You have to get up very early on a cold
and frosty morning to see these: the
phenomena known as a frost flower is
formed when water drawn up into the
stem of a plant forms into a thin layer of
ice. The temperature above ground must
be below zero while the temperature
below ground is not. The plant can still
draw up water from the ground but above
the ground it will begin to freeze and stem
crystals form in the cold air make the
stem walls crack. Capillary action draws
up more water that in turn becomes ice
that may form into ribbons and delicate
"petals." But the minute the sun comes
out, they melt away.
FROST
FLOWERS
GLOWWORM CAVES
Is it a badger or a raccoon or maybe a fox?
This is actually a Japanese Raccoon dog or
a Tanuki. It is famous in Japanese legend for
shape shifting as well as being cheeky, playful
and mischievous. It is said to have eight
traits that bring good fortune and statues
of the Tanuki are available all over Japan to
symbolize good luck.
The Tanuki also appears in some Super
Mario games. Mario dons a tanuki suit that
allows him to fly and dodge his enemies.
THE SHAPE-
SHIFTING
TANUKI
Can you imagine the excitement? The
spider tortoise is one of the world's
smallest and rarest tortoises and it is
possible it can become extinct in the wild.
But the Paignton Zoo in England have a
breeding pair, an experienced keeper and
an egg that's about to hatch.
Based on his researches, keeper
Andy Meek has tried to mimic the
environmental conditions of the south
west coast of Madagascar to help this little
egg survive. Spraying with water to make
it feel like a rainforest was one, a cooling
period to imitate a dormancy time within
the incubation period was another.
The single egg was monitored constantly
and on April 25th, after a period of 180
days, a tiny tortoise was born. The adults
can grow up to six inches long and live up
to 70 years. They get their name from the
designs on their shells.
This breeding success will help assure
that the breed continues, if only in
captivity.
Cave formations also reveal
stalactites and stalagmites that
have formed over millions of years.
Tours of the caves take you through
various limestone levels including
the Catacombs, Banquet Chamber
and the Cathedral and the tour
end with the boat ride through
the Glowworm Grotto along the
underground Waitomo River
where the light is provided by the
glowworms alone.
Check out these oddities and
curiosities from around the world!
48 • Off icialKidsMag.com • JANUARY 2019
