds in India at a traditional ceremony 200200,,000000 suckedsucked up upthethe animals animals attended by in a andand then then 2,000 eggseggs in a droppeddropped guests. lifetime. themthem from from the the sky. A species 6 7 Some frogs FrogsFrogs have have been been found found of frog in can Borneo oozes inin25-million-year-old leap Borneo oozes more than 20 fossilized treetree resin resin yellow times their goo if you

DENNIS FRATES / ALAMY DENNIS FRATES called amber. body length. pick one up. NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS 11 FOLLOWING WHO WANTS TO PLAY THE HERD DOUBLES? 1 “We are so bored.”

3 2 “Hey, guys! Same place “Yahoo!!!!” next week!”

Baltimore, Maryland Police may know how to arrest criminals, but these officers were scratching their heads when they had to capture some odd fugi- tives: a herd of bison! Nine woolly animals escaped from a farm early one morning and invaded a nearby neighborhood. Police arrived to find the massive mammals shuffling across front lawns OWL as startled homeowners looked on. Linking hands to form SOUTHAMPTON, a human chain, the officers herded the animals onto an empty DOG ENGLAND tennis court. Some bison even started leaping over the net! RICHLAND, BISON “For such big animals, they moved pretty gracefully,” Officer WASHINGTON BALTIMORE, MARYLAND Shawn Vinson says. Finally, police officers and local farmhands guided the bison into an animal trailer using deck chairs and mesh fencing. Why did they roam in the first place? “One of them probably got out,” Vinson says. “And the rest just followed!”

AP / WIDE WORLD (BISON, 1); STEVE RUARK / ASSOCIATED PRESS (BISON, 2); ASSOCIATED 12 JUNE / JULY 2017 PRESS (BISON, 3); CHRIS BALCOMBE / REX USA (OWLS); CHASE JARVIS (FAITH) “OWL” ALWAYS LOVE THESE BY AMANDA PRESSNER GUYS.

NEST BEST THINGTHING

Southampton, England Snowy the owl may be a stuffed animal, but her “adopted” babies sure give a hoot about her! After five tawny owl chicks were found orphaned, rescuers at the New Forest Otter,Owl, and Wildlife Park placed them with the cuddly toy to help the babies feel more com- fortable. At first the chicks were afraid of the large white bird. But when animal manager John Crooks warmed Snowy on the radiator, the chicks crawled under her wings to take advantage of her “body heat.”After several months, the chicks were ready to leave the nest. What happened to dear old stuffed mom? “She was a bit messy from all the babies,”Crooks says. So Snowy took her own trip—to the washing machine!

To feed her chick, a female owl brushes food against HELLO, the whiskers above the THiS iS chick’s beak, and DOG the baby opens SPEAKiNG. its mouth.

SPEED-DIALING DOG

Richland, Washington Faith the Rottweiler sure has a nose for handling emergencies— the four-year-old service dog used her snout to call 911 after her physically disabled owner became unconscious! “I was in the kitchen when I passed out and hit my head,” owner Leana Beasley says.“Most helper dogs need a command to do what Faith did, but she put the clues together and went for the phone.” Just as she was trained to do, the pooch used her snout to knock the special phone off the hook and press a button to speed dial 911. Then Faith barked into the handset. “The dispatcher could tell that this call was no mistake,” Beasley says.“She could hear the urgency in Faith’s bark.” An ambulance arrived, and Beasley was rushed to the hospital.“A lot of people wouldn’t have known what to do,”Beasley says.“Faith did—and I’m eternally grateful.” Faith used a strap to pull open the front door and let in emergency workers.

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS 13 WANT TO HAVE SOME FUN?

LET’S PLAY!

BACK OFF, BUD!

The Secret Language of

BY CRISPIN BOYER

14 DolphıJUNE / JULY 2017 n LET’S CHASE BUBBLES!

PLAYING UPSIDE DOWN IS AWESOME!

ere’s a conversation worth talking about: HA mother dolphin chats with her baby … over the telephone! The special call was made in an aquarium in Hawaii, where the mother and her two- year-old calf swam in separate tanks connected by a special underwater audio link. The two dolphins began squawking and chirping to each other—distinctive dolphin chatter. CRACKING THE CODE “It seemed clear that they knew who they were talking with,” says Don White, whose Project Delphis ran the experiment. “Information was passing back and forth pretty quickly.” But what were they saying? That’s what scientists are trying to find out by studying wild and captive dolphins all over the world to decipher their secret language. They haven’t completely cracked the nsns code yet, but they’re listening … and learning.

© AUGUSTO STANZANI / ARDEA (BIG PICTURE); © TOM & PAT LEESON / ARDEA (UPPER INSET); © BRANDON COLE / ALAMY (LOWER INSET) 15 If you were a bottlenose dolphin, CHATTY MAMMALS you could swim at a speed of 20 miles an In many ways, you’re just like the more than 30 species of hhour. That’s about four dolphins that swim in the world’s oceans and rivers. Dolphins times as fast as an are mammals, like you are, and must swim to the surface Olympic swimmer. to breathe air. Just as you might, they team up in pods, or groups, to accomplish tasks. And they’re smart. They also talk to each other. Starting from birth, dolphins squawk, whistle, click, and squeak. “Sometimes one dolphin will vocalize and then another will seem to answer,” says Sara Waller, who studies bottlenose dolphins off the California TOSS ME coast. “And sometimes members of a pod vocalize in different A TREAT! patterns at the same time, much like many people chattering at a party.” And just as you gesture and change facial expres- sions as you talk, dolphins communicate nonverbally through body postures, jaw claps, bubble blowing, and fin caresses. THINKING DOLPHIN Scientists think dolphins “talk” about everything from basic facts like their age to their emotional state. “I speculate that they say things like ‘Good fish are over here,’ or ‘Watch out for that shark because he’s hunting,’” says Denise Herzing, who studies dolphins in the Bahamas. When the going gets tough, for instance, some dolphins call for backup. After being bullied by a duo of bottlenose dolphins, one spotted dolphin returned to the scene the next day with a few pals to chase and harass one of the bully bottlenose dolphins. “It’s as if the spotted dolphin communicated to his buddies that he needed their help, then led them in search of this guy,” says Herzing, who watched the scuffle. LANGUAGE LESSONS Kathleen Dudzinski, director of the Dolphin Communi- cation Project, has listened to dolphins for more than 17 years, using high-tech gear to record and analyze every nuance of their language. But she says she’s far from speaking “dolphin” yet. Part of the reason is the elusiveness of the animals. Dolphins are very fast swimmers that can stay underwater for up to 10 minutes between breaths. “It’s like studying an iceberg, because they spend most of their lives underwater,” Dudzinski says. Deciphering “dolphin speak” is also tricky because their language is so dependent on what they’re doing, whether they’re playing, fighting, or going after tasty fish. It’s no different for humans. Think about when you raise a hand to say hello. Under other circumstances, the same gesture can mean goodbye, stop, or that something costs five bucks. It’s the same for dolphins. During fights, for example, dolphins clap their jaws to say “Back off!” But they jaw clap while playing too, as if to show who’s king of the underwater playground. “I have not found one particular dolphin behavior that means the same thing every time you see it,” Dudzinski says. Dolphins “If you like mysteries and detective work, then this is the compete for job for you.” And who knows—maybe someday you’ll get a dominance. phone call from a dolphin.

16 JUNE / JULY 2017 PLAYKRILL SMACKDOWN natgeokids.com /june-july Dolphin 2 12 months: time before Digits miles: a baby dolphin 5 to 20: distance is born that a individual high- mother might dolphins in Over 4: frequency Over start “singing” to an average whistles can her unborn pod types of travel 30: calf vocalizations nonverbal dolphins use behaviors (These include (for instance squawks, whis- tail slapping or tles, clicks, and rubbing fins) squeaks.) dolphins use to communicate

© FLIP NICKLIN / MINDEN PICTURES (BIG PICTURE); © DOUG PERRINE / SEAPICS.COM (UPPER INSET); SEAPICS (LOWER INSET). © ANUP SHAH / NPL / MINDEN PICTURES (LION, PAGES 18-19) NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS 17 Female lions often do most of the hunting for the pride. Lions rest about 20 hours a day. A lion cub can’t roar until it’s about two years old. These big cats don’t chew—they gulp their meals in chunks. Lions can communicate by swishing their tails. THETHE LOSTLOST CITYCITY OFOF POMPEII POMPEIIWhen will the volcano that buried When will the volcano that buried TODAY MILLIONS OF TOURISTS VISIT THE RUINS OF POMPEII, this ancient civilization blow again? INCLUDING THE FORUM, BELOW. BY KRISTIN BAIRD RATTINI ART BY MONDOLITHIC STUDIOS

AUGUST 24, A.D. 79 deafening boom roars through will happen. More than three million people people took shelter in their homes. But Pompeii’s crowded marketplace. live near the volcano, in the modern-day the debris kept falling. Piles grew as deep The ground shakes violently, city of Naples, Italy. Correctly predicting as nine feet in some places, blocking door- throwing the midday shoppers when the eruption will take place will make ways and caving in roofs. off balance and toppling stands of the difference between life and death. Around midnight, the first of four fishA and meat. People start screaming and searing-hot clouds, or surges, of ash, pointing toward Mount Vesuvius, a massive THE SKY IS FALLING pumice, rock, and toxic gas rushed down volcano that rises above the bustling city, Through excavations that started in 1748 the mountainside. Traveling toward located in what is now southern Italy. and continue to this day, scientists have Pompeii at up to 180 miles an hour, it Vesuvius had been silent for nearly been able to re-create almost exactly what scorched everything in its path. Around 2,000 years, but it roared back to life, happened in Pompeii on that terrible day. 7 a.m., 18 hours after the eruption, the shooting ash and smoke some 20 miles into “The thick ash turned everything black,” last fiery surge buried the city. the air. Almost overnight, the city and most Pompeii expert Andrew Wallace-Hadrill says. of its residents vanished under a blanket of “People couldn’t see the sun. All the land- LOST AND FOUND ash and lava. marks disappeared. They didn’t have the Visiting the ruins of Pompeii today is like Now, almost 2,000 years later, scientists foggiest idea which way they were going.” going back in time. The layers of ash actu- agree that Vesuvius is overdue for another Some people ran for their lives, clutch- ally helped preserve buildings, artwork, major eruption—but no one knows when it ing their valuable coins and jewelry. Other and even the forms of bodies. “It gives you

20 JUNE / JULY 2017 VACCLAV / DREAMSTIME (RUINS); © ROGER RESSMEYER / CORBIS / VCG / GETTY IMAGES (CAST); MARTIN WALZ (MAP) WHICH HISTORIC CIVILIZATION AREYOU? natgeokids.com/june-july

THIS ARTIST’S CONCEPT RE-CREATES THE FORUM AT POMPEII AS IT LOOKED THE DAY OF THE ERUPTION IN A.D. 79. THE FORUM WAS THE CENTER OF PUBLIC LIFE. the feeling you can reach out and touch the WARNING SIGNS CREEPY CASTS P E ancient world,” Wallace-Hadrill says. Volcanic ash settled R O Pompeii may be ancient history, but U There are kitchens with pots left on the there’s little doubt that disaster will around many of the E ITALY stove and bakeries with loaves of bread— strike again. Luckily people living near victims at the moment of death. When the A now turned to charcoal—still in the ovens. Vesuvius today will likely receive evacua- F R I C A bodies decayed, Narrow corridors lead to magnificent man- tion warnings before the volcano blows. holes remained sions with elaborate gardens and fountains. Scientists are closely monitoring inside the solid I Mosaics, or designs made out of tiles, deco- Vesuvius for shifts in the ground, earth- ash. Scientists T rate the walls and floors. Some houses even quakes, and rising levels of certain gases, poured plaster A have mosaics of guard dogs with “Beware which could be signs of an upcoming into the holes to of dog” written in Latin, the language of eruption. The Italian government is also preserve the shapes L the Pompeians. working on a plan to help people of the victims. Rome Y Vesuvius Ancient graffiti, including love notes flee the area in an emergency. Naples and other messages, is carved into build- It’s a shame Pompeians Pompeii ings. Some graffiti even lists the results of didn’t know what we now know gladiator matches at the amphitheater— about volcanoes. They could an ancient outdoor arena—where trained have lived on to tell the story fighters once battled to the death. of the city that was lost in time.

21 3

1 Saturn has a moon that’s Some of the ashes bigger than MERCURY. of Gene Roddenberry, who created the television 2 Many of the 4,000 show Star Trek, ASTEROIDS that travel were sent into SPACE. through space on the same path as Jupiter are named after Greeks and Trojans who fought in the Trojan War. 3 Satuurn, Juupiter, Urannus, andd Neptune all have rings.rings

4 31 THE If it HOTTEST PART twinkles, OF THE SUN IS ITS CORE, WHICH IS ABOUT it’s probably a star— 27 MILLION DEGREES FAHRENHEIT. not a planet.

5 THE SURFACE OF THE MOON IS SMALLER THAN ASIA.

6 On average, astronauts SLEEP two hours less than normal each night while they’re in space.

7 ABOUT 95 PERCENT OF THE STUFF IN THE UNIVERSE IS INVISIBLE. 32 PLUTO used to be considered one of the major planets in our solar system, but in 8 Two satellites 2006 it was reclassiﬁed collided in space as a dwarf planet. for the ﬁrst time in 2008.

9 The largest comets come from the outer edge 33 ASTRONAUTS GET of our solar system— TWO TO THREE INCHES more than 80 BILLION TALLER WHILE LIVING miles from the sun. AT THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION. 10 Astronomers think there’s a MONSTER BLACK 11 MOST PLANETS 12 Our galaxy is 13 Astronauts 14 CONDITIONS ON VENUS HAVE HOLE at the center of IN THE UNIVERSE speeding toward the drink crushed or melted the Milky Way—and that it PROBABLY HAVE WATER— ANDROMEDA GALAXY RECYCLED MANY SPACECRAFT THAT HAVE has eaten other black holes. BUT NOT AS A LIQUID. at 186 miles a second. URINE. LANDED ON THE PLANET.

22 JUNE / JULY 2017 BY STEPHEN ORNES 29 The coin used in the COIN TOSS at the 20100 Super Bowl hadbeen btake k n to space months earlier. ABOUT SPACE 28 EARTH’S MOON IS BIGGER THAN PLUTO.

27 The ﬁrst space tourist paid $20 million for his trip. 34 When scientists launch a rocket, 26 The Russian space 35 station Mir RECYCLED THE they have to watch Scientists SWEAT of cosmonauts. out for about intentionally CRASHED 25 a spacecraft If you’re 12 years old into the moon on Earth, then you’d be 20,000 to look for about 6 on Mars and pieces of large water. almost 50 on Mercury. space junk 24 During a space walk (and 500,000 in 2008, an astronaut accidentally lost a bag more tiny pieces). of tools worth about $100,000.

23 IN JULY 2009, A SMALL ASTEROID OR COMET SMASHED INTO JUPITER SO HARD THAT YOU COULD SEE THE IMPACT FROM EARTH (WITH A TELESCOPE).

22 When satellites CRASH together, their broken pieces stay in orbit around Earth.

21 MORE THAN 400 planets HAVE BEEN DISCOVERED IN OUR GALAXY, AND ASTRONOMERS CHECK OUT THINK HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS BOOK! MORE ARE OUT THERE.

20 Venus and Uranus spin in the OPPOSITE direction from the other planets in our solar system.

19 GALAXIES COLLIDE, MAKING BIGGER GALAXIES.

18 IF YOU COMPARE THE AGE OF THE UNIVERSE TO ONE DAY, AND IT’S NOW 15 The winds on one distant planet 16 ASTRONOMERS THINK 17 One volcano on 11:59 P.M., THEN EARTH WAS are so fast that on Earth they could THAT THE MOON WAS FORMED Mars is more than three FORMED AT ABOUT 4 P.M. , blow from San Francisco, California, WHEN A MARS-SIZE OBJECT times as tall as AND PEOPLE SHOWED UP to New York City in 30 MINUTES. SMASHED INTO THE EARTH. Mount Everest. ABOUT 28 SECONDS AGO.

B & M PRODUCTIONS / GETTY IMAGES (BACKGROUND); NASA / JPL / STSCI (3); MARV SMITH / NASA (29); PARAMOUNT PICTURES / THE KOBAL COLLECTION (30); NASA JPL-CALTECH (31); NASA, ESA AND M. BUIE (SOUTHWEST RESEARCH INSTITUTE) (32); NASA (33, 34, 35) NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS 23 The cool science behind solving wildlife mysteries

BY KRISTIN BAIRD RATTINI stray bullet. A single fingerprint. A drop of blood. Like detectives, scientists examine Athe evidence left behind at crime scenes to help solve mysteries. But the scientists working at the National Fish and Wildlife Service’s (FWS) Forensics Laboratory in Ashland, Oregon, are different: They use cutting-edge technology to help solve crimes against animals. “We’re like supersleuths CENE EV E S ID for wildlife,” deputy director Ed Espinoza says. The M EN I C R E cases they investigate help catch the crooks who C kill animals—and make others think twice before harming more. FINGERPRINT THE VICTIMS: ELK THE CRIME SCENE: COLORADO THE EVIDENCE: FINGERPRINT

STICKY FINGERS To passersby, the man was enjoying a campout. But he was really illegally sneaking into reserved hunting grounds and using a gun instead of the permitted bow and arrow to kill elk for their prized antlers. The hunter couldn’t move the large antler racks home during hunting season; there were too many game wardens checking to make sure hunters killed their game legally. Instead, he wrapped the racks in duct tape and hid them in tree branches. He’d return for them after hunting season. But the suspect left something else behind. After wardens found one of the racks, FWS lab technicians discovered a fingerprint on the duct tape. No two people have the same fingerprints. So the scientists searched a database, which matched the print with the suspect. They could confidently point their finger at the hunter, who pleaded guilty and went to jail.

STOCKBYTE / GETTY IMAGES (HANDCUFFS, MICROSCOPE); © MARK RAYCROFT / MINDEN PICTURES (ELK); DAVID MCGLYNN / TAXI / GETTY IMAGES (FINGERPRINT); SIEDE PREIS / GETTY IMAGES (BULLET); © THEO ALLOFS / MINDEN PICTURES (TIGER); © ALASKA STOCK / ALAMY (FOX); OTMAR THORMANN / NORDIC 24 JUNE / JULY 2017 PHOTOS / GETTY IMAGES (MEATBALLS); © PURESTOCK / GETTY IMAGES (DNA) CRIME SCENE EVIDENCE THE VICTIMS: TIGERS THE CRIME SCENE: ILLINOIS THE EVIDENCE: BULLET BULLET SMOKING GUN The truck rolled past the razor-wire fence and into an abandoned warehouse. It pulled a horse trailer, but the animals inside were tigers bought from roadside zoos. Two men pointed guns and shot the endangered tigers, hoping to sell the hides, skulls, and meat. But the suspects did a sloppy cleanup job. When an undercover FWS agent bought a full-body tiger-skin rug from the ringleader, she found a bullet in the tiger’s skull. A gun leaves a telltale pattern of nicks and scratches on the bullet it fires. Those marks enable scientists to match a bullet to a particular weapon. At the lab, scientists fired a test round of bullets from the ringleader’s gun. Using a microscope, investigators compared the marks from the test round to the bullet they found. They matched. “The scientific evidence really sealed the case,” FWS agent Tim Santel says. The ringleader was locked up—instead of the tigers that would have been his next victims.

ENE EV E SC IDE M NC RI E C

SCENE EVID ME EN RI C C E YOU CAN MEATBALLS MICROSCOPE HELP TOO! Go online to get info on DNA Photo Ark, aproject that aims THE VICTIMS: FOX, COYOTE, BIRDS to help threatened animals. THE CRIME SCENE: IDAHO natgeokids.com/photo-ark THE EVIDENCE: DNA BAD MEAT The meatball trail stretched two miles in the snow. Any animal would find the treats tasty—and deadly. They were poisoned with a pesticide, and FWS agents found the bodies of a fox, coyote, and three magpies that had died after eating the tainted meat. Based on a tip that someone was using poisoned meatballs to kill wolves, which were endangered at the time, agents searched a man’s garage. They discovered a blood-stained tool and a bottle containing pesticide. A chemist identified the bottle’s contents as the same pesticide that was in the meatballs. Agents knew that if they could prove the man made the meatballs, they would know he also had tried to kill endangered wolves. A geneticist gathered DNA samples from a meatball and the tool. Found in the body’s cells, DNA determines the traits of all living things. And no two living things have the same DNA. The DNA samples from the meatball and tool matched, which proved the man had made the poisoned meatballs. The trail of evidence led straight to the killer.

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS 25 THE TRUTH BEHIND THE NEW MOVIE Captain Und e The First Epic Movie

BY KAREN DE SEVE ook out, Professor Poopypants! Captain LUnderpants is on a mission to defeat your evil plan to get rid of laughter in the world. At least, that’s what grumpy Principal Krupp thinks he’s doing after he’s hypnotized into believing he’s a super- hero in the movie Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie. Basedonthebook series by Dav Pilkey, the film is packed with zany superpowers and plenty of potty humor.But how realistic are the silly stunts in real life? Nat Geo Kids flew behind the scenes for answers.

STRONG MAN TAKING FLIGHT Captain Underpants is strong enough A mysterious gooey substance—aka to lift an entire building with one hand. lunch from the school cafeteria—gives Ordinary humans aren’t as mighty, but the Captain Underpants the power to fly. Allegheny mound ant can lift up to several ALLEGHENY In real life, leftovers don’t allow people MOUND ANT thousand times its body weight. The tiny to soar.But jet-powered wings do. Pilot YVES ROSSY insects are superstrong because their bodies are so light. Yves Rossy uses his to fly to heights of 17,000 feet. The Inside their exoskeletons, or the hard covering that protects wings get their boost from four small engines, which enable their bodies, their muscles don’t need to provide much sup- Rossy to reach speeds of 200 miles an hour.Unlike Captain port. They can apply their strength to lifting heavy objects. Underpants, though, Rossy takes flight fully dressed. 26 JUNE / JULY 2017 e tell your body to make to laughingsounds. yourtell body Allinafew seconds. ofyour brain that controlIf itis, muscle movement theparts ifit’swhat ajoke hemisphere means; funny. decides theright laugh. The left hemisphere, orside, ofyour brain figures out makeof your to brain you worktogether of thebrain. Inreal life, different parts chuckleamalus, away everyone’s zap plan isto Professor evil Poopypants’s Supervillain BRAINPOWER rp or

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© DREAMWORKS ANIMATION (MAIN); ANDREY KUZMIN / DREAMSTIME (CURTAINS, SEATS); ALAN COTTON / DREAMSTIME (UNDERWEAR); RMARTORELLI / DREAMSTIME (CLOTHESPINS); KATRINA BROWN / DREAMSTIME (TWINE); GREGORY REC / PORTLAND PRESS HERALD / GETTY IMAGES (ANT); FABRICE COFFRINI / AFP / GETTY IMAGES (YVES ROSSY); MEDUSA GRAPHICART / DREAMSTIME (BRAIN); FLUXFOTO / GETTY IMAGES (CAR OIL) JAMES YAMASAKI 28

JUNE / JULY 2017

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! CHECK OUT THIS BOOK! ROUND AND ROUND These photographs show close-up and faraway views of spiral-shaped things. Unscramble the letters to identify each picture. Bonus: Use the highlighted letters to solve the puzzle below. ANSWERS ON PAGE 32

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ACTAS SEIR YAAXG L DELI MPELI TOP ROW (LEFT TO RIGHT): WALLACE AND WYANT / GETTY IMAGES; ALEX LINGHORN / GETTY IMAGES; © PETER FRANK / CORBIS. © PETER FRANK / CORBIS. ALEX LINGHORN / GETTY IMAGES; / GETTY IMAGES; AND WYANT RIGHT): WALLACE (LEFT TO ROW TOP / SUPERSTOCK. FOTOSTOCK © AGE / SUPERSTOCK; © EXACTOSTOCK RIGHT): © ALEX HYDE / NPL MINDEN PICTURES; (LEFT TO MIDDLE ROW / MINDEN PICTURES. TEAM; © PETE OXFORD NASA AND THE HUBBLE HERITAGE DE BRUIJNE / SHUTTERSTOCK; RIGHT): CHANTAL (LEFT TO ROW BOTTOM HINT: On your plate, it’s a pile—on your fork, it’s a spiral. ANSWER: T

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS 29 1

Seeing isn’t always believing. Two of these funny signs are not real. Can you ﬁgure out which two are fake? ANSWERS ON PAGE 32

3 4 2

7 MATTHIAS CLAMER / GETTY IMAGES, IMAGE DIGITALLY COMPOSED (1); DA PHOTO / ALAMY (2); PHOTO COMPOSED (1); DA DIGITALLY IMAGE CLAMER / GETTY IMAGES, MATTHIAS MANN / / CORBIS (3); FRANK DIMARCO ALAMY (4); ANNIE GRIFFITHS (5); JAMIE ROYALTY-FREE COMPOSED (7) DIGITALLY IMAGE ALAMY (6); J.D.S / SHUTTERSTOCK, 30 JUNE / JULY 2017 Museum Mishap BY ERIN WHITMER Askafriendtogiveyouwords to fill in the blanks in this story without showing it to him or her. Then read out loud for a laugh.

I’ll never forget the day my class took a field trip to the Museum of Natural school subject History. While everyone else went to the museum cafeteria, I headed for the shop to noun buy a poster of the galaxy. By the time I got back to the cafeteria, my classmates were candy bar nowhere in sight. I through the exhibit and passed past-tense verb insect some -looking cavemen. Then I stopped in my tracks. In front of me was the adjective coolest skeleton I’d ever seen. Its must have type of dinosaur animal body part been as big as a(n) . I was trying to dig a camera out of my backpack when type of automobile I on my and into the skeleton. With a loud past-tense verb item of clothing past-tense verb , at least bones clattered to the ground. That’s when I looked up noise big number and saw my entire class at me. “ !” yelled. verb ending in -ing your name teacher’s name “I have a bone to pick with you.” At that moment, I was sure I was about to become history. MARTY BAUMANN

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS 31

JUNE / JULY 2017 JULY / JUNE

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TELL US FEBRUAR THINK! WHAT YOU

Join the National Geographic Kids Team.* Throughout the year we’ll inviteii you by email i to complete our latest online survey. The surveys ask for opinions about current magazine issues, articles we’re working on, and topics that affect kids like you. Apply online!

SIGNNININNNGNGU UUP IS For each E survey you complete, you’ll be entered into quarterly drawingstowin an

1 Grab a parrent. AMAZON 2 Go to ngkiidsandfamilyteam.com GIFT CARD! /join2017. Havavee yourpa arent ffill out the consense t formm. 3 Look forene email confif rmatior n from NatGeo G Kidsds. If you haveany questio s‚ contact [email protected].

*Children of NGS stafff, NGP staff, and contractors are not eligibleto t par- ticipate. Only those selected will be notified. If you are aalreadya member of the panel, you do not neeed to reapply. © DAMEDEESO / DREAMSTIME © DAMEDEESO A t Atoneone Squirrell XX Nick Y., 13 ForFort Myers, Florida ANIMAL JAM IDEAS In the virtual world of Animal Jam, what creature would you be? Nat Geo Kids readers imagined new characters for this digital game.

Flamingo T ebra T IllM12Issabelle M., 12 M rth Car Ze RolesvillR le, Nor rolina Madylin N., 10 Whitelanand,Indiana

Pythonn X Shea K., 13 Durango, Cololorado

Happy-Hearrteted Sea Creatur Grace C., 13 ure T Dillon, Montana raw your dream job. Send us your original drawings: Nat Geo Kids—Dream Job Art Zone P.O. Box 98002 Washington, DC 20090-8002 Include your name, address, phone number, date of birth, a title for your drawing, a statement that it is your own work, and the name of your parent or guardian. Your parent or guardian must sign a release for publication if your illustration is selected. Submissions become the property of National Geographic Partners, and all rights thereto are transferred to National Geographic Partners. Submissions cannot be acknowledged or returned. Selection will be at the Silly Spidderr X discretion of Nat Geo Kids. Toni B., 10 Minneapolis, Minnesoota

34 JUNE / JULY 2017 ©2017 Mentholatum Company, Orchard Park, NY 14127 ALL WITHCLINICALLY PROVEN ACNE FIGHTINGINGREDIENTS. TRY THESE OTHER PRODUCTS, uespots Cute On-The-Go AcneStick with the for SpotFree Skin. Target Acne New OXY * Not socutespots ® LA KN GUARANTEED SKIN. CLEAR oxyskincare.com * . Animals!

Awesome MEERKAT

A meerkat is merely a cat. A FALSE. It’s a member of the mongoose family, and its relatives include civets, genets, and fossas, not cats. Meerkats have different calls to B warn about different kinds of predators. TRUE. For example, if a meerkat spots an eagle, it gives one kind of alarm call. If it sees a snake slithering nearby, its alarm sounds different. C They’re excellent divers. TRUE. They dive into their burrow’s access holes to escape predators. D Meerkats are fat-free. TRUE. Meerkats don’t store fat, so these mammals must eat every day. You don’t need to bother cooking for E your meerkat friend—just send her to the garden to eat grubs. TRUE. She’ll also devour spiders, crickets, centipedes, millipedes, and scorpions.

Awesome S LUNA MOTH S LUNA ’ DUBENARD DUBENARD’S LUNA MOTH

A Dubernard’s luna moth might A rest on Lincoln’s nose at Mount Rushmore in South Dakota. FALSE. This species of luna moth lives in parts of China, Laos, and Vietnam. If you’re hosting their family B reunion, rent a gigantic room. TRUE. Their family includes about 1,500 species, including giant silk moths, royal moths, and emperor moths. Luna moth caterpillars eat night- C blooming ﬂowers. FALSE. They eat leaves of trees and shrubs. Luna moths stuff themselves silly D as adults. FALSE. Their mouthparts don’t even work. Since they live only about a week, they live on fat they stored when they were caterpillars. E They love the nightlife. TRUE. They’re active at night and rest during the day.

BLACK-TAILED JACKRABBIT BLACK-TAILED JACKRABBIT A A black-tailed jackrabbit is a kind of hare, and hares are not rabbits. TRUE. Hares are born with fur and with their eyes open, and can run within minutes. Rabbits are born naked and with their eyes closed, and can’t run for many days. If a man had a jackrabbit’s ears, they B would be about as long as your arm. TRUE. Those big ears help a hare regulate body temperature and listen for predators. A black-tailed jackrabbit is too C slow for your baseball team. FALSE. No need for it to slide home from third—it’s just a few hops away. D Jackrabbits can outrun any predator. FALSE. They’re fast, but coyotes, foxes, bobcats, owls, and other predators still can catch them. A newborn hare weighs as much E as a baseball. FALSE. It would take at least two baby hares to equal one baseball.

GRAY KANGAROO GRAY KANGAROO A This ’roo would be the most valuable player on your football team. TRUE. At 30 miles an hour, it’d make it from the 50-yard line to the end zone in less than ﬁve seconds. Kangaroos rely on their speed to B catch food. FALSE. They eat grass—you can’t get slower than that. C A gray kangaroo is the real Bigfoot. TRUE. With 18-inch-long feet, it would need shoes twice as long as most men’s. It’s no wonder scientists call them macro- pods, which means “big feet.” D Male kangaroos are called boomers. TRUE. Females are called does and babies are joeys. Moving at top speed, a kangaroo E tires quickly. FALSE. Due to its body design, the faster it moves, the less energy it uses.

LUNA LIONFISH LUNA LIONFISH

The lionfish’s beauty advertises it A as a deadly beast. TRUE. Venomous spines on the fins keep predators away. A sting causes excruciat- ing pain to people too. So stay away! B It sweeps up for dinner. TRUE. The fluttering fins sweep prey into a corner or startle fish, crabs, and shrimp from hiding places. The lionfish sucks in and swallows prey whole. C Lionfish are found in Japan. TRUE. They’re also found in warmer waters of the Pacific and Indian Oceans. D A luna lionfish is as long as this card. FALSE. Its body is as long as this magazine, and its fin-span is as wide as an open copy. If you’re having a lionfish over E for dinner, three shrimp will be enough. FALSE. A lionfish may eat more than 10 shrimp a day. But let it serve itself so you can stay away from the venomous spines.

Awesome AFRICAN WILD DOG AFRICAN AFRICAN WILD DOG

Do not wear your antelope costume A in African wild dog territory. TRUE. Though secretive and shy, their reputation as fierce hunters is real. They prefer medium-size hoofed animals such as antelopes, impalas, and gazelles. Wild dogs are more successful B hunters than lions. TRUE. African wild dogs catch their prey about 70 percent of the time. Lions succeed less than half that often. African wild dogs have something C in common with snowflakes. TRUE. Just as no two snowflakes are alike, no two African wild dogs have exactly the same pattern of spots. D Young dogs eat last. False. Unlike many predators, the young animals along on the hunt are allowed to eat first. E Wild dogs prefer fresh meat. TRUE. No begging for leftovers or table scraps by these dogs!