Cruz’s Aunt Marisol sends him postcards from around the world with secret messages written in code. Start the scavenger hunt by following the instructions on the first postcard below. See if you can solve Marisol’s codes and unlock a secret about Explorer Academy.
Watch them in action and find out how they’re changing the world through science
The Madagascar hissing cockroach is all hiss and no sting. Its alarm hiss, which sounds like a loud snake hiss, is the cockroach’s attempt to scare off intruders. The male cockroach also uses distinct hisses to attract a mate and to intimidate other male cockroaches. When defending their territory from other males, these cockroaches will hiss, push, and shove, and stand on their “toes” to show who’s boss. The male that is larger and hisses more usually wins. It is one of the largest species of cockroach in the world—adults grow to be between two and four inches (5.1 and 10.2 centimeters) long! With their thick and waxy exoskeletons, Madagascar hissing cockroaches may look like big pests, but they’re actually important to the health of the rain forest. They are detritivores, which means they eat decaying plant material and animal carcasses. They recycle nutrients back into the ecosystem.
Find out how these insects get sweet in this „Weird But True!“ video.
The green anaconda is the largest snake in the world, when both weight and length are considered. It can reach a length of 30 feet (9 meters) and weigh up to 550 pounds (227 kilograms). To picture how big that is, if about five ten-year-olds lie down head to foot, they’d be about the length of this huge snake. The green anaconda is a member of a family of snakes called constrictors. Constrictors are not venomous snakes. They don’t kill prey by delivering venom through a bite. Instead, constrictors wrap their bodies around their prey and squeeze until it stops breathing. The giant snake opens its mouth wide enough to swallow its victim—sometimes fish or caiman (relatives of crocodiles) and even jaguars and small deer. Anaconda jaws are held together with stretchy ligaments so they can open wide enough to swallow prey whole. And it’d take about 11 kids to weigh as much as one anaconda.
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These frogs are considered one of Earth’s most toxic, or poisonous, species. For example, the golden poison dart frog has enough poison to kill 20,000 mice. With a range of bright colors—yellows, oranges, reds, greens, blues—they aren’t just big show-offs either. Those colorful designs tell potential predators, „I’m toxic. Don’t eat me.“ Scientists think that poison dart frogs get their toxicity from some of the insects they eat. How do poison dart frogs capture their prey? Slurp! With a long, sticky tongue that darts out and zaps the unsuspecting bug! The frogs eat many kinds of small insects, including fruit flies, ants, termites, young crickets, and tiny beetles, which are the ones scientists think may be responsible for the frogs‘ toxicity. Poison dart frogs live in the rain forests of Central and South America.
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Laos is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia.
Lao have few possessions beyond their food, their Buddhist beliefs help them to find
How much do you know about the world’s only flying mammal?
Also, heat sensors on their noses help them find a good spot on an animal’s body
Picture a camel. Now take away a hump (or two). Finally, shrink it down in size and place it in South America, living as far south as Tierra del Fuego. What do you end up with? A guanaco. Guanacos are related to camels, as are vicunas, llamas, and alpacas. But they live in South America, while camels are found in Africa and Asia. Guanacos and vicunas are wild animals, but llamas and alpacas have been domesticated, like cats and dogs, and were probably bred from guanacos. They’re slender animals with pale brown backs, white undersides, short tails, large heads, very long necks, and big, pointed ears. They live in groups of up to ten females, their young, and a dominant male adult. Unattached bachelor males form herds of their own—these can include as many as 50 or more animals. When a female guanaco gives birth, her newborn, known as a chulengo, is able to walk immediately. Chulengos can keep up with the herd right away. Guanacos live on land high in the Andes mountains—up to 13,000 feet (3,962 meters) above sea level—as well as on the lower plateaus, plains, and coastlines of Peru, Chile, and Argentina. Guanacos were once over hunted for their thick, warm wool. Now they thrive in areas protected by law.
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Find out about this year’s challenge.
The instruments you’ll need to build your own weather station
explore more How Things Work Kamri Noel and four of National Geographic’s experts find
Make a „camera,“ and learn how a real one works!
That’s why all of our great photo stuff is in one easy-to-find place.
