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There are lots of fun facts in Turtles 
that may be news to the 3-6 year old who subscribes to Zootles–small children may not know, for example, that turtles can’t crawl out of their shells. But there are plenty of turtle tidbits in this issue that make it interesting and fun for Mom or Dad to read, too.
For starters, the largest turtle on record is the leatherback, and we can pretty much guarantee it is bigger than you. In fact, at 8 feet in length and 2,000 pounds, it’s pretty much bigger than a small car. And if you think all turtles are slow, think again. On level ground, the smooth softshell turtle can run faster than you can. And in the water, the green turtle, on a bad day, is three times faster than Michael Phelps. Feeling left behind?
Maybe you’ve heard that turtles can live a long time–some species up to a 100 years, right? Actually, a Galapagos tortoise named Harriet lived to be 175–an age no human is likely to see. All of which points to the fact that–like the hare in that famous fable–we can’t underestimate the awesomeness of the turtle!
Ever feel a little woozy after you pick something up off the floor and stand up again quickly? First the blood rushes to your head as you bend over, and then it suddenly drains away as you straighten. Now imagine you are 16 feet tall, and straightening up quickly is necessary for your safety. Welcome to a giraffe’s world!
We have to wonder why we don’t see giraffes stumbling about, looking like their heads are spinning. Medical scientists studied giraffe blood pressure and circulation to find out why blood doesn’t rush to the brain when a giraffe bends to drink, and why it doesn’t drain away, causing the giraffe to faint, when it lifts its head to a normal position. They’ve discovered that giraffes have valves in the artery and veins of the neck that interrupt blood flow, slowing the rush. This is a very fortunate adaptation, considering a giraffe heart can be two feet long, and pumps 20 gallons of blood a minute. Nobody wants to have to steady themselves to let all that blood settle down when there’s a hungry lion in the neighborhood!
If you could have the ability to see behind you and in front of you at the same time, would you? As you learned in the current issue of Zoobooks Wild Horses, horses have a very wide field of vision – and the biggest eyes of any land mammal! It’s no wonder they can see what’s going on at either end of them at the same time.
Did you know that horses aren’t alone in their ability to see in two directions at once? A handful of other animals can do so, too. One of these is the chameleon, which has elevated eyes that can move independently of one another and rotate in all directions. That means one eye can face forward while the other looks back! And, like a horse, chameleons can see in two directions without needing to move their heads.
If your child is a fan of The Transformers, she or he may be interested to know that butterflies –so peaceful and beautiful – have a very important commonality with the transforming robots. Like Transformers, butterflies have a very unique ability to morph into different forms, which can be key to their survival.
Sometimes butterflies have wing color patterns that resemble those of other butterflies. This is a survival strategy based on mimicry. While some animals change their colors to mimic their surroundings, butterflies can escape danger by resembling other butterflies that are unpalatable or toxic to predators. This way, predators misconceive them for a butterfly species they’d rather leave alone than eat. That’s some pretty smart thinking! Learn more about butterflies in the Zoobooks Animal Directory!
Your child’s Zoobooks experience doesn’t have to end on the last page of the current issue – and there’s no reason it should! Online at the Zoobooks website, there’s a variety of ways for you and your child to keep the wildlife education and fun going.
For starters, after you’ve read about Pandas in the current Zootles issue, you can head on over to the Virtual Zoo where you can listen to a Panda bear and learn more about Panda bears’ habitat and survival status. If your child has just learned about Wild Horses in the current Zoobooks issue, they can test their knowledge with the Wild Horses quiz. This and more awaits you online at Zoobooks.com, so come on over and enjoy!
In your Zoobooks Wild Horses issue, you read about all different kinds of zebras, including the Grevy’s zebra. You may remember that Grevy’s zebras are different from other zebras in size, weight, body and head shape, and stripe pattern. The Grevy’s zebra is 200 pounds heavier than the plains zebra, and about 5 to 10 inches taller, too.
Earlier this year, a Grevy’s zebra was born at the Bronx Zoo. Her unique brown stripes make her stand out from the crowd, and if she’s not busy galloping around them, she sticks by her parents. Check her out in the video below!
To learn more about this Grevy’s zebra, visit the Bronx Zoo online.
It’s amazing how much we can learn from ancient artifacts. Recovered drawings, jewelry, tools, and other objects from hundreds or thousands of years ago can tell us so much about how people around the world once lived, worked, and played. They can tell us a lot about animals, too.
In the current issue of Zoobooks Wild Horses, you can see an ancient piece of Scythian jewelry that gives us an idea of when wild horses were first trained for riding. Thanks to these types of artifacts, scientists can estimate that Mongolian wild horses were probably broken to saddle some 5,000 years ago.
What objects from today might someone discover in a few hundred years to reveal how we live, work, and play with horses today?
Most horses spend a good portion of the day outside. Have you ever wondered how they avoid those irritating bugs and flies? In the current issue of Zoobooks Wild Horses, you can find out!
If you ever catch a horse rolling around in the mud, chances are it’s not just being playful. In fact, rolling around in the mud or dust allows horses to get rid of pesky little insects and loose hair. And that’s not all — the dust and mud that sticks to horses when they get back on their fours actually protects them from the sun and insect bites. Forget sunscreen and bug spray — these animals know how to take care of themselves au naturel!
Learn more fun and interesting facts about horses in the Wild Horses issue of Zoobooks, available for order online. Or, subscribe now and receive Zoobooks Wild Horses as your first issue!
If you’ve read the current issue of Zoobooks, Wild Horses, then you’ve learned how to identify a Cape mountain zebra next to, say, a Hartmann’s mountain zebra or a Burchell’s zebra. Cape mountain zebras, like Hartmann’s mountain zebras, have broad black stripes all the way down to their hooves. They also have a “gridiron” pattern of parallel stripes on their rumps.
As we know, identifying one type of zebra out of a bunch is like trying to pick apart an optical illusion — not a simple task. So, where do you go if you want to see a Cape mountain zebra without having to examine zebra rumps up close? If you happen to be visiting South Africa, then the Mountain Zebra National Park is one place to start. Established in 1973 in Eastern Cape, this national park 
is now home to hundreds of Cape mountain zebras. In fact, it’s largely thanks to the Mountain Zebra National Park that Cape mountain zebras are still around; in the early 1900s, this zebra was very close to extinction. With the continued success of national parks around the world, there’s hope that one nearly-extinct species will one day be able to return again to the wild.
Two words to impress your kids and your friends from the latest Zoobooks Animal Babies (page 2):
Some animal babies, whether they are born or hatched, emerge highly developed. These babies require little or no care or training. They are precocial. Others still have a long development stage and need a lot of care from their parents. These babies are altricial.
Play a game that will cement the learning. One person names an animal and the next person labels it precocial or altricial. If you aren’t sure of the answer, do some research together to find out – that’s a great way to model learning, practice research and have fun together! Play the P-A game in the car, around the dinner table, with a crowd of kids or just two.
