National Geographic Kids Chapters: Crocodile Encounters: and More True Stories of Adventures with Animals (NGK Chapters) - Softcover

Barr, Brady

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1426310285 ISBN 13: 9781426310287

Publisher: National Geographic Kids, 2012

Synopsis

The first in a line of adventures within the National Geographic Kids Chapters series, Crocodile Encounters will surely prove to be one of the most exciting. Follow along with National Geographic explorer Brady Barr as he crawls into a muddy hole just barely big enough for his shoulders, and comes face to face with thirteen crocodiles! Laugh out loud as you learn how to catch a crocodile using shoe laces and underpants. Read in anticipation to find out what happens when you put a 600-lb crocodile on an airplane in just a flimsy wooden crate. These action-packed stories and more will engage readers and inspire them to go out and explore their own world.

Stories include:
 · "Undercover Croc," in which Brady "becomes a crocodile," by donning a specially-designed protective croc suit, and infiltrates a group of Nile crocodiles in Tanzania.
 · "Toy Story," in which he uses (and loses) a radio-controlled car with video camera, in a hilarious failed attempt to capture a Nile crocodile in South Africa.
 · "Deep Dark Den"--in an attempt to relocate a group of crocodiles causing problems to neighboring villagers in Costa Rica, Brady finds himself underground in a deep muddy hole with thirteen angry crocs.
 · "Croc in a Box," Brady tries to move a giant, troublesome croc from Uganda safely to an American zoo, but discovers the croc is much stronger than the "sturdy wooden box" that has been built to contain him.
National Geographic supports K-12 educators with ELA Common Core Resources.
Visit www.natgeoed.org/commoncore for more information.
Releases simultaneously in Reinforced Library Binding: 978-1-4263-1029-4 , $14.90/$16.95 Can
E-book: 978-1-4263-1030-0 , $5.99/$5.99 Can

About this title

About the Author:

BRADY BARR is a resident explorer with National Geographic with books, articles, and TV shows listed under his many credits. He recently caught a crocodile using his shoelaces, part of a seatbelt from his rental car, and the underwear he was wearing.

KATHY ZOEHFELD is a reptile expert. She loves to write about dinosaurs, but crocodiles are a close second.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.:

Croc Disguise
 
Hi, my name is Brady Barr, and I’m a zoologist. That means I study animals. I’ve studied all kinds of animals in about 70 countries on Earth. But of all the animals I’ve worked with, crocodiles are my favorite.
 
There are 23 different types, or species, of crocodilians (sounds like krah-koh-DIL-ee-uhns). I’ve had the chance to see them all in the wild. I’ve been up close to the wide- snouted alligators and caimans (sounds like KAY-mens). I’ve been nose-to-nose with the narrow-jawed crocodiles. And I’ve even studied the weird and wonderful gharial (sounds like GAR-ree-uhl).
 
Sometimes I have to catch wild crocodiles for my work. For some studies, my team and I need to weigh and measure crocs. For other studies, we need to attach high-tech devices to the crocs. These devices help us keep track of the crocs, or they record information about changes in the areas where the crocs live.
 
The number of people on Earth is growing every year. More humans on the planet means people need more space. People are moving into areas that were once the wild homes, or habitats, of crocs. With their habitats shrinking, many species of crocodilians are dying out. When a species is dying out, we say it is an endangered species.
 
The more we know about endangered species and what they need, the better we can help them. But catching wild crocs is a dangerous job—for me and for the crocs!

To catch a croc, I usually have to snare it with a rope. Then I wrestle it until it is very tired. I jump onto its back and tie its jaws shut so it can’t bite. Then I tie its legs. That’s a lot easier said than done!
 
Even a tired crocodile is very strong. Catching one can turn dangerous quickly. Crocodiles are not used to having people jump on their backs. It is strange for them. That’s why I am always looking for better ways to handle the crocs and get the information we need.
 
We know that crocodiles are calmer around other crocs than around humans. If only another croc could find out what we need to know. Then it wouldn’t be so hard on the animal we want to study.
 
Well, on a trip to Tanzania (sounds like Tan-zan-EE-uh), I got to find out what it feels like to be a croc.
 
It all started when I was giving a talk to a group of children at their school. I was telling them about my work with crocodiles. One small boy raised his hand.
 
“Dr. Brady,” he asked, “why don’t you dress up as a croc and join their club?”
 
At the time, I thought that was pretty funny. I laughed and went on with my talk. But I couldn’t shake the idea from my mind. Could it actually work? I wondered. There was one way to find out!
 
I asked the people at National Geographic if they could build me a life-like crocodile suit. Luckily, they were up for the job!
 
Artists made the head from a mold of a real crocodile head. That made it look exactly like the real thing! It was made of a material called polystyrene (sounds like pahl-ee-STYE- reen). It is very lightweight, but strong.
 
Next, the engineers built the body. This part was important. It needed to protect my body if an angry croc decided to bite! They made a set of metal ribs. These formed a strong cage around me. Then the cage was covered by a shield made of Kevlar. The same stuff is used to make bulletproof vests. That would make it hard for even a croc bite to break through!
 
Finally, the artists made a rubber cape that looked just like crocodile skin. This would cover the body and make it look like a real croc.
 
At last, my croc suit was ready. And boy, did it look real! My plan was to get close enough to a group of wild crocs to put high-tech devices on their backs. If my test was going to work, I would have to make the crocs believe I was one of them.

About this edition

• Publisher: National Geographic Kids
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 1426310285
• ISBN 13: 9781426310287
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 112