Seymour Simon's Blog, page 59

More Cute Puppies

A reader named Sam uploaded this picture over the weekend, and asked some good questions about dogs. Here is what Sam wrote: Hi, Mr. Simon, I found this and I thought IT was the cutest thing ever! It reminds me of your book DOGS. My favorite book of yours is DOGS. How many types of dogs are there? What is the most dog bought? If you can answer these, you'll be my life's (favorite) answerer! Hope you like it! - Sam T. The American Kennel Club (AKC) lists 185 official dog breeds. This does not account for the many mixed breeds (some people call them "mutts") that exist, and many of those are beloved companions and great pets. As to which dog is the most popular, the AKC rankings of most popular dogs (determined by which breed is registered most often) has had the same number one for the past twenty years - Labrador Retrievers. This puppy appears to be a toy breed - perhaps a Maltese, or a Shih Tzu. Anyone out there able to identify it?

What We're Finding Out About Earthquakes

As the news about 9.0 earthquake and massive tsunami in Japan continues to unfold, we all feel so sorry for the people of Sendai and the surrounding area. Many people are still without adequate food, water or shelter, and it is winter there, with temperatures overnight going down below freezing. And now, survivors must worry about exposure to radiation from the damaged nuclear power plants. Nature’s power can be awesome, but also devastating, as we are seeing each day when we look at the news.I was in a school speaking to students this week, and many of them asked good questions about the incredibly strong earthquake and tsunami that happened last week in Japan. As I was answering their questions, I found myself saying that in the long run, this is going to be a huge and valuable learning experience for scientists. I hadn't really thought about it until that moment, but this earthquake, and in particular the tsunami, have been filmed in a way that we have never seen before. There have been many, many photographs and videos taken of the devastation following earthquakes and tsunamis over the years. But in today's digital age with HD video cameras on many cell phones and digital cameras, we have footage the likes of which we have never seen before, particularly of the tsunami as it was actually happening. I told the students that this is going to allow scientists to learn a lot about tsunamis, and will certainly help us improve the computer modeling and prediction instruments that drive tsunami warning systems around the world. Sure enough, today I found this AFP (Agence France-Presse) news story about the reaction of Australian tsunami researchers to seeing the footage. "I think the impact of the waves going across and spreading well inland on relatively flat terrain was something that we've never seen before," Australian tsunami expert Ray Canterford told AFP. He added that while scientists had made progress on predicting tsunamis since the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean disaster in which some 220,000 people died, there was still work to be done. "There has been progress but it's very unfortunate for the Japanese, who are probably one of the most tsunami-ready countries in the world, to be impacted like this—it's just so tragic," he said. Australian Bureau of Meteorology scientist Diana Greenslade said the footage from Japan, which showed houses and buildings being swept up in the torrent of water racing inland, would be of deep interest to scientists studying tsunamis. Scientists typically have calculated the size and force of tsunami waves by measuring the tides, and then going into tsunami-hit zones after the waves have passed to measure how far the water penetrated inland. "The amount of video from this one, especially the one from the helicopter where you can actually see the wave front inundating onto the land is just exactly what we need to be able to verify (and adjust) our models," Greenslade said. The Japanese people will be dealing with the after effects of this three-part disaster - earthquake + tsunami + nuclear accident - for a long, long time. For those of us in other parts of the world, we should take this as a fair warning to consider our own earthquake/tsunami preparedness, and to evaluate the safety of our own nuclear energy generating plants. Scientists cannot predict when or exactly where earthquakes will happen. The only thing that we can be sure of is that they WILL happen. Planning and practicing our emergency procedures, as families, schools, and communities, will help to keep us all safer in the future.

Name this Cub!

Today's "Cool Photo of the Week" is a 6-week-old snow leopard cub, sitting for her weekly weigh-in at Tennessee's Chattanooga Zoo. This cub is the only survivor of three cubs born to the mother leopard in January, and she is a success story in the zoo's conservation effort. The zoo works with the Snow Leopard Trust to breed these endangered big cats, raise funds for research, and help preserve the species. Though snow leopard cubs only have a 30 percent survival rate, this baby is healthy and gaining about a pound a week. This little cub does not have a name yet, and the zookeepers are looking for suggestions. If you have an idea, write a comment here and we will pass your suggestions on. You could be the lucky reader to name this beautiful snow leopard! The zoo's deadline for naming the baby is April 25, so send your ideas in now. TheSnow Leopardis a largecatnative to the high mountain ranges ofSouth AsiaandCentralAsia. They were nearly hunted into extinction because their bones are considered powerful ingredients in traditional Asian medicine. Researchers estimate that between 3,500 and 7,000 snow leopards are left in the wild (and another 600 - 700 in zoos).These beautiful cats are hard to spot, since they are naturally secretive and their white coats act as camouflage in the snow. So, researchers rely on other ways of detecting a snow leopard's presence, including looking for scrapes (snow leopards scrape their back legs in loose soil, leaving a small hole with a pile of soil next to it), scent markings (they claim their territory by spraying rocks and bushes with a strong-smelling liquid from a scent gland near the tail) and scat (also known as feces, or "droppings").Photo: Chattanooga Zoo

EARTHQUAKES: Fact & Fiction

So many of our readers have questions following the terrible events in Japan over the weekend. This excellent website, from the US Geological Service, separates fact from fiction, and is full of good information about earthquakes. Parents, Teachers and Librarians: There is also a detailed Teacher Guide for my EARTHQUAKES book, which you can use with kids to use to stimulate discussion and answer questions. It is a free, downloadable resource that we provide on my website for you to use, at home or in school. Photo: A man rides a bicycle through a debris-strewn street in Miyako, Iwate Prefecture in northeastern Japan March 12. (Kyodo/Reuters)

The Largest Shark

Noah from Hamilton, Ohio, wrote recently with a good question. He asked: "What is the biggest shark?" I told Noah that the Whale Shark (Rhincodon typus) is the largest shark in the world. In fact, it is the largest living fish species. Then, I suggested to Noah that he do some research and come up with some more interesting information about the whale shark. Here is part of what he wrote: "I found a lot of good facts about Whale Sharks.One isthey haveno known predators. Another fact is they use their stripes and dots as camouflage through disruptive coloration." Noah is correct. "Disruptive coloration" is a common type of camouflage that we see in nature. The mix of different patterns (in the case of the whale shark, both stripes and dots) is thought to hide the overall shape of the animal's body, making it more difficult to spot in the water. When I say that a whale shark is big, I mean really BIG!The whale shark can grow as long as 41 feet and weigh as much as 15 tons.To understand just how large that is, look at this drawing from Wikipedia, which shows the size of a Whale Shark compared to the size of an adult human. These huge fish are found in tropical and warm wateroceans, and have been known to live as long as 70 years. There is no reason to be afraid of whale sharks. They are not predators; rather, they are slow-moving filter feeders. Animals who are filter feeders simply open up their mouths and take in whatever food happens to be in the water, while filtering out the undesirable debris.Whale sharks feed mainly on tiny bits of food like plankton, as well as microscopic plants and animals. If you want to read more about sharks, you can probably find one or more of my books in your school library. There is a Smithsonian book called SHARKS and a SeeMore Reader called INCREDIBLE SHARKS, which is also available en Español: TIBURONES FABULOSOS. Some of you may have ordered my book SHARKS: 3D from the Scholastic Book Club. If you are wondering why I have written so many books about sharks, it's because they are fascinating to me, just as they are to you! Note to Parents, Teachers and Librarians: There is a free, downloadable Sharks Teacher Guide on my website, which I invite you to use to enhance the reading experience of students who are reading these books. Whale Shark Photo: Zac Wolf

Japan's Long History of Tsunamis

Japan is part of the "Ring of Fire" - the area in the Pacific Ocean that has the strongest geological activity on Earth, including many earthquakes. So, tsunamis are not new to the Japanese people.Japanese artist Katsushita Kokusai did this famous painting of a tsunami wave off the city of Kanagawa in 1829.

Understanding Tsunamis

The terrible earthquake that hit Japan earlier today was a magnitude 8.9. That's one of the biggest ever recorded. The devastation caused was bad enough, but the resulting tsunami is even worse. A tsunami used to be called a tidal wave, but that's not a correct term. Tsunamis have nothing to do with tides - those are caused by the gravitational pull of the moon (and the sun to a lesser degree). The violent shaking of the earth underneath the ocean causes tsunamis. Tsunamis can also travel across long distances on the ocean. At sea, a tsunami wave is scarcely noticeable, but when the wave comes close to shore, it builds up and up and can by many feet high. It's too soon at this writing to know exactly what damage has been done, but it's likely to be very great.For readers who want to read more about earthquakes and why we seem to have had so many big ones this year, you can read my earlier blog post: EARTHQUAKES: WHAT IS GOING ON? Photograph: The tsunami crashing into homes in Natori, Japan. Courtesy Kyodo News, via Associated Press.

So You Want to Be an Author

When I speak in schools, I usually tell the story of writing my first book, called SPACE MONSTERS, when I was in second grade. Since I have been in a lot of schools recently, I have been hearing from students who love writing, and are asking for advice on how to become authors. A dog-lover named Natalie wrote: Ever since I was in 1st grade, I have wanted to be a writer to express my deep imagination. I have written fantasy books like you wrote Space Monsters. Every time I start a book I want to start a new one with a complete new idea. How do you stick to one book topic at a time? Or this note, from Marissa: I want to become an author when I grow up. I write every day. I just wrote a few stories in my writer's notebook at school!I tried to write a chapter book, it has a few chapters. Dina, whose school I visited this winter, asked: What do you think I should do to be a good writer likeyou? You already told us to start writing while you are a kid but I want to know more. I'm very interested about you and writing! I'm so glad to receive letters like these from fellow writers! I think that writers begin their life as a writer when they are young, just as you are. It's important to keep writing as much as you can. I've written many books and usually work on several books at the same time. I do research on a number of topics and write about one of them. I think you might like to do the same. While you are working on a book or story, keep the ideas for future books coming. Keep a notebook or journal where you jot down your story ideas, and any details that seem important to you. That way, you can stick with the one story that you're working on until you are finished, but you are still keeping track of ideas that you might want to write about later. Sometimes I go back and write a book from a scrap of an idea that I jotted down years before. So don't be shy about writing down your thoughts. You never know when they might come in handy! Finishing a book is always much harder than starting a new book. But like everything else that you want to learn to do well, writing takes practice. The more you write, the better you get at it, and the easier it becomes. I wish you well with all your writing projects! Your fellow writer, Seymour

Faster! FASTER!

Today's "Cool Photo of the Week" was taken at the opening of the Grand Aquarium in Hong Kong's Ocean Park. Although it looks as though these tiny fish are about to become lunch for the humongous Grey Nurse Shark swimming behind them, these fish actually work as a team. The small fish are pilot fish, and they eat fish lice, little crabs, and blood sucking worms that live on the skin of the shark. The pilot fish suck on the shark's skin and keep it clean, and in exchange, the shark doesn't eat them. This is also a smart way for the pilot fish to avoid other predators, because most of their enemies are careful to stay away from sharks. There have even been reports of smaller pilot fish swimming into a shark's mouth a cleaning away bits of food caught between its teeth…..like living dental floss! Photo courtesy of MSNBC.com’s “Animal Tracks”

Watch the Sky Tonight!

This morning the space shuttle Discovery undocked from the International Space Station and started its final flight back to Earth. SpaceWeather.com says that this may allow people in the US and Europe to see a double flyby - Discovery and the International Space Station traveling together through the night sky! Click here to go to the satellite tracker website and type in your zip code. It will tell you what time to look, and in which direction. If the skies are clear, you'll be able to see what looks liketwo bright lights traveling close together through the night sky.This is also a last chance to see Discovery in flight, because the orbiter will be retired after it lands in Florida on Wednesday.