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Your current Zootles issue, Dolphins, features the work of Dr. Kathleen Dudzinski, a noted scientist who is an expert on dolphin communication. By watching dolphins and listening to the sounds they make, she has learned what different sounds mean. A dolphin whistle might say, “Hey, it’s me!” A dolphin squawk followd by a whistle might say, “I want to play.”
Dr. Dudzinski will tell you that while such sounds are very communicative, however, they are not real language. Just as a human laugh indicates happiness, or a guffaw can mean disbelief, dolphin sounds can convey mood or reactions or any number of things–but they are not the complex building blocks of language. Still, dolphins have no trouble communicating. In addition to sounds, they use touch (gentle or harsh) and visual signals to get their ideas across.
If you found yourself suddenly alone in a tribe of people who did not speak your language, Dr. Dudzinski believes you would still have no trouble communicating enough to cooperatively build something, hunt for food, or maybe even fall in love. So it is for the dolphin. Dolphins can’t share abstract ideas, but they can still let each other know how they feel. For them, that is language enough!
The letter “D” has never had such a fine showing as it has had this month in our newest Zootles issue, Dolphins
. What do dolphins do? Doubtless, they dive deep. They dart away from danger. And in a way, they even dog-paddle!
Dolphins breathe through a blowhole, and breathing air with lungs is one of the biggest indicators that dolphins are mammals rather than fish. Fish swish their tails from side to side; dolphins swish theirs up and down. Their skin is smooth and rubbery, and protects them in cold water.
Dolphins can’t smile, but their mouths are shaped in such a way that they look happy. Maybe they are! They get to ride the waves like surfers, and sometimes leap in the wakes of large ships. They eat lots of their favorite foods–fish, squid, or octopus–by swallowing it whole.
Have you ever wondered if dolphins sleep? They do, but not the way we do. Dolphins float on one side and sleep with one eye open. After a while, they roll over to the other side and open the other eye. Now that’s the ultimate water bed!
Dolphins like to be with other dolphins, and we have the feeling that young Zootles readers are going to like being with dolphins, too. Let us know which of the fun facts in this issue were most popular at your house!
Zootles Penguins is a wet and wild look at one of our favorite flightless birds. Ever wondered how these tuxedo-clad avians survive is temperatures that would stop us cold?
A penguin is waterproof, first of all. Water can’t soak into the 
skin because the skin is covered with a lot of tightly packed feathers coated in oil. A thick layer of blubber under the skin works like a parka for keeping a penguin warm, too. In sub-freezing temperatures, penguins huddle together to keep warm, rotating so that every bird gets a chance to be in the middle of the group.
Penguins vary a lot in size. The smallest is the little blue penguin, at just over a foot tall and 2-1/2 pounds. Emperor penguins are almost four feet tall and weigh 80 pounds–larger than many children! Their habitat varies, too–from the icy cold of Antarctica to the sunny coast of South Africa.
So how many of these fun facts did you already know, and how many were news to you? Are there any other penguin tidbits out there that you think are worth sharing? Feel free to add them below!
Emperor penguins have a royal name, but not much of a royal lifestyle. They live in a neighborhood (Antarctica) where temperatures can drop to eighty degrees below zero, with terrible winds. Zootles Penguinsfeatures the story of a dedicated father penguin determined to hatch and care for his young offspring, Chick, no matter what it costs him.
It costs him quite a bit! Emperor Dad has to 
balance the egg on his feet, protecting it with his brood pouch, for nine long weeks. During that time, he does not eat or drink, and he spends most of his time huddling with other Emperor dads, rotating their huddle so each penguin spends some time either warm in the middle of the huddle, or chilly on the outside edges.
Finally Chick hatches, and Emperor Dad manages to throw up just enough nourishment for him to keep Chick alive. Still later, Emperor Mom reappears, after hunting for months at sea, and takes over Chick’s care so Dad can go off to sea and hunt for himself. By this time he’s lost almost half his body weight. But Emperor Mom is well prepared, now, to make sure Chick gets all the nourishment he needs, and all goes well for Chick.
The story is a great reminder of how families work together to take care of each other–let us know if it inspires any acts of kindness at your house!
All turtles can pull their heads inside their shells, right? Nope! Some species can’t pull their head, arms, or legs inside at all. But of those that CAN, our favorite might be the turtles that have “hinged” doors–the ones that can not only cozy up inside, but can shut up their shells so nothing can come in after them.
Zootles Turtles demonstrates that turtles come in three different types: sea turtles, freshwater turtles, and tortoises. Tortoises are the ones that live exclusively on land. Sea turtles are the ones that can’t pull their heads inside their shells. Freshwater turtles are the turtles that can survive the winter motionless beneath a frozen pond.
So, are turtles reptiles, or amphibians? They’re reptiles! This means they are cold-blooded. They spend a lot of time moving between warm spots and cool spots to make sure their bodies stay at the right temperature. They have scaly skin and lay eggs on land (amphibians lay their eggs in the water).
We may consider turtles a great example of animals that can teach us how to take life at a slower pace, but remember that lots of sea turtles can swim faster than you can.
Any questions?
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!
As animal lovers, we’re all about sharing the excitement of wildlife with the young people in our lives, and strive to make animal learning not only educational, but enjoyable. That’s why every issue of Zootles includes activity pages with fun activities for your child to complete, as well as ideas for other wildlife activities you can do together.
Did you see the activity on page 17 of Zootles Pandas? It explains how scientists at the Wolong Nature Preserve in China learn about pandas from watching them around the clock and recording their observations. Your child can be a scientist, too, by observing the animals in your yard or local park. This is a great activity for summer, when the weather’s just right for outdoor animal fun. Take this activity one step further by going outside with your child at the same time every day and recording your findings. How do the animals you see spend their mornings or afternoons?
Did you catch the poem by Fran Sammis on page 11 of Zootles Pandas? Poetry can be a fun (and funny) way for kids – even the little ones – to play with language and explore ideas. For a fun Pandas activity, make an acrostic poem from the word Panda with your child. Maybe it could start like this:
Panda bears can climb up trees,
And eat as much bamboo as they please,
N…
D…
A…
How did your child complete this poem? We’d love to see what you’ve come up with, so feel free to share! And if you haven’t already, get your copy of Zootles Pandas today!
Did this month’s Zootles Pandas issue leave you and your child longing for more of those adorable giant pandas? If so, you can sign online together and see what’s happening with different pandas across the U.S. With online panda-cams, you can find out how Yun Zi or Gao Gao are doing at the San Diego Zoo, and what little Po is up to at Zoo Atlanta. Is there a baby panda nursing, or playing? Perhaps a mother panda is munching on some bamboo?
You may have noticed in your latest Zootles issue that the San Diego Zoo harvests over 13 tons of bamboo each year to keep its pandas satisfied – that’s a lot of bamboo! This may not come as a surprise when you consider that grown giant pandas eat bamboo for 10-12 hours a day! Did you know that the giant panda isn’t the only animal that eats bamboo? Different parts of the tree, including the leaves, shoots, and stems, serve as major food sources for a variety of other animals, including the raccoon-resembling Red Panda of Nepal, Africa’s Mountain Gorillas, and even some chimpanzees and elephants. Human beings in different areas of the world eat bamboo, too! What does your child think – would bamboo be a yummy mid-day snack, or food better left for animals?
Courtesy of Zootles Butterflies, we’ve got some trivia for you so you’ll be ready to dazzle the masses at your next children’s birthday party!
The smallest butterfly in the world is about the size of your thumbnail–but the biggest? That award goes to the Queen Alexandra birdwing, which is about 11 inches across. And you may be aware that some butterflies have fake “eyes” on their wings to confuse predators, but did you know that some of them deter predators by having a nasty odor? There are even some chrysalises that look like bird droppings, which helps them avoid getting eaten.
Butterflies are able to see UV rays, which humans cannot. Many flowers have patterns on them that work like little signs pointing the way to nectar–but the patterns can only be seen by eyes capable of discerning ultraviolet (UV) light.
Here are some ways to teach a child about the differences between moths and butterflies: If it’s daytime, you’re probably looking at a butterfly, because moths are more often active at night. Moths have plump, fuzzy bodies, while butterfly bodies are more smooth. Butterfly antennae are thin, with round clubs on the tips; moth antennae are usually more feathery.
There are plenty more butterfly facts that you will find intriguing in Zootles Butterflies–from the workings of a proboscis to the construction of scales. You may never look at one of these small fluttering creatures quite the same way again!
