Learning About Wildlife


We’ve subscribed to the Nat Geo Kids magazine for our daughter, a magazine mostly about wildlife, customized for kids. These are the two most common kinds of info from the magazine that appeal and/or amuse her:
1)      Gross is king: Like the time she learnt that the urine of the leopard gecko, a lizard like reptile, comes out as tiny crystals. She piled on, “I guess that when they need to find crystals for jewelry, they collected the urine of this animal”. This was followed by uproarious laughter…
2)     Chance to quiz and show off: One time she saw this pic of an animal next to which it said, “It has donkey ears, a kangaroo tail, and a piggy nose”. It was an aardvark. I translated the last part of the animal’s description (“distant relation of…”) into terms she gets: “With which animal does it share the maximum number of instructions (DNA)?”. The surprising answer? The elephant!! Off she went in a flash, to ask her mom the same two questions…

Hearing about how bird regurgitate food to feed their young ones, she asked why the bird couldn’t just put it on the ground and mash it. Why mix her saliva in it, she demanded. At least she doesn’t think we were serving her such food…

Another time, I read out this advice to young lion cubs from the magazine:
“Meals are a rough-and-tumble affair, so it’s best to hang back until everyone else is done eating before digging in. Let Dad go first, then Mom – that means you’re last.”
Leftovers are for kids, I translated pointedly. She wasn’t the least bit worried; in fact, she was just amused. It reminded me of an earlier flight, where I’d told her that the instruction to adults is to pull the gas mask to themselves first, and only after that should they help their kids. Why, she asked. It’s to ensure the adult stays conscious and can be around to help the kid, I answered. Ok, that makes sense, she said.

Daddy and Mommy Lion, the onus is on you guys to give a logical reason to justify your behavior…

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