What Do Pirates, Fennec Foxes and Sea Otters Have in Common?

Besides the fact that they are all pretty hairy, they are also three things I’m writing about now for National Geographic Kids magazine! Facts your neighbor probably doesn’t know:

  • Blackbeard was known for lighting fuses and sticking them in his beard, so they’d smoke in a billowing cloud as he approached another ship. Maybe that’s the reason he never personally killed anyone. He didn’t have to—those he robbed handed everything over when they saw him coming.

  • Fennec foxes have ears up to half the size of their whole bodies. No wonder they can hear prey running underground. Yes, they can hear prey running underground. I am so glad I’m not fennec prey.

  • Sea otters help save the environment by…pooping. I’m not going to tell you how here. You’ll just have to read the cover story!