NATGEOKIDS.

COM • MAY 2024

ial Coral R
c

ee
Sp

f Issue
Secrets of t h e
OCTOPUS
and other
coral reef
critters
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 Coral Reef
l

Iss
a
Speci

ue
Editorial Director,
Kids and Family, Magazines and Digital
Rachel Buchholz Coral reefs provide
Senior Design Editor, Magazines Eileen O’Tousa-Crowson homes to about a
Editorial Kay Boatner, Senior Editor / Digital Producer; quarter of all known
Allyson Shaw, Editor / Digital Producer marine species. Take
Photo Shannon Hibberd, Senior Photo Editor a quiz on pages 10-11
Production Sean Philpotts, Manager
to find out which
type matches your
Digital Laura Goertzel, Senior Manager
personality. Then
meet some of the
animals that
PUBLISHED BY NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC PARTNERS, LLC
live there.
EVP and General Manager 10
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 Check out these
outrageous facts.
BY JEANNETTE SWAIN AND AVERY ELIZABETH HURT

Bonobos blow
raspberries
for
Wolves attention.
can get the
hiccups.
area
The entire landtiguous
of the con
United Suldtafitteinsthe YOUR BODY’S SMELL—OR
co
Sahara. “ODORPRINT” — IS AS
UNIQUE AS
YOUR FINGERPRINTS.
TOMATOES ONE SPECIES
OF BIRD
TAPDANCES
cue the
musIc!

CAN BE PURPLE. Giant squid

have
CHECK OUT doughnut- TO ATTRACT
THE BOOK!
shaped brains.
MATES.
4 NAT GEO KIDS • MAY 2024
YVA MOMATIUK AND JOHN EASTCOTT / MINDEN PICTURES (WOLF); WUTTICHOK PANICHIWARAPUN / SHUTTERSTOCK (SAND); CYRIL RUOSO / MINDEN PICTURES
(BONOBOS); ZIGZAG MOUNTAIN ART / SHUTTERSTOCK (TOMATOES); GUZEL STUDIO / SHUTTERSTOCK (DOUGHNUT); JOHN KARMALI / FLPA / MINDEN PICTURES (BIRD)
 Creature
Feature Meet the star-nosed mole.
BY ALLYSON SHAW

BUBBLING UP
While underwater, star-nosed EXTREMELY
moles can blow a bubble out of NOSY
each nostril, hold them with their Their nostrils are
tentacles, and then inhale them. surrounded by a
This helps the mole smell prey like star of 22 fleshy
worms and small fish … underwater. tentacles. They
use these extra
“fingers” to sense
prey in the dirt.

EYE DON’T
NEED ’EM
Star-nosed moles
have small, weak
eyes. But they don’t
use their peepers
much—they live
mostly underground
in near-total darkness.

Hudson
Bay

C A N A D A
DIG IT
Shovel-shaped front limbs and claws
help these moles tunnel through dirt
and paddle in water.
NORTH U N I T E D
AMERICA S T A T E S ATLANTIC
PACIFIC OCEAN
ATLANTIC
OCEAN OCEAN

SOUTH Where
AMERICA Gulf of star-nosed
Mexico moles live

5
KIRK HEWLETT / ALAMY (MAIN IMAGE); © JOEL SARTORE/ PHOTO ARK (HEADER IMAGE);
KENNETH C. CATANIA (BUBBLING UP); MARTIN WALZ (MAP) MAY 2024 • NAT GEO KIDS
GUINNESS
WORLD
RECORDS knIttIng
leaves
BY LAURA GOERTZEL

‘SEW’
me In
stItches.

BIG
Betsy Bond definitely made
a point with her art project:
She crafted the world’s larg-
est knitting needles. Made
with 15-foot-long plastic
tubes, the needles had
3D-printed points
and knobs on the
ends. To break the
record, Bond had to knit
at least 10 stitches and 10
rows. We’re guessing she
had a giant ball doing it.

SAY CHEESE
These bakers really shredded the competition. To break
the record for the most varieties of cheese on a pizza,
French chefs piled a whopping 1,001 types of cheese
onto one pie. Each cheese type had to weigh at least
two grams—which meant the pizza was topped with
nearly four and a half pounds of melty goodness.
Grate—er, great—work, chefs.

This ant is a pain in the neck … or whichever body

part it stings. Native to Central and South America,
the bullet ant has the world’s most painful sting. Bug
scientist Justin Schmidt allowed 83 different insect
species to sting him, and the bullet ant ranked first.
The ant’s sting isn’t deadly, but Schmidt compares
the pain to walking over flaming coals with a three-
inch nail in your heel. Yikes!

6 NAT GEO KIDS • MAY 2024

COURTESY OF GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS LIMITED (BOND, PIZZA); CHIEN LEE / MINDEN
PICTURES (ANT). INFORMATION PROVIDED BY © 2024 GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS LIMITED.
 sparkly star facts
BY LAURA GOERTZEL
1
Counting the
estimated 2
100 billion stars
in our galaxy Starquakes
3 would take about are movements on
a star’s surface that
The hottest
9,510 years.
can make it swell
stars can and shrink.
reach some
300,000°F. i 4
In one legend
from the Lummi,
a Native American tribe,
Coyote juggled his
5 eyeballs so high
that one became
On Earth,
a star.
a teaspoon of
an aging star—called a 6
white dwarf— A car driving at
would weigh as
much as an highway speeds
would take more than
elephant. 41 million years
to reach Proxima
Centauri, Earth’s
second closest star
after the sun.

TETRA IMAGES / ALMAY MAY 2024 • NAT GEO KIDS 7

AMAZING
ANIMALS
I thought
I’d try a
new look.
Spo tless
Giraffes
Brights Zoo in Limestone, Tennessee
Okonjati Game Reserve, Namibia
You’ve probably already spotted what’s different
about these two giraffes: Instead of a patterned
coat covered in patches, the fur of these young-
sters is solid brown.
Scientists don’t know the exact cause of the
coloration, but they know it’s rare: A spotless
giraffe hasn’t been seen since 1972. That makes
these two calves—one born in a U.S. zoo and the
other seen in the wild in Africa a few weeks
later—even more special.
Although scientists think spots might help
giraffes camouflage or control their body tem-
perature, the two calves seem to be doing fine.
And it turns out they likely aren’t truly spot-
less: The brown coating is actually one giant
spot. Biologist Derek Lee is calling them “one-
spot-all-over giraffes.”
KIPEKEE GETS
—Dina Fine Maron
A NUZZLE
FROM HER A WILD SPOTLESS
MOTHER AT GIRAFFE TROTS
BRIGHTS ZOO. AFTER MOM IN
NAMIBIA.

Kipekee means
“unique” in
Swahili, an
African
language.

8 NAT GEO KIDS • MAY 2024

 Parrot You’re ON
MUTE.

Video Chat
ELLIE THE
COCKATOO
HOPS ON A
VIDEO CHAT.

United States
Bleep, bloop. Bird calling.
Scientists know that pet parrots often develop behav-
ior problems if they don’t interact with other parrots. So
these researchers wanted to find out if the birds might
like to video chat each other.
Caretakers taught 15 pet parrots to start a video call
by ringing a bell then touching their beaks to a picture of
another parrot. Once they learned the process, the birds
called each other 147 times during the study. Some sang
to each other or showed off their toys. One bird would
often say “Hi! Come here! Hello!” at the start of a call.
The social birds appeared to enjoy the face time. “Some
caretakers even said their parrot became more confident
in being a bird,” researcher Rébecca Kleinberger says. We
hope the calls keep coming! — Jed Winer

COMEBACK CRITTERS:
Wildlife Between LONG-TAILED GORAL

North and South Korea

Demilitarized Zone, Korea
A young endangered Asiatic black bear—also known as a moon
bear—sets off a camera trap as it walks along a stream. Seventy
years ago, this land was part of a war zone. The war damaged the
habitat and scared off many animals.
But scientists have good news. In recent years, they’ve counted
a whopping 6,168 animal and plant species living in the area.
This region includes what is
called the demilitarized zone, or
DMZ. It’s a 2.5-mile-wide, 150-mile- NOPE—NO
long area that separates North and TIME FOR A
South Korea. In 1953, these two PHOTO. LEOPARD CAT
countries signed an agreement to
stop actively fighting. But the DMZ
remains mostly off-limits to
humans—allowing wildlife to thrive.
“The area has animals that are
rarely found elsewhere on the
Korean Peninsula,” environmental
historian Lisa Brady says. Scientists
hope that this area can become
officially protected, keeping the
special wildlife here safe. ASIATIC BLACK BEAR
— Jed Winer

“’SPOTLESS’ GIRAFFES” TEXT ADAPTED FROM TWO SEPTEMBER 2023 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC ONLINE ARTICLES. BRIGHTS ZOO / COVER IMAGES
(GIRAFFES IN ZOO); ECKART DEMASIUS / GIRAFFE CONSERVATION FOUNDATION / COVER IMAGES / AP (WILD GIRAFFES); MATTHEW MODOONO /
NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY (ELLIE); NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ECOLOGY (LONG-TAILED GORAL, ASIATIC BLACK BEAR, LEOPARD CAT) MAY 2024 • NAT GEO KIDS 9
 1 2
If you could time travel,
oral Reef which historical period Which dinner would

lC would you visit? you dig into?

A. tacos
Iss
A. ancient Egypt
a

B. soup and a sandwich

Speci

B. ancient Greece
ue C. the industrial revolution C. spaghetti and meatballs
D. veggie dumplings
D. the Mesozoic era
(dinosaurs!) E. pad Thai
E. the Middle Ages

Personality 6 7
People love your … Pick a planet.
A. sense of style A. Uranus
B. kind eyes B. Jupiter
C. amazing smile C. Saturn
D. hilarious sense D. Mars
BY KAY BOATNER of humor E. Neptune
E. awesome
Coral reefs are one of the most diverse listening skills
ecosystems on our planet, providing
homes to about a quarter of all known
marine species. But because most
coral reefs thrive in warm, shallow,
coastal waters, these delicate habi-
tats are vulnerable to climate
change and pollution.
A jump of even 2°F in water
temperature can harm corals.
They can also become sick if
results (If these descriptions don’t match your personality,
don’t worry. These questions are just for fun!)

just one piece of plastic settles MOSTLY A’s MOSTLY B’s

on a reef. That’s why it’s so
important to protect the GREAT BARRIER REEF RED SEA CORAL REEFS
planet’s reefs—and the The largest coral reef system on Earth, Located along the northeast coast of
animals that live in them. the Great Barrier Reef is located in the Africa, the Red Sea Coral reef system
So dive into this Special Coral Sea off Australia’s northeast coast. has a high tolerance for rising sea tem-
Coral Reef Issue to learn all Like this reef system, you’re hard to peratures, which might help it survive
about the animals that live miss—mostly because of your outgoing major changes in its environment. You
there, plus get tons of tips personality and individual style. You’re also know all about being tough. You
on how you can help these not afraid to share your opinion, and you don’t back down from a challenge and
ecosystems. But first, take prefer being a leader to a follower. are an excellent problem solver.
this fun quiz to discover
which coral reef system your
personality matches most.

CHECK OUT OUR OCEAN HUB!

natgeokids.com/ocean

BEAUBELLE / ADOBE STOCK (CORAL DESIGN); JOELENA / GETTY IMAGES (1); RICHARD GRIFFIN / ALAMY (2); SMERINDO_SCHULTZPAX / GETTY

10 NAT GEO KIDS • MAY 2024

IMAGES (3); DAOQIAN LIN / SHUTTERSTOCK (4); DOROTTYA MATHE / SHUTTERSTOCK (5); CARLOSALVAREZ / GETTY IMAGES (6); NASA, ESA,
A. SIMON (GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT CENTER), M.H. WONG (UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY), AND THE OPAL TEAM (7)
 TAJ
MAHAL

3 4 5
Which landmark do you What’s the last thing Pick a pet.
most want to see in person? you do before leaving A. a puppy
A. the Taj Mahal in India the house? B. a bird
B. the Colosseum in Italy A. fill my water bottle C. a hamster
C. Machu Picchu in Peru B. turn off the lights D. a lizard
D. the Eiffel Tower in France C. put on sunscreen E. an older
E. the Tokyo Tower in Japan D. hug my pet cat
E. charge my phone

8 9 10
Choose a color to Pick an emoji. Choose a mode of
paint your bedroom. A. party hat transportation for
A. bubblegum pink B. lightning bolt a day in a city.
B. icy blue C. sunglasses A. scooter
C. sunny D. ladybug B. walking
yellow E. alien C. taxi
D. mossy D. bike
green E. subway
E. charcoal

MOSTLY C’s MOSTLY D’s MOSTLY E’s

GREAT FLORIDA REEF TUBBATAHA REEF AMAZON REEF
The only coral reef system near the The Tubbataha Reef in the Philippines Located in the Atlantic Ocean off the
mainland United States, the Great provides homes to dozens of endangered coast of French Guiana and Brazil, the
Florida Reef sits near the southern tip species, including green and hawksbill Amazon Reef is in dark, deep waters.
of Florida. This natural barrier protects sea turtles. Providing safe spaces for Scientists weren’t even sure it existed
the state’s coastline from hurricanes. animals is something you also take super until 2016—and like this reef, you also
You, too, are protective—of your friends seriously. You have a big heart and an might seem mysterious at first. But once
and family. If they need support, you’re even bigger love for all things furry, people get to know you, they discover
the first person they text or call. scaly, and feathered. your fun, goofy nature.

BEYLA BALLA / SHUTTERSTOCK (8); TURGAY MALIKLI / SHUTTERSTOCK (9, ALL); VALUAVITALY / GETTY IMAGES (10); D. PARER
AND E. PARER-COOK / MINDEN PICTURES (GREAT BARRIER); BIRGITTE WILMS / MINDEN PICTURES (RED SEA); ROBERT ZEHET-
MAYER / ALAMY (GREAT FLORIDA); IMAGEBROKER GMBH & CO. KG / ALAMY (TUBBATAHA); © GREENPEACE (AMAZON) MAY 2024 • NAT GEO KIDS 11
 A coral reef might seem
like a calm and quiet
place to live, but the
creatures that reside
there are constantly
in work mode: They’re
Meet the building, cleaning, pro-
animals tecting, and gardening the
coral reef they call home.
“working” Nicknamed “rainforests
in colorful of the sea,” coral reefs are
also like undersea cities,
coral reefs. with reef residents working
together to help their commu-
BY CRISPIN BOYER nity thrive. “Each role is impor-
tant for keeping the coral reef
ecosystem healthy,” marine
biologist Kiho Kim says. Meet
the animals in this underwater
WATER metropolis that get the job done.
WORLDS
ARCTIC OCEAN

NORTH E
O P
AMERICA R
EU ASIA
ATLANTIC PACIFIC
OCEAN OCEAN
AFRICA
PACIFIC
OCEAN SOUTH
AMERICA INDIAN
OCEAN

AUSTRALIA

SOUTHERN OCEAN
Where
coral reefs ANTARCTICA
are found

12 NAT GEO KIDS • MAY 2024

 THE ANIMALS:
Clownfish
and
Sea Anemones

THE JOB:
Security Guards
A clownfish hovers inside the tentacles of a creature called
a sea anemone(uh-NEM-uh-NEE). Unbothered by
the stinging tentacles, the fish eats parasites off the
anemone and protects it from predators like butterflyfish.
Sea anemones Like security guards protecting a building, clownfish and
have a “foot,” called a anenomes are protecting the coral reef ecosystem.
pedal disk, that they Because the clownfish guard the anemones, the stinging
use to grip or move anemones can help protect the reef from too many sea
across surfaces. urchins. An overpopulation of sea urchins can scrape
away coral and wear down the reef’s skeleton.

WATCH A VIDEO TO SEE THESE CREATURES IN ACTION.

natgeokids.com/may

GEORGETTE DOUWMA / NATURE PICTURE LIBRARY (MAIN IMAGE); MARTIN WALZ (MAP) MAY 2024 • NAT GEO KIDS 13
 THE ANIMALS:
Coral Polyps Like
their jellyfish
THE JOB: cousins, coral polyps
have stinging cells
Builders in their tentacles
to help them
A tiny, squishy-looking creature wiggles atop the hard catch prey.
surface of a coral reef. The animal, a coral polyp, isn’t just
hanging out—it’s “building” the reef it’s attached to.
The polyp, which is usually no bigger than a pencil tip,
has a mostly soft body except for the limestone skeleton
on its underside. The polyp divides, creating new polyps; as
one polyp dies, another polyp grows on top of its skeleton,
adding more limestone growing upward.(Some reef-
building corals can also reproduce by releasing eggs.)
Layer by layer, hundreds of thousands of polyps
of the same species grow into colonies that can be
hundreds of years old and as big as a car. The live
polyps are only on the top layer; the rest of the reef
is made up of limestone skeletons.
Thousands of coral colonies eventually form a reef, CORAL POLYPS
which can take up to 10,000 years to form. Reefs keep
growing until they’re damaged because of events like THE ANIMALS:
storms and heat waves. Sea turtle
“These polyps are like masons, or construction workers
Sea Turtles
hatchlings are
who build with stone,” marine biologist Howard Lasker and less than three
says. “But they’re slow builders. Many coral colonies typi- Dugongs inches long.
cally grow only a fraction of an inch in a year.” Over time,
a reef can extend a thousand miles. THE JOB:
Gardeners
A hungry green sea turtle “prunes”
the seagrass growing around a coral
reef while a dugong “mows” the
tasty plant. Animals like these are
the gardeners of the reef system.
THE ANIMALS: Just like your lawn, seagrass
Parrotfish needs to be cut so it doesn’t over-
grow the reef. Sea turtles, dugongs,
and other animals trim the seagrass
THE JOB: by eating it.
Cleaners And like any good gardener, sea
White turtles and dugongs also spread
A parrotfish scrapes yummy algae off the surface of a nourishing fertilizer(aka poop).
coral skeleton with its teeth, biting off pieces of old sand beaches near
coral reefs consist “The clean, clear waters that
coral as it works. The fish is getting a gritty meal, of ground-up coral coral reefs are primarily
but it’s also helping keep the reef clean. pooped out by found in are low in nutrients,”
Healthy coral rely on algae to make food for them. parrotfish. Kim says. Thanks to these
But too much algae can smother the reef. So like a den- gardeners’ bathroom breaks,
tist scraping harmful plaque off your teeth, the parrot- the reef gets plenty of the
fish scrapes extra algae off the coral.(Turn to page 28 nutrients it needs.
to learn more about the role algae play in coral reefs.)
The parrotfish is also clearing away old, weak pieces of
coral to make room for new polyps to grow. According
to research, reefs that have more parrotfish are usually
healthier than reefs with fewer parrotfish.

ALEX MUSTARD / NPL / MINDEN PICTURES (MAIN IMAGE); MARK CONLIN / ALAMY (CORAL REEF INSET); WATERFRAME / ALAMY (POLYPS
INSET); LINDA PITKIN / NPL / MINDEN PICTURES (PARROTFISH); LUCIANO CANDISANI / MINDEN PICTURES (SEA TURTLE); ETHAN DANIELS /
STOCKTREK IMAGES / ALAMY (FRINGING REEF); JUERGEN FREUND / ALAMY (BARRIER REEF); NATURE PICTURE LIBRARY / ALAMY (ATOLL)
 CARIBBEAN
REEF SHARKS
SWIM THROUGH
SPLASHY
A REEF NEAR
CUBA. SHAPES
Check out the three main types of coral
reefs found throughout Earth’s oceans.

KOMODO NATIONAL PARK, INDONESIA

FRINGING REEF
The most common type of coral reef,
fringing reefs typically grow directly
from the shore and often form a shal-
low lagoon between the beach and
the reef. (Lagoons are pools of water
separated from the sea by sandbars,
THE ANIMALS: barrier islands, or coral reefs.)
Reef Sharks

THE JOB:
Police Officers
A hungry reef shark casts a dark
shadow above a coral city, sending
reef residents scrambling for shel- GREAT BARRIER REEF, AUSTRALIA
ter. Without this “police officer”
Sharks
making sure sea creatures don’t
break the “laws” of the reef, those
BARRIER REEF
have been on Barrier reefs are also found close to
critters might behave badly.
Earth longer shore, but they grow parallel to the
than trees. For instance, if reef sharks
land with a deeper lagoon separating
didn’t police large fish like grouper
them from shore. These reefs get their
(and by “police,” we mean “eat”), all
name because they act as a barrier
those fish might gobble too many
between the coast and the open ocean.
smaller creatures like parrotfish.
And that could mean algae, which
parrotfish eat, would completely
take over the reef.
Without reef sharks to scare
them away, sea turtles and
dugongs might completely stuff
themselves with seagrass. That
could destroy much of the habitat,
which young fish hide in as they ARI ATOLL, MALDIVES
learn how to survive.
“Every ecosystem needs a ATOLL
balance of predators and prey Atolls are reefs in the open ocean
to make sure there are enough with a lagoon in the middle. They
resources for everyone,” Kim says. form after fringing reefs grow around
Reef sharks bring that balance. volcanic islands that eventually sink
into the ocean.

MAY 2024 • NAT GEO KIDS 15

 2

ity L ife
Mor e C 1 HUNGRY
SUN CORAL
Algae that live inside coral
Dive into tissue provide food for many
Komodo National Park species of coral. But that’s 2 FISH HOUSE For fish like
not all these animals eat. anthias, coral reefs provide
in Indonesia to see other Corals like this sun coral shelter from predators, a
coral reef co-workers. are predators: They wave safe place for their babies,
their tentacles to nab any and a buffet of food. In
BY ALLYSON SHAW zooplankton (teeny-tiny return, these fish eat coral-
animals) that swim too close. smothering seaweed.

16 NAT GEO KIDS • MAY 2024 MARTIN STRMISKA / ALAMY (PHOTO); REVIEWED BY NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC EXPLORER AGUSTIN CAPRIATI
 3

6 STAY SPONGY
3 CORAL EATERS 4 FEATHERY 5 Many sponge species like
Many reef creatures—like FRIENDS these encrusting sponges
sunburst butterflyfish, Feather stars look like feed by sucking in water,
sea stars, sea urchins, plants, but these animals then filtering tiny pieces of
and crustaceans—feast can crawl, roll, and even 5 ROCK STAR Starfish like plants and animals. They
on coral polyps. Called swim to a new location. this peppermint sea star also absorb elements like
corallivores, some of these Long, sticky arms—up to 150 feed on small animals and carbon and phosphorus
predators might help coral of them—trap zooplankton sponges, as well as tiny from the water. Then the
reefs by pooping out floating in the water. Then pieces of fish scales, poop, sponges expel it out, creat-
healthy coral bacteria the feather stars’ poop feeds and dead stuff that falls to ing nutrient-filled food for
over new areas. shrimp, crabs, and snails. the bottom of the reef. snails and fish.

MAY 2024 • NAT GEO KIDS 17

 COOL THINGS
ABOUT

CORAL REEFS
BY LAURA GOERTZEL

1
Some coral glow to
help algae produce
nutrients.

People have turned ice-cream

trucks and subway cars into
artificial reefs.

Corals can sting each

3 other to compete for
space on the reef.
4 A coral’s tree-like
growth rings can show
5
a reef’s age. Surgeons
can use
coral to
help repair Many reef-building
human
bones. 6 corals release eggs just
once a year—in the
summer after a full moon.

THE WHITE
DOTS ARE
EGGS!

7
Corals are
related to
jellyfish.

Coral skeletons,
8 eggshells, chalk, and
pearls are all made
Some coral reefs
10
from calcium carbonate.
living today
began forming
50 million
years ago.

Bubblegum coral gets

9 its name from the tiny
pink polyps that live
on its skeleton.

GREAT BARRIER REEF, AUSTRALIA

JUAN CARLOS JUAREZ / ALAMY (1); IRA BERGER / ALAMY (2); SIRACHAI ARUNRUGSTITCHAI / NPL / MINDEN PICTURES (3); OWEN SHERWOOD (4);
PETER DAZELEY / GETTY IMAGES (5); AMAR AND ISABELLE GUILLEN, GUILLEN PHOTO LLC / ALAMY (6); RALPH PACE / MINDEN PICTURES (7);
OLGA KOVALENKO / SHUTTERSTOCK (8); WORLD HISTORY ARCHIVE / ALAMY (9); KIERAN STONE / GETTY IMAGES (10) MAY 2024 • NAT GEO KIDS 19
 One Explorer shares what
these ocean creatures are really
like beneath the surface.
BY ALEX SCHNELL
As a kid exploring the beaches of
Sydney, Australia, I loved plunging my
hands into rock pools along the shore.
But one morning, I felt something EXPLORER
sticky—and it wasn’t sand. ALEX
I yanked my hand out of the water. SCHNELL
Then a single eye peered
SCHNELL SWIMS up, staring right at me. It
WITH A DAY was an octopus! It stretched suckers. It’s like having a fingertip, a
OCTOPUS NEAR
AUSTRALIA’S out one of its eight wrig- tongue, and a nostril all in one place.
LIZARD ISLAND. gling, reddish arms and (I also now know that only trained
touched my finger so I could adults should touch wild animals.)
feel its little suckers. This wasn’t the last incredible
Now that I’m a marine octopus encounter I had. And each
biologist, I know the octo- one taught me something amazing
pus must’ve been tingling about these smart, shy creatures. Here
all over with strange new are some of the ways octopuses have
senses—octopuses touch, shown me their secret lives.
taste, and smell with their —As told to Kay Boatner
THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY IS MAJORITY OWNER OF NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC PARTNERS.
BLUE PLANET ARCHIVE / DAVID B. FLEETHAM (BIG PHOTO); HARRIET SPARK (SCHNELL);
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC FOR DISNEY / CRAIG PARRY (SCHNELL AND OCTOPUS)
 A DAY OCTOPUS
GLIDES
THROUGH THE
WATERS OFF
Underwater MAUI, HAWAII.

Connection
I’m always surprised that even though warm than scared or aggressive. some of her suckers as if to say
octopuses are extremely shy and like to I sense she’s just checking me out. “Goodbye!” Then she zooms away.
hide, it’s almost as if once they get to After 45 minutes, the octopus On a later dive, I see the same
know you, they’re ready to be BFFs. swims away. Then she turns her head octopus. I wonder if she remembers
Once, during a dive at a coral reef and looks at me as if to ask, “Aren’t me. Octopuses use their suckers to
near Lizard Island, off the northeast- you coming?” It’s an invitation I recognize each other, so when she
ern coast of Australia, a female day can’t ignore, so I join her. touches me with hers, it’s like she’s
octopus peeked out from her rocky Before she heads back to her den, saying, “Oh yeah, I do remember
den. She seems more curious and she reaches out and touches me with you!”

MAY 2024 • NAT GEO KIDS 21

 THE COCONUT
OCTOPUS
CHECKS OUT
THE CREW’S
CAMERA.
Octopus on Camera
Octopuses would usually rather escape danger than face it. I turn around—and see another coconut octopus
But one little creature showed me that’s not always true. charging toward our camera! He jumps on the
I was with a crew filming coconut octopuses in equipment and crawls all over the lens.
Lembeh Strait, Indonesia. One of these tennis-ball-size I’ve never seen an octopus be so bold, especially
creatures is about a foot away from us, and we’re trying such a tiny little thing. But it calms down after it
not to scare off the animal. But the looks on the crew’s examines our equipment. I think it just needed a
faces tell me that something surprising has happened minute to realize our unfamiliar gadgets weren’t
behind me. a threat, and it soon swims away.

Flushed Away
Octopuses can twist and squeeze their boneless bodies
through holes the size of a quarter. But I’d never seen
an octopus hanging out in a place like this before.
One night, I had dived off a pier into Port Phillip Bay,
on the southeastern coast of Australia. I was hoping to
see an octopus mid-hunt. Usually it takes a while to
spot an octopus, but this time I immediately see five
TOILET species hanging out together—a blue-ringed octopus,
a sand octopus, a southern keeled octopus, a pale octo-
pus, and a Maori octopus.
These species are all different sizes, and bigger
octopuses usually eat smaller ones. So it’s unusual that
they’re hanging out together under the pier. They aren’t
socializing like animals such as chimpanzees would, but
they’re at least tolerating each other.
PALE OCTOPUS But the pier isn’t the weirdest hang-out spot. This
bay is unfortunately a spot where people dump trash,
and one item on the seafloor is a toilet. As I’m
PALE
OCTOPUS
staring at it, a spotted arm snakes its way
out of the toilet’s back pipe; apparently, a pale
octopus had been living inside the toilet!

22 NAT GEO KIDS • MAY 2024

 MORE
SECRETS
Some 300 species
of octopuses swim in
Earth’s oceans. Check out
some surprising facts
about a few of them. Greater Blue-Ringed Octopus Coconut Octopus
Its venom could kill 26 adults in a few minutes. It uses coconut shells for protection underwater.

MINDEN PICTURES; DAVID SHALE / NPL / MINDEN PICTURES (BIOLUMINESCENT, DUMBO); CHRIS NEWBERT / MINDEN PICTURES; FRED BAVENDAM / MINDEN PICTURES; DAVID FLEETHAM / NATURE
ADAM GEIGER, SEALIGHT PICTURES (OCTOPUS ON CAMERA); SAM GLENN-SMITH (OCTOPUS IN TOILET); BLUE PLANET ARCHIVE / JOHN C. LEWIS (PALE OCTOPUS). GRID, LEFT TO RIGHT, TOP TO

PICTURE LIBRARY; ALEX MUSTARD / NPL / MINDEN PICTURES; SHANE GROSS / NPL / MINDEN PICTURES; NORBERT WU / MINDEN PICTURES; FRANCO BANFI / NPL / MINDEN PICTURES; NOAA
BOTTOM: ALEX MUSTARD / NATURE PICTURE LIBRARY / ALAMY; GARY BELL / OCEANWIDE / MINDEN PICTURES; SCOTLAND: THE BIG PICTURE / NPL / MINDEN PICTURES; DAVID HALL / NPL /
Curled Octopus Poison Ocellate Octopus Bioluminescent Octopus
Its arm tips are usually curled when resting. Its two blue eye-like rings scare off predators. Its organs can be seen through its translucent skin.

Dumbo Octopus Wunderpus Octopus Giant Pacific Octopus

It lives deeper than any other octopus species. The spots on its head are unique to each individual. It grows bigger than any other octopus species.

Day Octopus Mimic Octopus Common Octopus

It’s most active in early morning and late afternoon. Its arms can mimic the shape of venomous sea snakes. It can look like a moving rock to fool predators.

North Pacific Bigeye Octopus Atlantic White-Spotted Octopus Ghost Octopus

Its big eyes spot dinner in deep, dark waters. Also called a grass octopus, it hides in seagrass. Its paleness might be caused by a lack of color in its food.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Begins on 4/15/24 at 8 a.m. ET and ends on 4/22/24 at 11:59 p.m. PARENTS!
ET or until 5 eligible entrants are verified, whichever is earlier. First come, first served. Open GO ONLINE FOR A CHANCE TO WIN
to 50 U.S./D.C.; 18+; with children ages 6-14. SUBMISSIONS MUST BE EMAILED BY YOUR THIS OCEAN PRIZE PACK!
PARENT/LEGAL GUARDIAN. Void where prohibited. Sponsor: National Geographic Partners, natgeokids.com/giveaways
LLC, 1145 17th St., NW, Washington, DC 20036. Rules/odds: https://natgeokids.com/giveaways

MAY 2024 • NAT GEO KIDS 23

 THE
INCREDIBLE

Octopus
Discover how octopuses like this common octopus
use their bodies to be undersea superstars.
INK
When threatened,
octopuses eject ink that
can mess with a predator’s
sight, taste, and smell.
That distracts it so
the octopus can
escape.

SKIN
Octopus
skin is covered with
MUSCLES
Octopuses don’t
40% 90% chromatophores—groups
of special cells filled with
have bones but are different colors. These cells
90 percent muscle. can stretch out and turn the
Humans are only creature’s skin the same color
about 40 percent as its surroundings, which
muscle. can make the octopus
nearly invisible.

An octopus uses its birdlike BEAK to

open clams and other shelled prey.
It can also inject venom. (Yikes!)
The beak pops out from the center
of its lips (on the octopus’s
underside) to do
its work.

ARMS
An octopus sends
messages from its brain
to other parts of the body
through cells called neurons;
most neurons are in an A few
octopus’s arms. Each arm species of
can taste, feel, and octopuses can
move on its own. detach an arm to
distract predators.
(Don’t worry—it
grows back!)

The biggest octopus is The smallest is the

13 feet long

1 inch long

SIZE the giant Pacific octopus. (ADULT star-sucker pygmy

SUCKERS
About 300 known HUMAN) octopus.
These help the
species of octopuses octopus pick up prey
live in oceans all over and cling to surfaces.
the world. Some are Some octopuses have
ginormous, and others about 2,000
are teeny-tiny. suckers!
(ACTUAL SIZE)

24 NAT GEO KIDS • MAY 2024

GRAPHIC BY FERNANDO G. BAPTISTA AND LAWSON PARKER; WORDS BY KAY BOATNER; SOURCE: JANET VOIGHT, FIELD MUSEUM
OF NATURAL HISTORY. THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY IS MAJORITY OWNER OF NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC PARTNERS.
 HEAD
Octopuses can see in MANTLE
all directions—they have This balloon-shaped
an eye on each side of their part looks like a head,
head. Inside the head is a but it actually contains
centralized brain that tells the digestive track and
“mini-brains” in each Central internal organs like
arm how to heart the kidneys.
move.
HEARTS
Stomach An octopus
has three of them. Two
lateral hearts pump blood to
an octopus’s gills, where the
blood gets oxygen. A third
central heart pumps that
Kidney oxygen-rich blood to the
Digestive rest of the body.
gland

Ink Lateral
sac SIPHON
hearts
Ink and poop
Gills come out through the
Brain siphon. This body part
can also create a jet stream
of water to propel the
octopus through
the ocean.

MOVEMENT
Octopuses prefer
walking on the seafloor
instead of swimming.
Some have even been
seen walking on
two arms!

SECRETS OF THE OCTOPUS IS ON DISNEY+ ON APRIL 22.

MAY 2024 • NAT GEO KIDS 25

 A DIVER
CLEANS ALGAE
OFF OF CORAL
GROWING IN A
NURSERY NEAR
KEY LARGO,
FLORIDA.

w to Save
Ho a Re e f
These Around the world,
coral reefs are in danger:
percent of Earth’s coral is
at risk.
ecosystem we save,”
marine biologist Steve
eco-heroes Pollution, warmer waters The good news is that Simpson says. “And if we
are working to due to climate change,
and other threats can
many people are working
to save them. “Coral reefs
can save coral reefs, we
can save anything.”
protect coral. cause coral to die. An could be the first ecosys- Check out a few ways
international report tem we lose—but that also conservationists are pro-
BY BETHANY AUGLIERE found that up to 90 means it could be the first tecting these habitats.

THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY IS MAJORITY OWNER OF NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC PARTNERS. ALEX NEUFELD /

26 NAT GEO KIDS • MAY 2024

CORAL RESTORATION FOUNDATION (UNDERWATER NURSERIES, BOTH); HAWAI’I DIVISION OF AQUATIC
RESOURCES (SEAWEED SMACKDOWN); ALEX MUSTARD / NPL / MINDEN PICTURES (SUPER CORAL)
 Underwater
Nurseries
Some polyps—the animals
that create coral reefs—are
THE SUPER
harmed by heat waves and SUCKER
pollution, and others die after REMOVES
SEAWEED IN
they’re knocked off a reef by KANEʻOHE BAY,
strong storms or boat strikes. HAWAII.
So conservationists had a cool
idea to rebuild struggling reefs.
First, scientists from org-
anizations like the Coral
Restoration Foundation (left
and below) cut slivers of coral
from a healthy reef or rescue
bits of coral that have been
knocked off. Then these polyps
are taken to a nursery, which Seaweed Smackdown
could be in tanks on land or Pollution and hot ocean temperatures can supercharge seaweed
shallow, protected areas growth—and that’s not good for a reef. Too much seaweed pre-
underwater. vents baby coral from attaching to the reef. It can also block
Like holiday ornaments, sunlight from reaching adult coral, which can cause the coral to
these coral chunks are hung starve. But conservationists are beating back the seaweed.
on metal “trees.” That exposes
them to clean water and tasty
zooplankton floating by. Scuba- In Hawaii, scientists have used an underwater vacuum
diving researchers monitor called the Super Sucker to slurp up gobs of seaweed into
the polyps’ health and keep the device’s long hose.
seaweed or sponges from
smothering them. In the Bahamas, researchers are enlisting animal allies.
After about a year, the sci- “We found the fix isn’t technology,” says Andy Stamper, a
entists use cement, clips, and Disney conservation science manager. “It’s sea urchins.”
zip ties to attach the healthy The scientists are reintroducing native species like long-
coral fragments to damaged spined sea urchins to graze on excess seaweed, like little
reefs.(As polyps grow, they’ll lawn mowers.
form a natural, permanent
bond to the reef.) The trans- National Geographic Explorer Hillary Smith is studying a low-
planted, nursery-grown corals tech solution in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef: plucking sea-
can bring new weed by hand. “It pops off the reef,” she says. “The fish can
life to a strug- ANURSERY-GROWN
WORKER ATTACHES feel it, and they come out to eat the critters that were living
gling habitat. CORAL TO A REEF IN at the base of the seaweed.”
THE FLORIDA KEYS.

Super Coral
Corals in the northern Red Sea between Africa and Asia are
unusual: They can survive heat waves that would harm corals
in other parts of the world. Why? One National Geographic
Explorer might know the answer.
GORDON REEF,
RED SEA
Marine biologist Eslam Osman has discovered that many
corals here have a species of alga in their tissue that’s found
nowhere else. Osman hopes his work will inspire governments
and environmental groups to protect these corals so the hardy
polyps might someday repopulate reefs around the world.

MAY 2024 • NAT GEO KIDS 27

 Sound Saver
Healthy reefs are noisy. Fish
grunt and whoop, and thousands
of snapping shrimp create and
pop bubbles with their claws to
create a sound like frying bacon.
But when a reef becomes so
damaged that those animals
leave, the whole ecosystem is in
trouble: Excess algae won’t be
eaten, and nutrient-giving poop
vanishes. “A coral reef without
fish is a reef living on borrowed
time,” Simpson says.
So the marine biologist
plays sounds of healthy reefs A RESEARCHER
PLAYS HEALTHY
through underwater speakers REEF SOUNDS
to attract young fish. He found THROUGH A
SPEAKER ON
that six weeks of broadcasting THE GREAT
healthy reef sounds doubled BARRIER REEF.
the amount of fish in the area.
Sounds good to us.

THE BIG BLEACH

One of the biggest threats to coral reefs is bleaching. Here’s how it works.

Thriving Coral Under Stress Bleaching Recovery … … Or Death

Most coral spe- But when the So corals kick If the water tem- But if the
cies survive by ocean water gets out the algae. perature decreases warming is
partnering with too hot, the algae Algae give the quickly, algae can too intense
tiny algae called produce too much see-through polyps once again live or lasts too
zooxanthellae oxygen, which can their colorful look. inside the polyps long, the coral
(ZOH-eh-zan-THEH- hurt the coral. So when the algae and make food for will starve and
lee). The algae get leave, the color them. eventually
a safe home inside disappears, too. die.
the corals’ tissue. This process is
In return, algae called bleaching
make food for the because the coral
coral by convert- appears to turn
ing sunlight into white.
sugar that the coral
can use for energy.
(When two species
partner up, it’s
called symbiosis.)

28
 YOU CAN HELP!
See what you can do to protect this splashy ecosystem.

1
Touching a reef 2
can damage it, so
only look at coral Slather on
while snorkeling. sunscreen labeled
“reef safe,” which
means it doesn’t
contain chemicals
that can harm
3
coral reefs.
Sharks help keep
coral reefs healthy: They eat
4 prey that might damage the habitat
if too many are around. But sharks
are killed to harvest their liver,
Make sure
which contains an oil used in

HARRY HARDING (SOUND SAVER); FERNANDO G. BAPTISTA, EVE CONANT, NGM STAFF; LAWSON PARKER. SOURCES: KATE GREEN
your aquarium fish

AND KATE QUIGLEY, AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF MARINE SCIENCE; NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION
products like sunscreen, makeup,
were bred in captivity,

(NOAA); NOAA CORAL REEF WATCH. (THE BIG BLEACH); RAFAEL BEN ARI / DREAMSTIME (1): IPEGGAS / GETTY IMAGES (2);
and lotion. Choose products that
not taken from
don’t have squalene or squalane

BRIAN SKERRY / MINDEN PICTURES (3); ILIUTA GOEAN / SHUTTERSTOCK (4); YASSER CHALID / GETTY IMAGES (6)
wild places like
on the ingredient list or are
coral reefs.
5 marked “cruelty free.”

7
Get tips to fight Never buy
climate change and help souvenirs or
prevent coral bleaching. jewelry made
natgeokids.com/ from pieces
SaveTheEarth of coral.

6
Pick up trash
at the beach. Plastic can
suffocate coral. (And
one report found plastic
debris on 92 percent of
the reefs studied.)

29
 A

STUFF
GAMES,
LAUGHS,
AND LOTS
TO DO!

FIND THE HIDDEN

ANIMALS
Animals often blend in with their environment to hide. Find each
animal listed below in the pictures, then write the letter of the
correct photo next to each animal’s name. ANSWERS ON PAGE 33
E
1. tree frog ___ 5. cicada ___
2. ghost crab ___ 6. Eurasian bittern (a bird) ___
3. great potoo (a bird) ___ 7. sidewinding adder ___
4. octopus ___

30 NAT GEO KIDS • MAY 2024

 B C

F G

SOLVIN ZANKL / NPL / MINDEN PICTURES (A); SEATOPS / ALAMY (B); BERNARD CASTELEIN / NPL / MINDEN PICTURES (C); ALEX HYDE / NPL / MINDEN
PICTURES (D); PIPER MACKAY / NPL / MINDEN PICTURES (E); JAKUB DVOŘÁK / ALAMY (F); ANDREW PARKINSON / FLPA / MINDEN PICTURES (G) MAY 2024 • NAT GEO KIDS 31
32
WLO
DSIQU
B T AY B T C A

NAT GEO KIDS • MAY 2024

YFL
ETRE GOFR

EOCORICLD
EYE-TO-EYE

ANSWERS ON PAGE 33

MLURE
ECAPINHMZE
C A R I C T F LW O
of different animal eyes. Unscramble
the letters to identify each creature.
These photographs show close-up views

TOP ROW (LEFT TO RIGHT): ERIC ISSELEE / SHUTTERSTOCK; PHOTOLUKACS / SHUTTERSTOCK; TAMBAKO THE JAGUAR / GETTY IMAGES. MIDDLE ROW
(LEFT TO RIGHT): GERALD ROBERT FISCHER / SHUTTERSTOCK; KOMSAN LOONPROM / SHUTTERSTOCK; ALEXWILKO / SHUTTERSTOCK. BOTTOM
ROW (LEFT TO RIGHT): JOHAN SWANEPOEL / SHUTTERSTOCK; DIGITAL VISION / GETTY IMAGES; TAMBAKO THE JAGUAR / GETTY IMAGES.
 33 MAY 2024 • NAT GEO KIDS
Answers
“Find the Hidden Animals”
(pages 30-31): 1. D, 2. C, 3. E, 4. B, 5.
F, 6. G, 7. A.
CHRIS WARE (ALL)

“What in the World?” (page 32):

Top row: tabby cat, tree frog, arctic wolf.
Middle row: squid, fly, chimpanzee.
Bottom row: owl, crocodile, lemur.
LATELY?”
RATHER JUMPY
BEEN FEELING
“YOU SAY YOU’VE
A SCHOOL BUS.”
STUCK BEHIND
“I HATE GETTING
GET?”
THAT THING
MILEAGE DOES
“WHAT KIND OF
LOUD
OUT
LAUGH
ART ZONE
AWESOME ANIMALS
To celebrate the Endangered Species
Act, kids sent in drawings of their
favorite critter as part of our Animal
Adventure Sweepstakes.

Opossums Toucan
Lita C., 14 Harper H., 10
Inlet Beach, Florida Huntersville, North Carolina

Giraffe
Owen S., 7 Tortoise
Denver, Colorado Julian G., 9
Houston, Texas

King Cobra
Noah W., 6
Lincoln, Nebraska

34 NAT GEO KIDS • MAY 2024

 To see a
list of the re
entu
Animal Adv winner
es
Sweepstak ers-up,
and runn .
go online
s.com
natgeokid
/may

Elephant
Daisy D., 10
Olympia,
Washington

Clouded
Leopard
Sasha F., 10
York,
Koalas Pennsylvania
Kamila M., 10
Charleston, West Virginia

Alligator
Robert B., 7
Suffield,
Connecticut

MAY 2024 • NAT GEO KIDS 35

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