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Gone Forever: Extinct Animals
Kelly, 10, of MN
Posted July 2, 2008
What do the Dodo bird, the Antarctic wolf, and the Caribbean monk seal have in common? All of these animals are extinct because of humans' actions.
On June 6, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Fisheries Service confirmed that there are no Caribbean monk seals left on Earth.
The very first account of the Caribbean monk seal dates back to Christopher Columbus' second voyage to the Americas in 1494. On the expedition, members of the crew killed eight seals. In the late 1700s, hunting reached an all-time high. By the 1800s, Caribbean monk seals were already considered rare. People hunted the species primarily for their blubber, which was used to make oil.
The last documented sighting of a Caribbean monk seal was in 1952. Since then, there have been a number of alleged sightings, but biologists have confirmed that these sightings were of other seal species. According to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) fishery biologist Kyle Baker, juvenile hooded seals have a striking resemblance to Caribbean monk seals.
After confirming all seal sightings as non-monk seal sightings and observing an arctic seal species moving into the region, the NOAA feels confident that the Caribbean monk seal is officially extinct. Since the last sighting was so long ago, no one can be sure when the last seal died, but Baker believes it was probably in the 1970s or early 1980s.
The Caribbean monk seal is the first seal species to die off as a direct result of human activity. Unfortunately, it may not be the last. Monk seal populations in Hawaii and in the Mediterranean are dwindling. There are only about 1,200 Hawaiian monk seals and 500 Mediterranean monk seals left. The diminished populations are particularly dangerous because the fewer seals there are, the more vulnerable they become to threats like disease, predators, food scarcity and hurricanes.
So what can we do to help protect the remaining monk seal species?
"It's going to take a huge effort," Bud Antonelis, Chief of the Protective Species Division of NOAA Fisheries at the Pacific Island Fisheries Science Center, tells TIME For Kids. "It's not just the monk seals that we are attempting to preserve and recover. It's the habitat they live in, and that habitat is being influenced by many factors."
The NOAA has started a Hawaiian monk seal recovery plan. This plan works to protect monk seals from a number of factors, including sharks, habitat destruction and pollution. So far, more than 500 metric tons of trash has been removed from the monk seal's habitat in the northwestern Hawaiian Islands. The recovery plan also encourages population growth by helping juvenile monk seals stay healthy and well fed while they learn how to forage for food.
Antonelis says that ordinary citizens can help protect the monk seals, too. If more people recycle, plastics won't enter the ocean and end up around a seal pup's neck. Also, when visiting monk seal habitats in Hawaii or the Mediterranean, tourists should keep the ocean clean and respect the animals' home.
Michael Phelps Breaks His Own World Record
Robert, 11, of Bayonne, NJ
Posted July 2, 2008
Two time Olympian Michael Phelps tries out for his 3rd Olympic trials on Sunday night, June 29, 2008. He broke his own 400 meters individual medley world record of 4 minutes 6.22 second with 4 minutes 5.25 seconds.
It was amazing the speed that this athlete has when he swims. He has been in two previous Olympics and has medaled gold and silver in both. Even though in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens he won eight medals and 6 of them were gold, he's trying to break Mark Spitz's record of seven gold medals in one single Olympic game.
Now Nike has created a new swimsuit for the swimmers. It's a Speedo that covers the entire body called a LZR. Stated in the Boston Globe, "... designed by NASA and fashion designer Commes des Garcons ... the woven fabric, which is extremely light and water-repellent, is ultrasonically welded together rather than sewn, with compression panels placed along the chest, thighs, and buttocks, plus a corset-like 'core stabilizer' to minimize drag and maximize streamlining." It will definitely give swimmers an advantage but is it fare and can it be considered a controversy if Michael Phelps wins with it breaking Mark Spitz's record who wore a regular Speedo trunk.
Thirteen Year Old Takes Home The Colossal Cup!
Namratha, 11, of Farmington
Posted July 2, 2008
Sameer Mishra won the 2008 Scripps National Spelling Bee on May 30th in Washington D.C. His victory word was guerdon, which means something that one earned or gained.
This wasn't Sameer's first try in the spelling bee. It was his fourth try! So just in case you lose a spelling bee, keep on trying until you win. Sameer Mishra is an eighth grader studying at West Lafayette Junior/Senior High School in Indiana. His hobbies are reading, playing video games, computer games, and, of course, board games. His sister Shruti Mishra was a three-year competitor in the Scripps National Spelling Bee and was Sameer's coach for the spelling bee.
The second place winner was Sidharth Chand and he spelled the word prosopopoeia wrong. He spelled it like p-r-o-s-o-p-o-p-o-e-a. Sidharth Chand is a seventh grader studying at Detroit Country Day Middle School. His favorite subjects are math and science. He loves chess and has been playing it for six years. Sidharth is an avid philatelist and has collected multiple stamps from all over the world. His coaches were his mother, Sunita and a family friend, Mr. John Herron.
The third place winner was Tia Thomas and she spelled the word opificer wrong. She spelled it like e-p-i-f-i-c-e-r. Tia Thomas is an eighth grader studying at Mountain Home School Charter in Coarsegold, California. She likes playing the flute, reading, snow skiing, and spelling. Her highlights as a speller was, when she met California governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger and first lady Laura Bush.
WALL.E!
Kelly, 10, of MN
Posted July 2, 2008
Disney Pixar's new animated tale takes place in the year 2700. Wall*e, a tiny trash-compacting robot, is the last one standing after everyone else abandons a garbage-filled Earth for outer space.
Wall*e (short for Waste Allocation Load Lifter, Earth class) continues to make cubes out of trash for 700 years with no one but his sidekick, a pet cockroach, to keep him company.
Wall*e feels lonely, until he meets EVE, a shiny white robot with glowing eyes, that's sent back to Earth to check on the progress of the clean-up. WALL*E falls instantly in love.
Neither character speaks, so animators were faced with a big challenge. "Their movements had to be very subtle," lead animator Angus MacLane told TFK. "The funniest stuff happens when they don't move around a lot."
Bank Robber
Tami, 8, of Wisconsin
Posted July 2, 2008
A man name Roger went into a bank to steal money in Wisconsin. Everyone was scared of him. For his disguise he wore a costume so his family wouldn't recognize him. After the caught him, they found out he has a wife and 3 kids.
That was dumb of him to do something like that and hurt his family.
Sara's Jewels Stolen and Found
Carla, 9, of Corinth, NY
Posted July 2, 2008
Sara heard a sound and didn't know that crooks had entered her house. Mrs. Julieta and her daughter Martha, Sara's next door neighbor, saw that they was a bag on the ground near the house. They decided to disguise themselves to catch whoever was in the house.
They stood at the doorway and when the crooks came out, they capture them with the net and took the jewels away from them and returned them to Sara.
They got the best detective award even though they were neighbors.
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